Pros/Cons of CM

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, malibukid said:

only complaint, the high end audio scene sucks in CM.  have to fly to KL, SGN for the top shelf stuff i.e. Chord, Rega, Naim, Harbeth, ARC ect.

Next time, could you post in Sanskrit please? That may be more comprehensible to me.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Samuel Smith said:

Plenty of beautiful, remote places to see near Chiang Mai if you can be bothered to search them out & get off the tourist trail.  Not going to list them here ????

If you are not going to list them here, your comment is as useless as tits on a bull.

[HuskerDo]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

In the UK I cooked all my own food at home.

In Thailand I cook all my own food at home.

 

It's much cheaper in Thailand.

Hi Britman. I plan on stopping at the organic farm stands each week and gather a few veggies to steam at home for 2 or 3 meals a week. I love steamed vegetables.

[HuskerDo]

14 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

If you are not going to list them here, your comment is as useless as tits on a bull.

What's wrong with tits on a bull? Eventually he'd figure out a use for them. ????

[hugocnx]

17 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

Thanks Chickenlegs. When you say "all western countries have legal limits of bugs and rat shit, etc. in their food - it's unavoidable,

even with western hygiene standards. " Well not really true depending on what country/city/restaurant you are referring to but that's exactly my point. The West at least HAS standards and they still have issues with hygiene. It seems like Thailand has ZERO standards thus it far far worse. Buy a bowl of noodles and see ants or other things floating in it and if you complain they fix it by scooping out the bugs. Nice!! ???? 

Why worry, the noodle soup was hot and above 70C all regular living bacteria and the likes are killed. Free protein.

[HuskerDo]

3 minutes ago, hugocnx said:

Why worry, the noodle soup was hot and above 70C all regular living bacteria and the likes are killed. Free protein.

Funny.... NOT! ????

[rumak]

17 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

I think that the cost of living here is "moderate", compared to the west (in my case, UK). In other words, about the same, except for house ownership/rental which is far more expensive in the UK.

I must be living in a different Thailand (CM) than you.  You do admit that "lodging" is MUCH cheaper than in the UK......or Swiss, or Aus, or canada,  or usa,  etcc.    Much cheaper.   As are:   basic thai or farang meals,

water and garbage collection,  cost of maintaining a vehicle,  cost of fresh food when bought at the big thai markets,  cost of clothing ,  cost of medicine,  cost of doctor visits., costs of electricians or plumbers,,,,,,   

Please tell us what you are paying for that "is about the same".  

[rumak]

If you live in the middle of the CM.....than i would not find it pleasant.  Too busy, too crowded.  Same as almost any city (IMO).    But if you are a few km outside the center it can be very nice depending on your talent in finding the right living place (experience helps).   And like bm2...... I found there are lots of nice places to bike or be outdoors if that is your thing.  You don't say if you are single or not.....you hoping to catch a companion ?   Be truthful now 

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You missed out sticky waterfall and Mon Chairm, Mae Sa waterfall, Ob Khan National Park, The Canyon .........

(Doi Saket? Why would anyone want to go there?)

The temple at Doi Saket is quite interesting. It has a series of small billboards in the driveway next to what I assume is the monks' quarters, with Thai proverbs translated into English.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The temple at Doi Saket is quite interesting. It has a series of small billboards in the driveway next to what I assume is the monks' quarters, with Thai proverbs translated into English.

'Na nua, jai sua' is my favourite, and the explanation ......

'Na, dtaa, yim yem jairm sai, tere kang nai kit rai' strikes me as very funny.

 

And they have the statues of Buddha in all his Hindu incarnations for you to pray beneath.

Edited January 5, 2019 by BritManToo

[hugocnx]

49 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

Funny.... NOT! ????

????

[SiSePuede419]

Pizza?  Thailand?

 

Hey, I've been working in Los Angeles this past year and ate a lot of Italian restaurants.

 

Big difference in quality between the best and your average LA restaurant.

 

There's one that actually cheaper than Thailand, called "Fritto Misto" and the decor is rustic, Italian countryside.  For around 100B you get a huge salad, enough for 3 people.  This would cost a minimum of 150B at the cheapest Thai market or street venues.

 

And got some pasta with oven roasted chicken for around 330B.

 

Again, it was enough for 3 people.

 

Then on the other end of the spectrum was Bestia and Felix.  They both featured top Italian food, small portions, top ingredients, creative plates.

 

Here is an example from Bestia:

 

This meal cost ~3000B.

 

I'm a pretty good chef.  My goal is to learn how to make pasta and maybe open up a restaurant with Italian- Thai fusion food...

 

Italian pastas with Thai ingredients and flavors.

 

They have something similar in Japan, they call wayfu.

 

I can't eat boring food anymore.

 

Here's the good news, if you like Thai food, there's a lot of places where you can eat 50B - 150B.

 

If you don't, you're stuck with the other foods that can be more expensive than back home and not as tasty.

 

[sawadee1947]

Cons: CM is in Thailand 

Pros: there is an airport to leave Thailand 

[madmen]

Pros. Fast ferry to Pattaya
Pros. Bus station to bangkok
Pros. Overnight train out of there
Pros. It's a great place for farang to die after having lived a great life in the rest of thailand.

[HuskerDo]

7 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Cons: CM is in Thailand 

Pros: there is an airport to leave Thailand 

Hi 1947. Care to explain what it is you dislike so much there?

[mrmillersr]

55 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

Hi 1947. Care to explain what it is you dislike so much there?

Stay awhile and you'll find out.  Best part I liked about CM was leaving it.

[HuskerDo]

22 minutes ago, mrmillersr said:

Stay awhile and you'll find out.  Best part I liked about CM was leaving it.

Please expand on that. Women issues? Difficulty assimilating? Visa issues? The heat was too much? Did you live on an extremely tight budget where it didn't allow you to enjoy some of the nicer things? Any and all information is appreciated. Thanks!

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, madmen said:

Pros. Fast ferry to Pattaya
Pros. Bus station to bangkok
Pros. Overnight train out of there
Pros. It's a great place for farang to die after having lived a great life in the rest of thailand.

Fast ferry to Pattaya from CM? Has the heat of a Thai winter got to you?

I'd sooner chew razor blades than ever take a bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai or vice versa again.

[JimmyJ]

9 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

Hi Britman. I plan on stopping at the organic farm stands each week and gather a few veggies to steam at home for 2 or 3 meals a week. I love steamed vegetables.

Where are these located in or around CM?

[JimmyJ]

 

HuskerDo - How much time have you spent thus far in CM?

Edited January 5, 2019 by JimmyJ

[HuskerDo]

47 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

Where are these located in or around CM?

Pure Organic Farmers Market Chiang Mai at Jing Jai (JJ Markets). The market will be open every weekend; Saturday ‘Pure Organic’ 5.30 until 8.30am / Saturday Pesticide free 9am until 3pm and Sunday 6am until 1pm under the shade of the trees

 

Every Sunday - Morning Market at Baan Kang Wat. 8 - 11.  Just next Wat Umong, you'll find the beautiful art space of Baan Kang Wat hosting a new weekly market.  There are organic & local producers selling delicious bread, cheese, coffee, jam, chutney, nut milks, kombucha and lots of more.  https://www.facebook.com/marketbannkangwat/?fref=ts
 

[HuskerDo]

45 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

 

HuskerDo - How much time have you spent thus far in CM?

A grand total of zero time. ???? That's why I'm here gathering information from you folks that have boots on the ground and can point me in the right direction on a number of things. 

 

I plan on moving there next fall. I know everyone says to take a trip there first to make sure I like it and I will in a few months. However, I got a lot of information already and am 99.325% sure I'll love it. I work with a Thai lady that I go to lunch with on occasion and to tell you the truth I didn't even know she was Thai. Why? Because I never looked at her as someone being from one country or another. To me she was just a friend and lunch buddy. Well one day I mentioned I found a place where I think I want to retire to and when I mentioned Chiang Mai her mouth dropped open and she just stared at me. It was because she had begun planning her own retirement to CM as she's from there. Who knew. She got divorced a few years ago and wants to return home. I thought it all was either a very bizarre coincidence OR that it was a good plan I had been making (probably both).

 

So here I am gathering all the info I can get my grubby little hands on. I'm doing this on my own as I don't want to rely on my Thai friend to help me make decisions. We think differently a lot so I want to blaze my own path and she can blaze hers over there and we'll continue to be great friends and hang out on occasion.

 

That's the story of my life chapter number 38. The entire book can be bought on Amazon but it won't be completed until I die so hold on to that upcoming purchase order. ????

 

 

[JimmyJ]

29 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

A grand total of zero time. ???? That's why I'm here gathering information from you folks that have boots on the ground and can point me in the right direction on a number of things. 

 

I plan on moving there next fall. I know everyone says to take a trip there first to make sure I like it and I will in a few months. However, I got a lot of information already and am 99.325% sure I'll love it. I work with a Thai lady that I go to lunch with on occasion and to tell you the truth I didn't even know she was Thai. Why? Because I never looked at her as someone being from one country or another. To me she was just a friend and lunch buddy. Well one day I mentioned I found a place where I think I want to retire to and when I mentioned Chiang Mai her mouth dropped open and she just stared at me. It was because she had begun planning her own retirement to CM as she's from there. Who knew. She got divorced a few years ago and wants to return home. I thought it all was either a very bizarre coincidence OR that it was a good plan I had been making (probably both).

 

So here I am gathering all the info I can get my grubby little hands on. I'm doing this on my own as I don't want to rely on my Thai friend to help me make decisions. We think differently a lot so I want to blaze my own path and she can blaze hers over there and we'll continue to be great friends and hang out on occasion.

 

That's the story of my life chapter number 38. The entire book can be bought on Amazon but it won't be completed until I die so hold on to that upcoming purchase order. ????

 

 

"A grand total of zero time. ????"

 

That was my impression.

 

"I know everyone says to take a trip there first to make sure I like it..."

 

I'm one of those people.

 

You can see from the variety of comments that it depends on what you look for in life and what appeals to you.

 

It's very personal. Finding out that someone hates the people there and someone else likes the people there isn't really helpful as it depends on your reactions to the people there. The same with everything else that are subjective opinions.

 

Although I also like threads like these for learning more and useful tips - such as the info about the organic markets.

 

 

[smotherb]

On 1/5/2019 at 1:37 AM, baansgr said:

You mentioned it, the one thing that put me off is the immigration office, couldnt cope with that.

Food and daily needs are the same price anywhere in Thailand, except maybe Phuket or Samui but the major stores have a one price system, so citing cheap living is a myth. 

In fact for me there isnt a pro.

I believe it is possible to live cheaper in some places in Thailand than others. For starters, I learned long ago that living in and around farangs costs more; so I do not live in a farang ghetto. I pay less than B8k/mo for a large 3 story, 4 bdr/bth house in a very nice/quiet neighborhood on a cul-de-sac in the middle of a large city with few farangs. No soi dogs. no noisy neighbors, no standbys, no traffic. Not everything I purchase comes from the major stores; I can eat local food, and do enjoy it, but my wife is a great cook and makes all my Western favorites. She has even found tolerable Thai beef. Fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood are all fresh, good and reasonable; if you know where to get them. But I digress.

 

Chiang Mai is a farang ghetto, so that is a con and that alone puts me off. The long lines at immigration, the lousy air quality and the general high cost are all turn-offs. The pros; well I guess there are some decent farang restaurants and bars, lots of farangs with whom to commiserate and plenty of your major stores. However, as I said, I can do without them all. If I feel the need, I can travel to any one of them--Phuket, Samui, Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, ad infinitum.  

[Lacessit]

On 1/5/2019 at 1:45 AM, HuskerDo said:

Thanks Chickenlegs. When you say "all western countries have legal limits of bugs and rat shit, etc. in their food - it's unavoidable,

even with western hygiene standards. " Well not really true depending on what country/city/restaurant you are referring to but that's exactly my point. The West at least HAS standards and they still have issues with hygiene. It seems like Thailand has ZERO standards thus it far far worse. Buy a bowl of noodles and see ants or other things floating in it and if you complain they fix it by scooping out the bugs. Nice!! ???? 

Australia has about 5 million cases of food poisoning every year. That's a quarter of the population. I don't know what the stats are for Thailand.

Most Thai food is prepared in very small pieces, chopped fine, hence cooking here is more effective in killing bacteria. Spices such as chili and garlic are effective bactericides.

I've been eating from a street stall near my condo ( chicken biryani ) for 10 years now, about once a week, and have never had a problem. My worst case of food poisoning here came from a Western-style packaged meal I bought at a Tops supermarket.

[HuskerDo]

52 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

"A grand total of zero time. ????"

 

That was my impression.

 

"I know everyone says to take a trip there first to make sure I like it..."

 

I'm one of those people.

 

You can see from the variety of comments that it depends on what you look for in life and what appeals to you.

 

It's very personal. Finding out that someone hates the people there and someone else likes the people there isn't really helpful as it depends on your reactions to the people there. The same with everything else that are subjective opinions.

 

Although I also like threads like these for learning more and useful tips - such as the info about the organic markets.

 

 

True. I've always done my best to ignore other peoples opinions of an individual(or group of people) as my experience has always been different when I meet the person that's being trashed. I have no idea what causes someone to try to run others down like that but my experience is that if you treat people with kindness and respect you almost always get the same in return. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a person trashing someone only to find out when I met that individual I thought they were great.

 

I'm pretty easy going and try not to have expectations of people outside of common sense kind of things like carrying your weight at work.

 

I have certain things I want in the community where I live but a person can also be a little flexible and not have to have things 100% their way 100% of the time. Like with food. I like good food like everyone but if it's a little overcooked who cares. If it doesn't taste like you expected who cares. Just don't order it again. Will it in any way change my life tomorrow and beyond? No, so why raise a fuss.

 

I like what I read about the friendliness of the Thai people and as long as I can figure out what they are going to expect as far as what is required for the visa situation now that proof of income has gone the way of the dinosaurs(well except for our lovely crocodiles who are dinosaurs in their own right) I'll be happy.

 

One thing I'd like to do over there is contribute to the education of a poor families children. It doesn't cost all that much to send a few kids thru college. I think it would be a good way to "pay it forward". 

 

[bangkoken]

Good transportation system? Perhaps you consider over priced Tuk Tuk's with arrogant drivers to be a good transportation system. In reality the system is horrible. In addition, CM is boring with little to do once you have seen a few temples. Living in CM is like living a slow death.

[HuskerDo]

26 minutes ago, smotherb said:

I believe it is possible to live cheaper in some places in Thailand than others. For starters, I learned long ago that living in and around farangs costs more; so I do not live in a farang ghetto. I pay less than B8k/mo for a large 3 story, 4 bdr/bth house in a very nice/quiet neighborhood on a cul-de-sac in the middle of a large city with few farangs. No soi dogs. no noisy neighbors, no standbys, no traffic. Not everything I purchase comes from the major stores; I can eat local food, and do enjoy it, but my wife is a great cook and makes all my Western favorites. She has even found tolerable Thai beef. Fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood are all fresh, good and reasonable; if you know where to get them. But I digress.

 

Chiang Mai is a farang ghetto, so that is a con and that alone puts me off. The long lines at immigration, the lousy air quality and the general high cost are all turn-offs. The pros; well I guess there are some decent farang restaurants and bars, lots of farangs with whom to commiserate and plenty of your major stores. However, as I said, I can do without them all. If I feel the need, I can travel to any one of them--Phuket, Samui, Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, ad infinitum.  

 

9 minutes ago, bangkoken said:

Good transportation system? Perhaps you consider over priced Tuk Tuk's with arrogant drivers to be a good transportation system. In reality the system is horrible. In addition, CM is boring with little to do once you have seen a few temples. Living in CM is like living a slow death.

This is a great example of what JimmyJ was talking about.

[HuskerDo]

9 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

 

This is a great example of what JimmyJ was talking about.

Not sure what happened here. It didn't save my response to smotherb but added his message to the response I meant for bangkokens post. What can I say. I'm a rookie! ????

[HighPriority]

12 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

What's wrong with tits on a bull? Eventually he'd figure out a use for them. ????

Ladybull... ????