Expatriates Visiting Or Living In Chiang Mai

[Mapguy]

Here's an old (and, as usual, too long) post of mine I found in my files:

Chiang Mai might be a nice place to visit for you! Perhaps a place you might want to live.

The weather is great (Remember, it is the tropics!) most of the year, but totally forget mid-February - early April. The air is quite polluted then. Some days you have absolutely no idea where the environmental natural beauty of the place is! Unless you are sleeping it off in hotel rooms in preparation for your next night on the bar scene (which isn't very extensive), but that's not the environment I had in mind.

There are hotels at all prices, and the fancy ones are really quite cheap now. The sad part now is that you could fire a bazooka down the halls of most of them now and not damage a thing! You see, a couple of Thai governments ago, some promises were made about mega-development in Chiang Mai including casinos. That sucked in a lot of investment from some seemingly wise heads, like Holiday Inn, Meridian, and Shangri-La, to name three! But, not to worry, if you get to the right village around Chiang Mai city at the right time, there are plenty of cockfights to bet on.

There are some very good restaurants in Chiang Mai. And a lot of medioce and not-so-good restaurants. Street stalls? Some are quite good. You do have to be careful, sometimes, where you eat, but don't get paranoid about it. Take the appropriate medicine, if you need to, but don't worry about it! On the other hand, if you want to know where the best hamburger is, the best tuna fish sandwich, and so on, check out TV Chiang Mai. Otherwise --- has anyone mentioned "Thai" food? --- don't bother looking on TV Chiang Mai! On the other hand, there is McDonalds, and places which serve fish and chips, if you must have that sort of thing.....but then, why leave home?

There are bars with bar girls and other joints. If you think it is cool to stuff money down g-strings and buy lady drinks, perhaps you might stay in Bangkok or go to Pattaya, which are much faster towns with a lot more opportunities for that sort of thing. It is rumored that they sell sex by the second in those places!

If you pack tea bags and are looking for restaurants with hot water, please stay home and visit your local parks, sit on park benches and strike up conversations with passing pigeons! Nobody wants you here! Backpackers with rich parents and/or American Express are, however, welcome.

If you are looking to retire, this isn't a bad place --- if you understand living in the tropics in a different culture and don't expect things to be just like back home, only cheaper. If you don't, go live with your kids. Seriously, stay home! Please! Seems most of the complainers and otherwise very boring people here are folks on skimpy pensions from Sioux City, Iowa, USA, or the West Midlands, UK, or the outskirts of Queensland, Australia, who worry about getting "ripped off" on exchange rates for a nominal ATM charge when they need extra cash to go to McDonalds! Get a life! Free banking wasn't included in the demands of the Magna Carta!

If you are looking for a lover and figure on supporting him/her/undecided by opening up a restaurant, prepare to starve, perhaps slowly, perhaps more rapidly, depending upon the size of your pension!

If you work one year and then figure you can travel here, shoot your wad, then go home, don't plan on your honey to wait pure and with baited breath for your return.

I'm on a sort of roll here. Anyway, it is late.

Anyone want to add some "If you....." suggestions?!

[ThaiPauly]

You are right.

Your post is way too long LOL

[harrry]

You are right.

Your post is way too long LOL

THat is why he didn't retype it just cut and pasted.

[Rasseru]

. . . . . If you work one year and then figure you can travel here, shoot your wad, then go home, don't plan on your honey to wait pure and with baited breath for your return.

. . . . .

Anyone want to add some "If you....." suggestions?!

Good post. If you want to make it better, correct 'baited breath' to 'bated breath'.

[caf]

. . . . . If you work one year and then figure you can travel here, shoot your wad, then go home, don't plan on your honey to wait pure and with baited breath for your return.

. . . . .

Anyone want to add some "If you....." suggestions?!

Good post. If you want to make it better, correct 'baited breath' to 'bated breath'.

Correct.

But not as bad as the other howlers often found here.

Their are many Thai's living in Chiangmai but less than previous. Its true the cat likes it's milk

[Rasseru]

Correct.

But not as bad as the other howlers often found here.

Their are many Thai's living in Chiangmai but less than previous. Its true the cat likes it's milk

Were you intentionally providing examples? I count six there, and possibly seven. 'There are many Thais [farang?] living in Chiangmai, but fewer than previously. It's true that the cat likes its milk.'

Edited June 15, 2009 by Rasseru

[StevieH]

not disagreeing with your post mapguy, but you keep forum posts on file? that's unusual.

[Ulysses G.]

that's unusual.

Not for mapguy.

[PeaceBlondie]

Not to be a walking ant, I thought the post was good. It hit the usual suspects from Sioux City, West Midlands; Thai food and its lack of mentions; sexpats, etc. Actually, we have had Thai fish and restaurant mentions on TV Chiang Mai, even by me. I failed to name the place - Kao Mao Kao Fang - cute waiters. And Metro has cute waiters.

[MonsieurHulot]

Here's an old (and, as usual, too long) post of mine I found in my files:

....... snip .......................

don't plan on your honey to wait pure and with baited breath for your return.

............. snip ..........................

Anyone want to add some "If you....." suggestions?!

You must be pretty desperate/bored/perverse/lonely if you are reduced to save and recycle your own posts.

What a shame! I had managed to miss the first broadcasting

By the way, what is "baited breath"? Is it the kind of breath one has after eating fish?

Edited June 15, 2009 by MonsieurHulot

[ThaiPauly]

By the way, what is "baited breath"? Is it the kind of breath one has after eating fish?

"Baited Breath" is something one has whilst awaiting Mapguy's next post

[Tywais]

By the way, what is "baited breath"? Is it the kind of breath one has after eating fish?

Appears it must be properly spelled > learnenglish.org.uk, or is that the British spelling.

[orang37]

... snip ... By the way, what is "baited breath"? Is it the kind of breath one has after eating fish?

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Hulot,

"Baited" breath is a rendering of a mis-pronunciation in English of the two Thai words "bai thod" followed by the regular English word for "breath."

"Bai thod" (going fried) is an idiom with the sense of "seductively dangerous."

So, someone who waits with "baited breath" is someone who is "lurking" with perhaps a sinister agenda. A predator of some form.

But linguists, even the most cunning, disagree on this : the "left hand" school believes the source was "bey that" which refers to the application of poison to the end of a barbed spear.

These things were revealed to me recently in a dream of bananas.

best, ~o:37;

[Rasseru]

. . .

So, someone who waits with "baited breath" is someone who is "lurking" with perhaps a sinister agenda. A predator of some form.

. . .

Precisely, M. o:37. Which underscores the desirability of M. OP's correcting the spelling in his original post, as that is quite the opposite of the thought he evidently intended to express.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I'm getting Deja vu.. Haven't we seen this rant before? It's still not very positive or uplifting.

[catmac]

What a dour, miserable and utterly pointless post that is, Mapguy. Do you have to regurgitate your dislikes of your fellow expats at such regular intervals, and are you not the same Mapguy who is always butting into other people's posts to demand that they be closed?

[Rasseru]

What a dour, miserable and utterly pointless post that is, Mapguy. Do you have to regurgitate your dislikes of your fellow expats at such regular intervals, and are you not the same Mapguy who is always butting into other people's posts to demand that they be closed?

I'm afraid he's lookin' for love in all the wrong places.

[anonymouse]

Excellent idea MadGuy, maybe we should all look back through our files and repost topics that we thought were under appreciated the first time round, maybe we could have a best of Madguy topic pinned.

[RoastLamb]

I'm sure you only posted this for the first time about a month ago. I distinctly remember reading and thinking: what is all this annoying italicisation, isn't it my decision where to place the emphasis. Then again, I suppose the memories of those who frequent this board don't exactly scream great depth. Or mabe i'm missing the joke?

Edited June 15, 2009 by RoastLamb

[Ulysses G.]

maybe we could have a best of Madguy topic pinned.

Good idea.

[Ulysses G.]

What a dour, miserable and utterly pointless post that is, Mapguy. Do you have to regurgitate your dislikes of your fellow expats at such regular intervals, and are you not the same Mapguy who is always butting into other people's posts to demand that they be closed?

Is it OK if I re-post this one every once in a while? catmac says it better than I ever could.

[WaiWai]

I usually enjoy Mapguy's posts .

I believe his aim is to challenge, and provoke discussion, and in this he succeeds .

[Ulysses G.]

Does that mean that you volunteer to have him follow you around and mention you - for no particular reason - in almost every single post ?

Edited June 16, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[WaiWai]

Does that mean that you volunteer to have him follow you around and mention you in almost every single post?

I was unaware that anyone had been thus honoured .

I could volunteer, if you feel that might serve some useful purpose.

However, unless Mapguy chooses to participate, I am afraid I would be unable to assist in this project.

[Ulysses G.]

Priceless was so honored, but he placed mapguy on "ignore" and posts very little these days.

I also have been so honored, but am a shy man by nature and don't appreciate mapguy's habit of including personal details about me and suggestions of how I should be living my life in most of his posts.

[Bill97]

Really wonderful replies to Mapguy's troll, especially from UG and Rasseru who have combined to make 33% of the responses. Keep up the good work guys and gals.

Hey UG, if you do not like personal details about you posted, why do you put so many in your own posts? You have told so much about where you have lived, worked, eaten, your sexual experiences and ........it is like you are writing your autobiography in bits and pieces on the forum.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Bill97

[Ulysses G.]

I actually don't mind if I choose to do so myself. For example, I call myself fat all of the time, but I don't really appreciate when other people do it as an insult.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[orang37]

... snip ... I suppose the memories of those who frequent this board don't exactly scream great depth. ... snip ...

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun RoastLamb,

That gem, alone, made reading this thread ecstasy.

best, ~o:37;

[BigSnake]

Good post, a bit long but I do concur CM is a nice place to visit and maybe even live. I have several friends, Thai/farangs living there and when ever time permit I will enjoy a visit, love dining at the four star hotels, visits to the Winery (vineyards) are one of my favorite things to do. Love the foggy cool mornings near the Vinyards.