Upcoming trip to find the best place to live in Chiang Mai...

[MrBrad]

If you have time and nothing better to do, you might find it worthwhile to check out some of the neighborhoods and streets on Google maps. Just about every highway, road, street, and back alley can be seen on the Streetview feature by moving the little gold-colored man from the lower right corner to the very street you want to look at. It can be time-consuming, but also fun and informative.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@18.7897641,98.9818163,3668m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Good advice. in fact I'm getting tons of good advice from almost everyone (except the inevitable flamer or two). My big issue is that after not being in the city since 1985, I have no idea where the Seven Hundred Year Old Stadium, Maya Mall, Loei, Huay Kaew Road, Prominada Mal...etc. I would be a good idea to better acquaint myself with the lay of the land there.

This map from Wikimapia has a search feature at the top right. Enter what you're looking for, and click on the magnifying glass. You should be able to find what you want.

Loei, however, is nowhere near Chiang Mai. It's another province in the northeast part of the country.

http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=18.790293&lon=98.986988&z=14&m=b

[fang37]

I lived in CNX for 12 years.

With all the traffic, being close to required amenities is an asset.

Irrespective of traffic, you will be there quickly.

Car - unnecessary.

[Alk]

My first two weeks would be to get a feel for the city and whether I want to live there. If it looks promising, I'll come back after the smokey season, rent a serviced apartment for a month or so, and leisurely look for the best place to live.

30 years is indeed a long time ago. Chiang Mai was very sleepy back then. Very few cars and very little night life. I remember the Bangkok travel agent I booked my hotel at only had about 3 options. I ended up at a place called the Pornping for a week. Not sure if it is still around or not. Now Agoda has 933 options.

I'm certainly not expecting things to be the same. I've been throughout the rest of Thailand 6-7 times since then as well as Laos and Cambodia, but more recently have been living in the Philippines, which definitely is not terrible, but does have infrastructure issues once you get out of the biggest 2-3 overcrowded cities. Availability of healthier food choices and quality medical care are concerns of mine moving forward.

I don't think there is one perfect place to live....I'm looking for someplace I can live comfortably and happily on a moderate (~100k) budget, and CM seems to be a place that allows me to check off more boxes than almost anywhere else.

Thanks again for all the replies.

[jobin]

True enough about the noise. One unforeseen trouble is that today, when you sign off on the one-year lease, all is good. Tomorrow, next door, the new high rise construction begins. Or during the day all is quiet but at 10 pm, all hell breaks loose from the tiny disco outside your building. It's a real gamble.

Just ask those folks living on the east side of Narkornping Condo.

[fang37]

If you rent a condo, always get one at the rear of the building. Problem solved.

[Cheesekraft]

Definitely a good idea to come and inspect first. Be prepared for some major changes! Thae Pae gate to Maya - allow 30 or 40 minutes after 4pm.

Well let's see.

He was here last about 30 years ago.

30 years ago there was no Maya, and very little reason to go to that area unless you had a guest staying at the Rincome or had stuff to do at the university.

30 years ago there wasn't even a Central KSK or Airport Plaza.

30 years ago you would have walked, biked or Songthaewed over to the Big Market to buy stuff.

Today you can still walk over to the Big Market and buy stuff.

Going to a fancy mall is an option that just wasn't there 30 years ago. Heck, there wasn't even a Tesco or Big C..

Now we do have that option, along with interesting Japanese noodles. Or cuisiney Thai fusion food. Decent Western food. Espresso and a macaroon. At a price, of course. Plus it can take time to get out there, with Maya being by far the worst from downtown. (From downtown though you can be at either Central Airport or Promenada in about 15 minutes.)

But.. going back 30 years, and on the fairly safe assumption that what you saw back than appealed enough to come back now: it's all still there. Not just the Big Market is the same as ever, you can get great affordable Thai food up and down every road and soi in the old town. (More so than 30 years ago actually.)

So yeah.. join a traffic jam to Maya and eat a bowl of Interesting Japanese Noodles for 165 Baht, or.. live and eat downtown. The below is today, lunch time. Very little traffic. Great chicken soup / chicken noodles. Huge bowl, 45 Baht.

It's good having options. This makes Chiang Mai objectively better now than it ever was; best of all worlds.

DSC00822s.JPG

DSC00817s.JPG

where do you get that soup? I have a problem after being here for years at finding quality Thai food.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

^ That particular one is stewed chicken soup with Chinese spices. (Kai Toon+).

You can get it either with any kind of noodles, or without noodles, so just vegetables and chicken. (Noodle soup without noodles is 'Kaolao')

So together: Kaolao Kai Toon (เก๋าเหลาไก่ตุ๋น) (All rising tones except for Kai which is low.) Pictures: https://www.google.co.th/search?q=เก๋าเหลาไก่ตุ๋น&tbm=isch I personally prefer to keep the less appetizing looking parts of the chicken out of it.

And where to get it, this particular shop I liked and looks fairly new. It's on Phrapokklao Road, on the left side when going towards Chiang Mai gate, coming from the intersection with Ratchamankha Road. I didn't catch the name, but it's here: https://goo.gl/VQQe9n (Opposite Wat Fon Soi)

Another (more famous and long running) one is on the moat, going South towards the corner where the Suan Buak Had park is. (Koo Hueang corner). That place is called Rot Sawoey. (https://goo.gl/D1vstn )

Edited November 19, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Paul944]

What is the reason you choose Chiang Mai and not a place in the Philipines?

BTW In the US and Europe we drive at the "right" side of the road. So the other side is obviously wrong

[Alk]

What is the reason you choose Chiang Mai and not a place in the Philipines?

BTW In the US and Europe we drive at the "right" side of the road. So the other side is obviously wrong

I haven't chosen Chiang Mai or Thailand yet. I'm still working through my decision. I'm actually spending the first 10 days of my trip in Phuket, so will check that out too. I'd be looking at that more as somewhere I'd spend smokey seasons in however.

It really comes down to infrastructure. If you haven't spent a lot of time in the Philippines, you probably don't understand how it is different than Thailand. It just isn't as developed here.

Although you can live very cheaply in the Philippines, to live a middle-class western lifestyle here is expensive, and not that easy to do. There are relatively few places to live in comfort and safety. There are relatively few places with really good medical care. There are safety issues as well although they are not huge. When I was young, I could and did live in one room huts with no electricity (my Peace Corps days). Now that I am approaching old age, creature comforts are becoming more important to me.

The Philippines is a beautiful place, and I've had a great last year, but it is much more of a third world country than Thailand is.

I've been to both countries several times, and I decided a long time ago that probably the best compromise for me would be to have a Fiipina girlfriend/wife (similar culture and language) but to live in Thailand where we could have a better quality of life than we could in the Philippines.

We'll see how things end up...

[blueyeshk]

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6020019

Or any other listing of this host.

Edited November 19, 2015 by blueyeshk

[GlobalCtzn]

I think you'll be shocked at what a dump it's become. Take a detour and visit Udon Thani as it's closer to how you probably remember Chiang Mai (except the locals are less dim-witted in Udon).

Sounds like somebody got walked on in CM in the past and is still sour about it. Glad life in Udon is treating you better, hangin' with the intellegensia………..

[JaseTheBass]

I think you'll be shocked at what a dump it's become. Take a detour and visit Udon Thani as it's closer to how you probably remember Chiang Mai (except the locals are less dim-witted in Udon).

Sounds like somebody got walked on in CM in the past and is still sour about it. Glad life in Udon is treating you better, hangin' with the intellegensia………..

I live in Chiang Mai

[Puwa]

There is no best place, just your own state of mind.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Now we do have that option, along with interesting Japanese noodles. Or cuisiney Thai fusion food. Decent Western food. Espresso and a macaroon. At a price, of course. Plus it can take time to get out there, with Maya being by far the worst from downtown. (From downtown though you can be at either Central Airport or Promenada in about 15 minutes.)

Follow up to self.

I checked this today, and got from Hua Lin Corner (North-Eastern corner of the old town) to Promenada in 16 minutes and 15 seconds when going straight through town. Not bad. And not a trip you'd even make 30 years ago. (Possibly just to Gymkhana Club perhaps, that one has been there a while. (10 minutes, 12 seconds from Hua Lin corner)

Will definitely be under 15 minutes when going past Airport Plaza.

Edited November 20, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai