Why Would Anyone Want To Live In Chiang Mai

[Thakkar]

People are entitled to change their minds. At some point in their lives CM may have been a good idea, but things change and later on they may decide somewhere else is better. Fair enough. There's no need to dump on that person, just as there's no need for that person to dump on CM and those that have chosen to remain.

There's no ready-made place, like a well-worn armchair that you can comfortably snuggle into and call 'home.' You yourself have to wear that armchair out in just the right way.

T

[eek]

I havent burnt bridges, and i have the option to move, but although Chiang Mai isnt Shangri La by any means realistically i cannot live the same life style that i have now unless i were to be back in the rat race so-to-speak.

A while ago i was getting fed up of Chiang Mai and I went back to the UK to visit (London. Although born in Scotland, my family are all over the globe). I had not been back in over six years. My Uncle treated me to a stunning hotel on Sloane Street, directly across from Gucci and Louis Vuitton, just down from Harvey Nicks and nearby Harrods... and la dee da etc etc. I am very grateful for the treat. I also ate lobster and salmon, and chocolate till it came out of my ears. Day 2..i was missing my tiny unsophisticated studio apartment, the climate, the smiles, and the food of Chiang Mai. Granted it was in the winter months, so probably not a good comparison..but regardless, it hit home to me that even staying in an extremely "posh" hotel at a swishy zone in london, i wanted to get back to my simple life in Chiang Mai. Ok, had it been warmer, maybe i would have enjoyed it more, but not to the point of wanting to return. I will always miss the museums, galleries, and west end plays, but it just isnt enough to want to be there.

I have family in Argentina, and i lived there for a while. Love my family there, the men were stunning and i was never short of ego boosts. I still cant quite put my finger on why i choose to be here than there, but i do..and i could easily set myself up over there, far easier than here in fact. My family have lived over there for hmm twenty years or so and my niece and nephew were born there. My brother has a business and contacts etc etc, and I would get visa and work easily in that sense.

If i had the money to explore more, i would, but i dont. Id love to visit other places in the world..in truth, ive always been fairly nomadic, but money dictates. If i was truly miserable in Chiang Mai, id spend that money to travel and search, but im pretty satisfied..still.

Im writing this only to say that im not trapped, that i do have options, ...but yet for some reason im content to stay..and i cant quite put my finger on it as to why. Oh...and that im definitely not here for the women!!

[MESmith]

I think most people fell in love with CM when they first arrived & later decided to make here their home. But people change, CM changes & what appeared to be a great place no longer appears so. Especially when you start a family. Might not happen when the kids are born, most likely later when they're at primary school, & your lifestyle no longer includes bar hopping or eating out. And suddenly "the penny drops" & you start to question living here. You may not "have burned the bridges" back home, but you may be in for a shock at the requirements for getting your spouse a visa to settle in your home country..... After the last 2 trips back to UK, the penny dropped for me, & I suddenly realized how great the UK is, and what a cr@phole Thailand is. But that's just my opinion. I can afford to move back to the UK with my 2 kids, buy a nice house in a nice area, but unfortunately the UK govt don't think I can afford to keep my Thai wife.

[Lite Beer]

A post discussing moderation has been removed.

[tyznd]

I found this topic interesting as I have spent time in a number of places around the world and now live in Ecuador most of the year. I decided to spend a couple of weeks in Thailand to take in Songkran and have been to Chiang Mai before but that was about 7 years ago.

My first impression is that there has been a lot of development taking place, which for some is a good thing and for others a drawback. I tend to prefer it the way it was the last time I was here but that is just my personal opinion on what I have seen so far One thing I don't remember before is the poor air quality and I'm not sure if this is just an odd year or if this is now a new problem perhaps due to all the construction going on and an increase in traffic.

As expected, some of the night life spots and restaurants I used to go to have disappeared and there seems to be less activity in general. Overall, it seems like there is something lacking that was once here before but I really can't define it that well. Just a sense like I'm not really not back to the same place I was several years earlier. Maybe that will change as I see a little more of the city and maybe meet a few new people along the way.

As far as those that have moved or are moving to other locations from Thailand, I hope I can say without being attacked, I do think that there are other viable alternatives depending on each individuals personal taste. For me, I prefer a more moderate climate year round and that is an important reason why I chose Ecuador. Everything else is on par with Thailand as is the cost of living. In general, Ecuador feels like home to me and I've got quite a few close friends who get together quite often. If you haven't been there before and get a chance, I would highly recommend a visit.

Anyway, I still like to travel and see other places while I can and will probably spend a week or two in Vietnam before heading home. I'm looking forward to Songkran and hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday.

[puukao]

As the saying somewhat goes......"Wherever you go, there you are." If you don't like yourself, or have issues you are afraid to really attack head on (or need an intervention; drinking, major depression, etc..)....I can see you hating everywhere.

Why learn the language? For me, I learned enough so that every time I go out I can say a few words, make people laugh, butcher a few other words, and not try to make them feel bad for not understanding my language. it is their country....

why learn the culture? I don't know, I haven't...but I suspect it's a great escape from other things....good for the mind....sukkapaak jai dee or something.....and maybe someone else can answer.

what's the point? there isn't a point to any of this......because in life.......nobody gets out alive. haha. so let everyone just enjoy the little time they have on this spinning rock...if they want to do this or that......great. enjoy.

[expatsupreme]

what is with the air pollution, it is because of cars, and in what month seems to be the problem?

I am afraid of hot days in CM, i have read that the temperature reaches around 40 degrees, but in Pattaya only 30 max, so that is a plus.

But I hate crime in Pattaya, killings, murders, is CM any better? I guess so...

[expatsupreme]

Also I have read a story years ago that some local tribe man chopped a falang up in his home because of sacrifice?????

Is this shit still happening there?

I am still looking for a place with cooler climate like max 30 degrees at day and at night around 22-23 or something.

But CM reaches 40 degrees, that is just awful

[elektrified]

Also I have read a story years ago that some local tribe man chopped a falang up in his home because of sacrifice?????

Is this shit still happening there?

I am still looking for a place with cooler climate like max 30 degrees at day and at night around 22-23 or something.

But CM reaches 40 degrees, that is just awful

Yes, those terrible kinds of things are still happening so get the word out to as many Pattaya farangs as possible how dangerous it is here and to not bother coming.

Yes, hotter than hell. Another reason not to come.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I am afraid of hot days in CM, i have read that the temperature reaches around 40 degrees, but in Pattaya only 30 max, so that is a plus.

Pattaya right now: 32 degrees. Humidity: Crazy. Feels like: 41.

Chiang Mai right now: 33 degrees. Humidity: 27%.. Feels like: 33.

In the afternoon in the hot season the highest temperature is higher in Chiang Mai, but the temperature what it feels like is the same or better, due to lower humidity this season.

The difference is especially big at night. Last night 24, feels like 24. Pattaya 28, feels like 'hell, but with a higher humidity'. Same for Bangkok and the South.

(Source: weather.com)

Edited April 6, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Sophon]

what is with the air pollution, it is because of cars, and in what month seems to be the problem?

I am afraid of hot days in CM, i have read that the temperature reaches around 40 degrees, but in Pattaya only 30 max, so that is a plus.

But I hate crime in Pattaya, killings, murders, is CM any better? I guess so...

I don't know where you got the idea that the maximum temperature in Pattaya is only 30 degrees. This is what last April was like in Pattaya (source: Accuweather.com):

Sophon

[wolf5370]

Also I have read a story years ago that some local tribe man chopped a falang up in his home because of sacrifice?????

Is this shit still happening there?

I am still looking for a place with cooler climate like max 30 degrees at day and at night around 22-23 or something.

But CM reaches 40 degrees, that is just awful

I saw Silence of the Lambs once - don't go to America, their doctors will eat you!

Shhesh, its not Victorian Congo where the natives are going to chop you up for their soup (Dr Livingstone, I presume).

This is the tropics, temperatures are mitigated (or mostly not) by humidity - in Spain it gets at least as hot as here, but usually the humidity is lower, so it "feels" cooler. Up here in CM the humidity is lower than the South, and due to mountains, rice farms and jungles all around, we get breezes (Bangkok is like a soup of still, over heated, car fumes - otherwise known as hell!).

Worse thing, the thing we all like to moan about (when we don't have the weather to moan about like at home) is the Mach smog - caused not by cars, but by burning rice stalks, fallow fields, border growth, etc between planting seasons (there are often 2 or more these days due to better water management). This is unpleasant for about 1 weeks most Marches (worse this year because lack of rain we have had last two or three years - see the long thread in the CM Forum).

It doesn't cool much at night in the tropics unless the weather changes or there is significant wind/rain - the air is heated all day, as is the walls of the house, surrounding water, rock, buildings and roads which convexes back out to keep the temperature warm through the night too. If you really want a western climate, try southern Europe - South France/North Span etc.

[ConcernedNewfie]

I guess I missed it.. Goforit where is this place your moving to?

He's going to the PI and he's yet to discover that there is no infrastucture in the PI, nor decent health care for expats (outaside Manilla and Baracay) but they do have gun toting crime in spades, good luck and enjoy.

Ask the manager of the Blue Rock in Subic Bay about the PI. Wait you cant as a local walked into the buisness, pulled out a gun and shot him dead about 2 days ago, in front of plenty of witnesses.

[KaoJi]

For me it doesn't matter where you live, its the people you surround yourself with. Ive been living here just over a 6 months now and i have loved every minute of it. I Come from Australia where everyone is relaxed and the lifestyle is great. You cant compare because each country/city has pros and cons.

I study the language here which i find makes a big difference. I will be living abroad in Thailand for a year and without knowing the language i could see that life here would get very monotonous. When you can surround yourself with locals or even people of different countries the place becomes more interesting.

Chiang Mai has every cuisine you can think of. Beautiful nature reserves. Beautiful people. A night life that allows you to socialise. Like any country its not perfect. In my time here i have yet to meet anyone who hates the place.

My favourite thing about chiang mai is its location in SE Asia. I can live a better than average life here and use it as a base to travel to China, Malaysia, Japan, Cambodia, Laos, Berma..

Hmmm if your bored, where have you been hiding?? My day consists of, exploring, studying the language, volunteering, socialising with people every night with people from all over the world, getting massages, eating whenever i please (not cooking might i add)... Boring? not possible!

Visit Chiang Mai it has everything you need.

[kjhbigv]

Better than the daily grind in the UK, with crap weather, crap food (unless you are very wealthy), expensive, too many rules and regulations, working hard just to live a reasonable lifestyle etc etc.

I've done the flash lifestyle and everything that goes with it and just prefer a simpler life.

Was in London a few weeks ago for my annual visit....nothing changes everyone working like a dog, same as they have done for the last 30 years.

Don't get me wrong...I love visiting but get bored after a few weeks.

I can be as lazy or as active as I want here and have no worries!

If I was a millionaire, then I would possibly live elsewhere, but I am not, so CM and Thailand in general fits the bill perfectly for me.

Six years and have no plans to leave anytime soon!

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited April 7, 2014 by kjhbigv

[jaideeguy]

I've been asking myself that for the last 12+ years starting in March, then about 7 months later when it cools down and the pollution settles, I see the green mountains, can breath again and forget how miserable I was. It's getting worse, or my tolerance is getting lower because I'm seriously looking for an alternative to hiding out indoors for 7 months of the year.

[umbanda]

In my opinion.....Can be a lot of reasons for people to live or retire in Thailand.....but I believe that the main reason for most is that do not have the money to live in many wonderful, amazing, gorgeous, safe, clean, and very expensive places around the world. Period.

[Ulysses G.]

I know many foreigners who could afford to live in other places that choose to live in Thailand as well as some who have homes in places like Hawaii, France, London and San Francisco, but they spend half of the year here. Chiang Mai has its own charms.

[Aceboy99]

To each their own. Try to figure it out for yourself. Next.

[true blue]

eleven years here now and still love it,has changed a lot in ten years,more people, more traffic, more constructions,

starting to get filled up.someone i was talking to commented, could burn(chiang mai)it self out in the next ten years

think some planning has to take place,but what the heck,TIT.

[valdor]

I came here for two months because I have a few friends who have lived here for a while and they loved it and also because I have read a lot of good about the place on internet blogs.

I am leaving tonight and will depart with a mixed opinion about the place.

The good:

The local food is good and quite cheap.

There are many cinemas, shopping malls and even a few acceptable international restaurants.

The locals are friendly.

The bad:

Air quality and the environment in general.

Third world traffic and infrastructure (some of the worst I have seen and I have been to some pretty funky places in Africa and Asia).

Lack of fluent English speakers.

Not much is happening, pretty boring.

Overall I will say that while Chiang Mai is not all bad, I am really struggling to understand why so many Westerners would want to live here.

A lot of you are saying the climate, why not go to South Beach, San Diego or Surfers Paradise then?

The cheap food? Why not Hong Kong, Singapore or Penang?

The pretty girls? Nice, Budapest or Tokyo?

The nature and mountains? Vancouver, Zurich or Seattle?

[vagabond48]

I know many foreigners who could afford to live in other places that choose to live in Thailand as well as some who have homes in places like Hawaii, France, London and San Francisco, but they spend half of the year here. Chiang Mai has its own charms.

I have been in CM for over 7 years and I too have felt that CM had something very special that really attracted me to it, but again for me, over the last 3 years, it has been losing that charm quickly due to the increased building construction, increased number of cars crowding the limited roads adding more pollution through out the year. Let's not forget the major influx of Chinese tourists and investors. Now this may benefit the rich Thais and those of you that have built long term businesses but for it has decreased the quality of life here.

As for the well off foreigners you mentioned, if they are retired couples enjoying warm weather during the winter months then I am happy for them but I "suspect" the majority come here not only for the weather but for the cheap much younger part time GFs that they probably could not get or afford back in the West.

[BritManToo]

A lot of you are saying the climate, why not go to South Beach, San Diego or Surfers Paradise then?

The cheap food? Why not Hong Kong, Singapore or Penang?

The pretty girls? Nice, Budapest or Tokyo?

The nature and mountains? Vancouver, Zurich or Seattle?

Not everyone is American.

HK and Singapore are really expensive places to live.

Not everyone cares about girls.

Zurich is even more expensive than HK, and the weather is pretty bad most of the year.

How did I do?

[Ulysses G.]

A lot of you are saying the climate, why not go to South Beach, San Diego or Surfers Paradise then?

The cheap food? Why not Hong Kong, Singapore or Penang?

The pretty girls? Nice, Budapest or Tokyo?

The nature and mountains? Vancouver, Zurich or Seattle?

Because they are all in one place here, rents are inexpensive and many of us have gotten travel out of our systems - other than from time to time.

[BritManToo]

A lot of you are saying the climate, why not go to South Beach, San Diego or Surfers Paradise then?

The cheap food? Why not Hong Kong, Singapore or Penang?

The pretty girls? Nice, Budapest or Tokyo?

The nature and mountains? Vancouver, Zurich or Seattle?

Because they are all in one place here, rents are inexpensive and many of us have gotten travel out of our systems - other than from time to time.

You are so right.

But if I were American with unlimited money, I would probably be living in San Francisco.

Although something not many people mention about CM, very easy to make friends, something that I found hard in SF.

Edited April 8, 2014 by BritManToo

[Ulysses G.]

If I had unlimited money, I might live elsewhere, but I don't know where. I lived in San Francisco and did pretty well money-wise, but moved to Chiang Mai when I was in my early 30s and have always preferred it here. I do miss the great restaurants, theater and live music by big acts in SF though.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

If I had unlimited money, I might live elsewhere, but I don't know where. I lived in San Francisco and did pretty well money-wise, but moved to Chiang Mai and have always preferred it here. I do miss the great restaurants, theater and live music by big acts in SF though.

San Francisco?

Too late.

We were among the lucky who experienced it when it was a REAL place.

The existential crisis around San Francisco's ascension to the heights of assholery stands in stark contrast to the fact that it is damn near unlivable for most normal people.

http://www.vice.com/read/reasons-why-san-francisco-is-the-worst-place-ever

[Ulysses G.]

Thanks for that. Great article. To be fair, BritManToo did say with unlimited money. If I was living in one of the Clift Hotel suites, hobnobbing with Clint Eastwood every night and eating at places like Saison, it might not be a bad place to live.

[sharktooth]

I don't have the data to back this up, but I've always suspected that young beautiful women willing to sleep with older men is a factor.

Tell that to Gary Glitter...

[anon11]

Dear Goforit

I agree with you so PLEASE go around Chiang Mai and tell every westerner you meet that they should get of town as there is nothing here for them THEN that will those of us you DID NOT find to enjoy this lovely peacefull city we live in you see cock head we live here because we want to and we DO NOT have to explain or give reasons to that effect to people like you.

So with respect take your opinion and get out if you feel that upset over it all and organise a farewell party for yourself invite all your friends I have an old english phone box you can use I am sure that all your friends would fit in there.

Have a pleasant day