Drove back from BKK to CM yesterday.

Absolutely NO traffic coming out of Bangkok, a journey that takes over an hour to hit the main highway home took 20 mins.

But once we got to Nakon Sawan the traffic heading back to BKK was immense.

Even at 4pm when we were only 20k from CM the road going the other way was choka with traffic, heaven knows what time those people thought they were going to get home, but I reckon with all that traffic it would take at least 10 hours, queues at traffic lights were 100's of metres long

Drove back from BKK to CM yesterday.

Absolutely NO traffic coming out of Bangkok, a journey that takes over an hour to hit the main highway home took 20 mins.

But once we got to Nakon Sawan the traffic heading back to BKK was immense.

Even at 4pm when we were only 20k from CM the road going the other way was choka with traffic, heaven knows what time those people thought they were going to get home, but I reckon with all that traffic it would take at least 10 hours, queues at traffic lights were 100's of metres long

That is the same as what we notice if we go to Nan for Songkran

Not a problem coming back but amazing to see how many are trying to exit CM

all the way out to Lampang on their way back to BKK

Well, today, monday, back to work, everything back to normal?! NO WAY !!! Just spent a most frustrating and time wasting time sitting in traffic queues at all the main traffic lights in the Huay Kaew and Nimmanhemin area. As I approached every, and I mean every traffic light, Rincome intersection, Canal Road/ Huay Kaew intersection, Nimmanhemin into Suthep Road intersection, the traffic was backed up about 200 metres resulting in three or four light changes before I could get through !!

If this is "back to normal" then time for a major, major rethink.......how fast can they build a skytrain??!........In reality if this is the "normal" Chiang Mai from now on for always, its going to be a sad and frustrating time for many people !! Definitely not the City I opted for ten years ago!

555 I had the unfortunate experience of picking up someone from the Chiangmai Bus Station last night

Wow.......I do not know what I was thinking taking the truck Should have taken the scooter.

I forgot so many would be returning for work etc after spending the holidays with family

That one road coming in from Kaeonawarat road hahah must have taken 25 minutes just to get

down that short road. I also realized hundreds or more park their scooters there for a fee

when they go on trips using the bus.

But aside from the madness I must say no horns or anything & everyone seems to accept this

is how it is during a holiday return etc.

I'd say most people will drive back on Sunday 4th.

You are right looked at the Agoda website for hotel rooms from dec. 31.jan - 2 jan. only in 30 hotels had rooms available, if you look at 3 jan.- 6 jan., more then 385 hotels have rooms... Back to normal!

Yes, although that doesn't mean that only 30 hotels actually had rooms available; many hotels tune down what they offer via Agoda around busy times. Agoda takes a booking fee so at busy times they prefer to sell rooms direct, or agents that squeeze them less.

Well, today, monday, back to work, everything back to normal?! NO WAY !!! Just spent a most frustrating and time wasting time sitting in traffic queues at all the main traffic lights in the Huay Kaew and Nimmanhemin area. As I approached every, and I mean every traffic light, Rincome intersection, Canal Road/ Huay Kaew intersection, Nimmanhemin into Suthep Road intersection, the traffic was backed up about 200 metres resulting in three or four light changes before I could get through !!

If this is "back to normal" then time for a major, major rethink.......how fast can they build a skytrain??!........In reality if this is the "normal" Chiang Mai from now on for always, its going to be a sad and frustrating time for many people !! Definitely not the City I opted for ten years ago!

That part of town is lost I'd say. If the goal was to create a mini-Bangkok then it was a huge success. So it's more or less normal, especially rush hours. Building a skytrain means everyone gets to pay for boneheaded decisions by people building condominiums, and even more boneheaded people actually buying them. I'd say LET THEM STEW down there on Nimman / Rincome / Huay Kaew. Wanna live there? Great: enjoy the traffic.

555 I had the unfortunate experience of picking up someone from the Chiangmai Bus Station last night

Wow.......I do not know what I was thinking taking the truck Should have taken the scooter.

I forgot so many would be returning for work etc after spending the holidays with family

Took people to the airport.. That was quite a sight, too. As for getting out of bus station: Back sois to Tung Hotel Road, down to Railway station, etc.

Two friends who live in Sansai came to the Nimmen area both Friday and Saturday nights. They wanted to eat at Why Not and have beers at the Beer Republic. I met them one night and told them I was surprised they would bother coming to this area, due to the traffic. It didn't seem to bother them at all.

Its the same in England,the supermarkets will be shut for ONE day but everyone insists on stocking up for a month. what is it with people who think they are going to starve.

But at least in England you'll see most of the checkout tills open rather than 8 out of 30!