Places to hang out with laptop and a cuppa?

[cheeryble]

Yes I'm spending more time in CR and would like to know where I can sit and quietly laptop outside home.

In CM I try to avoid the 50/60baht for coffee places/60/70 baht for cake places (not to mention the higher prices like at Cheewit Tamada and Starbucks)

I'm not particularly stingy it's just that money doesn't buy quality and it's possible to find excellent places for half that price or less.

When one goes every day and has several cups it adds up.

I also hate the impersonal atmosphere in the chain cafés like Wawee.

(I quite like Yotdoi....run by proprietor.....in the centre there very excellent snacks but very pricey)

Where do I go please?

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[villagefarang]

You seem to have rejected everyplace that comes to mind. At the Mall one regularly see people hunched over their laptops at Starbucks and Black Canyon. In the older touristy part of town, Doi Chaang seems to be a popular spot. I am sure there are many places around town but they are businesses so they are probably trying to make a living.

If you find a super cheap but high quality place please let us know.

[cheeryble]

Thanks VF

When I think on it the cheaper places I go in CM are in or near CMU and largely...but certainly not exclusively....attended by students.

Funny thing is quality is at least as good as the chains but without their impersonal feel which seems ubiquitous, more like a family or a couple of friends has opened somewhere.

Stepping up a bit in price I can certainly think of a couple of non-chain-but-somewhat-dearer places around CM which are lovely, perhaps about 40baht a drink.

Perhaps I should settle for this type if they exist in CR.

Or are there college-related cafés say in Ban Du which may suit?

(Funnily enough I quite enjoy in the food court basement of Central where there a very nice cocoa for 25baht and lots of people to look at, but chairs are stools and a bit busy for concentrating on something.

Likewise Baan Bua Guesthouse has a nice mug of tea I think a well known Irishman around town with poor sight goes there.

Hey I'm starting to answer my own question)

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Edited May 28, 2014 by cheeryble

[villagefarang]

I seem to remember my wife mentioning a small coffee shop on the campus of Chiang Rai Rajabhat University but I have no idea of cost or quality. Unless you are staying out that way, the cost of transportation there and back might negate any cost benefits, however.

Anyway I am sure you will figure it out.

[Riggi]

A few good and cheap places in Bandu on the road that goes from the traffic lights at the Highway up to the front gate of the uni.

My favourite is Lan Nam. It is on the left side of the road just after 7-11. They sell fruit out the front.

25 baht for a coffee, with complimentary cup of green tea too. Used to be 30,but she reduced the price over Songkran as business was slow and still hasn't put it back up yet.

They have free wifi, but I get a true wifi signal and find that faster.

No air con though.

If you want aircon, Shong cafe further up the road is OK, but will cost you 35 baht a cup.

[AjarnP]

All Amazon outlets at PTT gas stations have free wi-fi

If you drive a car truck or motorsai organize yourself a PTT Blue Card (enroll only on their website) and once you have accumulated a few points, you get a coffee for free.

[cheeryble]

Thanks for those three useful posts may be time to try an Amazon on our way back to CM today missus loves the idea of free.

I shall certainly check out the places Nr Rajabat as I shall be staying that way in future may move there permanently who knows.

I myself will add again, nearly next door to Overbrook hospital there an open cake and coffee shop frequented by hospital staff called เกรซ (Grace). It's not the most comfortable but they have an iced coffee which is simply delicious my missus says up it's way better then the Jerin Resort version and probably the best in town........though of course the

Jerin Resort scores very high with their cakes.....shame it's not close to town as it's a lovely place to sit next to the river.

Grace's iced coffee is 20 repeat 20 baht and has that good bitter coffee taste.

(I looked in Black Canyon this morning out of interest their cocoa was 60/75 baht so I guess iced coffee at least as much.

No comparison and I early died of chain store depression too.)

Opposite Grace there's a cabin coffee shop belonging to Mae Kok Villas guesthouse looks cute and has verandah but have yet to try.

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Edited May 28, 2014 by cheeryble

[AjarnP]

Charin has a shop in town in the main market opposite Krungthai Bank.

[villagefarang]

I sometimes watch as people enter a coffee shop and set about unpacking their paraphernalia, marking their territory while trying to get comfortable. For as little as 20 or 30 baht per day one can compute from the comfort, convenience and privacy of ones own home, with very fast reliable speeds, so I often wonder why people use computers in public places.

I never see these people actually talking with anyone as their heads are always buried in the screen of their laptop. A crowded public business seems like an odd place to look for privacy and solitude to do whatever one does on a computer.

Sure, when I get a push message on my iPhone I will glance at the screen to see if it is either important or interesting but I can’t see lugging a computer around when I am out and about.

What is the point of sitting in a crowd if what you really want is to be alone? Call me old fashioned but public places seem designed for the social interaction of customers and the profit of the business owner.

Even if one is a tourist, you have to stay somewhere, and most places have wifi available for their guests. So even as a tourist it seems to make more sense to wait until you get back to the hotel to disappear into your computer screen. That way you won’t miss what is going on around you in this place you travelled so far to visit.

Maybe it is just a sign of our times, with people feeling less lonely and disconnected in a public place, but not really wanting to talk with anyone. It just strikes me as interesting behavior and something I don’t entirely get. Perhaps the OP could shed some light on this modern day phenomenon?

[rijb]

People used to read in libraries and bookstores. Some still do. Are they lonely and disconnected?

[Riggi]

I usually have a coffee after lunch and just sit and relax and people watch. I'm usually not interested in staring at a screen or doing work.

But, sometimes if I'm working at home on the weekend and need to get out for some air or a coffee, I will often bring my laptop to continue doing work.

Also, sometimes I arrange to meet a friend at a certain time and either I am early, or they are late. I will often pull out my laptop to make some productive use of my time instead of just twiddling my thumbs.

Same applies when travelling and waiting to meet someone. Good chance to sort through photos, catch up on messages etc. if you know you will have to wait half an hour or an our for your friend.

Last scenario, is if my girlfriend is shopping, I sometimes prefer to sit in a coffee shop and use the laptop (sometimes to do work, but sometimes just browsing the web) and just let her meet me when she has finished.

[villagefarang]

I usually have a coffee after lunch and just sit and relax and people watch. I'm usually not interested in staring at a screen or doing work.

But, sometimes if I'm working at home on the weekend and need to get out for some air or a coffee, I will often bring my laptop to continue doing work.

Also, sometimes I arrange to meet a friend at a certain time and either I am early, or they are late. I will often pull out my laptop to make some productive use of my time instead of just twiddling my thumbs.

Same applies when travelling and waiting to meet someone. Good chance to sort through photos, catch up on messages etc. if you know you will have to wait half an hour or an our for your friend.

Last scenario, is if my girlfriend is shopping, I sometimes prefer to sit in a coffee shop and use the laptop (sometimes to do work, but sometimes just browsing the web) and just let her meet me when she has finished.

Thanks for such a thoughtful reply. Your explanation sounds quite reasonable. I guess I was thinking more about those individuals who campout for the day and seem to be there everyday. If you are just killing a few minutes waiting for someone, that makes a lot of sense.

There is a lot written about how computers are taking up too much of our time, and are ruling people’s lives, so my solution is to limit my computer time to one fixed location. Kind of like choosing to only eat at the dinner table instead of in bed or in front of the television, to avoid overeating.

When I go to town I usually have a purpose since I am only there once or twice a week so that perhaps affects how I look at it. I was not really making a judgement, I was just asking an open-ended question and trying to expand the conversation.

Edited May 29, 2014 by villagefarang

[cheeryble]

Personally I tend to cycle here or there, and what with a stop or two during which I catch up on bits or as now read Cixi the Dowager Empress it seems like a nice balance.

I remember that in studying days I rarely "holed up" but tended to go and spot in the noisiest place available.

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[johnmarhall]

People used to read in libraries and bookstores. Some still do. Are they lonely and disconnected?

well said i use my laptop in a park i am not lonely just enjoy the sunshine when doing my work sometime when i am baiting my hook to fish i put out my laptop

[johnmarhall]

I usually have a coffee after lunch and just sit and relax and people watch. I'm usually not interested in staring at a screen or doing work.

But, sometimes if I'm working at home on the weekend and need to get out for some air or a coffee, I will often bring my laptop to continue doing work.

Also, sometimes I arrange to meet a friend at a certain time and either I am early, or they are late. I will often pull out my laptop to make some productive use of my time instead of just twiddling my thumbs.

Same applies when travelling and waiting to meet someone. Good chance to sort through photos, catch up on messages etc. if you know you will have to wait half an hour or an our for your friend.

Last scenario, is if my girlfriend is shopping, I sometimes prefer to sit in a coffee shop and use the laptop (sometimes to do work, but sometimes just browsing the web) and just let her meet me when she has finished.

Thanks for such a thoughtful reply. Your explanation sounds quite reasonable. I guess I was thinking more about those individuals who campout for the day and seem to be there everyday. If you are just killing a few minutes waiting for someone, that makes a lot of sense.

There is a lot written about how computers are taking up too much of our time, and are ruling people’s lives, so my solution is to limit my computer time to one fixed location. Kind of like choosing to only eat at the dinner table instead of in bed or in front of the television, to avoid overeating.

When I go to town I usually have a purpose since I am only there once or twice a week so that perhaps affects how I look at it. I was not really making a judgement, I was just asking an open-ended question and trying to expand the conversation.

not making judgment really

[AnotherOneAmerican]

What is the point of sitting in a crowd if what you really want is to be alone? Call me old fashioned but public places seem designed for the social interaction of customers and the profit of the business owner.

Even if one is a tourist, you have to stay somewhere, and most places have wifi available for their guests. So even as a tourist it seems to make more sense to wait until you get back to the hotel to disappear into your computer screen. That way you wont miss what is going on around you in this place you travelled so far to visit.

Maybe it is just a sign of our times, with people feeling less lonely and disconnected in a public place, but not really wanting to talk with anyone. It just strikes me as interesting behavior and something I dont entirely get. Perhaps the OP could shed some light on this modern day phenomenon?

I often sit in a coffee shop in town and read a book and listen to music on my tablet with earphones on.

Makes a change from home, I've often arraigned to meet pals there, and one coffee shop owner is a friend, so going there with my friends supports her business.

I don't feel the compulsion to talk with those around me all the time.

Sitting quietly with good company is also nice.

By lunch time, someone will have decided where we are all eating.