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My greatest peeve....


Rotweiler

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WOW! This is awesome! I thought I was the only one with the idea to call it "The Rai". I have a mild hearing loss, and as a resident of Chiang MAI, I sometimes have a difficult time telling if the speaker (whether Thai or Farang) says MAI or RAI... it's just TOO similar. Because Thai's as a whole are so fond of nicknames, I thought it would be good to have a nickname for Chiang Rai.... yes, I thought of "The Rai" about a year ago... swear I never heard it called that until reading this today. I think it has a classy ring to it, and there are others: The Hague, The Big Apple, KL, LA, SanFran, BKK, etc. I don't know Chiang Rai well, but it does have some charm in a great mountain area of northern Thailand. I say, keep going on that nickname!

Edited by Horton Jones
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Possibly it is you who need education on the thai translation of Chiangrai and its origins. Chiang means city....Chiangrai means city in the fields. Just as Chiang Mai means new city.

Unless you are just refering to a small part of the built up area of Chiangrai it is completly correct to refer to it by its more local name.

Sounds like he's not the only one who needs education. Mengrai would roll over in his grave. BTW for most Thais, Chiang Rai is a province. The city is 'amphur meuang'; silly, I know, but that's what they think... and say.

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Possibly it is you who need education on the thai translation of Chiangrai and its origins. Chiang means city....Chiangrai means city in the fields. Just as Chiang Mai means new city.

Unless you are just refering to a small part of the built up area of Chiangrai it is completly correct to refer to it by its more local name.

Sounds like he's not the only one who needs education. Mengrai would roll over in his grave. BTW for most Thais, Chiang Rai is a province. The city is 'amphur meuang'; silly, I know, but that's what they think... and say.

Bit hard for him to roll over in his grave as his ashes are at Wat Ngam Muang.

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It's just slang.

For example, people refer to Cambridge in England as 'the bridge'. It's just a different way of saying things to mix it up, the same way that using the same word twice in a paragraph is bad practice.

I thought that 'the bridge' was Chelsea's football ground. smile.png

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This must rate as the most banal post to ever appear on TV.

I once had a colleague who described certain 'low life' and other assorted examples of humanity as... 'A waste of skin' ! I now know exactly what he meant.

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Using the term 'The Rai' is surely nothing less than an affectionate term used by locals who feel some connection with the area?

...same as 'going to 'the smoke' as in city of London or any other city for that matter. And no doubt OP would never refer to 'The Big Apple', Motor City,Skeggie (Skegness) or other 'affectionate terms for town & cities around the world.

Here in kampaengphet or KPP, it's common to hear foreigners talking of going to 'Piss in the road' or Pitsanulok. It's just banter and what the hell !

Definitely a 'wind up' this one.

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Dear Rotweiler, I am inclined to agree with you, and I would add a few other adjectives: adolescent, smug, reminiscent of teenage boys seeking an easy shared identity - sort-of-like a motorbike club's easy membership.

PS on my occasional trips north my local friends refer affectionately to their city as Shanghai (that's a reasonably accurate transcription anyway) - I believe it's Pasat Meuang, also known sometimes as Lanna language.

Lord only knows what the foreigners call it, and frankly who cares. The last time I was there I had the unpleasant experience of sitting next to two unwashed foreigners who were discussing things that would get an automatic hefty gaol sentence in Thailand, but naturally their ignorance exceeded their arrogance.

Anyway you seem to have provided a much needed tonic to those old fogies :-)

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Sorry I just don't get it?...but this is how I see it...

2 guys talking about maybe going to Chiang Rai?

Why is it while your listening in on them so annoying to you when it's kind of none of your business what they're doing?

How about mind your own business and just eat your lunch!

(please correct me if I'm wrong)wai.gif

I am with you what is he doing listing in on others conversations and then critiquing them for all of Thai Visa to hear.

If he robs a bank will we get the story on that also.

Before I got in the condition I am in now I walked all over the city and can not recall hearing Chiang Rai called the Rai. Even now I still get out a lot and as you can see by the number of my posts read a lot and this is the first time I have heard it called the Rai. Maybe they were talking about some other place.

Also noticed how he managed to get in a negative on the Promenada.

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What about Bangers?

As in Bangkok.

I find it annoying when people write Pats for Pattaya on Thai Visa, but I don't think I'll launch a campaign to enforce the use of the full word and I certainly would not expect the moderators to fight the fight for me.

Perhaps mods could make that a strong suggestion

I also find the use of things like u and ur for you and your & you're and even "mods" for "moderators," annoying, but then I'm pretty sure my annoyance at such things is more attributable to me becoming a cranky curmudgeon ( or a crankier curmudgeon) than anything else.

It's difficult balancing my petty annoyances against my desire not to be annoyingly petty.

curmudgeon.....only one person uses that word. Welcome backsmile.png

Since I haven't been away, I assume there are now two (or more) people using the word. But thank you for the welcome.

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I call Bangkok " the Kok"

I generally call it Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

Sometimes if i am lazy I just call it: Krung Thep

Edited by harrry
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