Thanks Elzach. Took me 23 posts to understand and that this wasn't some bizarre figment hallucination of this ongoing fever.....

As a foreign visitor who spends a month or two in Chiang Mai each year, I will be seriously put out by this. And, as a Canadian, I know of no similar restriction in Canada. University campuses often have lovely grounds, with ponds and flower gardens, interesting architecture, etc. CMU is no exception. I often go to one of the cafés there for a coffee, to one faculty or another to visit colleagues, to the public post office, bank, etc., etc. it's a great place to walk or ride a bicycle out of the insane traffic that otherwise clogs the streets in that end of town. This is a throw out the baby with the bathwater kind of response.

I also like to walk through the uni grounds and spend time photographing the flowers and butterflies there. It would certainly be one more reason to rethink my coming to CM regularly if I were not able to gain access to the grounds. As a scholar I tend to the grounds of universities wherever I visit. I have rarely if ever found I couldn't wander at will around the public areas.