Living Outside the City

[SammyJ]

Hello,

 

When I first moved to cm many years ago, I had thought to live in he "countryside", away from close neighbors, traffic, etc--but, then found a place in the city that was quite nice, near the children's schools, near medical/dental, a Big C and Home Pro, could get fiber internet, etc, so took that home. 

 

But, am once again considering making the move to nearby countryside, again to be away from the constant ambulance sounds which race by our house at all hours of day and night, the traffic and neighbor noise and proximity, etc, etc.  I realize that there will be challenges with all the things--schools, shopping, etc, as to why i originally stayed in the city.

 

I was hoping any fellow cm expats could share their own reasons or experiences, good or bad, in making the move to the "countryside".  Besides the things I mentioned above--has there been greater concern with home security or mosquitoes or, or??  whatever--any advice, ideas, etc greatly appreciated as I consider making the move.

 

Thank you

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

Ontai San Kamphaeng good area, 20 mins big shops, 30 to airport and town.

Good restaurants in area.

[canthai55]

Lived near Doi Saket for 6 years. Avoid the rush hours and town is 30 minutes away.

Have 3BB Fiber internet. Works great.

Besides being woken up by the roosters, love it here.

Green fields everywhere, warm friendly people.

Never heard of any theft in our village.

Only way I would live in the city is if I owned a penthouse with pool on the 42 floor 555

[intheheartoftheheart]

Does everyone leave during the burning season? Or just tough it out? I was in CM for a few weeks a few Aprils ago and it was pretty intense.

[paddyfield7]

We lived in Hangdong for almost 2 years, but the proximity of the next house resp. it's residents made us leave. The wife of the neighbour was alcoholic, and their house became something like a drinking centre of Hangdong. The noise level increased with the hour, and with our bed room being just 3 meters away, it was time to consider a move. We looked at many othere houses in the area, but no layout was suitable for us. So we started to look for land in the suburbs and found a nice area in the district of Sansai. We had the house built according to our wishes and without an architect, and 7 months later we moved in. Now we have 30 km to the middle ring (Meechock) and maybe 40 km to the centre. Our house is located at a dead-end road with no through-traffic. Our doors are open day and night, and we have no fears. Lots of soi dogs though, but with a good fence you can keep them out. Mosquitos not worse than Hangdong. Most of our needs we can get from the local Mae Faek busy market, and once a week we drive downtown for the rest. Sansai hospital 15 minutes away. Many good restaurants in the nearby Mae Rim. We feel absolutely happy here and would never consider to return to the downtown city. Just avoid rush hours for driving.

[kokesaat]

We lived in the city of Udon for 2 years, then bought a piece of land 18km outside the city.  At first, when we built our house, there was no TOT lines, no city water, and the electricity dropped to 160 in the early evening hours.  

Slowly but surely things improved.  The 2 lane road a km away from our house was widened to 4.  After 2 years we finally got a TOT phone and dial up service, then ADSL, now fiber optic.  Power along the highway improved and a transformer was put in not far from our home.  

Our home is nestled away about 300m off a side road from the highway.  No through traffic.  Our nearest neighbor is a Swiss guy who owns 11 rai.  As far as we're concerned, we're in paradise.  We're close enough to the city to run into town if only for a bowl of soup.

We have far fewer mosquitoes than we did when we lived downtown in a subdivision.  We have 20+ varieties of birds, squirrels, mongoose, and yes, snakes, too!  But in the evening we have fireflies and a sky full of stars.

 

But.......I know of several expats who live in country settings with poor electric, poor roads, poor internet, or too close to neighbors.

In answer to your question......living in the 'countryside' isn't necessarily going to fix your problems.  We were extremely fortunate that things worked out.....but could easily have picked a bad spot where we never saw improvements.

Good luck to your search.

[donnacha]

1 hour ago, intheheartoftheheart said:

Does everyone leave during the burning season? Or just tough it out? I was in CM for a few weeks a few Aprils ago and it was pretty intense.

I love Chiang Mai, but no one with options should stay there during the first five months of the year.

 

Edited November 5, 2019 by donnacha

[villagefarang]

Brief trips are nice but home is home and we find ways to adapt. 

[JimShortz]

I've recently moved to a house that I had built on a rai amongst the Lamyai orchards at the southern end of Saraphi. It's only 20kms to the city but a world of difference - so far I am loving the peace and quiet; no dogs barking or roosters crowing, nearest neighbour maybe 100m or so.

I'm also enjoying only seeing the occasional plane high in the sky, and there sure are seemingly a lot fewer mosquitoes. I hope I continue to enjoy it so much.

From conversations with the locals it seems that there is more theft than in the city so since I oork and leave the place unattended in the day we are installing CCTV. I don't really like doing it (I don't like how they look), but if it keeps the local drunks from breaking in for whisky money then so be it.

[canthai55]

2 hours ago, intheheartoftheheart said:

Does everyone leave during the burning season? Or just tough it out? I was in CM for a few weeks a few Aprils ago and it was pretty intense.

You never seen a bad year for forest fires in Canada ?

CNX can't hold a candle

[bkk6060]

Lots of "countryside" 20 to 30 minutes outside the city.

I stay in Mae Rim like it a lot.  Very quiet. They are adding restaurants and coffee places.

But, I have a motorbike very easy to get into the city.

With a car, not so much the 107 has its issues.

[bkk6060]

2 hours ago, donnacha said:

I love Chiang Mai, but no one with options should stay there during the first five months of the year.

 

Truly a shame and will never change.

[ChakaKhan]

Country roads..take me home..to the place..I belong.......pass the sangsom n ginger ale..dropped my lime

[LivinLOS]

I initially moved here was was at the 'close in' side of San Kampaeng.. Good connecton to the city on the 1317 and apart from rice field insects (be aware of this near any rice paddy) was decent.. At that time I came into the city maybe 3 nights a week and it was the right distance / balance. Over time build up and the end of good relations with my farang landlord and I needed a move. 

I REALLY like the balance of life out on canal rd past Samoeng junction. I can be in the city on 25 mins on a motorbike but I go out far less than I used to. If anything over time I could see myself being happy further and further out as the difference between 30 mins in a car or 45 mins in a car a couple of times a week, doesnt effect my life nearly as much as day after day night after night of roosters, crickets and frogs. I am a bit of a country boy and that soundtrack makes my life feel peaceful. The land out here is rolling hills and the mossie thing is less of a plague at sunset than it was in SKP. 

I think I would also be happy in 'outer' Mae Rim or Mae Sa, in the Doi Saket that goes back to the dam, reservoir, farther down samoeng rd, or even perhaps out to Mae Wang or On Tai as suggested above. Those last 2 would be a different life balance tho and city would be more like 45 to 1 hour away and lack a lot of restaurants and things I now go to.

 

The balance for what fits is deeply personal, and changes as both you and the environment change. I admit that I now have much more of an wary eye on how a place is likely to expand or not than I used to. Eg inside Samoeng rd, which I used to see as highly desirable, looks like it will be solid suburbia very soon. 

[canthai55]

Think CNX is bad ... 555

 

[CNXexpat]

I am living in a moo baan near the Grand Canyon (Nam Phrae/Hangdong). A modern, western designed house beside a lake. To Makro and BigC it´s 15 minutes, 3 times a week there is a large local market 10 minutes away, the Panyaden(?) school and minimum one international kindergarden are 10 minutes drive away. Good restaurants around. Usually it´s very quiet but sometimes at the weekend there are pop concerts 2 km away and they play so loud music that I have to close the windows. But I like the place.
Usually I leave the city for a couple of weeks during the burning season and travel around.

[Antonymous]

Live in the City if you work there, or love the nightlife so much, but you have to put up with the terrible congestion and noise.

 

Over the years the quieter suburbs within 20 minutes of the city have all become congested too and there's generally more construction (noise and dust) there as well. It will get worse over the coming years.

 

If your only mode of transport is a scooter then your options are limited to the burbs. And if you have children of school age, having close access to the school is important.

 

But if you drive a car, have no work in the city or kids at school, I thoroughly recommend making your home out in Chiang Mai's beautiful countryside. That doesn't have to be isolated (though that works too); it can be in or close by a village.

 

Over the years I have moved half a dozen times further out each time from inner city originally to an hour's drive outside the city today. I (we) couldn't be happier.

 

When you don't travel into the city often (once a week typically for me), a travel time of 30 minutes or an hour really makes no difference at all. The further out you go the more chance you will find peace, quiet and beauty.

 

Choose a place near to a fresh market for your daily provisions. Of course make sure there's a good internet connection. Check out the area and talk with local people (find the puyaibaan) about issues of security and so forth. There's plenty of choice.

 

 

[JanPeder]

I moved from Hang Dong Samung road. To San Pa Tong. More quiet and less trafic in the south of Chiangmai. That was one of the reason...

[NorthernRyland]

For 4 years I lived near the base of the mountain in Mae Rime which goes up to Samoeng/Pong Yang. The chickens and temple/village loud speaker blasting nearly every morning at 6AM eventually made me crazy and so I moved in with GF in Mae Jo. Really nice area but it's hard to deal with the relentless noise from the locals. Mae Jo has lots of nice places if you can get off the main road but quality of life is getting worse every year as the city encroaches.

[maybefitz]

I have lived in Tambon Long Khod, 70K from CM, route 1001 to Amphoe Phrao for 17 years. 1 hour run to the City25 minute to Phrao with excellent market. Even the smoke is not too bad. Thoroughly recommend you have a look, plenty of properties to rent or buy.

[CM Dad]

I have lived in CM for more than 30 years and have always lived outside the city closer to the Mae Rim- Mae Jo - San Sai side of the city.  I am not on a main highway and cannot even see neighboring houses from mine.  I love the privacy, yet can be in town in 20 to 30 minutes.  I would never consider living in town anywhere in Thailand due to lack of zoning, traffic, and noise.  I feel very safe and secure, much more than I would in town.

[ChakaKhan]

21 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Think CNX is bad ... 555

 

soon my friend, soon..... (cough)

[Antonymous]

2 hours ago, maybefitz said:

I have lived in Tambon Long Khod, 70K from CM, route 1001 to Amphoe Phrao for 17 years. 1 hour run to the City25 minute to Phrao with excellent market. Even the smoke is not too bad. Thoroughly recommend you have a look, plenty of properties to rent or buy.

I'll second that. I used to work at a place along the 1001 well north of Maejo and I know the route to Phrao very well. It is a lovely drive too, through the Sri Lanna National Park, past 'sticky waterfall' and then the road enters the valley of Phrao at Long Khod. A very beautiful area dotted with villages. In fact the whole 30km from Long Khod to Phrao town is gorgeous scenery and well worth considering as a place to live outside Chiang Mai city. Interesting to know that there are plenty of properties to rent or buy there.

 

Another route/area worth exploring for a place to live is the 107 north of Maerim up to Chiang Dao. Maerim itself is one of those once quiet and gentrified suburbs that has become overcrowded and congested now. But further north Mae Tang near to Mae Gnat dam is still quiet. Further north still, but still only an hour's drive from the city, Chiang Dao is developing fast, very popular with well heeled Bangkokians it seems. There are some spectacular views to be had around there and still plenty of land for sale.

Edited November 6, 2019 by Antonymous
Spelling

[poka513]

We (5 adults and 2 small dogs) have lived in a 2 story townhouse for 4 years, our complex is called The Clover. We are located off Road 108 between Airport Plaza Mall and Tesco. There is a nearby 7 and a new mini Big C, along with other Thai shops. Tesco, full Big C or Makro is a short drive along Road 108. Our unit was originally an end unit 3 bedroom 3 bath, but we added a 4th bedroom downstairs and turned our small backyard into an enclosed kitchen prior to moving in. We have various Thai relatives which live in the San Patong area. While very much away from busy Chiang Mai, there are fewer close by services and much less English spoken.

[sawadee1947]

On 11/5/2019 at 3:47 AM, intheheartoftheheart said:

Does everyone leave during the burning season? Or just tough it out? I was in CM for a few weeks a few Aprils ago and it was pretty intense.

Yes every year we leave for 4 months to live at the beach in Khao Lak. ????

[ChakaKhan]

Yep I tend to drift further and further from old city.......sub topic about incoming smoke where would the boundaries be to avoid this......only south?  Really got a bad eye cyst thing that took forever to heal here.

Quote

 

 

[Mahseer]

2 hours ago, ChakaKhan said:

sub topic about incoming smoke where would the boundaries be to avoid this......only south? 

Certainly nothing north at least in this country.

 

South of Hua Hin and north of Chumphon for the gulf. Take a look at Prachuap 1 hour south of HH or further south Ban Krut although this one can get mighty quite which may suite.

[ianwheldale]

Lived in Doi Saket past 18 months. Having lived in London for 40+ years I wanted to get back to the countryside like when I was a kid in Yorkshire. I love the lifestyle, villagers are friendly if you are polite and I can hop on my motorbike and be in Chiang Mai in 20-25 minutes which I don't do too often.

[SammyJ]

On 11/5/2019 at 12:19 PM, JimShortz said:

I've recently moved to a house that I had built on a rai amongst the Lamyai orchards at the southern end of Saraphi. It's only 20kms to the city but a world of difference - so far I am loving the peace and quiet; no dogs barking or roosters crowing, nearest neighbour maybe 100m or so.

I'm also enjoying only seeing the occasional plane high in the sky, and there sure are seemingly a lot fewer mosquitoes. I hope I continue to enjoy it so much.

From conversations with the locals it seems that there is more theft than in the city so since I oork and leave the place unattended in the day we are installing CCTV. I don't really like doing it (I don't like how they look), but if it keeps the local drunks from breaking in for whisky money then so be it.

This sounds very nice--sort of what i was thinking of, but know from other friends and expats that mosquitoes are more of a problem, but that can be dealt with--i was more concerned with security--i have currently many cctv all over my property here--wireless, solar, wifi that work very well, and 3 large aggressive thai ridegback dogs that roam my current property and i have high cement walls topped off with tall spiked metal--so, am pretty secure where i am, but hate the neighbors, the other dogs barking, worrying about my dogs barking and bothering someone (yes, i am a considerate neighbor) and i hear roosters crowing, consistent music from the nearby temple, sirens, etc--tired of it all--but am most concerned about the security--cameras may show you who broke it, and i hear burglars like to poison your dogs first, so not sure that the answer is

another friend was worried about being too far out of the city if emergency medical needs?

[SammyJ]

On 11/6/2019 at 8:18 AM, Antonymous said:

Live in the City if you work there, or love the nightlife so much, but you have to put up with the terrible congestion and noise.

 

Over the years the quieter suburbs within 20 minutes of the city have all become congested too and there's generally more construction (noise and dust) there as well. It will get worse over the coming years.

 

If your only mode of transport is a scooter then your options are limited to the burbs. And if you have children of school age, having close access to the school is important.

 

But if you drive a car, have no work in the city or kids at school, I thoroughly recommend making your home out in Chiang Mai's beautiful countryside. That doesn't have to be isolated (though that works too); it can be in or close by a village.

 

Over the years I have moved half a dozen times further out each time from inner city originally to an hour's drive outside the city today. I (we) couldn't be happier.

 

When you don't travel into the city often (once a week typically for me), a travel time of 30 minutes or an hour really makes no difference at all. The further out you go the more chance you will find peace, quiet and beauty.

 

Choose a place near to a fresh market for your daily provisions. Of course make sure there's a good internet connection. Check out the area and talk with local people (find the puyaibaan) about issues of security and so forth. There's plenty of choice.

 

 

thanks, sounds good--any places you'd recommend?