Some Naive Questions

[x-pat]

1. Is there a Northern "Pantip Plaza" or IT Mall in Chiang Mai where you can spoil yourself with large flatscreens, 64-bit CPUs, and the latest gadgets?

2. What is the broadband Internet coverage like? Can you get ADSL in every part of the town / province?

3. Which schools do you recommend in CNX?

4. Is there a German bakery in Chiang Mai? Unlike broadband Internet access, I don't really need this for survival, but regular Apfelstrudel would be nice.

5. Can you still grow Frangipani (Lan Tom), Jasmine, McArthur Palms and all these tropical garden plants we are used to in the Chiang Mai climate?

6. What is the most farang-friendly bank in Chiang Mai?

Cheers, X-Pat

[meadish_sweetball]

1. There is a Panthip Plaza at one end of Chang Khlan Rd. - Chang Khlan Rd. is the Night Bazaar Main Street running parallell to the Ping River. You'll find Panthip on the intersection of Chang Khlan and Sri Donchai Rd. It's nowhere as full of little nondescript shops as the original Panthip in Bangkok though - still - you will find most of the things you need there.

Other alternatives for IT equipment are Com(puter) Plaza and Icon Square on the Northern end of the moat, towards Kaat Suan Kaew Department store. If you say Com Plaza, all the red bus drivers will know where you are going.

The two large shopping centers, 'Central' (Kaat Suan Kaew) and 'Robinson' (Central Airport Plaza) both sell computer equipment as well.

2. You can get ADSL in every part of town, but I dont think it is available in the entire province... not sure though. If you are close to the moat in town. you can get broadband through Cable Modem (TRUE). I have used this service for 8 months, and I have no complaints whatsoever, so if you are within the area of coverage I think you should consider it.

3. -

4. I found a German Bakery in Hang Dong outside Chiang Mai by using Google. I have PM'ed you the address. I cannot vouch for the quality since I have never used it myself.

5. -

6. Have a look at this thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=40497

It seems like most expats agree that Siam Commercial Bank and Bangkok Bank are the best options.

Cheers

Meadish

[jomama]

About schools: There are five international schools and a German Christian School that teaches in the German language.

This topic has been debated here before...the best bet its to get a list and visit the schools yourself and form your own opinions (like students, parents tend to be biased toward "their" school so their opinions might not be best for you and your children's needs). Suffice is to say there are several good options.

[cdnvic]

Kad Suan Kaew's "IT City" is pretty dissapointing, especially if you need software. However there's a pretty decent place on the inner side of the superhighway at the Chungpuak intersection with a big "The North Biggest Computer Store" sign on it.

On the good side of Kad Suan Kaew, there's an excellent and reasonably priced restraunt with a great outdoor terrace view of CM (decent curry too), some great artwork near the parkade on the lower level (bit pricy sometimes) and if you ever run low on cheap plastic Nokia cellphone covers, or want to have stickers made, there's about 34567 shops there to serve you.

cv

[helitool]

Along this same line of inquiry, I will be retiring to Chiang Mai end of this year and was wondering if German TV chanels are available?

[trawler]

Along this same line of inquiry, I will be retiring to Chiang Mai end of this year and was wondering if German TV chanels are available?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you get a satelite dish and the receiver with a card for Agila KU sat then you can pick up Deutsche Welle(DW TV) which is about it for this neighbourhood.

cheers

[ThaiPauly]

Kad Suan Kaew's "IT City" is pretty dissapointing, especially if you need software. However there's a pretty decent place on the inner side of the superhighway at the Chungpuak intersection with a big "The North Biggest Computer Store" sign on it.

On the good side of Kad Suan Kaew, there's an excellent and reasonably priced restraunt with a great outdoor terrace view of CM (decent curry too), some great artwork near the parkade on the lower level (bit pricy sometimes) and if you ever run low on cheap plastic Nokia cellphone covers, or want to have stickers made, there's about 34567 shops there to serve you.

cv

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you mean Thai or Indian Curry, only I have never had much luck with Indians in CM, I really miss my UK Indian curries

If it IS INDIAN what is it called?

Cheers

TP

[meadish_sweetball]

Best Indian I have had in CM is actually off Thanon Chang Khlan, in the Night Bazaar area, same side as McDonald's but further towards Tha Phae Rd, as part of Galair (Kalae) food court. But I dont recall any curries, it was mostly other Indian food. Still worth a visit though.

I agree that the other Indian restaurants I have eaten at in CM are rather disappointing.

[cdnvic]

It's Indian. There's also some passable mexican fare too. You can find it up on about the 5th floor by the cinemas. Oddly enough, their thai food isn't that great.

cv

[udon]

Plumeria, no problem, there is a major grower and exporter in the CM area, the others, I don't know.

[p1p]

Have all the mentioned plants growing in my garden. The scent from the Frangipani is almost overpowering at present with two 30 foot trees either side of our verandah.

[tango]

Along this same line of inquiry, I will be retiring to Chiang Mai end of this year and was wondering if German TV chanels are available?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you get a satelite dish and the receiver with a card for Agila KU sat then you can pick up Deutsche Welle(DW TV) which is about it for this neighbourhood.

cheers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great news. Where can I obtain a card for Agila KU and at what price? Thank you. Regards, Tango

[x-pat]

Along this same line of inquiry, I will be retiring to Chiang Mai end of this year and was wondering if German TV chanels are available?

Yup. "Deutsche Welle" comes with the cable package, though it's so boring, it should be called "Deutsche Weile". Then again, these days as all media converge to one large Supernet, you can watch ZDF, ARD, RTL and others on the Internet (if you have invested $$$ into a high-speed line).

Cheers, X-Pat

[x-pat]

p1p: Have all the mentioned plants growing in my garden.

Thank you! Of course that was really a silly question, since I saw all these plants on my last visit to Chiang Mai. I just ddidn't remember them from my previous CNX travels. It seems that especially Frangipani has become a very popular garden plant since the Queen has renamed it from "Laan Tom" to "Lilawadee".

Cheers, X-Pat

[ProThaiExpat]

I have been monitoring all of the Thaivisa threads on internet access for three years and have yet to hear of one ADSL subscriber who has obtained service outside of a 5km ring around the primary telephone interchange which limits ADSL to within the moat or close to it.

True broadband with fiberglass cable has been announced ad nauseum and some may have it in the the center of town but forget it anywhere outside the moat.

We who live more than 5 km from "downtown" have been cursed with dialup, GPRS or ipstar for, it seems, forever. We have waited with baited breathe for years hoping some entity will fullfill one of their many "announcements" and provide western style broadband service to even a reasonable area.

There is a falang "IT" specialist in my village who reportedly has ADSL and was willing to help install it for a fee of 500 Baht an hour with no guarantee. Such an "offer" suggests he has become Thai in his thinking as such an "offer", to me is illusionary, as I live 10 Km from the moat.

Hope springs eternal, however, so if anyone actually has "high speed" internet service and lives more than 5km from "downtown" please post, as I would truly like to be wrong about the foregoing post.

"Calling or visiting" TT&T or TOT is not a viable suggeston as I have done that repeatedly for years. Yes Ipstar on the new sattelite offers hope, but TOT has announed commerical users will get it first. Thats 25% of the sattelites capacity. Then there is India, Australia etc.

Just read the threads on internet access, and they are volumiinous, and you will see how problematic this issue is in Chiang Mai.

[Tywais]

Hope springs eternal, however, so if anyone actually has "high speed" internet service and lives more than 5km from "downtown" please post, as I would truly like to be wrong about the foregoing post.

I live halfway from Chiangmai to Hang Dong. Using Google Earth my house is 8km as the bird flies from the center of the moat. I have a friend that lives a block away from me and he has True ADSL service, so it is available at least this far. He had to wait three months to get it though, maybe faster install now.

As for "high speed" he suggests it is satisfactory but not awe inspiring.

[meadish_sweetball]

There is indeed TRUE cable Internet around the moat area.

The spread of this service is dictated by demand - I do not know how far out from the moat area they are at present, but I still think dropping in at their office which is in a commercial Soi some 200-300 meters before reaching Chang Pheuak Market driving along the North side of the moat from Kat Suan Kaew and Computer Plaza in the direction of the NorthEast corner.

As for ADSL. Maybe you could survey the interest among your neighbours and get them to sign a list - enough people on such a list might inspire a company to invest in installing ADSL in the neighbourhood. Just a thought.

[ProThaiExpat]

Thank you gentlemen for your responses. I have a friend that is actually occupying his house after owning it for four years, on the way to Hang Dong, upon retirement next month, who will be delighted to hear of this news. I think his is a little further toward Hang Dong, the development with the huge entry gate complex on Hang Dong Road.

I waited three years for a TOT telephone line, refused to pay developer 15k baht for one, so I am ready for ADSL,. My name is on the TOT "list" as is my neighbor. He paid a fee, had an install set up and as is usual in such cases, the install never occured.

I will use my Hang Dong friend as a stalking horse as he is very computer literate and if he is successful with True ADSL, I will work with him to get it here, if possible.

I think one of the main problems is financing the infrastructure.

GPRS works for me, but slowly, so I am not in dire need. Such was the case with my use of cellphones until TOT came through with a telephone line for 3900Baht. One of my few moral victories here in Thailand was not giving in to the extortionist developer.

[x-pat]

ProThai: I have been monitoring all of the Thaivisa threads on internet access for three years and have yet to hear of one ADSL subscriber who has obtained service outside of a 5km ring around the primary telephone interchange which limits ADSL to within the moat or close to it.

A 5 km radius corresponds roughly to the perimeter defined by the middle ring road (the one after the superhighway). It seems that ADSL coverage within this area is less than 100%, but it is definitely more than 0% outside of it. It really depends on the neighbourhood. I rented a house in San Sai (roughly 8 km from the moat) which has ADSL. A friend of mine who lives near Samoeng Road/Chonlaprathan Rd. intersection (roughly 10 km) has ADSL, too.

It can only get better.

Cheers, X-Pat

[Diablo Bob]

1. Is there a Northern "Pantip Plaza" or IT Mall in Chiang Mai where you can spoil yourself with large flatscreens, 64-bit CPUs, and the latest gadgets?

2. What is the broadband Internet coverage like? Can you get ADSL in every part of the town / province?

3. Which schools do you recommend in CNX?

4. Is there a German bakery in Chiang Mai? Unlike broadband Internet access, I don't really need this for survival, but regular Apfelstrudel would be nice. 

5. Can you still grow Frangipani (Lan Tom), Jasmine, McArthur Palms and all these tropical garden plants we are used to in the Chiang Mai climate?

6. What is the most farang-friendly bank in Chiang Mai?

Cheers, X-Pat

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Answers from my point of view:

1) Panthip Plaza on Night Bazaar Road, just purchased a 19" Flat Screen for around $250.

2) No idea, but will find out this October when I finally return home on a permanent basis.

3) I have both my daughters enrolled at NIS. Better than any school in the USA.

4) No idea!

5) No idea, I have a tendency to kill plants just my presence.

6) Personally, I use Bangkok Bank....... NO problems so far (4yrs +)

Good luck;

[ozzydom]

Along this same line of inquiry, I will be retiring to Chiang Mai end of this year and was wondering if German TV chanels are available?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you get a satelite dish and the receiver with a card for Agila KU sat then you can pick up Deutsche Welle(DW TV) which is about it for this neighbourhood.

cheers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great news. Where can I obtain a card for Agila KU and at what price? Thank you. Regards, Tango

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

DW tv is received from Apstar sattelite on the standard PSI system available C/M

[udon]

Some useless info for the OP,

Plumeria is now called LILAVADEE.......

Lilavadee substitutes the old Lantom name which was believed subdueing the curses of bad luck and sorrow...

See www.plumeriathai.com in CM

Enjoy! & let me know if you manage to track down any cheap Perlite and Vermiculite.....