First Time In Cm, A Few Questions

[wellred]

Hi all.

I'm traveling to Thailand for the first time later this year (December). I'm going to Chiang Mai for 10 nights then to Koh Lanta and Pattaya.

In terms of what to do in CM, im going to see as many of the Wats as possible as well as some elephant and snake farms. Maybe a tiger temple too. I also plan to take some cooking lessons. Aside from this I had a couple of questions.

1) Does anyone know if the Kamillia Army boxing stadium has opened back up yet, the one across the river from the night market? Also is there anywhere else in CM where I can see a genuine muay thai fight? I know they show them in BKK too but I don't really want to pay 2-3k.

2) Can anyone suggest any decent clubs where one might be able to meet some local (non P4P) girls? I know there are some beer bars somewhere but tbh im not really after any of that in CM given that im later on headed to Pattaya. I've heard Bubble and one or 2 others but from what i've heard ill just end up picking up freelancers there.

3) Is there anything else anyone can suggest that I should do in terms of activities to keep me occupied? I want to try out some stuff regular tourists may not generally be aware of. Can I volunteer at any of the temples to help out the monks with stuff? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

4) Finally does anyone know of any bars that would be showing premiership footy? I'm going to staying at the Chiang Mai Gate hotel, 11/10 Suriyawong Road so am looking for something around there. Location looks good as did reviews and I got a good deal on agoda.

www dot chiangmaigatehotel dot com

Thanks

Bob

[jdinasia]

Bob,

I know you don't get the basics of Thai culture, but ask yourself one thing .... why would any decent Thai girl hook up with someone on a 10 day visit? The Thais that speak English are clued in to tourists and the ones that do not .....

Muay Thai (the real thing and not exhibitions or staged sparring) is something I can't help with.

Volunteering isn't legal without a work permit.

December is sooooo far away that any real advice today will quite likely be out of date by next High Season.

[Beetlejuice]

You sound like a really nice guy who is looking for above board adventure in Thailand.

If so, you will love Chiang Mai.

But my advice is; avoid Pattaya, or otherwise known as, Cesspit on Sea, it is the total opposite to what interests you have described.

Also, if you want to meet a Thai girl just for dating, not a lady of ill repute, then try some of the free on line dating sites and perhaps you could arrange a date with a girl on there before you arrive in Thailand. But again, be wary, there are many scammers on those dating web sites.

[justcruisin]

You sound like a really nice guy who is looking for above board adventure in Thailand.

If so, you will love Chiang Mai.

But my advice is; avoid Pattaya, or otherwise known as, Cesspit on Sea, it is the total opposite to what interests you have described.

Also, if you want to meet a Thai girl just for dating, not a lady of ill repute, then try some of the free on line dating sites and perhaps you could arrange a date with a girl on there before you arrive in Thailand. But again, be wary, there are many scammers on those dating web sites.

One thing you must be aware of as wll, this is not Angeles or Manilla, unless you can speak Thai to a reasonable level you will be treated as a foriegner as you are,no offence meant but thats the way it is.

Most girls who can speak english gravitate to the tourist areas for the easy money that they can milk from unsuspecting farangs.

Maybe not unsuspecting as the average monthly salary for a local here is what most westerners would spend in a bar in one night, thus the cost is not prohibitive.

Just go with the flow and you will enjoy your time here, and the ones that want to meet up with a foriegner are not always bad,just streetwise to the benifts that no Thai guy would ever offer them.

[wellred]

You sound like a really nice guy who is looking for above board adventure in Thailand.

If so, you will love Chiang Mai.

But my advice is; avoid Pattaya, or otherwise known as, Cesspit on Sea, it is the total opposite to what interests you have described.

Also, if you want to meet a Thai girl just for dating, not a lady of ill repute, then try some of the free on line dating sites and perhaps you could arrange a date with a girl on there before you arrive in Thailand. But again, be wary, there are many scammers on those dating web sites.

Thanks. I should have mentioned ive been on the online sites for a few months and have 6 or 7 potential dates as backup so I shouldn't have any problem meeting girls over there. They all seem really keen ot meet but I got the feeling most of them are 'pros'. Think ill just go with the flow and see what happens but ill be sure to stay vigilent what with the potential scammers out there. Thanks for advice though!

Bob,

I know you don't get the basics of Thai culture, but ask yourself one thing .... why would any decent Thai girl hook up with someone on a 10 day visit? The Thais that speak English are clued in to tourists and the ones that do not .....

Muay Thai (the real thing and not exhibitions or staged sparring) is something I can't help with.

Volunteering isn't legal without a work permit.

December is sooooo far away that any real advice today will quite likely be out of date by next High Season.

Thanks for the reply. I had heard (of other forums) that it's quite common for some of the university students to go out on the 'pull' for farangs at some of the local discos. Im farily young, late 20's and look after myself so whilst that's not the sole purpose for my trip I wouldn't mind a crack on a Friday night. I plan on learning some Thai also, just some basics to get me by.

[bristolgeoff]

you will plenty of bars plenty of ladies.spicy is where all the good girls go in chiang mai

[Ulysses G.]

spicy is where all the good girls go in chiang mai

However, they will require 5 years of Thai lessons and an official marriage certificate before any hanky-panky.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Wow. Veryhelpful so far.

- Bubbles is closed. On the same premises is Hot Shot club which is a mostly Thai scene, and gets a good number of locals and also some bar girls after they finish work.

- Middle class Thai guys and girls go out in the places near Nimmanhaemin Road, and also some of the big restaurant-pubs on the river like the Riverside and Good View.

- Finding people online makes sense, especially as you have over half a year to do it. I would avoid dedicated dating sites though and focus on more regular social networking sites.

- Thais tend to go out in groups, and only much later at night (and after enough alcohol) the opportunities really begin. But.. Online really is MUCH easier, as you have a private one-on-one exposure. Meeting people while in groups is always more difficult, they tend to get self-conscious about what others in their group might think when flirting with you. So it's far preferred to be part of a group to begin with, i.e. meet someone online, then for a first date this will likely involve going out with other friends of hers. Which is good.

- Kawila boxing stadium should be open.

- If you want something slightly out of the ordinary to do then consider doing a Thai boxing camp.

- If you want something slightly more out of the oridnary then you can spend some more time in and around hilltribe villages, and check out at schools or local development organizations if there is something you can do, perhaps some teaching, or hold a seminar about Premier League footy. No, this is not legal without a work permit (even unpaid) but the angst you see on this forum about this topic really is somewhat over the top, with many people using it as an excuse to remain detached from Thai society, and/or remaining lazy instead of 'trying to make a difference'. (The only difference they're making being to Thaibev or Boonrawd's bottom line)

- ALL bars show Premiership Footy. Trying to avoid it would be much harder than finding it. Some have mulitple screens, some also have the commentary, some show games in HD, some a combination of all these.

Edited April 24, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Thaifan2]

>>But my advice is; avoid Pattaya, or otherwise known as, Cesspit on Sea, it is the total opposite to what interests you have described.<

Ignore the above .Pattaya is one of the Worlds greatest vacation spots .It has world class hotels at cheap prices .More restaurants and places to eat than you could ever get around .More night entertainment posibilities than any other town or City that i have ever been to .

If you are in to shopping it has ,Central World and all the others like Carrefour ,Big C ,Tesca/Lotus ,Villa ,Friendship ,Tops etc .There is also a big market every Tuesday and Friday on Soi Baukhao .

[Ulysses G.]

Pattaya good. Singha beer bad.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

What I will say though is that if you're going to Ko Lanta anyway then perhaps you can find much of what is in Pattaya also in Phuket. And you could consider the island party scene on Ko Pha Ngan, perhaps in combination with the bars on Ko Samui. (in that case don't visit Phuket).

It seems that if you make all the effort of going far South, then there are other party destinations to consider besides Pattaya. Note that this is not a stab at Pattaya, it makes sense as a destination in many cases. Most visitors tend to be older though, and it can at times be seedy. (Which may be good or bad.) But don't worry, you can find seediness anywhere in Thailand, so don't sweat it.

[wellred]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I'll continue to plug away at the online thing. I think ill have some sucess there, many have called me a 'hansum man'.

RE Pattaya yeah I know it's not got the best reputation but im atually going there to visit an old school mate. As it turns out he is running a go go bar there so he invited me out there to play some golf and check it out. I was a bit hesitant at first but kind of looking forward to it now. Anyway if it all gets too seedy for me ill happily jet off aftre NYE somewhere else. Internal flights seem quite cheap generally. I had also considered patong yes but I thought at the time of booking id rather spend my time there enjoying some beach rather than seeing some snatch which ill be doing in pattaya later on anyway.

Ok final question. How does one go abouts contacting the Army base to organise some shooting? I know there are a few shooting places around CM but the ones ive seen so far all seem to only have the basic set of handguns with the odd shotgun and rifle thrown in. Im assuming on the army base I might be able to get my hands on maybe an AK, M16 or something else high powered? And no im not a gun nut, but im not sure when ill be able to get my hands on one again so am just trying to make the most of the trip.

Thanks again for the replies

[lannarebirth]

You sound like a really nice guy who is looking for above board adventure in Thailand.

If so, you will love Chiang Mai.

But my advice is; avoid Pattaya, or otherwise known as, Cesspit on Sea, it is the total opposite to what interests you have described.

Also, if you want to meet a Thai girl just for dating, not a lady of ill repute, then try some of the free on line dating sites and perhaps you could arrange a date with a girl on there before you arrive in Thailand. But again, be wary, there are many scammers on those dating web sites.

Thanks. I should have mentioned ive been on the online sites for a few months and have 6 or 7 potential dates as backup so I shouldn't have any problem meeting girls over there. They all seem really keen ot meet but I got the feeling most of them are 'pros'. Think ill just go with the flow and see what happens but ill be sure to stay vigilent what with the potential scammers out there. Thanks for advice though!

Bob,

I know you don't get the basics of Thai culture, but ask yourself one thing .... why would any decent Thai girl hook up with someone on a 10 day visit? The Thais that speak English are clued in to tourists and the ones that do not .....

Muay Thai (the real thing and not exhibitions or staged sparring) is something I can't help with.

Volunteering isn't legal without a work permit.

December is sooooo far away that any real advice today will quite likely be out of date by next High Season.

Thanks for the reply. I had heard (of other forums) that it's quite common for some of the university students to go out on the 'pull' for farangs at some of the local discos. Im farily young, late 20's and look after myself so whilst that's not the sole purpose for my trip I wouldn't mind a crack on a Friday night. I plan on learning some Thai also, just some basics to get me by.

So what's in it for them?

[wellred]

So what's in it for them?

The pleasure of my company for an evening, and if they are lucky maybe longer.

You would think some here have never heard of a quick fling. I'm assuming most here throwing out the negativity are a lot older than I am hence the grumpy expat M.O. Nae bother.

Edited April 24, 2011 by wellred

[Jingthing]

Non commercial young Thai women aren't as quickly promiscuous as western women, especially with foreigners. Sure its possible but I would think better prospects with young western women (backpackers, etc.) traveling here than with Thais. I think many people who don't know Thailand get the false impression that it's a "loose" culture. It isn't really. Thais are very sexually conventional, and you can't judge the culture based on the prostitution segment.

Chiang Mai Gate Hotel? Good choice!

Edited April 24, 2011 by Jingthing

[jdinasia]

So what's in it for them?

The pleasure of my company for an evening, and if they are lucky maybe longer.

You would think some here have never heard of a quick fling. I'm assuming most here throwing out the negativity are a lot older than I am hence the grumpy expat M.O. Nae bother.

You are coming to Thailand for the first time .... but please do diminish the actual experience of the people YOU asked for information

[wellred]

Chiang Mai Gate Hotel? Good choice!

Is it? For the most part the reviews on agoda are all very positive. The odd complaint about bed bugs but can't complain for the price, plus I was struggling to find any that had an in room safe.

So what's in it for them?

The pleasure of my company for an evening, and if they are lucky maybe longer.

You would think some here have never heard of a quick fling. I'm assuming most here throwing out the negativity are a lot older than I am hence the grumpy expat M.O. Nae bother.

You are coming to Thailand for the first time .... but please do diminish the actual experience of the people YOU asked for information

haha Ok I concede. I shouldn't come here expecting an easy lay.

[Soulwy]

Wow...you surely like to plan your trip ahead..

Euhm... 10 days in CM and you want to meet a Thai girl that is not a bargirl...? Mmm...frown... None of the Thai (girl)friends (average Thai) I know would date a foreigner guy for only 10 days... I agree with Jingthing and Lannarebirth...

[Semper]

Bob,

I know you don't get the basics of Thai culture, but ask yourself one thing .... why would any decent Thai girl hook up with someone on a 10 day visit? The Thais that speak English are clued in to tourists and the ones that do not .....

Muay Thai (the real thing and not exhibitions or staged sparring) is something I can't help with.

Volunteering isn't legal without a work permit.

December is sooooo far away that any real advice today will quite likely be out of date by next High Season.

[Semper]

Wow...you surely like to plan your trip ahead..

Euhm... 10 days in CM and you want to meet a Thai girl that is not a bargirl...? Mmm...frown... None of the Thai (girl)friends (average Thai) I know would date a foreigner guy for only 10 days... I agree with Jingthing and Lannarebirth...

Of course they would. Not for free though.

[mccw]

Take a dirt bike up the mountains in to the national park, find sum hill tribes by yourself instead of like one of them human zoo type trecks and then stop in at hwauydung toaw and watch the sunset over the late and forested mountains, big Chang with ice in hand and super spicy fresh caught fish sparking u up before a good night out in town.

For a ladies who could b game but not hos I'd head to warm up or fashion club. Mostly young uni students. Don't tell em how long/ short your there, say your looking for work or thinking of starting a business or summin ;-)

Even so could well be not so many words are actually exchanged. Just coz old geezers get the "no money no honey" treatment doesn't mean young ladies never get tipsy n frisky for a hunsum young man. Fabric is good also, quality sound system and diffent rooms to bowl around.

Spiceys is at least 90% hos. Not a bad crack if your smashed n feeling that way inclined; could well get it for free but b sure to have enough brain left to remember to rubber up. Personaly I'd never start a night intending to go but if u get drinking with backpackers that is most likely place to role to simply coz it's walkable from the boozy area and it's the only place most non residents will of heard of.

My favourite place for drink between 6pm -12 would be roof top / thc bar or the reggae soi. View of sunset from roof top is great but almost nobody sees it because doesn't get busy till 8 or 9 normally.

Av a good one

[mccw]

U could try stay in a wat to learn meditation but I think u may not have enough time

Edited April 24, 2011 by mccw

[mccw]

I would agree with jingling also though to some exstent:

Second to the hos , western backpackers aren't far behind in the free n easy stakes.

Edited April 24, 2011 by mccw

[bristolgeoff]

just go to the shooting range in chiang mai,no need to book

[bristolgeoff]

just go to the shooting range,no need to book

[richard10365]

There are all sorts of girls, good and bad, in Chiang Mai. However, I suspect there are more good girls than bad. If the girls are living at home they probably have traditional Thai values as they are heavily influenced by their parents. If they are university students living in the dorms they are a bit more free to set their own values. There are lots of churches in Chiang Mai where you might meet a nice girl. However, as others have said, no girl wants to start a 10 day relationship.

There are plenty of single older (than university age) that are looking for a nice guy to sweep them off their feet but I think you will need to speak Thai because most girls....young and old, can't speak English good enough to have a decent conversation with. This kinda forces you to hang out where the English speaking girls are.Since you don't want P4P maybe you would enjoy yourself more in Chiang Mai if you avoid women. Chances are you don't have the language skills to talk with 95% of the women here. But who knows....maybe you will get lucky.

I'm not sure how the shooting at the army base works. Does the army let you shoot guns for fun where you live? I'm not sure it's an option here. It's probably a good idea to avoid firearms as a tourist in Thailand. You can probably shoot on over to Cambodia. I heard they do that there.

Chiang Mai is a very nice city. Lots to do and full of people and good food. It's a great place to live. I hope you enjoy your stay here.

[Robroy]

"you will plenty of bars plenty of ladies.spicy is where all the good girls go in chiang mai"

Actually Spicy is where all the bad girls go.

Try the Writers Club, 1km from Thapae Gate. You'll meet journos, authors, spies and 'characters'. Some Thai staff.

Don't stay at the Downtown inn or guesthouse, where 6 people have died of unknown causes in recent months - including a couple who had 'simultaneous heart attacks' according to authorities.

The best Blues in Asia can be heard, courtesy of Maestro Took, at The Brasserie up on the river.

[wellred]

Thanks, I only just read about the Downtown Inn thing after I booked my hotel. Oddly enough it's got plenty of good ratings on Agoda, anyway luckily I didn't book with them. I'm usually quite careful with my food, and i'm vegetarian so hopefully that will somewhat limit my chances of eating any contaminated food. I have to admit though I am a bit nervous in general now but im sure ill be fine after the 1st day or 2.

Thanks for all the previous replies too. I was wondering if ill have enough stuff to do for 10 days there but it seems ill have plenty to do.

[folium]

Thanks, I only just read about the Downtown Inn thing after I booked my hotel. Oddly enough it's got plenty of good ratings on Agoda, anyway luckily I didn't book with them. I'm usually quite careful with my food, and i'm vegetarian so hopefully that will somewhat limit my chances of eating any contaminated food. I have to admit though I am a bit nervous in general now but im sure ill be fine after the 1st day or 2.

Thanks for all the previous replies too. I was wondering if ill have enough stuff to do for 10 days there but it seems ill have plenty to do.

This may sound a little cynical but I can't quite connect your 24the April line; "I'm traveling to Thailand for the first time later this year (December). I'm going to Chiang Mai for 10 nights then to Koh Lanta and Pattaya."

and yesterday's comment on the Loi Kroh road topic;

"BH compared to other places like BKK, Phuket and Pattaya, the P4P scene in Chiang Mai is tiny so im not sure why you are getting so hot under the collar. Aldo ladyboys and katoeys have always been a part of Thailand and always will. Your just a farang there so it's not for you to say what should be done there just because you may not agree with it."

Also asking if you could pop down to an army base and check out a weapon or 3, makes me think this is all a bit of a late April fool.

[sarahsbloke]

Only one sort of Thai girl is going to socialise with you in CM.

Up to you if you recognize her for the sort of girl she is.

Lots of guys just enjoy the fantasy, and never question what's going on.

Hotel maid, bank teller, school teacher, bar girl, university student .... the respectable ones don't socialise with foreigners.

And yes, bar girls that associate with white men are different from bar girls that associate with Asian men.

Just my opinion though, what do I know about anything.

Wats

Chedi Luang (big), Wat Umong (underground), Wat Jed Yot (old), Doi Suthep (hill top)

Once you seen those 4, you seen them all

Edited April 26, 2011 by sarahsbloke