Is Chiangmai becoming a ghost town?

[Dante99]

9 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

 We plan our trips to Chiang Mai around the fact that we will only go into the central portions as a last resort. We pick away at things from the ring roads and then go back home.

Central CM is not bad if you avoid the morning and evening rush hour periods.  10-3 usually clear.

[tabarin]

Sure some people are in fast denial if not noticing how few foreigners are left compared to years ago, as well how few businesses do good business.
I even know many old timers, with good reputation and repeat customers, some 10+ year existing, that no longer were able to stay open + make their time worth while.

I mean, if you just look at the most populair areas, there will always be crowd and that makes it not look too bad. But if you look into detail, it is very quiet.
Driving trough all parts of town and streets frequently, I am 100% sure of this (except the window shopping, picture taking Chinese). 

So many who told me to consider leaving, and now are never seen around, so I suppose they did leave.
Many just sit at home too, as of forex, poor entertainment + times, doubt that will last long. The boredom is gonna break up sooner or later.

Edited September 28, 2019 by tabarin

[FolkGuitar]

7 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

I moved out in 2011, when I go back everything seems different. Harder to notice when you are there I suppose. Coming in to the city and getting around used to be much easier, We plan our trips to Chiang Mai around the fact that we will only go into the central portions as a last resort. We pick away at things from the ring roads and then go back home.

 

I suppose that could well be the difference. I live in the middle of town, two blocks from the moat. I ride motorbike so traffic is rarely an issue for me, even though I go into the Old City every day for lunch with friends. Takes me five minutes and parking isn't an issue. I avoid going to Central Festival and Big C as much as possible, doing my shopping at local fresh markets. Despite this being 'low season' I see plenty of tourists on the street every day. More and more hotels are being built... another 200-room place going up on Huay Kaew Rd, and another just up the road from the Chinese consulate on Chiang Lor Rd. I doubt they are being built as tax write-offs. They must have don't their due diligence when planing to finance these places, expecting a profit.  While it IS true that I don't see many of the old Farangs that I used to see, I just figured they drank themselves to death, leaving room for all the new Farangs that I do see. After all, pretty much the only places I'd see them was sitting at the bars. Chiang Mai IS changing. No question about that. But I don't think it's getting bad. It's just changing.

[JimmyJ]

On 9/20/2019 at 8:34 PM, Antonymous said:

 

 

Downtown Chiang Mai has become a much more civilised place since all those digital nomads fled.

In what way is it more civilized? Or changed in any way - with less digital nomads - that affects you?

[WaveHunter]

Chiang Mai has always been over-hyped as a destination for Westerners (tourists and long-stays alike).  It's like the way Los Angeles and Southern California in general were beginning in the 1980's.  It's the classic case where hoards of people are attracted to a location by a lot of media hype that's way overblown, and their influx changes the character of the place significantly. 

 

I came to Chiang Mai in 2017 and in the two years I lived there, I saw traffic congestion and pollution increase noticeably.  Hordes of tourists on the streets and in stores, and the traffic has gotten so bad in the Nimann area that travelling less than 1 km through the NImman center on Huay Kaew Road in a Grab car can take 30 minutes!  The only travel option for me that makes sense anymore is my road bike, and strategically planning trips to stores when tourist will be otherwise occupied! 

 

Thai people's attitudes about foreigners also seems to have declined.  Shop owners and restaurants seem more surly and their "Thai smiles" ring hollow.  I started feeling like I was just a walking ATM machine to many of them now. 

 

And the Chinese invasion on Chiang Mai (as well as the Pattaya area where I'm now living) is just plain crazy!  Not to sound prejudiced, but some Chinese tourists have been some of the rudest and most obnoxious people I have ever encountered anywhere in my travels! I see tourists buses lining the streets, sometimes as many as a dozen of them on my street.  You walk into a 7-11 and it will be jam packed with mostly Chinese tourists, sometimes so many at one time, you can't even get in the door!  They cut in front of you in line without a care.  They argue with the cashier about petty things holding up everyone else in line.  It's just pathetic! 

 

The most bizarre thing I ever saw was going to a buffet restaurant one night in Chiang Mai.  At the adjoining table to ours was a group of about a dozen Chinese tourists.  As soon as the waiters started to bring out the food to the buffet table, all those Chinese tourists jumped up and literally ran to the serving table, pushing other people out of the way, and then loading their plates so tall that food was dropping off their plates onto the floor as they headed back to their table.  It was just unbelievably rude and offensive!  Others in the restaurant just stared in shocked disbelief!

 

I still love Chiang Mai but it's not the place it was when I moved here, and I mean that in a real negative way.

Edited September 29, 2019 by WaveHunter

[Dante99]

13 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Chiang Mai has always been over-hyped as a destination for Westerners (tourists and long-stays alike).  It's like the way Los Angeles and Southern California in general were beginning in the 1980's.  It's the classic case where hoards of people are attracted to a location by a lot of media hype that's way overblown, and their influx changes the character of the place significantly. 

 

I came to Chiang Mai in 2017 and in the two years I lived there, I saw traffic congestion and pollution increase noticeably.  Hordes of tourists on the streets and in stores, and the traffic has gotten so bad in the Nimann area that travelling less than 1 km through the NImman center on Huay Kaew Road in a Grab car can take 30 minutes!  The only travel option for me that makes sense anymore is my road bike, and strategically planning trips to stores when tourist will be otherwise occupied! 

 

Thai people's attitudes about foreigners also seems to have declined.  Shop owners and restaurants seem more surly and their "Thai smiles" ring hollow.  I started feeling like I was just a walking ATM machine to many of them now. 

 

And the Chinese invasion on Chiang Mai (as well as the Pattaya area where I'm now living) is just plain crazy!  Not to sound prejudiced, but some Chinese tourists have been some of the rudest and most obnoxious people I have ever encountered anywhere in my travels! I see tourists buses lining the streets, sometimes as many as a dozen of them on my street.  You walk into a 7-11 and it will be jam packed with mostly Chinese tourists, sometimes so many at one time, you can't even get in the door!  They cut in front of you in line without a care.  They argue with the cashier about petty things holding up everyone else in line.  It's just pathetic!  The most bizarre thing I ever saw was going to a buffet restaurant one day in Chinag Mai.  At the adjoining toable to ours was a group of about a dozen Chinese tourists.  As soon as the waiters started bring out the food to the buffet table, all those CHinese tourists jumped up and literally ran to the table, pushing other people out of the way, and then loading their plates so tall that foods was dropping off their plates onto the floor as they headed back to their table.  It was just unbelievably rude and offensive!  Others in the restaurant just stared in disbelief!

 

I still love Chiang Mai but it's not the place it was when I moved here, and I mean that in a real negative way.

Wow all that in just two years.  You really became an expert quickly.

[Vacuum]

On 9/22/2019 at 11:03 PM, Dante99 said:

What does writing Thai have to do with it?

Show off?

[moontang]

His comments about the DNs and the lies they live by are quite accurate.  He doesn't seem to realize that it does not rain everyday, and it is not news that the boxing arena may be the original pink elephant in CM.  When were most of those places NOT for sale?  Nothing has changed about the ladies on LK in the last 15 years.. in fact it is mostly the same ladies ( and Ladyboys) , just 15 years older.. 

[orang37]

Well, if it's a ghost town, what a great backdrop for we, the walking dead, to party on !

 

~o:37;

[sanemax]

12 hours ago, toast1 said:

>Well, a bold English Buddhist (((00))) complaining about Chiang Mai not being Kosher enough during the slow season.

This is Jew hate conspiracy, the (((brackets))) are used by people who hate Jews and believe that Jew controls the world in a secret conspiracy. Usually associated with various extremist and Neo Nazi groups. The brackets are used to 'expose' Jews, the hidden enemy.

I am sad to see this here and hope the moderators will ensure it does not continue.

 

I've nothing against criticism or banter, but this is a particular nasty type of racism hate and I hope TA will be free of it.

 

 

Nothing to do with Jews or Religion .

Some British people used "Kosher" to mean *OK*

"Is it kosher" > *Is it OK*

But yes, originates from Jews asking whether things were Kosher or not , but nothing sinister about it  .

[Trujillo]

Quote

 

"Is it kosher" > *Is it OK*

But yes, originates from Jews asking whether things were Kosher or not , but nothing sinister about it 

 

Unless you are making an "OK" sign at the same time....

 

Click here:

 

the-ok-hand-gesture-is-now-listed-as-a-symbol-of-hate

[toast1]

As stated in my post, the (((brackets))) are a conspiracy hate sign, used by people who believe in various Jew hate theories, and popular with Neo Nazis and extremist groups. Commonly used to 'expose' Jews, and promote an ideology of hatred for them.

It has nothing to do with the word 'Kosher'.

Edited September 30, 2019 by toast1

[scottiejohn]

On 9/22/2019 at 11:55 PM, ta158 said:

muggings rarely make it to news, and not every shooting and stabbing incident is reported in news

If they don't make it into the "news" for the rest of us to know about them, then how do you get your reliable information to enable you to make that statement.

[EricTh]

Did anybody go to Chiangmai city and observe whether it is still a ghost town last week during China's national holiday week?

 

I was eating at a Thai shop on Nimman road and it was quite empty....

 

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by EricTh