What's so great about Chiang Mai?

[ardokano]

Aaah, English is not your first language. Let me explain: I was being facetious, i.e., partially joking. I like Chiang Mai, but I don't like too many people. So I'm suggesting to those not already here, don't come. Because too many people can ruin paradise (check out Hawaii). Understand?

Yes its not my...

And if you ca see I post with smile.

So if people poor as me( example). They not big choice... Chiang Mai cheap place with infrastructure and can say safety.

SO not big choice where go..

I cant say i do not like Chiang Mai...

But there is much I do not like and annoying. But since I am poor guy- I particularly do not choice..

Chiang Mai Nice place but much far from perfect..

[uptheos]

There's noting 'great' about Chiang Mai, it's just where I have my house, know the locals, love local markets have home comforts, so as not to lose touch with home or football. Overall I just feel comfortable, can exercise and rest as I want............basically I'm just content here.

Does it need to be 'great' ?

[Berkshire]

Aaah, English is not your first language. Let me explain: I was being facetious, i.e., partially joking. I like Chiang Mai, but I don't like too many people. So I'm suggesting to those not already here, don't come. Because too many people can ruin paradise (check out Hawaii). Understand?

Yes its not my...

And if you ca see I post with smile.

So if people poor as me( example). They not big choice... Chiang Mai cheap place with infrastructure and can say safety.

SO not big choice where go..

I cant say i do not like Chiang Mai...

But there is much I do not like and annoying. But since I am poor guy- I particularly do not choice..

Chiang Mai Nice place but much far from perfect..

I see your point. I'm not a poor guy, but I still chose Chiang Mai. It's certainly not perfect. By the way, more people usually results in more demand for land and house, among other things, which tends to cause prices to rise. We don't want CM to be like BKK, but it's heading in that direction.

[ardokano]

Aaah, English is not your first language. Let me explain: I was being facetious, i.e., partially joking. I like Chiang Mai, but I don't like too many people. So I'm suggesting to those not already here, don't come. Because too many people can ruin paradise (check out Hawaii). Understand?

Yes its not my...

And if you ca see I post with smile.

So if people poor as me( example). They not big choice... Chiang Mai cheap place with infrastructure and can say safety.

SO not big choice where go..

I cant say i do not like Chiang Mai...

But there is much I do not like and annoying. But since I am poor guy- I particularly do not choice..

Chiang Mai Nice place but much far from perfect..

I see your point. I'm not a poor guy, but I still chose Chiang Mai. It's certainly not perfect. By the way, more people usually results in more demand for land and house, among other things, which tends to cause prices to rise. We don't want CM to be like BKK, but it's heading in that direction.

So why you Chose Chiang Mai?

Why not some place in Sweden or another?

[BradinAsia]

This thread goes a long way towards explaining the expressions I see on so many expats' faces.

Happiness here, or anywhere, comes down to keeping yourself occupied doing something you like. Maybe that means work, but I suspect that to many posters who are retired or otherwise self-sufficient, it means hobbies. Chiang Mai is great for some hobbies, bad for others.

Cyclists, hikers, golfers, farmers, gardeners, photographers, cooks, linguists, artists, general tinkerers, and others seem to do pretty well.

By contrast, surfers, scuba divers, theatergoers, fans of the opera, amateur city planners, would-be traffic advisors, fine-wine enthusiasts, stock-car racers, museum aficionados, all-night ravers, big-game hunters, and Indian-restaurant critics seem to have a rough time.

Complaining about "the women" in any city is bad form. I'd hate to think that a man can reach retirement age and not undesrtand that failing to get laid is his own fault, not the collective shortcoming of several hundred thousand eligible ladies around him.

Living well always costs something. But how well to live and how much to pay are such individual, subjective preferences that debate is fruitless.

A few things do truly suck in Chiang Mai, including the annual haze problem. But the worst of it is short-lived and predictably timed, therefore easy to plan around. Direct flights to Krabi help a lot. Immigration is absurd, but there are workarounds; it's been years since I've gone near the CM Immigration office. Traffic is only bad if you get caught unawares, but again a little planning and restraint go a long way.

Chiang Mai is not for everyone, but why should it be, and what place is?

Great post

One question.

How do you get around having your pict and wure taken at immigration?

NorthernJohn, there are several ways you can live in Chiang Mai and never have to set foot in CM Immigration. You can get a ThaiElite visa (purchased for a cool 500,000 baht, but it's good for 5 years) and travel enough that you never have to do a 90 day report or simply pay someone to do it for you. As I understand it, you still have to do something annually, but the ThaiElite people in Bangkok have limos and lovely assistants to help you.

Another option, probably more realistic for retirees, is to return to your home country every couple years and apply for a new O-A visa. If you properly manage your travel out of Thailand (even quick border hops) you can get nearly two years of life out of an O-A visa. 90 day reports can be handled by mail, perhaps by internet if the stars align (doubtful), with strategic travel, or by paying someone a modest annual fee.

Viola -- no need to ever show your face at Chiang Mai Immigration.

But then, you'd miss seeing the latest Hollywood blockbuster at the SF Cinema @Prom, wouldn't you NJ? It's just not the same as downloading it from the internet and watching it on your laptop.

For a tiny fraction of the cost of ThaiElite Visa you can hire Assist Thai Visa Service (ads on TVF) to handle all your visa work, including 90-day reports and annual visa extension for retirement. Evidently, a lot of folks do it themselves -- they are no doubt the same people who rant about immigration pains in Chiang Mai. I've been using Assist Thai Visa for years, no hassle, no headaches, no pain and well worth the cost.

[Duvidl]

Unfortunately, Assist Thai Visa service will neither pickup your passport from you at your home, nor return it to you when the work is finished. If you live far from Immigration, this is a problem.

[sawadee1947]

The best is the small airport

[sawadee1947]

Who the is Viola???

[Diplomatico]

Who the is Viola???

Voilà! (Common typo.)

[mr chow]

All the things that have attracted people to Chiang Mai for years have slowly disintegrated. crowded , traffic, air quality, and cost of living are just a few. Yes, even fat hookers!

[fey]

if your paying 1k usd a month for housing in chiang mai your talking out of your arse

[fey]

There is no such place as Utopia. But if you are comfortable with your self, you can be comfortable living anywhere. If you aren't, no place will satisfy you.

so move home and decide why you wanted to leave

[streetsweeper]

There really isn't very much great about Chiang Mai if one has travelled the world.

It is basically a cesspool of filth that farangs seem to not wish to discuss or take a proactive stance in pressuring the local government.

[Sandy Freckle]

It's apparent the nano second one emerges from the airport..., it's a little bit cooler.., the people are more content(happier/more friendly)..., even the vegetation looks fresher. No doubt about it..., it has changed a lot over the years..., where hasn't ? Still, CM still retains it's charm.
But..., for me 'great' is my real home is S/W Oz..., while CM is a merely an interesting, warm and reasonable change(with nice food options)...., whilst the '2 month winter' rages back home.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Sandy Freckle

[FolkGuitar]

There is no such place as Utopia. But if you are comfortable with your self, you can be comfortable living anywhere. If you aren't, no place will satisfy you.

so move home and decide why you wanted to leave

I am home. I have no reason to leave.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

All the things that have attracted people to Chiang Mai for years have slowly disintegrated. crowded , traffic, air quality, and cost of living are just a few. Yes, even fat hookers!

On the assumption that someone wants to live in Thailand, Chiang Mai remains at the same level above Bangkok in terms of quality of life: Yes there's more traffic than 20 years ago, but it's much better than Bangkok. It's no different from other places you might consider such as Pattaya and Hua Hin.

Air quality improved. And there's more awareness of the hot/dry season smog problem,which hopefully means the trend will continue.

Cost of living: LOL. You're even mentioning this.. been to Bangkok lately?

Fat hookers: 20 years ago, 'nightlife' was one of the things that I looked forward to in Bangkok. Not anymore; I mostly skip it these days. Yes, I prefer going out for a drink & misbehave in Chiang Mai over Bangkok, by a lot. Pattaya is objectively a lot better, but all the other crap that comes with it makes it not really livable long term.

[arunsakda]

I can't understand why one would live in BKK over CM, unless for work.

I know 3 who have moved from CM to BKK for work last year. They seem to be back for frequent visits.

[mr chow]

Chiang Mai is fantastic for a visit! I lived there 12 years. I'm backi n my home country. For me it is cheaper and more convenient home paid,free medical etc.

And I don't have to complain about the price of farang items!!

The women of Thailand thing got real old real fast.

Now they're fatter and I am older. Some guys go on for years chasing them

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I can't understand why one would live in BKK over CM, unless for work.

I met a guy in a bar the other day who is retired but opted for Bangkok. He says he likes it because it's so easy to get to places: quick trop to the beach, or Kanchanaburi, or Issan, and there are so many direct cheap flights to Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. Has a nice condo near the BTS and just thinks it's quite convenient, and as he's retired he really doesn't have to do the rat-race traffic thing. (Didn't get the impression that money was too much of an issue for him either.)

[daoyai]

....what is great in CM? for me the quality of the early season lychee.. and then the mangos. after that nothing really great but many things are very good.

[Trujillo]

if your paying 1k usd a month for housing in chiang mai your talking out of your arse

...or you have a really amazing place to live.

Not everyone is poor, you know. For some, that's chicken feed. But that's just my ass talking....