Ex-Pat Areas In Chiang Mai?

[uptheos]

One good place to meet other farangs, is one of the 4 (?) branches of Rimping-supermarket, which is the best place to find imported-foods (at a price). The most-central branch is on the East-side of the river, not far from 'The Duke's' (popular American-restaurant) and the old girder-bridge.

The OP should check-out Rimping, on his next visit, to see what comfort-foods are available (and at what price), I would suggest.

Other branches are at Mee Chok Plaza (on the road North to Mae-Jo & Phrao), near Central Airport Plaza, and Kad Farang (on the Hang Dong road).

TOPS supermarket, part-owned by the UK's Waitrose-chain, is also quite good, IMO.

Oh, and Welcome to Chiang Mai !

Go to Rimping to meet other foreigners........what just hang around near the Branston Pickle or Miracle Whip? Or push around a jar of Peanut butter and a loaf of bread for a few hours?

'The Suspect was Lurking with Intent, near the Miracle-Whip, m'lud', given the alleged-popularity of spanking amongst certain Brits, seems just a little naughty or suggestive, nudge nudge !

OP will be glad to see, the UK sense-of-humour is alive-and-well in Changers !

Pleased you took it in the spirit intended.

Some people just don't get British humour........or is that humor?

Edited February 17, 2012 by uptheos

[bristolgeoff]

can i use a loyalty card when i go

[bobl]

I could swear I saw Kathryn Joosten in Rimping, hanging around the pickled onions the other day. She looked straight at me while I was straining to think "where the hell does she look familiar from?" (West Wing) then she left, with a smirk... Until now I don't know why she was so familiar (I'm pretty sure it wasn't Kathryn Joosten). Now I wish I'd said hello.

What that has to do with this thread I have no idea.

[skills32]

If you play golf the Chiang Mai social golfers club always welcome new members and they have a 10 pin bowling club too. The same goes for a squash club and tennis as well.

The Gymkhana club and The Pub are good places to meet expats as well.

Don't worry meeting new people is easy in Chiang Mai; the only problem is to pick which ones you want to know.

[msg362]

Overpopulated, foul polluted air, prone to devistating floods,.

The main entertainment street exposed as "dirty, seedy, and squalid" on a recent thread.

Are you planning to come here to improve things or are you going to lower yourself to our level?

What's it going to be then, eh?

Make up your mind before you come.

Devastating floods? This wasn't the central region, a bit of flooding for a few days around Chang Klang road! Overpopulated? by who's standard, someone from Bangkok?

Loi Khro road ( he one someone thought was 'dirty seedy and squalid')is about 1 km long, hardly representative of the whole city! It's not obligatory to go there at night and it does have at least two good restaurants and several good pubs.

But yes you are right around this time the burning makes the air polluted- I can't see the mountains at the moment.

[ARISTIDE]

I know I think I've seen an elderly women who closely resembles to Kathryn Joosten around Chiang Mai but she since is on Desperate Housewive too I wonder how she make time for the trip.

I could swear I saw Kathryn Joosten in Rimping, hanging around the pickled onions the other day. She looked straight at me while I was straining to think "where the hell does she look familiar from?" (West Wing) then she left, with a smirk... Until now I don't know why she was so familiar (I'm pretty sure it wasn't Kathryn Joosten). Now I wish I'd said hello.

What that has to do with this thread I have no idea.

[AnnaBanana]

Overpopulated, foul polluted air, prone to devistating floods,.

The main entertainment street exposed as "dirty, seedy, and squalid" on a recent thread.

Are you planning to come here to improve things or are you going to lower yourself to our level?

What's it going to be then, eh?

Make up your mind before you come.

Devastating floods? This wasn't the central region, a bit of flooding for a few days around Chang Klang road! Overpopulated? by who's standard, someone from Bangkok?

Loi Khro road ( he one someone thought was 'dirty seedy and squalid')is about 1 km long, hardly representative of the whole city! It's not obligatory to go there at night and it does have at least two good restaurants and several good pubs.

But yes you are right around this time the burning makes the air polluted- I can't see the mountains at the moment.

Sounds like you've lost your sense-of-humour.

You're not posting from one of those "4X8" places Gringo mentioned are you?

[peteinchina]

Well....

What can I say to this!

Start over...

I've been here for 1 month. I live near the moat.

I've met soooo many nice expats! Many of them running small bars and restaurants and they are really normal people!

Archers springs to mind, if you don't mind the big dog called Ruby licking your leg, the owner is really nice, loves to chat and the comfy sofas, food and beer is good.

The Thais are as happy to talk to you in English as they are to talk to your wife in Thai.

There is the Jazz collective, the writers club, 2nd floor (learn to tango yeah!), for expat/Thai mixed up culture and I, for one, am really happy here.

Later today I am off to Chiang Dao to see some flaky new age music dance festival, where I shall listen to flaky new age music, watch flaky new age dance, camp out on the grass and come back tomorrow.

I like to ride my bike, paraglide, meet people and read books. It is just as easy to do these things here as it is in my native New Zealand, if not easier. Nothing to do? I suggest you get a hobby - was my stock answer to this when my children said the same thing.....

In my tiny snapshots of Thai towns, I think this is the place to be for ease of expat living.

Oh, I met a really nice guy at the immigration queue the other day. I think that place beats Rimping hands down.....

[msg362]

Overpopulated, foul polluted air, prone to devistating floods,.

The main entertainment street exposed as "dirty, seedy, and squalid" on a recent thread.

Are you planning to come here to improve things or are you going to lower yourself to our level?

What's it going to be then, eh?

Make up your mind before you come.

Devastating floods? This wasn't the central region, a bit of flooding for a few days around Chang Klang road! Overpopulated? by who's standard, someone from Bangkok?

Loi Khro road ( he one someone thought was 'dirty seedy and squalid')is about 1 km long, hardly representative of the whole city! It's not obligatory to go there at night and it does have at least two good restaurants and several good pubs.

But yes you are right around this time the burning makes the air polluted- I can't see the mountains at the moment.

Sounds like you've lost your sense-of-humour.

You're not posting from one of those "4X8" places Gringo mentioned are you?

Maybe you should put up the word' Joke' first then even if it's not funny we will understand!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I understood right away it was a joke. That's why I clicked 'like' on the post.

But then I often think the same of so many saddo comments, then it turns out the poster was actual bitter person, thinking he's being serious!

Doesn't make it less funny though.

Edited February 18, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Paagai]

meeting new people is easy in Chiang Mai; the only problem is to pick which ones you want to know.

Maybe the most accurate and succinct summary of living in Chiang Mai ever written.....

Edited February 18, 2012 by Paagai

[trevoromgh]

Thanks Pete for one of the more upbeat messages and I'll be sure to look-up the places mentioned by everyone although the pollution bit is rather off putting .. thought they were sorting that out.

[orang37]

Devastating foods, beings that appear to be people, but are actually sub-human (primarily male). Many farang ghettos in which the inhabitants bodies are in Thailand, but their lifestyles are in wherever they came from, or Disneyland. Air that is killing you. Toxic hotels. Farang scammers on the lam, posers with self-annointed doctoral degrees, schemers, ne'er do wells, remittance-men, self-exiles living a vapid void of half-existence. Countless dives and bars where you can submerge yourself in anesthesia with anonymous meaningless banter with people you will not remember.

Now, look at the glass as half-full: wonderful, fantastic, endlessly varying cuisine from all over the world. imho the best Thai food on earth cooked home-fresh every day at the markets like Tannin and San Pak Hoi (go starting about 3PM to see the full range on offer).

Friendly people, educated people, highly literate people, very creative people, classy joints to hang out (like the SangDee Gallery), or seedy, depends on your tastes. Lots of cultural resources. At least one Writer's Group. Around CMU (and Payap ?) "college university" cultural zones which may or may not offer you the chance to plug-in to various social and intellectual circles.

Excellent second-hand bookstores, like Gecko, BackStreet, Shaman. Pretty good first-hand bookstores, like DK and Suriyawong..

Outside the "major touristy zones" (Night Bazaar, Thapae Gate), an endless treasure trove of Temples, parks, within one hour's drive wonderful places to visit like Lamphun and Chiang Dao.

And yes, for many of us expatriae, three-four months where the weather may be quite difficult to bear. Real danger in Thai traffic whether you are on foot, or driving any kind of vehicle, or riding in any kind of vehicle.

See what's in your glass your own way, and, if it makes you happy, stay here, else do what you need to do. But, don't forget: you do have some power over how you look at the glass and its contents

~o:37;

Edited February 21, 2012 by orang37

[Beetlejuice]

Not much else to do in CM unless you're into bar/temple hopping. Maybe you have some ideas, please share them with us.

So true and even the bar scene is nothing to write home about and as for the temples, seen one, seen them all.

One poster even mentioned that Immigration is a good place to strike up conversations with people. That`s really sad.

My advice to the OP, that if he moves to Chiang Mai and expects to become a part of the farang social scene, then he`ll be soooorrry. Don`t believe me at his peril.

Chiang Mai farang: i expect you have all seen him walking around the supermarket or when out and about.

[msg362]

Not much else to do in CM unless you're into bar/temple hopping. Maybe you have some ideas, please share them with us.

So true and even the bar scene is nothing to write home about and as for the temples, seen one, seen them all.

One poster even mentioned that Immigration is a good place to strike up conversations with people. That`s really sad.

My advice to the OP, that if he moves to Chiang Mai and expects to become a part of the farang social scene, then he`ll be soooorrry. Don`t believe me at his peril.

Chiang Mai farang: i expect you have all seen him walking around the supermarket or when out and about.

If you are actually living in CHiang Mai there are at least two options: 1, Learn to meditate and relax: 2, Find a better place.

I worry for you being so unhappy! ( There are probably more options, but I'll let others fill in the details?)

[theblether]

You won't have a problem meeting people in Chiang Mai, and don't listen to the nattering nabobs of negatism who are posting here, half of these guys are psychotically anti-social, that's why they have snuck off to Thailand so they can pretend they are wind-swept and interesting.

There is a cracking ex-pat community in CM, some real gems live there, and you will find birds of a feather flock together, you won't be long finding your way.

Please note I said half, if you would like an indicator of which half people fall into you will be able to tell by the response to this post.

Edited February 21, 2012 by theblether

[expatmakmak]

OMB! didn't expect so many Pms! Rather than replying Individually I thought it better to update here. We are meeting as usual next Saturday. I doubt I'll be good for much on Sunday. So I'll let you all know on Monday.

Bobl, yes Monty Python have a lot to answer for!

Peteinchina, great pics, I hope you don't mind but I put one of my favourites on facebook!