Chiang Mai

[Newbie2008]

I am a 25 year old Texan that works 28 days on, 28 days off in India. Does Chaing Mia meet the following?

1) I want to save/invest 50% of my income, since I don't spend any money whatsoever while I am working in India this leaves me with roughly 4 thousand USD per 25 days in Thailand, plausible? I don't need anythign close to 5 star western amenities, but I don't plan on doing my own laundry either =P

2) Are there many others around my age that go out to enjoy the nightlife?

3) Am I going to get mugged the first time I take a tuk tuk or use an ATM? I try to mantain some form of vigilance whenever I travel, it's a bit harder when you're crawling home after a rough night though.

4) Is the local Thai attitude toward Farang's as bad as I hear about in Phuket?

5) Are there some decent attractions to see when I'm healthy enough to leave the room during the sun lit hours?

I'm sure all of these have been answered before, but I would appreciate any response, I should arrive in early February if I can find a nice place to stay.

Josh

[Fraktalkid]

Since you live in India, why not fly over on your time off and check the place out? You might find that Chiang Mai meets 9 requirements out 10, but if that last requirement is one of your most important then it may not be the place for you. Like everywhere it has its ups and its downs, more of which you can read in the boards here and elsewhere on other sites. Generally though, the attitudes of farang in Chiang Mai is quite different from those in Phuket (having lived about a year in Phuket and 3 in Chiang Mai) - in my experience in Phuket, the local farang don't integrate with the local Thais to the the extent that they do in Chiang Mai. But then the types of people you get up here are quite different - whereas in Phuket (and I'm being stereotypical here) your average farang has made their money and living a life of luxury, the average Chiang Mai farang is still working or otherwise occupied - teaching, travelling, volunteering, working on a business or seeking enlightenment.

Having said that, generally I've found it easier to make (farang) friends in Phuket, and Thai friends in Chiang Mai - the local farang in Chiang Mai tend to be quite private until you get to know some of them. To do that, join in on some activities and if you're nice you'll soon get invited out to parties and stuff

As for your 4k USD, yes it will go a long way. Although keep your eye on the Baht : Dollar exchange rate as the Dollar is getting weak against the Baht (so is the pound for that matter ).

[tigerbeer]

the first thing u need to learn about chiang mai is that its not spelt chiang mia.

1. i think 4k is more than enough for anyone living here.

2. many your age that live in chiang mai. they frequent places like bubbles, spicy's, places around nimmanheimen(hip/new generation hangouts).

3. been out late before and never been mugged yet.

4. thai attitude towards farang in phuket? well. am not surprised the least. confident that its not the case in chiang mai. depends on your own attitude i think.

5. if you can make it out of your room during daylight hours, i am sure you can find lots of places to see. visit and have fun at. its really not so bad hanging out during the day.

wish you all the best. i do however feel that it would be a lot more fun for you to stay at phuket or pattaya instead. more things happening through the night.

[Donnyboy]

I am a 25 year old Texan that works 28 days on, 28 days off in India. Does Chaing Mia meet the following?

1) I want to save/invest 50% of my income, since I don't spend any money whatsoever while I am working in India this leaves me with roughly 4 thousand USD per 25 days in Thailand, plausible? I don't need anythign close to 5 star western amenities, but I don't plan on doing my own laundry either =P

2) Are there many others around my age that go out to enjoy the nightlife?

3) Am I going to get mugged the first time I take a tuk tuk or use an ATM? I try to mantain some form of vigilance whenever I travel, it's a bit harder when you're crawling home after a rough night though.

4) Is the local Thai attitude toward Farang's as bad as I hear about in Phuket?

5) Are there some decent attractions to see when I'm healthy enough to leave the room during the sun lit hours?

I'm sure all of these have been answered before, but I would appreciate any response, I should arrive in early February if I can find a nice place to stay.

Josh

Why dont you try and PM Milton Bentley, one of our sponsers (see the top of this page-TUSKERS) and it looks like they have furnished apartments open by the time you arrive. Ive heard they are more than just a name, a totally different experience. Whatever that may mean.- Im sure it will be a pleasant one if its to the standard of their bar.

Edited December 28, 2007 by Donnyboy

[Newbie2008]

I type a bit to fast for my own good sometimes and realized I misspelled it (among a few other words in my post), however it would not let me edit the title afterwards

It seems like a great place to stay on paper, and I'm pretty laid back actually. I definately want to check out the Zoo and a few other places.

Thanks for all the info and see you in February!

[mcgriffith]

No worries, I just edited the title spelling.

Look forward to seeing you here!

McG

[realthaideal]

Plenty to do. Plenty to see. Places a plenty fer fun. You'll be safe.....only maybe don't go around telling everybody you make 4K a month. You gonna be rich here, man! Stinking rich.

So... just hang out awhile, meet some folks, and get your own feel for the place. Many different echelons of local life to explore, many of us with circles of ppl expanding into several of each: art, music, charity, writing, NGO, old bastards with tall tales, young bastards with tall tales, teachers, long-stay passers thru, retirees, academics... so many types of folks to know here, you'll have your pick. And I forgot to mention the genuinely nice and warm Northern Thais which make this place great to live in too. You'll have your favorite noodle stall in no time as well.

Let's see, 4k = approx 120K baht, noodles are at 20 B/ bowl, you got the goods fer 60K bowls of kwaytiyao /mo., that gives 200 bowls per day. Dang !

[Donnyboy]

Plenty to do. Plenty to see. Places a plenty fer fun. You'll be safe.....only maybe don't go around telling everybody you make 4K a month. You gonna be rich here, man! Stinking rich.

So... just hang out awhile, meet some folks, and get your own feel for the place. Many different echelons of local life to explore, many of us with circles of ppl expanding into several of each: art, music, charity, writing, NGO, old bastards with tall tales, young bastards with tall tales, teachers, long-stay passers thru, retirees, academics... so many types of folks to know here, you'll have your pick. And I forgot to mention the genuinely nice and warm Northern Thais which make this place great to live in too. You'll have your favorite noodle stall in no time as well.

Let's see, 4k = approx 120K baht, noodles are at 20 B/ bowl, you got the goods fer 60K bowls of kwaytiyao /mo., that gives 200 bowls per day. Dang !

or alternatively,

4k= 120k baht, 8 beers down a Loy Khroy bar @ 800 Baht, 5 shots of a thai whiskey 100 baht, cheese burger @ Mikes/Woodys 120 baht, interesting proposition on Tapae gate by 2 extremely good looking but tall thais on a scooter @ 2000 baht,....missing creditcard, wallet, phone, ATM card and cleaned out bank account by morning approx 117k baht...sorry $4k aint enough, better keep working

[BlackArtemis]

I would say many his age make due with 25k baht (less than $1000 USD.

I would stay far far away from spicy and bubbles though....

[tijnebijn]

I would say many his age make due with 25k baht (less than $1000 USD.

I would stay far far away from spicy and bubbles though....

Indeed a lot of people there , which makes you guessing if they are a woman or not !

There are a lot of places much more interesting , much more places then the members

talk about here , especially the restaurants ..... sorry guys .

[meadish_sweetball]

You won't have any problems whatsoever living here on 4000 USD per month if you don't go to excess on anything.

Even if you eat strictly at foreign restaurants your budget will be ok, but you should really give Thai food a go as it is a lot cheaper and can be very tasty.

You will find though that the level of English spoken by people in general is not that great, and this can be a source of frustration.

If you like it here and decide to make it your second home, I suggest you enroll in a Thai course as quickly as possible. That way your time here will be much more enjoyable in the end.

The nightlife in Chiang Mai is not that great compared to Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket etc. so if that is your primary motivation, then perhaps look at those options too before you decide.

There's plenty of stuff to do around Chiang Mai: rafting, microlite flying, go-karting, trekking in the mountains, off road biking/mountain biking, waterfalls, climbing, ethnic minority villages, national parks, elephant camps, hot springs, bungy jumping, balloon flying, golf, temples, two zoos, courses in cooking, meditation, yoga, other spiritual/new age stuff, quiet mountain resorts for a getaway, etc. etc. No shortage of stuff to do.

[BlackArtemis]

The nightlife is great if you are young and speak thai / or have English speaking Thai friends.

Take Meadish's advice, learn the language. The great thing about Thai people is that they really encourage you when you begin to learn, even if you speak really bad. Soon enough it will click and snowball, then you will find yourself with lots of friends and lots of things to do!

[Nienke]

There's plenty of stuff to do around Chiang Mai: rafting, microlite flying, go-karting, trekking in the mountains, off road biking/mountain biking, waterfalls, climbing, ethnic minority villages, national parks, elephant camps, hot springs, bungy jumping, balloon flying, golf, temples, two zoos, courses in cooking, meditation, yoga, other spiritual/new age stuff, quiet mountain resorts for a getaway, etc. etc. No shortage of stuff to do.

Balloon flying ... where, how long a flight, how much? Do they have a website?

Nienke

[tigerbeer]

There's plenty of stuff to do around Chiang Mai: rafting, microlite flying, go-karting, trekking in the mountains, off road biking/mountain biking, waterfalls, climbing, ethnic minority villages, national parks, elephant camps, hot springs, bungy jumping, balloon flying, golf, temples, two zoos, courses in cooking, meditation, yoga, other spiritual/new age stuff, quiet mountain resorts for a getaway, etc. etc. No shortage of stuff to do.

Balloon flying ... where, how long a flight, how much? Do they have a website?

Nienke

seems like 10,000 baht for an hour's flight. two web sites that feature this tour. could not find Oriental Balloon website though.

ChiangDao Tours.

CmMarvel tours.

TB

[Newbie2008]

I plan on leaving my cards etc in a safe place, and possibly creating a local bank account with an ATM only card. I can just transfer smaller amounts of money into that and if the worst case scenario happens I won't have to sell myself for rent money until my next hitch At 6' 3" I doubt I could pull it off anyway =P

I'm not restricted to 4k, but it would cut into investment/savings money if I go over.

I was already planning on enrolling in a Thai course, I want to visit some of the ruins in Isaan one day and I'm sure it will be much more difficult if I can't communicate.

[Nienke]

seems like 10,000 baht for an hour's flight. two web sites that feature this tour. could not find Oriental Balloon website though.

ChiangDao Tours.

CmMarvel tours.

TB

Thanks, TB! Sounds like fun and an awfull lot of money.

Thought it would be nice for my mum and sister when they come to visit. I, myself, prefer to keep both feet on solid ground.

Nienke

[tigerbeer]

seems like 10,000 baht for an hour's flight. two web sites that feature this tour. could not find Oriental Balloon website though.

ChiangDao Tours.

CmMarvel tours.

TB

Thanks, TB! Sounds like fun and an awfull lot of money.

Thought it would be nice for my mum and sister when they come to visit. I, myself, prefer to keep both feet on solid ground.

Nienke

there were pictures on a website of couple who got married over the skies of chiang mai. now then it would probably be worth the THB10,000.

[Tywais]

there were pictures on a website of couple who got married over the skies of chiang mai. now then it would probably be worth the THB10,000.

Only if it could reach 1 mile.

As others have indicated, 4k shouldn't be a problem at all. It's the night life that can really chew into the budget plus various transportation costs if you wish to travel further (by air) else train works fine to keep the budget in check.

[Nienke]

seems like 10,000 baht for an hour's flight. two web sites that feature this tour. could not find Oriental Balloon website though.

ChiangDao Tours.

CmMarvel tours.

TB

Thanks, TB! Sounds like fun and an awfull lot of money.

Thought it would be nice for my mum and sister when they come to visit. I, myself, prefer to keep both feet on solid ground.

Nienke

there were pictures on a website of couple who got married over the skies of chiang mai. now then it would probably be worth the THB10,000.

For them it probably was an experience of a life time. But for me, even my ideal man can't get me that far from the safe and solid ground. My first b/f offered to pay for a whole course parachute jumping .... I kindly refused. So, he went with his friends.

[tom21]

I plan on leaving my cards etc in a safe place, and possibly creating a local bank account with an ATM only card. I can just transfer smaller amounts of money into that and if the worst case scenario happens I won't have to sell myself for rent money until my next hitch At 6' 3" I doubt I could pull it off anyway =P

I'm not restricted to 4k, but it would cut into investment/savings money if I go over.

I was already planning on enrolling in a Thai course, I want to visit some of the ruins in Isaan one day and I'm sure it will be much more difficult if I can't communicate.

if you come in using the 30day visa you not be able to open a bank account. this is as far as i know. other bm may have better information

[meadish_sweetball]

It's true most banks have a rule that a work permit or at least a long-term visa is required to open an account with an ATM card, but it is still not always the case as individual bank branches sometimes apply their own rules.

There should be threads already in the forum with bank recommendations from this year - try the Search function.

The general advice is to dress tidily and walk from branch to branch and ask around. A no in one place doesn't mean the next place will give you the same reply.

[tigerbeer]

It's true most banks have a rule that a work permit or at least a long-term visa is required to open an account with an ATM card, but it is still not always the case as individual bank branches sometimes apply their own rules.

There should be threads already in the forum with bank recommendations from this year - try the Search function.

The general advice is to dress tidily and walk from branch to branch and ask around. A no in one place doesn't mean the next place will give you the same reply.

the banks around Tapae Road would be the best bet around these circumstances.

TB