Advice required for newbies in Chiang Mai

[andyr45]

We are an Australian couple just arrived in Chiang Mai and would love meet up with and listen/talk to a long time resident as we have so much we need to ask e.g where is the most appropriate place to live ( we have dogs and like a peaceful environment) will our Australian appliances work etc, etc With limited knowledge and no friends or family in Thailand we are anxious as newbies to make sure that we fit in and get our new life off to a good start. Any help or advice would be gratefully appreciated>

[FolkGuitar]

Welcome to Chiang Mai. First, and perhaps most important bit of advice... do NOT listen to the advice of one person. There is such a wide range of experiences here, both positive and negative, that you really need to poll several different people and then draw your own conclusions. Australian appliances 'should' work here, although there may be a bit of a language barrier resulting in minor confusion.

Perhaps the best place for you to do that will be at the Expats Club. Now that it is functioning as a well-run organization no longer out for scalps, you can find many, many good people more than willing to give you advice AND help in getting started here in Chiang Mai.

NancyL is the new leader of this organization, and she will be here shortly to give you the details about where and when the group meets.

[2020]

Yes indeed welcome to Chiang Mai!

Overall its a good place but trust your senses.

[scd]

Just a quick note on the appliances, if you mean will they plug directly in to the wall/electrical socket with their existing chords, then the answer is no.

No need to worry though, as adapters for electrical appliances can be easily found to adopt to local sockets.

[ChiangMaiFalung]

Andy,

PM me if you like, I can give you some insights. I have been here 12 years or so, this time. I am from Melbourne. Am overseas right now, but will be back in CM end of this month. I love it here, and will be retiring here.

[scd]

And regarding your location, i will trot out the line that will invariably come, and is absolutely correct.

Try a few different areas before committing to a long term rental contract or buying a house.

If you have brought dogs with you than that probably rules out the Old City i.e. inner city.

Another idea would be to rent a car and do a drive around. You can probably cover the basics of outer Chiang Mai in two days.

But once again, best to try before you buy (or rent).

[Chicog]

And head to the DownUnder Pub at the river end of Loi Kroh to meet some other Australian residents.

They will be able to fill you in on where to get vegemite, etc.

[searcher22]

Another idea would be to rent a car and do a drive around. You can probably cover the basics of outer Chiang Mai in two days.

I strongly advise against that. It's carnage on the roads here. Lack of traffic signs, bad roads, almost zero enforcement of traffic laws by police, etc. I suggest you have an experienced person drive you around for at least the first few months so you'll have a good idea of what you'll be up against. Use public transportation whenever you can.

[masuk]

Unlike many countries, states, municipalities, Thailand does not have much protection for the ordinary Joe Blow.

While some may be critical of Oz and call it a 'nanny state', bear in mind that Thailand has no dog laws, few if any zoning laws.

Licencing of dogs is not required, no regulations about breeds which are banned elsewhere, definitely no limit on the number of dogs per household., and the average Thai dog owner has no idea about training dogs, so all-night barking and yelping has driven many expats to breaking a lease and moving on.

Zoning, if any, is not obvious, and you could quite easily sign a 12 month lease and find that a motorbike repair shop will set up next door, or even a karoake bar, which closes late at night.

Most importantly, there is no Rental tribunal, and the only legal recourse you have for leaking roofs, faulty plumbing, shoddy electrical installation around the house, is to have everything in writing, signed and witnessed.

Possibly there's a model agreement somewhere in this forum, which would be of use to us all.

[NancyL]

Thanks, FolkGuitar for the recommendation of CM Expats Club. A couple of our new-since-March board members are Aussie ladies. One has a dog she brought from Australia. That's a big decision since she knows it will be almost impossible to move back to Australia with her beloved dog because of Australia's quarantine rules and the dog's advanced age.

Our next meeting is an informal get-together, Coffee Morning, on Friday, October 17, 10 am - 12:00 noon at River Market Restaurant. It's open to visitors, of course. You might want to come hungry because there's a great optional breakfast buffet. There are always many Aussies around you can meet. Many couples -- not the same crowd as the regulars at he DownUnder Pub, although they sometimes go there for an important Aussie sports match.

We don't have a program during Coffee Mornings. Just a chance to make new friends, chat and have questions answered about expat life in Chiang Mai.

www.ChiangMaiExpatsClub.com

Edited October 6, 2014 by NancyL

[chiang mai]

Another idea would be to rent a car and do a drive around. You can probably cover the basics of outer Chiang Mai in two days.

I strongly advise against that. It's carnage on the roads here. Lack of traffic signs, bad roads, almost zero enforcement of traffic laws by police, etc. I suggest you have an experienced person drive you around for at least the first few months so you'll have a good idea of what you'll be up against. Use public transportation whenever you can.

Rubbish, any capable and alert driver can manage, thousands do so daily.

[quidnunc]

Another idea would be to rent a car and do a drive around. You can probably cover the basics of outer Chiang Mai in two days.

I strongly advise against that. It's carnage on the roads here. Lack of traffic signs, bad roads, almost zero enforcement of traffic laws by police, etc. I suggest you have an experienced person drive you around for at least the first few months so you'll have a good idea of what you'll be up against. Use public transportation whenever you can.

Rubbish, any capable and alert driver can manage, thousands do so daily.

I agree. Especially since Austraians drive on the same side of the road as Thais do.

[Bleacher Bum East]

There are general things about living in Chiang Mai that apply to everybody . . . but I think much about where to live, etc. depends a lot on your lifestyle and interests.

So if you're comfortable doing so, I would post your age and a little bit about your lifestyle and interests. Most likely you will get some responses from like-minded people.

In Chiang Mai, if you make 3 or 4 friends who you relate to, then they will all introduce you to several more, you will start hanging out in places with even more people of your ilk, and soon you will have a group of friends you can tap into with all of your questions and needs.

I've lived here for 12 years, and I think in Chiang Mai it's possible to create whatever life you want and find others doing something similar ... Good Luck and Welcome!

BTW I have 2 large dogs. I have rented a house with a pretty big garden area in the middle of the city, but have very limited options as to where to take them for a run. Even outside the city, where I lived for many years, there are limited options, and walking them on the streets can be a hassle do to soi dogs that are very territorial. You can happily have dogs here, mine are 8 and 10 years old and have had a great life, but you need to look around for a good place to live with them. This may mean you coming here first, renting a short-term apartment while you look for a house, and having them sent later if that's possible.

And if you want something quiet outside of town, you will definitely want to drive. Yes the roads can be maddening, but they are manageable once you get used to them. I've driven here for all 12 years, and while I curse out loud every time I get in the car, I don't feel like driving here is a big problem for me at all.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Bleacher Bum East

[quidnunc]

As for Australian appliances, I just bought myself a Breville food processor and blender and they work just fine.

[dickyknee]

I get my power boards from IT CITY, Belkin brand, a bit exxy but they fit the angled pins of the Australian style plug. They have a three pin plug to go into the wall socket, so may not fit in older establishments missing the earth wiring.

[northernjohn]

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Another idea would be to rent a car and do a drive around. You can probably cover the basics of outer Chiang Mai in two days.

I strongly advise against that. It's carnage on the roads here. Lack of traffic signs, bad roads, almost zero enforcement of traffic laws by police, etc. I suggest you have an experienced person drive you around for at least the first few months so you'll have a good idea of what you'll be up against. Use public transportation whenever you can.

Rubbish, any capable and alert driver can manage, thousands do so daily.

Alert is the key word. Never been to Australia but I would imagine the people follow safe driving practices. So you tend to take it for granted that the other vehicles will do the same. That is not the case here. You must be aware of where all the other vehicles are and what they are doing as well as capable of doing. Many times they will do some thing wrong just because they can do it.

For instance make a left turn into the center lane rather than the out side lane. So if you are turning rite going the same direction as them you will have to wait for them.

[Bleacher Bum East]

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Another idea would be to rent a car and do a drive around. You can probably cover the basics of outer Chiang Mai in two days.

I strongly advise against that. It's carnage on the roads here. Lack of traffic signs, bad roads, almost zero enforcement of traffic laws by police, etc. I suggest you have an experienced person drive you around for at least the first few months so you'll have a good idea of what you'll be up against. Use public transportation whenever you can.

Rubbish, any capable and alert driver can manage, thousands do so daily.

Alert is the key word. Never been to Australia but I would imagine the people follow safe driving practices. So you tend to take it for granted that the other vehicles will do the same. That is not the case here. You must be aware of where all the other vehicles are and what they are doing as well as capable of doing. Many times they will do some thing wrong just because they can do it.

For instance make a left turn into the center lane rather than the out side lane. So if you are turning rite going the same direction as them you will have to wait for them.

I have one rule that I follow when driving in Chiang Mai that has served me well for a dozen years:

Always assume that at any given second, every other driver on the road will do something unbelievably stupid.

If you do that, you can normally avoid putting yourself in a position where you collide, literally, with someone's stupidity.

With that in mind, I drive here every day and have no worries about it . . . even though I see some driver doing something unbelievably stupid every time I drive.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Bleacher Bum East

[masuk]

As for Australian appliances, I just bought myself a Breville food processor and blender and they work just fine.

I bought twenty or so Aussie 3 pin plugs on special from Bunnings and have changed over the wide choice of plugs you get here. Any electrical store will have up to 5 different plugs, some earthed, some not. I also brought up a large power board with sockets for 12 Aussie plugs, line in, line out and USB chargers. (from ALDIs). An uninterruptable power supply from any of the computer stores here is worth having. My power flicks off at least once a day and the UPS saves the computer from having to reboot.

Power boards here need to be checked as not all are earthed.

If you're sending stuff up by cargo, throw in a 7m or 10m extension cord. Great for everything from vacuum cleaning the house/the car to running an electric drill., You can get extn cords here, but....

[CMKiwi]

Agree with Masuk re extn cords..... most of the ones here are next to useless if you put any serious current through them. Even the ones that look pretty solid with a fat round cord can be deceiving. Had some at the GFs guesthouse, they didnt like being used when ironing. When I conducted a postmortem I discovered the cable was mostly a plastic sheath with a very small inner wire core. Gave the workers a hell of a fright when they blew apart.

Aussie and Kiwi standards are a lot higher when it comes to electrical wiring and appliances.

Gd luck with your early start to things here, it is a bloody great place.

[Beetlejuice]

Questions to the OP:

What is the ages of you and your wife?

What sort of visas do you have here in Thailand?

Are you on low, medium or high income budgets?

How long do you and your wife intend to stay in Thailand?

If you could give these details it will be easier to advise you.

[NancyL]

Agree with Masuk re extn cords..... most of the ones here are next to useless if you put any serious current through them. Even the ones that look pretty solid with a fat round cord can be deceiving. Had some at the GFs guesthouse, they didnt like being used when ironing. When I conducted a postmortem I discovered the cable was mostly a plastic sheath with a very small inner wire core. Gave the workers a hell of a fright when they blew apart.

Aussie and Kiwi standards are a lot higher when it comes to electrical wiring and appliances.

Gd luck with your early start to things here, it is a bloody great place.

My goodness, I always thought that no matter where you lived, it is never a good idea to use an extension cord with a heat-generating appliance like an iron, toaster iron, blow dryer, curling iron, etc. Always best to position you and the appliance next to an electrical outlet no matter where you are in the world. At least that's what my father used to say when I tried to run extension cords into my bed room to run the curling iron, blow dryer, clothes iron, and hot curlers when I was a teenager. The was always muttering something about how he was afraid the rug was going to catch on fire.

Edited October 6, 2014 by NancyL

[Chicog]

I have one rule that I follow when driving in Chiang Mai that has served me well for a dozen years:

Always assume that at any given second, every other driver on the road will do something unbelievably stupid.

My driving instructor in the Sandpit said a similar thing to me:

"Imagine the most ridiculous and crazy thing a driver could do, because here they will do it".

And he wasn't wrong!

[naboo]

Questions to the OP:

What is the ages of you and your wife?

What sort of visas do you have here in Thailand?

Are you on low, medium or high income budgets?

How long do you and your wife intend to stay in Thailand?

If you could give these details it will be easier to advise you.

Why do you need to know what sort of visa they're on?

OP, everyone will give you different opinions. Housing areas are much of a muchness with a mix of expensive houses and shacks on a single street. Then there are private villages with security at the gate dotted all over the place. Foreigners living out of the city generally end up in San Sai or Hang Dong, though you'll generally find foreigners in any neighbourhood. Finding somewhere with a large garden for the dogs may be difficult but far from impossible, ask around at the local estate agents - many people recommend Perfect Homes.

[Beetlejuice]

Questions to the OP:

What is the ages of you and your wife?

What sort of visas do you have here in Thailand?

Are you on low, medium or high income budgets?

How long do you and your wife intend to stay in Thailand?

If you could give these details it will be easier to advise you.

Why do you need to know what sort of visa they're on?

OP, everyone will give you different opinions. Housing areas are much of a muchness with a mix of expensive houses and shacks on a single street. Then there are private villages with security at the gate dotted all over the place. Foreigners living out of the city generally end up in San Sai or Hang Dong, though you'll generally find foreigners in any neighbourhood. Finding somewhere with a large garden for the dogs may be difficult but far from impossible, ask around at the local estate agents - many people recommend Perfect Homes.

I am trying to establish how long the OP and his wife intend staying in Thailand and whether they are both retired or not and the sort of income brackets they are in, so as to advise on what types of properties are affordable to them and so on.

[evenstevens]

just a freindly aussie word of advice,keep a very firm grip on your money here in c/mai,

now a days their are professional hustlers on all corners,the perfect havens are social clubs / bars ..etc etc

they prey on the the newbies settling into c/mai,and will give u a number one haircut in a flash

from my early experience and have maintained it to this day, use your own judgement to rule the big decisions, a bit of local assistance etc etc is needed for you to bed in,but that will come with experience

sure a small nick here and there is acceptable,but be very careful of the number one haircuts, they are awash here in c/mai,, keep your money firmly in your back pocket,

and above all trust yourselves, and nobody else at all, particular when good money comes into the frame

the very best of luck to both of yous

[alant]

Welcome to Chiang Mai

It is a great city and I find very ex pat friendly. As an Englishman here I have to say there are a good bunch of Aussies here so it is a just a matter of meeting them, the down under would be a good starting point. I frequent the Red Lion which despite being an English pub has a good bunch of Aussies that go there now and again.

Dogs, I have 2. I live some 6km from the city. We know eating and drinking places that allow them so you should be OK, I would just suggest making sure the property you get is secure so your dogs don't get in trouble with the soi dogs, that can be a pain.

Welcome to have a chat sometime, just message me.

[NancyL]

Some of the major ways you can get that financial "haircut" include investing money in financial products and also in purchasing a home with a long term lease for the land. Foreigners can't own land here, so there are various ways that foreigners work around that restriction, such as setting up a Thai company, having a Thai partner, etc. Some work out quite well, but some can be a total disaster where the foreigner later discovers that they don't really have clear title to their home -- that it isn't theirs to sell to another person.

Condos are a different story. Foreigners can own condos, but that's probably not what the OP is looking for, what with the dogs.

Probably best to rent for a while before investing money into a home.

Another way to lose money in a hurry is to "invest" in a business. That wasn't mentioned in the OP. But, it's amazing how many newly retired people come here with a wad of retirement money burning a hole in their pocket, wondering how they'll fill their time in retirement and someone convinces them owning their very own bar is just the ticket! Amazing! If you never ran a business in your home country, let along a bar -- what makes you think you'll be successful at that undertaking in a foreign country? For many, it's similar to setting up an 8-year old with his own candy-store business.

[madjaristan]

Welcome indeed,

If you want to discover the outdoors around the city, feel free to contact me. We live near Doi Saket, at the Mae Guang reservoir, on the way to Mae Takhrai and Jae Son national parks. I'll be happy to show you guys this little piece of Eden I fell in love with.

Cheers, Gabor

[d4291797]

Welcome to Chiang Mai!

We arrived in Feb from Auckland.

I would advise renting a car to get around, Avis were offering 15000 baht a month.

Get yourselves a Navman!

Be aware driving can be challenging, scooters everywhere, pretty aggressive utes, don't think you all be going for a relaxing drive in town!!!!

Yes you do need transport to check out different areas.

We chose Doi Saket, country, but not too far from Central Festival and town.

If you like the look of this area, talk to the lovely people running Jasmine Hills Lodge, for a deal! Tawan court in Town , basic but about 700 baht a day, and close to the night market.

Good luck.

Cheers

[1FinickyOne]

There are so many personal decisions that it is difficult to offer advice. I would suggest things like learning at least some language, and maybe checking out some of the surrounding areas, Doi Saket, Mae Jo or even further out if you do not mind the drive for groceries and malls. Do not buy. Take your time and be sensitive to customs and naother way of life. Enjoy. You made a fun choice and you will find people very friendly, both Thai and expats...