What Do You Dislike About Chiang Mai.

[p1p]

OK folks, we have the topic discussing our likes about Chiang Mai. Perhaps there are a few pet gripes. I know I have some...

What are your pet dislikes and, to stop a slag off, how can improvements be made.

To start off, I find the drivers here to be the worst, most selfish in Thailand. They seem to get great pleasure in cutting you off and NEVER give way unless you force your way out of a side street.

Secondly; as an employer, I have yet to have a good experience employing Khon Muang. As a rule, the locals I have employed are lazy, selfish and frequently dishonest. Most of my long term staff are from the South, Central region or Esarn.

Improvements: I wish the police would DO THEIR JOBS. This is the most lax place in the country.

[KevinN]

p1p; Wow,,I have the same gripes about phetchabun that you have about CM, ain't it something that we have run into the very same traits so far apart.

But Thai's drive like that all over,put one on wheels and you have created a senseless monster that has no consideration for others or a fear of death.

I have only employed contractors and workers for some construction at my new home tho.

I have had some very bad experiences with local merchants,,and I have had some very satisfying dealings with other merchants,once they get the idea of what I want and the fact that I will not leave until my desires are met,,then I have no more trouble with them.It is not due to a language thing but the Thai way of doing business.

thru no fault of their own,that is just the way things are,they are used to just selling the things that they can afford to stock,and with the speed of communications now days,it is foolish to only sell what you stock and invest all your money,when it is so quick to order from someone else and let them warehouse the things you might want to sell,and give 2 day delivery to a more satisfied customer,and he might turn into a repeat.Seems like they want to be tomorrows business people with yesterdays practices.

But the police are the same all over the country,but why earn your money if you don't have to,it pays the same,and some people are just natural born parasites.

[Candyflip]

I dislike public transportation in CM. I find it very hard to get around without driving your own cars/ motorbike.

Bicycle lane would be nice too !

[chanchao]

> To start off, I find the drivers here to be the worst, most selfish in Thailand.

Well... I just spent 3 months in Bangkok and I'll take Chiang Mai traffic any day. One thing you can count on more in Bangkok is people staying in their lanes and just using the breaks when suddenly finding an obstruction in their way, rahter than swerve around it without looking. :-)

As for being lazy, I have a theory about that. (Bearing in mind that I don't know what industry you're in). I think in most of upcountry Thailand, the people who are the most eager to do hard work and improve themselves are likely to move out to where the work is. They'd actually move to where some industrial estate is to go work there. The ones left locally are thus the lazy ones. And not just lazy, they also seem to feel superior over people from other provinces who actually moved to Chiang Mai to work/improve themselves. Changing that is near impossible or takes serious work.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[chanchao]

Oops, forgot to answer the question about what things I dislike about Chiang Mai.. I really have to think long and hard about this to find something that I both dislike AND is a specific issue in Chiang Mai (and not in the rest of Thailand).

So after pondering this for a good 10 minutes now, I found something:

It would be nice if Chiang Mai had a beach.

(Ok, affordable broadband internet and cheap cable TV are second and third

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Guest The Judge]

There are too many drunken old men in Loi Kroh road, so it's a bit confronting to think about a trip out to listen to Jazz, which someone on the board says is available.

[cdnvic]

Add my vote on the drivers. The only thing that makes driving here easier than Bangkok is that the roads are less crowded. The drivers (mostly the men, not as much the women) are brainless idiots who would be road mash in 5 minutes in any other country.

The traffic police are just plain lazy. In the last two months including the laughable new years 'crackdown' I have not seen one traffic stop.

Funny enough, there's always plenty of cops around whenever the deputy vice minister of whatever needs a motorcade to go out for dinner.

cv

[chanchao]

There are too many drunken old men in Loi Kroh road,

> There are too many drunken old men in Loi Kroh road,

Less so than in certain other destinations in Thailand.. I don't think you can hold this against Chiang Mai. Anyway there are far more durnken old men on that stretch of road/soi between Hai Ya and Chang Klan. (Does it even have a name? It's basically a long rural soi in the middle of nowhere full with little bars and karaokes and stuff on either side.) Couldn't believe all the christmas lights when driving there at night.

> so it's a bit confronting to think about a trip out to listen

> to Jazz, which someone on the board says is available.

Well.....! Once went to a concert, advertized as jazz, at the Rincome hotel. While interesting (imagine a Thai singer doing a perfect Louis Armstrong including coughts and rasps) it wasn't jazz of course.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[p1p]

Mango tree Cafe at the old city end of Loi Kroh Road has live jazz from Tuesday to Sunday evenings. a 4 piece combo with a good saxophonist and frequent Thai & Farang musicians dropping by to jam. On Monday there is a pianist & singer.

Good Thai & Farang food, with daily roasts & proper burgers, chili & fries +++!

The beer is cold, wine cold or room temp, depending on preference and drunks are kept outside...

[KevinN]

Someone say "BIKE LANE"? You can't even have sidewalks for pedestrian traffic in Thailand without someone setting up their cafe's on wheels to sell food and other articles of plunder,,###### it would be nice to have sidewalks..

[chanchao]

Mango tree Cafe at the old city end of Loi Kroh Road has live jazz from Tuesday to Sunday evenings. a 4 piece combo with a good saxophonist and frequent Thai & Farang musicians dropping by to jam. On Monday there is a pianist & singer.

Good Thai & Farang food, with daily roasts & proper burgers, chili & fries +++! The beer is cold, wine cold or room temp, depending on preference and drunks are kept outside...

Ah yes.. That is one strange location to be doing a slightly up-scale proper restaurant.. I'd probably go there if it was in any other location. It sure is pricey though.. which I don't mind on occaision if the value is there, say at The House restaurant past Somphet market.

I just couldn't take my girlfriend there, or business relations (before knowing if they're partial to the nightlife or not). And when with friends out for a drink in that area then it would be too posh and sterile again.

[p1p]

It seems to prove the rule that, in most makor cities, many of the best restaurants are in the red light areas. (Prices are not too bad!)

You would be surprised at the cross section of clientelle there, including Royals.

[Maverick]

OK folks, we have the topic discussing our likes about Chiang Mai. Perhaps there are a few pet gripes. I know I have some...

What are your pet dislikes and, to stop a slag off, how can improvements be made.

To start off, I find the drivers here to be the worst, most selfish in Thailand. They seem to get great pleasure in cutting you off and NEVER give way unless you force your way out of a side street.

Secondly; as an employer, I have yet to have a good experience employing Khon Muang. As a rule, the locals I have employed are lazy, selfish and frequently dishonest. Most of my long term staff are from the South, Central region or Esarn.

Improvements: I wish the police would DO THEIR JOBS. This is the most lax place in the country.

Oh come on! C Mai is no worse than anywhere else - Bangkok is renowned for its cut throat driving and just came back from Hua Hin where on way down it was like a race track with at least 4 incidents of truly scarey close encounters (bats out of ###### in yr mirror then up real close almost touching bumpers). In fact my experiences in c mai not so bad. Re employees - as anywhere good and bad exist u just need to recruit better people.

[Guest IT Manager]

Actually I thought prices at Mango Tree were good. I have had a lunch and a breakfast there now, and both times got change out of 130 baht.

Yes I am a bit kee nio, but not overly. In the day time I might add. No idea about night.

I agree with the Judge big time. A lot of the drunks there who are local are disgusting. Drunk tourists I can understand, holidays etc., residents.. no idea, and can't understand.

[Guest The Judge]

So it isn't just me who thought that. Well that gives me hope.

[silverhawk_usa]

Agree totally about the drivers. How about some PARKING in Chiang Mai. I have a pick up truck (also motorcycle) and some destinations are absolutley impossible to find a place to park the truck.

If some buildings were torn down and legitimate parking lots made, enforce removing some of the on street parking, the traffic situation would be better. BUT then again we would get into the issue of the police having to do their job. Catch 22.

[meadish_sweetball]

Not to get on the bad side of the septics, I think that public transportation is KEY to improve Chiang Mai, as well as Bangkok.

Rich folks here cannot seem to limit their needs. If they have the cash to buy six cars (one for each family member, and one for the dog too), they will.

The city is not built to have as many cars as are currently here. We all know the numbers of cars will increase with time too, because people tend to always 'shit where the elephant shits' (keeping up with the Joneses) as they put it themselves.

If good public transportation was introduced, some of the congestion problems might be solved, and the air would be cleaner.

Do you know that according to statistics from a recent meeting regarding pollution at Chiang Mai University - CM was declared to have the HIGHEST death rate of respiratory diseases, including lung cancer, in the whole country. (Source Chiang Mai Mail). Not to say that the cars are the major culprits, but it would be nice to get into a Rot Daeng without having to scratch your eyes every five minutes because of the air.

I will probably get a lot of "not as bad as Bangkok", and I agree that Bangkok feels worse, but I think this may be due to the heat.

Also, I wonder about what environmental protection those microchip factories in Lamphun employ...

That said, I do love this town.

[Zendesigner]

hi,

just moved here from jontiem.

have been in pattaya , bangkok, hua hin , ko samui, phuket ect...

Worst place list to live in thailand ...

1. Bangkok

2. Pattaya

3.Jontiem

4. phuket

5. chiang mai

6. hua hin

7. ko samui.

for me it just looks like normal thailand, people are a lot more friendly then bangkok or pattaya, weather is somewhat better, traffic is the same, No beach unfortunatley and everything is a little more expensive (things that have to come from the coast) like gasoline, seafood ect.

For now i like it a lot...

B

[Ulysses G.]

Secondly; as an employer, I have yet to have a good experience employing Khon Muang. As a rule, the locals I have employed are lazy, selfish and frequently dishonest. Most of my long term staff are from the South, Central region or Esarn.

I have two businesses in the suburbs of Chiang Mai and all my employees, except one, have lived in Chiang Mai all of their lives.

They are some of the most honest, hardworking people that I have seen anywhere, without exception.

I knew the manager slightly for many years and was very impressed by her work ethic. I let her hire all her friends (she had worked for another business that was similar to mine), until we needed another employee with excellent English skills. We hired a 70 year old friend's 20 year old wife from Isan.

Everybody is great. Everybody gets along. We have the best workplace that I have ever experienced myself.

I am thankful every day.

What don't I like about Chiang Mai?

The nightlife isn't as good as Bangkok.

[chanchao]

> What don't I like about Chiang Mai?

> The nightlife isn't as good as Bangkok.

Ha, I used to think that too.. But then I moved to Bangkok for 3-4 months. I actually managed to start missing Chiang Mai nightlife REAL soon. Especially when you look at the usual Farang haunts in Bangkok, God those became depressing real fast.

> No beach unfortunatley and everything is a little more expensive

Compared to BKK and Pattaya?! No way! I'd rephrase that as: "Everything is a lot cheaper, except for things that have come from the coast like gasoline, seafood, etc." Of course it takes a while of being here before you find the cheapest places for everything. Noting that you went to a real estate agent for your house I think you have a little while to go, but you *will* cut a good percentage off your expenses without even trying.

> (things that have to come from the coast) like gasoline, seafood ect.

Well, if I compare with living in Bangkok then yes gasoline is cheaper to buy per liter.. But I also burnt up loads more of the stuff while stuck in traffic jams and in typical Bangkok 'dash and brake' traffic. Bottom line: I spend much less on gasoline in Chiang Mai for the same distance travelled, even though it costs more per liter............

With seafood you also have to be careful. Unless you know where to go in Bangkok or Pattaya (or Hua Hin, etc, etc) then it's not entirely impossible to end up spending more compared to a place like Similan Seafood on Fa Ham road. (close to The Resort, but on the other side of the road. not sure if it's called 'Similan' or 'Andaman' actually.. not even sure if the sign is in English or not.. . Anyway I *can* recommend that one for seafood, though the setting is a bit on the basic side compared to places like Nang Nual and all those.

What I will categorically agree to though is that at regular restaurants, dishes with any kind of seafood in them will have LOADS more of it down South. It's funny almost, like a typical shrimp tom yam in Chiang Mai is not quite the same dish as it would be near the coast.. :-)

[seafood is a funny business... "down to Eath" basic restaurant right on the pier in Naklua (North Pattaya), catrering mostly to Thais... sells by the kilo like so many places do.. 600 baht per kilo for sea crabs (poo nua, not poo maa which are cheaper). Market price or even Tesco Lotus price for these is like 150 baht per kilo...... Ok, restaurants should make a profit, but keep in mind that for 'normal food' the cost of a dish is perhaps 10 baht which they sell at 80 baht: totally fine. That's 70 baht per dish for costs and profit. However 600 baht vs. 150 baht is a bit more of a difference isn't it......]

Sorry for the topic-hijack. ;-)

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Norman d'Plume]

Anusarn Market is not bad for seafood, particularly that big restaurant on the right as you come in from the Night Basaar. They cook favourite dishes "my way" for me now without my having to order specially.

[Ricardo]

Actually I thought prices at Mango Tree were good. I have had a lunch and a breakfast there now, and both times got change out of 130 baht.

Yes I am a bit kee nio, but not overly.

Nope - you just know like me that, at some time in the past , you had to sweat to earn it ! And ain't it sweet to be at the spending-end of the cycle

[Ajarn]

I'm fine with the Thai drivers- just drive the way they do, minus the idiot part.

It's the farang drivers that scare me. I always give way to them out of fear- especially the motorcyclists. 18 years of driving bikes and cars here with no accidents...

I do hate the terrible smoke we have here now.

Everything else annoying about living here has a work-around, in my view- usually a mental one . Nothing bad enough to really piss me off....And I'm not a 'cai yen' kinda guy, either....

I'm even content with the corruption as long as it continues to work in my favor

[sabaijai]

Ah yes.. That is one strange location to be doing a slightly up-scale proper restaurant.. I'd probably go there if it was in any other location. It sure is pricey though.. which I don't mind on occaision if the value is there, say at The House restaurant past Somphet market.

Agreed.