** Wanted** Quick Lesson In Thai Specifically For The Chiang Mai Area……

[stewstrum]

I have purchased the regular Thai language computer courses……… But as you guys know they are not city specific. I live in northern Wisconsin USA and do not have anyone locally that speaks Thai.

Prior to my arrival in Chaing Mai this winter I would like to learn how to pronounce some local street names and common destinations. Would someone be willing to help me out? Obviously my goal is to not become fluent in the Thai language….. But be able to at least get to the night market on my own. My guess is that if I know 40 or 50 streets and destinations I will be just fine this trip.

Stewart

[pjclark1]

A rather strange request, if I may say so.

Most Thais living out here don't even know the street names.

My Thai gf usually refers to places as "over there" with a bit of arm waving.

Most Thais do know how to get to the assorted Temples, and if you need to navigate, better off to learn the names of the Temples. You want directions to get somewhere ... don't ask a Thai!

Things are different out here, very different.

[greedisgood]

I have purchased the regular Thai language computer courses……… But as you guys know they are not city specific. I live in northern Wisconsin USA and do not have anyone locally that speaks Thai.

Prior to my arrival in Chaing Mai this winter I would like to learn how to pronounce some local street names and common destinations. Would someone be willing to help me out? Obviously my goal is to not become fluent in the Thai language….. But be able to at least get to the night market on my own. My guess is that if I know 40 or 50 streets and destinations I will be just fine this trip.

Stewart

Got to agree with pj clarke on this one. Giving a Thai a map or naming street names is mostly useless. Major destinations. Wats, other tourist spots, petrol stations (yes, I know that sounds strange) they know.

Have you been here be4 ?

Computer language courses ? Hope you didn't spend a lot of money on one. This language is tone specific and I found unless you can actually listen to a Thai, or a dam_n good teacher, they weren't very helpful.

[gotlost]

I have purchased the regular Thai language computer courses……… But as you guys know they are not city specific. I live in northern Wisconsin USA and do not have anyone locally that speaks Thai.

Prior to my arrival in Chaing Mai this winter I would like to learn how to pronounce some local street names and common destinations. Would someone be willing to help me out? Obviously my goal is to not become fluent in the Thai language….. But be able to at least get to the night market on my own. My guess is that if I know 40 or 50 streets and destinations I will be just fine this trip.

Stewart

Got to agree with pj clarke on this one. Giving a Thai a map or naming street names is mostly useless. Major destinations. Wats, other tourist spots, petrol stations (yes, I know that sounds strange) they know.

Have you been here be4 ?

Computer language courses ? Hope you didn't spend a lot of money on one. This language is tone specific and I found unless you can actually listen to a Thai, or a dam_n good teacher, they weren't very helpful.

I'll disagree on Thais reading and interpreting maps. They do as well or if not better than we do. Here we go again putting Thais down. Shame Shame.

[eek]

Hmm..dont know what to say to help, but can give a couple of side common differences you will come across in Chiang Mai.

Instead of "20" being "Yeesip", you will likely hear "Sao"

The Ladies will often say "Jao" instead of "Kha".

(not what you asked for, but something to add to your CM local language studies)

Edited October 22, 2009 by eek

[Donnyboy]

theres no soi 13 here either

[NancyL]

When we first got here we asked a Thai to write down in some of the common places we wanted to visit on notecards -- like one for "Kad Suan Kaew Central" one for "Central Airport Plaza", one for "Night Bazaar" etc. We added the names in English (for our reference) and would present these cards to song thaew drivers until we learned the correct tones to say things like "pai Kad Suan Kaew, na ka"

At first we were amazed at how many of the song thaew drivers didn't read Thai, because they struggled to make out the Thai words. Then we realized the couldn't read little tiny Thai without their reading glasses. So, we had some of the cards redone in really big letters.

We had someone at the hotel do this for us during a time when she wasn't busy.

Edited October 22, 2009 by NancyL

[WinnieTheKhwai]

theres no soi 13 here either

Nimmanhaemin has a Soi 13. So does Charoen Prathet Road.

But in all honesty, why is this topic still open when far more wholesome debates than this are dealt with ruthlessly.. It seems we've now established that the OP isn't even in Chiang Mai and likely just wants to get a rise out of people.. So.. enough of this BS already.

[elektrified]

A rather strange request, if I may say so.

Most Thais living out here don't even know the street names.

My Thai gf usually refers to places as "over there" with a bit of arm waving.

Most Thais do know how to get to the assorted Temples, and if you need to navigate, better off to learn the names of the Temples. You want directions to get somewhere ... don't ask a Thai!

Things are different out here, very different.

I agree. Most Thais that I know here (including some who have lived here all their lives) have no idea where Thanon Charoen Muang or Charoenrat or Sridornchai, etc. are. But if you say "on the soi where (insert the name of a temple, hospital, or hotel) is or "on the soi where Amphur Muang is", etc., etc. they know what you mean.

Learning all the street names in Chiang Mai would be a huge exercise in futility.

Edited October 22, 2009 by elektrified

[IanForbes]

I agree with electrified and pjclark. My suggestion is to bring a Garmin GPS with a Thai map loaded on it. That way you can always find your way around whether you can read the signs or not. I also use Google Earth to get a general idea of what to expect.

As others have said, Thai is a tonal language and just a SLIGHT change in tone can mean something entirely different. Very often the subtle difference in tone is not discernable to the ear of an English speaking person.

I have to disagree a bit with gotlost. Some Thais can read maps, but many more can not. I have met hundreds of Thais who can not read a map even if it is printed in Thai. They can't even point out where they live. But, they can always find their way to where they are going. I can tell some very funny stories to substantiate my point. I've even met the occasional taxi driver who couldn't read a map, but most of them can because that is their business.

The people on this forum are pretty helpful in answering questions for newbies fresh to Chiang Mai. You will get some ignorant putdowns, but far more people are helpful.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Stewstrum,

I and I agree with the gist of other comments here that it is, in general, a waste of time to work on trying to construct a detailed "mental map" of Chiang Mai by street names, but, perhaps, I disagree for slightly different reasons.

First the "mental geographic model" of Thais you are liable to interact with in "getting around" is landmark based, "area of the city" (amphur) based : the "average" songthaew (rot daeng or "jitney" driver, or tuk tuk driver) is not liable to be someone with a higher education, but they will know where all the major Wats are and most of the minor ones.

Other major "landmarks" are modern shopping centers (Kad Suan Kaew, Airport Plaza), the big markets like Talat Wararot (often referred to as "Kad Luang"), Chiang Mai University (Namorchor); somewhat smaller, but still large markets like Talat Thannin (Chotana Road), and, of course, the areas around the four great "gates" of the old city (Pratu Thapae, Pratu Chiang Mai, Pratu Chiang Pluek, etc.). The Railway Station (satan ee lot fi), the bus stations (Arcade, Chang Pluak), etc.

Nancy Chandler's excellent map of Chiang Mai, designed for tourists, is available easily here, and is a great resource. If you are going to some exact destination, it's always a good idea to ask staff in your hotel or guest house to write where you are going down in Thai for you.

And half the fun here is getting lost

best, ~o:37;

[IanForbes]

And half the fun here is getting lost

best, ~o:37;

Yes, and that's precisely why I suggested a GPS... even without a Thai map installed. You can get lost and still slowly find your way back to your hotel. And, in doing so will learn a lot about the city. Once I had my hotel and a few other locations entered as "way points" in my GPS I would go out on my motorcycle and intentionally try to lose myself in the countryside after dark when all landmarks are confusing. It was always an education in getting back to my hotel.

During the day you can learn north from south by knowing the Ping River is east of the city center and the mountains are to the west. The airport and the runways are to the south-west. It was the one way roads around the moat that first confused me when being driven by a friend or in a taxi. You often have to go in circles to get where you want to go by vehicle.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

theres no soi 13 here either

Nimmanhaemin has a Soi 13. So does Charoen Prathet Road.

But in all honesty, why is this topic still open when far more wholesome debates than this are dealt with ruthlessly.. It seems we've now established that the OP isn't even in Chiang Mai and likely just wants to get a rise out of people.. So.. enough of this BS already.

Oops.. for some reason (most likely related to my own mistakes) this ended up on this topic.. Should have been on that loony topic on carrying weapons.