Help! I am planning to retire in CNX, my children worried about medical emergencies.

[hmficc]

A little off topic, but some of you people crack me up talking about "Don't ride a bike! Too dangerous, especially at your age!". Horse hockey! A year ago next month I had to sell my CBR 250 due to having a stroke. Prior to the stroke, I'd been taking a trip once a month from CNX to other cities all over the north for 2-4 day rides. Chiang Rai, Arunothai, Phayao, Lampang, Phitsanulok, Chum Phat, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Tak, Nakon Sawan, Sariburi, just to name a few. How many accidents have I had on my 250cc, or the CBR 150cc prior to that. ONE, and that was coming back from 7-11 and in the bike lane when an idiot in a truck suddenly made a sharp left turn into a drive way and I had to put the bike in the ditch. And guess what. I'm 66!. Now I'm driving a 300cc Honda Forza, but you can bet your <deleted> that in another year I'll be back on a 300cc CBR or Ninja. One difference is that I've been riding bikes since I was 10 and doing dirt track racing, so I'm definitely not a novice. The year prior to moving to Thailand in 2008, I took my Ninja 650 and hit most of the Continental US. I was 59 then.

I do agree that if you're not an experienced rider, it's best to stay off of them. But they can come in handy for a quick trip to 7-ll or the market, as long as you are an observant rider. My advice, use your own judgment. Oh, and by the way Chiang Mai is a hell of a lot safer city to drive in than a lot of others I've been to on my trips.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now so the Chicken Little Brigade can be heard.

Wow! I am very, very impressed. You are some bike rider.

[Tracyb]

CNX? Is that Chiang Mai? Mistake choice of retirement area. All that smoke from the burning fields for 3 months of each year will kill your chest.

I do like to be beside the seaside, I do like to be beside the sea ! Change your retirement area to a coastal destination. Do it now before you regret your decision.

...or at least book yourself out of Chiang Mai during April, May and June when the smoke in the air is bad.....

[mesquite]

CNX? Is that Chiang Mai? Mistake choice of retirement area. All that smoke from the burning fields for 3 months of each year will kill your chest.

I do like to be beside the seaside, I do like to be beside the sea ! Change your retirement area to a coastal destination. Do it now before you regret your decision.

...or at least book yourself out of Chiang Mai during April, May and June when the smoke in the air is bad.....

March is the bad month, and first part of April. No problem May and June.

[jobin]

Nancy my dear. I never said 'can't' build or find a network of friends here. I said 'it ain't easy'. Now, i may be mistaken but your kind advice is mostly second-hand since you personally, to my knowledge, have never been in such a situation. Did you not come to CM with husband in tow? As i have read that you have one and he is not Thai. So there is 90% of your's, and his, loneliness solved. And i also believe that younger guys, say 52 yrs and eligible of retirement here face a very different atmosphere compared to a guy 72 with small infirmities and reduced energy (aka testosterone) levels.

I may look into the offerings of the social clubs, since i do drink coffee. So thanks, and C cu soon.

[hml367]

Nancy my dear. I never said 'can't' build or find a network of friends here. I said 'it ain't easy'. Now, i may be mistaken but your kind advice is mostly second-hand since you personally, to my knowledge, have never been in such a situation. Did you not come to CM with husband in tow? As i have read that you have one and he is not Thai. So there is 90% of your's, and his, loneliness solved. And i also believe that younger guys, say 52 yrs and eligible of retirement here face a very different atmosphere compared to a guy 72 with small infirmities and reduced energy (aka testosterone) levels.

I may look into the offerings of the social clubs, since i do drink coffee. So thanks, and C cu soon.

This is no slight on NancyL, or anyone in particular for that matter.... just using jobin's post as a starting point, it is my observation that relatively new arrivals to Chiang Mai to live, generally compare to their situation only or sitautions they may have encountered. Also, this same general class of relatively new arrivals to Chiang Mai compare Chiang Mai living to only their time here AND only the physical environment they have experienced.

As I said, this is my observation of this group IN GENERAL.

There is a lot of information available to be able to learn more than just one's own sphere of existence in Chiang Mai. Obviously one has to think outside of their personal "box" and accept there may be other views and experiences.

[Oscar2]

there is a lot of bad advice being given here by members encouraging old geezers to ride motorcycles in the most dangerous country in the world to drive - let alone by an inexperienced driver/rider.

some of the people saying "drive slow and you'll be O.K." and "handy and safe to go to 7-Eleven and Tesco" is total rubbish. when i was hit 15 months ago, i was driving very safely, going about 30 km/h in the far left lane at around 19:00 and coincidentally was going to 7-Eleven at the time. none of that made any difference when a maniac Thai driver who while watching television on his mobile raced across the opposite side of the road at full speed, using a u-turn slot as an "intersection" to beat the traffic and then raced at an angle to get to soi on the opposite side of the road and as i drove past the soi, hit me with full speed.

it took about 10 months to recover from the injury and i'm not elderly. an older person may be still recovering - or have a permanent disability. it's too dangerous here and not worth it.

[amexpat]

^ "it's too dangerous here and not worth it."

Dangerous: Yes.

Worth it? A whole lot of people have decided that it is.

I'm glad you have recovered.

[NancyL]

jobin and hml367 -- you sound lonely. I hope you can come to the expats club Coffee Morning tomorrow (Friday) at River Market restuarant 10 am to noon and meet some new friends. I think you'll find the average age there is probably closer to 72 than 52!

As a newcomer, you do have to get out and make a little bit of an effort to meet new people. The OP has the right idea in wanting transportation to get out and about to do things. It's just he doesn't need to be on a motorcycle. Tuk-tuks and songthaews are easy enough to find. It's not a good idea to rent a house out in the 'burbs as a newcomer -- to isolated. Better to be in the city, in a condo -- that way you'll meet people. Sure -- you won't be meeting as many Thai people, but the OP won't know the Thai language right away either.

I think a condo or serviced apartment is a starter residence for making friends and getting into all the expat activities. Once settled, then the OP can decided to move out to the 'burbs and really get to know the real Thailand.

[evenstevens]

I think a condo or serviced apartment is a starter residence for making friends and getting into all the expat activities. Once settled, then the OP can decided to move out to the 'burbs and really get to know the real Thailand.

nancy ,why push a theme, to start in the city and join clubs etc etc and work your way out to your self centred appraisal of the boonies or burbs,where in fact u have not experienced it first hand ,at all

their is a lot of advantages to start in the boonies or burbs , its come a long way in progress( living and socially etc etc), particular in the past 5 yrs or so ,for a multitude of reasons and very valid ones at that

politely u are barking up the wrong tree, your burbs and boonies , has plenty to offer for a new comer to c/mai..., isolated ???... pure hog wash

[NancyL]

I think a condo or serviced apartment is a starter residence for making friends and getting into all the expat activities. Once settled, then the OP can decided to move out to the 'burbs and really get to know the real Thailand.

nancy ,why push a theme, to start in the city and join clubs etc etc and work your way out to your self centred appraisal of the boonies or burbs,where in fact u have not experienced it first hand ,at all

their is a lot of advantages to start in the boonies or burbs , its come a long way in progress( living and socially etc etc), particular in the past 5 yrs or so ,for a multitude of reasons and very valid ones at that

politely u are barking up the wrong tree, your burbs and boonies , has plenty to offer for a new comer to c/mai..., isolated ???... pure hog wash

No, I'm not lived in the boonies or the burbs, but I've had to help pick up the pieces for people who have thru my involvement with Lanna Care Net. These are westerners who think they've discovered a kinder, gentler way to live where they're be cherished for the rest of their lives by loving Thai people. Yes, that is until they develop dementia, or a debilitating disease. I'm not saying the Thai people in their lives are always taking advantage of them, but often they are simply well-meaning but unable to provide care due to ignorance or lack of proper equipment to tend to a large foreigner. I've been out in the burbs and boonies and seen westerners left to lie in their own waste and took the necessary steps to get them out of that situation. I wonder if Jobin or hml367 knew that when they were so patronizing in their comments about how I don't have first-hand knowledge of what it's like to live an isolated expat life.

[hml367]

NancyL,

I did not say anything about where you lived or anything like that... I said I was using Jobin's post as a starting point to make an observation about the general group of newcomers to Chiang Mai. You are being too defensive for some reason. I was talking about a group and I stated that. Please do not try to change the intent of my post.

I don't know what your qualifications are to say I, or anyone else, sounds lonely. I know plenty of people in Chiang Mai, certainly more Thai people than foreigners... that is the mix here.

Please do not color my remarks in a way you "think" they are intended. In this particular instance you are quite wrong in thinking I was pointing anything at you personally. I certainly did not say anything about YOU not having first hand knowledge of anything.

I stated my observations in post #95.

[searcher22]

It's not a good idea to rent a house out in the 'burbs as a newcomer -- too isolated. Better to be in the city, in a condo -- that way you'll meet people. Sure -- you won't be meeting as many Thai people, but the OP won't know the Thai language right away either.

I think a condo or serviced apartment is a starter residence for making friends and getting into all the expat activities. Once settled, then the OP can decided to move out to the 'burbs and really get to know the real Thailand.

This is excellent advice for anyone planning to settle in Chiang Mai. I know two cases of 50-ish single people who moved to the burbs after a year of city living, in search of a more quiet neighbourhood and a bigger living space. They got what they were looking for, but at the expense of friendships. They miss the nice walks in town and the chance encounters they used to have with locals and expats. Everything then was within walking distance or a short bus ride away ...shops, thai classes, gym, expat groups, movies, plays, etc., and meeting people was very easy. Now, after two years, they're thinking about moving back in town.

A moo-bahn is nice, but like NancyL says, it's not a good starting point if you're alone and new in town. It's better to "build some bridges" in town beforehand, because it's a lot harder to do in a sleepy suburb in the middle of nowhere. The traffic gridlock and the long commute will often discourage you from going out.

[evenstevens]

I think a condo or serviced apartment is a starter residence for making friends and getting into all the expat activities. Once settled, then the OP can decided to move out to the 'burbs and really get to know the real Thailand.

nancy ,why push a theme, to start in the city and join clubs etc etc and work your way out to your self centred appraisal of the boonies or burbs,where in fact u have not experienced it first hand ,at all

their is a lot of advantages to start in the boonies or burbs , its come a long way in progress( living and socially etc etc), particular in the past 5 yrs or so ,for a multitude of reasons and very valid ones at that

politely u are barking up the wrong tree, your burbs and boonies , has plenty to offer for a new comer to c/mai..., isolated ???... pure hog wash

No, I'm not lived in the boonies or the burbs, but I've had to help pick up the pieces for people who have thru my involvement with Lanna Care Net. These are westerners who think they've discovered a kinder, gentler way to live where they're be cherished for the rest of their lives by loving Thai people. Yes, that is until they develop dementia, or a debilitating disease. I'm not saying the Thai people in their lives are always taking advantage of them, but often they are simply well-meaning but unable to provide care due to ignorance or lack of proper equipment to tend to a large foreigner. I've been out in the burbs and boonies and seen westerners left to lie in their own waste and took the necessary steps to get them out of that situation. I wonder if Jobin or hml367 knew that when they were so patronizing in their comments about how I don't have first-hand knowledge of what it's like to live an isolated expat life.

nancy , i kindly beg to differ

your above post is self centred again, the same sad events that u have descibed and witnessed or assisted ,occurs in the inner city as well,, its just not isolated to your burbs/boonies theory/theme which u keep on keeping on,

you have absoulately no living experience in these districts, yet the way u put the word out on this board, is that living out in the burbs/,boonies of c/mai, is akin to living in borneo

i am not against any city slickers, for choosing inner c/mai as their residence,for what ever the case maybe,nor am i against any expat who has tried the burbs/boonie way, and have returned to the inner city,as it was not to their liking, its just a matter what fits in best with people,simple as that

again to the o/p, when u weighed up all the pros and conns , i assure u that living out in the burbs/boonies, is not at any disadvantage, to living in the inner city,

really its down to yourself and how mutch u want to suceed in expat/retirement life in c/mai , what ever ever course u take,and their will be a few bumps and headaches along the way, but thats just a fact of life, is nt it???,

nancy i know u mean well,and have given great input in other areas on the board ,but please widen your very limited experience to the burbs/boonies scenario,presently u are far too self centred, do hope, with more experience ,your ways will change

Edited September 19, 2014 by evenstevens

[hmficc]

"1) The medical standard of the private hospitals in Chiang Mai is high and is comparable to the standards in US, or Europe."

The care is what you would expect to find in a provincial capital of a developing country. It is about 25 years behind Europe or the US. Telling ourselves that it is just as good does not make it so.

[NancyL]

evensteven, I really wanted to let the subject of my lack of experience with rural living in Thailand drop, but since you're continuing to harp on the subject, I'll contact you next time our organization is called out into a village where there's a report of a foreigner who is in living in a bad way, the only foreigner in the village, with health problems and a family who can no longer care for him. Often the family is that their wit's end, with no clue about where to turn for help. Often they've called the Embassy for their family member, expecting the Embassy to send someone to help and depending on how they explain the situation and the country involved -- they haven't received any advice.

If that foreigner had lived around other foreigners and been able to build up a non-Thai network of friends, someone would have been able to intervene earlier to seek assistance.

Despite your assertion to the contrary, these cases do not happen in the inner city, not in Chiang Mai. I am in a position to know -- are you? There are simply to many other foreigners around and Thai people (guesthouse staff, restaurant owners, etc) who are used to working with foreigners and know how to contact other foreigners to get help to those in need. We receive many referrals from Thai people like this who become aware of foreigners they serve in their guesthouses and restaurants who are in need of assistance -- this doesn't happen in the boonies.

[petercool]

post removed due to reported naming of person etc,along with reply to same