Someone already mentioned this and I'll second it: think about renting a car AND a driver.

It might not work with what you want to do, but there are Thai out there willing to drive you around in their car for the same (or even less) then the car rental price. That way you can sit back and enjoy your family and the ride.

You could post an ad right here on TV looking for a car and driver. Also as someone else said, be firm, you want to go where you want to go and stay as many hours as you want. If they don't like it, don't hire them.

Good luck!

I wouldn't rent a car and driver unless you have a recommendation and be careful who you rent from with 'damage car' on return tricks. Driving is same as anywhere but without any real hard fast rules. Remember if you hit someone it will be most likely even if not your fault you will pay as a rich Ferange. We use europcar as fair but a bit pricey on the bigger stuff.

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I think chiang Mai drivers are probably some of the best in the world. They need higher skills, patients and awareness to deal with the conditions.

Oh yeah right. At least you are looking at the bright side of life. I see danger, and parents losing young kids, kids losing parents, hospitals full of accident victims, and folks that generally don't have any sense of danger whatsoever. The road is no laughing matter, nor is it a game.

It all looks so romantic and exotic as a tourist, but live here awhile and you may just see the forest from the trees...

Here's an example of CM's finest, and the driving instructor was in the car too.... (Happened today) http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4213

I have seen two cars being fished out of the moat since I've been here. It's quite amazing when you consider that most of the time the traffic is restricted in speed due to congestion, and the curbing all around the moat is quite high off the road surface, and squared off sharply at the top. To jump that curb you would have to hit it at a sharp angle, or else go right at it.

How do they do it?

bladdered

adjective

BRITISHinformal

1. extremely drunk

I wouldn't rent a car and driver unless you have a recommendation and be careful who you rent from with 'damage car' on return tricks. Driving is same as anywhere but without any real hard fast rules. Remember if you hit someone it will be most likely even if not your fault you will pay as a rich Ferange. We use europcar as fair but a bit pricey on the bigger stuff.

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urban myth,just ring your insurance guy he will sort it out.

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

very few round-abouts in cnx,????

I wouldn't rent a car and driver unless you have a recommendation and be careful who you rent from with 'damage car' on return tricks. Driving is same as anywhere but without any real hard fast rules. Remember if you hit someone it will be most likely even if not your fault you will pay as a rich Ferange. We use europcar as fair but a bit pricey on the bigger stuff.

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Untrue, call the insurance company and they will send somebody out to sort it out for you, the part about farangs always being guilty and having to pay is barstool talk only.

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

very few round-abouts in cnx,????

A few; one not far from the bus station is pretty bad in terms of busy and no one a clue how to use it properly. But there are several in the moo baans scattered around and those are the ones people most often cut the wrong way on.

After 3 years here, I am pretty comfortable with driving here. In the early days I saw jaw droppingly bad road craft from 2 and 4 wheelers routinely but gradually I learned to accept them as being normal to Thais. Even police m/cs do shocking moves. I am no longer surprised by much as I expect the unexpected. I am even beginning to adopt some of their "safer" quirks lol. It recently dawned on me why most Thais drive cars the way they do. They all learned their road "skills" on m/cs as kids, and the vast majority have never had a lesson in their lives and just jump in a 4 wheeler without any road education...and yes, it follows they drive cars as if it was a Thai kid on a m/c. Strangely my car has been hit 3 times in the last 5 years. Twice it was stationary waiting in traffic at traffic lights. The other time it was parked and some guy managed to scrape the rear nearside whilst reversing out of a parking space. Luckily each time, the cause was not debatable and their insurance paid the fix in full at my main dealer.

Its been so long since I have been "surprised" on the roads, however last week I was nearly caught out by a chinese tourist couple on a rental m/c ( u can easily recognise them with rental brand helmets and female with map as passenger ). I had stopped at the centre of the road in Nimen signalling and waiting to make a right turn into a Soi, and when the oncoming traffic finally showed a gap, I turned in, only to see a m/c flash across my path from the right going the wrong way, diagonally across my path onto the left hand of the road. I admit my heart skipped a beat for the first time in many months. Another crazy move to add to my memory bank. So... keep an eye out for this new population of 2 wheelers with the rental helmets.. they do things even the very worse Thais m/cs don't.

Stay safe, watch the "bees" and let them swarm around you, expect the unexpected, especially when stationary

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

very few round-abouts in cnx,???

There's at least 10 within a 3 km radius of my house.

There's more than enough to know how to use them (in Kansas anyway).

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

I seen a woman on a motorbike go around the wrong way (on the right side) yesterday.

Never a dull moment on Thai roads.

I saw a car stopped at a red light for pedestrians today on Tha Pai road. No one in the walk way but they waited until it was green to go. Must have been a farong.

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

I seen a woman on a motorbike go around the wrong way (on the right side) yesterday.

Never a dull moment on Thai roads.

You defiantly have to go to Cambodia. Hard to believe but they make Thai drivers look good.

Maybe the driver was too drunk to move?

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

I seen a woman on a motorbike go around the wrong way (on the right side) yesterday.

Never a dull moment on Thai roads.

I saw a car stopped at a red light for pedestrians today on Tha Pai road. No one in the walk way but they waited until it was green to go. Must have been a farong.

Or on their tablet / Facebook.

Most Thais do not know how to use round-abouts. Do not expect them to give way to the right.

I seen a woman on a motorbike go around the wrong way (on the right side) yesterday.

Never a dull moment on Thai roads.

You defiantly have to go to Cambodia. Hard to believe but they make Thai drivers look good.

Haha, no thanks.

Hi OP.

I arrived in BKK in March & bought a good second hand car within the first few days. Have clocked up over 10,000 ks so far. Took a bit of getting out of BKK after I collected the car but no trouble at all driving in CM. I live at San Sai about 12 km from the city & drive in when ever necessary. Biggest problem is parking. I'm on the very wrong side of 60, so you shouldn't have a problem.

Good luck & enjoy.

Mal.