Chiang Mai --- Why Are You Here?

[Mapguy]

This topic is addressed to expatriates in Chiang Mai, not tourists who are just getting momentary pleasure in spending so much money to get here.

Tonight, during the noisy celebration of a major Northern Thai ( La'Na) holiday, I wonder why foreigners are here. Are you celebrating it while thinking about the meaning of it? Is it just "fun?" Or is it simply a bother?

Why are you here?

Are you here for personal reasons? If so, what are they?

Are you here because of the inherent nature of the place and its culture compared with where you were before?

What are your reasons for staying here?

[anonymouse]

I'm not sure certainly not for the Black Pudding..have you seen the price of it??!!!

[muchogra]

I'm here because it's not like Bangkok. Bangkok is becoming unlivable with the traffic. Talking about productivity...spending 30% of your time in traffic which could otherwise be some productive time!

Mapguy, I thought you moved to China in a post I saw you made some months ago. Have you moved back here? Why?

[muchogra]

Mapguy, if you have moved back to CM, I think it would be nice if you tell us why before you ask others. It's just etiquette and common sense.

[infernalman7]

I am here only for my time off of work. Here only for two months in a year.

The only reason I'm back here is for friends (and possibly other personal ties/childhood memories--and practicing my Thai)

Spent a good 8 years growing up here. Went to a Thai school when I was in year 2-5 then moved back to Copenhagen then back again.

Dad ran a construction consultant in based in both HK and Singapore but mum chose to stay here in Chiang Mai.

Parents could not stand the haze and the traffic; decided to move to Hua Hin in winter and Cyprus in summer.

[bristolgeoff]

here for samsong and coke,plus ride a Honda wave round town

[FolkGuitar]

Climate, culture, topography, lifestyle, cost of living, local people, local food, local community, ex-pat community...

Add them all together, for us, it's a very nice place to be.

I had a good business here for 10 years, so had no misconceptions about what settling down in retirement here would be like. Six months into it, seems I was correct.

[Dante99]

Other than to reform the Thai legal and administrative systems, starting with immigration, whine about poor farangs making life difficult, and complain about others not doing what you think they should, why are you here Mapguy?

[anto]

For the crumpet .

[FiftyTwo]

I'm here for the view from my front door.

[Thailand]

Chiangmai Sausage.

[Mapguy]

Chiangmai Sausage.

image.jpg

I'll vote for the sausage! Otherwise, why here in Chiang Mai?

A recent article in City News Chiang Mai entitled "Mega-Mall Mania & Morality" is really quite interesting and well-written. I'm puzzled how moral considerations are involved, but here it is:

http://chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2659

The views expressed in the following excerpt come rather close to expressing my own appreciation for the traditional side of the city and concerns about current development.

Chiang Mai residents know by now that the city is exploding with development, and I often hear people saying that Chiang Mai is The Little Bangkok or The Second Bangkok. Both those names irk me, being as irked by the real Bangkok as I am, yet I'm undeniably one of the many excited face-fanners when it comes to the thought of Central Festival opening up right on my doorstep. Those are usually the moments when one particular Thai friend of mine will sigh, roll his eyes and say something like, “Crazy farang.”

If I'm going to digress here (which I will, because I’m very good at it), I'd like to mention that this particular Thai friend is a young, wealthy student at CMU, and particularly blunt for a Thai person (might that be the influence of all his crazy farang friends?). He regularly moans about Little Bangkok becoming overcrowded, overbuilt, and most of all, overrated. He’s one of the many kee bon (a Thai expression for a nagger or complainer) who have no desire for a fancy Central Festival or a massive Maya to arrive in humble old Chiang Mai.

My friend is also one of the many Thais, young and old, with fond memories of their hometown that contain little of what makes Bangkok so vivid and wild. Chiang Mai, to him, used to be vivid and wild in a different way – vivid with people, with “slow living” and tradition, and wild with nature (at least, more of it), and a feeling of freedom and simplicity: a place you could feel the breeze, or hear the birds. Now, Chiang Mai often feels like a concrete jungle, full of smoggy claustrophobia and desperate blocks of buildings, creeping into every corner of the city, and ultimately, suffocating the beauty that was or might have been. Deep, I know.

[elektrified]

I feel the same way as the friend mentioned in the City News article posted above

[Thailand]

I feel the same way as the friend mentioned in the City News article posted above

To counter any such feelings I have only to think of where I come from and why I am not going back.

[hellodolly]

Chiangmai Sausage.

image.jpg

I'll vote for the sausage! Otherwise, why here in Chiang Mai?

A recent article in City News Chiang Mai entitled "Mega-Mall Mania & Morality" is really quite interesting and well-written. I'm puzzled how moral considerations are involved, but here it is:

http://chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2659

The views expressed in the following excerpt come rather close to expressing my own appreciation for the traditional side of the city and concerns about current development.

Chiang Mai residents know by now that the city is exploding with development, and I often hear people saying that Chiang Mai is The Little Bangkok or The Second Bangkok. Both those names irk me, being as irked by the real Bangkok as I am, yet I'm undeniably one of the many excited face-fanners when it comes to the thought of Central Festival opening up right on my doorstep. Those are usually the moments when one particular Thai friend of mine will sigh, roll his eyes and say something like, “Crazy farang.”

If I'm going to digress here (which I will, because I’m very good at it), I'd like to mention that this particular Thai friend is a young, wealthy student at CMU, and particularly blunt for a Thai person (might that be the influence of all his crazy farang friends?). He regularly moans about Little Bangkok becoming overcrowded, overbuilt, and most of all, overrated. He’s one of the many kee bon (a Thai expression for a nagger or complainer) who have no desire for a fancy Central Festival or a massive Maya to arrive in humble old Chiang Mai.

My friend is also one of the many Thais, young and old, with fond memories of their hometown that contain little of what makes Bangkok so vivid and wild. Chiang Mai, to him, used to be vivid and wild in a different way – vivid with people, with “slow living” and tradition, and wild with nature (at least, more of it), and a feeling of freedom and simplicity: a place you could feel the breeze, or hear the birds. Now, Chiang Mai often feels like a concrete jungle, full of smoggy claustrophobia and desperate blocks of buildings, creeping into every corner of the city, and ultimately, suffocating the beauty that was or might have been. Deep, I know.

Makes no sense to me. Chiang Mai has many different areas don't like the one you are in move.

I am here because I like the view I have. I love my location. Most every thing I want is handy. Getting around the city is cheap and easy. Most of the move theaters are nice and cheap. I can still get western food. My wife's mother and part of her family live here. The weather is not constantly hot and muggy. There are some interesting people here. The medical service is great just do like you should do back home check out your doctor. Mine is like the old fashioned family doctor. She has even been known to make house calls.

As for the festival. Not sure if that is a part of it or not. Did not partake in it last night. Had to go to the other side of the river and it was a real pain coming home but that is only one night a year. In past years I have gone out and really enjoyed it. It is a piss poor reason to base living in Chiang Mai on. Also and mapguy you are going to love this one. I can go into immigration and not get jacked around. I know what to expect and am often times pleasantly surprised. for instance the last time I got my yearly extension I was on my way from the American counsel where I had just got my income guarantee to the Makro in Hong Dang and thought well I will just drop in it is on the way. 9:00 in the morning they told me to come back at 3:00 in the afternoon. I was almost positive they were going to say come back tomorrow.

Twice I have lost my wallet once in a tuck tuck and another time in a store. The Tuck Tuck driver brought it back about an hour later with credit cards and cash still in it and was reluctant to take three hundred baht. and the store went through it and found a card for the name of my residence described me and the manager recognized me and called me I went back to the store and almost had to force 300 baht on them. Actually it was Subway in the Night Bazaar. Nothing was missing three credit cards and over 10,000 baht in cash. Last two times I lost my wallet once in Canada it was never returned all though the person who found it knew where I worked and called the company. the time before that in Seattle at the race track the guy who found it called me and told me a location he had left it at and I got it back minus the cash that had been in it.

Why do I live in Chiang Mai because I was bored in the western culture and wanted some thing new. I suppose it is part not doing well with the nanny state laws that are all based on fear. I like the people because they are not so afraid of death that they can not live. they enjoy life with out all the modern things we westerners take as necessities.

I don't like the smoggy season. But you can't have every thing. I wish I was as well healed as some of the trust fund babies who can just leave for the sea=son but I was not that astute at saving my money. All though I have an income big enough to live back in Canada.

[CMKiwi]

Im in CM cause I loathe Pattaya and BKK, CM has a more 'natural' feel about it without all the sell sell sell that comes with the aforementioned cities (Both in malls and bars)

Yet CM has all the modern infrastructure to be relatively safe

I try to stay out of the city as much as possible and Mae Rim is great.

[uptheos]

For personal reasons that do not concern the OP.

[A1Str8]

Chiangmai Sausage.

{style_image_url}/attachicon.gif image.jpg

If you didn't tag the photo I wouldn't recognize that thing seriously.

[mizztraveller]

Chiangmai Sausage.

http://static.thaivisa.com/forum//public/style_images/master/attachicon.gif image.jpg

If you didn't tag the photo I wouldn't recognize that thing seriously.

Seriously? What did you think they looked like?

[MisterTee]

For personal reasons that do not concern the OP.

If the Thai Visa Chiang Mai Forum shut down you'd be gone in a flash.

[orang37]

We are here to rehearse the departure from this corporeal bag of meat-over-bones that acts as if it is the center of the universe through the practice of paradoxical levity as taught by soi dogs.

~o:37;

[zeichen]

I hate when people answering a question with a question, but Why wouldn't someone want to live in Chiang Mai.

For me it is the perfect place to live. Harder place to work and build a financial future but still even with the lower wages, my life is exactly how I want to live.

Having family here too also helps.

[anto]

For personal reasons that do not concern the OP.

Then why reply ?

PS,open up ,pour your heart out matey ,we are all friends here .

Edited November 17, 2013 by anto

[thrilled]

You would have to pay me a lot of money to live in CM.

[NeverSure]

You would have to pay me a lot of money to live in CM.

I heard that the expats in Chiang Mai were paying you a lot of money to stay away.

-JOKING.

[puukao]

I am actually involved in an extremely sensitive undercover operation, funded by the Illuminati. My work will uncover secrets more powerful than anything published in the Da Vinci code. There is a 10 billion baht reward for my whereabouts.

[andrew55]

There is a 10 billion baht reward for my whereabouts.

You should Google 'IP address'. Maybe better look it up in the library.

[andrew55]

We are here to rehearse the departure from this corporeal bag of meat-over-bones that acts as if it is the center of the universe through the practice of paradoxical levity as taught by soi dogs.

~o:37;

Yeh... ditto. Coupla dudes next soi doin' the same.

Bless the Ajahn Soi Dogs

[hellodolly]

Perhaps if the OP had opened with why they were here and not tried to tie it into a three day celebration the ex pats who live here would have been more receptive to giving their reasons.

[Lancelot]

I was living at Pattaya; however, after my motorbike was stolen I was so turned off by the place that I couldn't leave fast enough. Now I'm in an apartment where I'm the only foreigner and I like it in the vein of it motivates me to improve my Thai language skills

I find the northern Thais to be a little sweeter in disposition as well