Are the "good old days" of Chiang Mai long gone?

[TravelerEastWest]

"At 21:00 the traffic was the worst I have ever seen it in Thailand.."

Sounds like a troll post or someone who has never been to Bangkok.

Chiang Mai has far better medical care, better food and shopping etc compared to more than 20 years ago when I first stayed here.

45 minutes outside the city is mountains and farms and so on.. I live in the mountains and love it the best of both worlds.

[lordblackader]

You live inside the moat?

That would be weird. Really have touristitis all the time.

If it's me you're asking, no. I live outside the moat, a kilometer or so west of the Old City. But I walk into the Old City most every day, crossing over to the east side. I don't mind the tourists at all. In fact, I'm glad to see them. It reminds me why I moved here 15 years ago. To them, Chiang Mai is a new and wonderful place to explore. They don't 'compare.' Instead, they 'see.' And in 'seeing,' enjoy their vacation. It's one of the reasons I like walking. It give me a chance to 'see' again. Discovery isn't only visiting new lands; it's seeing with new eyes. Granted, in the afternoon when I ride back into town on my motorcycle I'd prefer if the tourists were better drivers, but still. They aren't a problem.

So this explains the whole thread: you live in and around Nimman or Suthep.

Yeah, the traffic over that way is appallingly bad, has gotten worse, and I avoid it like the plague and will only go there on the odd occasion if invited to a do with friends, but likewise the rest of Chiang Mai isn't that bad when you move away from the backbackers, Uni students and digital nomad hub of CM...and lets face it that's the whole W/ NW of the moat now, complete with the never ending traffic.

The only thing I've seen really change in CM, be it in my relatively short time here compared to many is that Loi Kroh is dying, and seriously dying, as the tourist mix changes from falangs to Chinese. There's been nights in the last month I could have shot a cannon up the Road and not hit anyone it has been that quiet, and that's on the warmer days, not the colder ones.

All in all though CM is changing for the better, it's still got that old heritage mix but now with more modernity and variety. Not everyone likes progress.

[FolkGuitar]

I thought this thread was going to be reminiscences from 25 years ago, but find it to be only "several years."

Things seem exactly the same from several years ago to me (aside from the construction on the ring road, which is a temporary phenomenon).

Changes seem to happen fast.

I moved back into Nakornping condo 18 months ago. In that time, three areas of land outside my room have been bulldozed flat, and three new hotels are being erected. A quick walk around the area will find a new condo or two going up in each block. Same across the road and up towards Nimman.

The city is becoming nothing more than a gigantic, unregulated block of apartments. Narrow sois have traffic parked on both sides of the road.

It will lose its charm in no time flat.

I believe that the large building going up just behind your building is a school. A four-story building that is part of the church that fronts onto Huay Kaew.

[scottiejohn]

That's because there really IS a God...

How do you know?

Because she speaks to me.

Really. What does she say?

Everything.

And she is always correct!

[FolkGuitar]

How do you know?

Because she speaks to me.

Really. What does she say?

Everything.

And she is always correct!

Well! I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one to hear her!

[scottiejohn]

The only real changes that I have seen have been in the Tourist & Nigh Life scenes.

Mainly different types of tourists (with their different requirements) and changes in the Night life scene/timings.

All the other changes are the usual city/traffic/population explosion problems.

But I keep coming back and will retire here (again!) in the not too distant future!

[Caspersfriend]

Are the "good old days" of Chiang Mai long gone?"

No.

What do you want from Chiang Mai today? What were you expecting that Chiang Mai would provide for you in your last visit?

I moved here in 2007 and agree that the traffic is far worse [with most vehicles probably being on credit] building of new properties appears to be beyond any rational expectation of a financial return. Did someone mention money laundering?

I live in the suburbs of CM and am loving it. Twenty minutes into numerous malls and numerous cinemas [iMax/4K/3D] far better than many Western locations. If 'they' would only reduce the tax applied to products that are made in S E Asia but cheaper in the uS.

Cut short as a decent single malt is taking precidence

[piersbeckett]

The problem is that every place changes but for a long time in the past, things were still more or less the same.

From 1985 to about 2000 you could go to the coastal areas in Taiwan, for example, and they were pretty much the same. Some small development -- restaurants and such, but if you go there now, it will be all be unrecognizable and, importantly, overrun with people (if you call Chicoms people).

It can NEVER be reclaimed.

My point is that there is a long time for places to be "like they were," and only in recent years has tourism and encroachment starting to really eliminate the longstanding past.

Goa, India was the same, a bit more "civilization,", when I was there in 1991 stretching back to when the hippies came in the late 60s. I don't think I would recognize it now at all if I went....the story is endless, and sad.

It used to be, "Oh, they put a footpath here," for years, and then recently we get rapid successions of, "Oh, look, they asphalted the footpath," then, "Oh, they widened the road and put in a mini-hotel and a bar," then, "Oh, you used to be able to see the ocean from here," and, "Oh, I used to stay around here but there are so many buildings and cars I really can't tell for sure where I am."

Do you know what I mean?

I do.

[moe666]

Nothing wrong with chiang mai great placeto live

[chilli42]

The "good 'ol days" in CM for me were in the mid 80's. When was the last time girls rode their bikes decorated with a small bouquet of wild flowers. Those days are dead and gone. It now has zero charm, a mini Bangkok. It's only redeeming quality that I can see is the lower cost and light traffic than Bangkok.

[Tracyb]

Wait 'til the smoke moves in during burning season later this month. Best leave now!

[Paagai]

For me, Chiang Mai has certainly lost that edge that it had 5-10 years ago.

Head North or East, Fang, around Chiang Rai, Phrae, Nan, Chiang Kham, Phayao. All places that still have a little bit of that magic Chiang Mai has lost.

[DeepInTheForest]

Candide lives, and is posting on our forum!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide

http://literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/

[Trujillo]

Loi Kroh is dying, and seriously dying,

Every decent sized Thai city has to have a red light zone/street. If Loi Kroh goes, there goes the city....

[FolkGuitar]

Candide lives, and is posting on our forum!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide

http://literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/

Deepin... I'm so optimistic I believe that even yesterday can get better!

[flossiebear]

Never did get the attractions of Chiang Mai. I like Bangkok as a city but even this is changing fast.

[northernjohn]

He forgot to mention "circus pants"

That's because there really IS a God...

How do you know?

I told him.

[masuk]

I thought this thread was going to be reminiscences from 25 years ago, but find it to be only "several years."

Things seem exactly the same from several years ago to me (aside from the construction on the ring road, which is a temporary phenomenon).

Changes seem to happen fast.

I moved back into Nakornping condo 18 months ago. In that time, three areas of land outside my room have been bulldozed flat, and three new hotels are being erected. A quick walk around the area will find a new condo or two going up in each block. Same across the road and up towards Nimman.

The city is becoming nothing more than a gigantic, unregulated block of apartments. Narrow sois have traffic parked on both sides of the road.

It will lose its charm in no time flat.

I believe that the large building going up just behind your building is a school. A four-story building that is part of the church that fronts onto Huay Kaew.

That would be nice, but the rooms are very small. The story here is that there is a 30 year lease on church land, and it is a hotel. The concrete for the 5th floor is about to be poured. There is certainly no space for outside activities.

[Postmaster]

Don't go there. Stay by the seaside. No Inland cities for me. Choking burning fields in January and February during the peak season. CM overpriced and over-rated.

[mankondang]

If possible, never go back to a place you knew several years ago. It is always worse!

Maybe this is because we have conveniently forgotten all the bad things in the old days.... or maybe it actually is worse. We can't do anything about it anyway.

Agree. It's human nature to remember the good times and forget the bad. eg. I always remember the great night parties, but forget the morning hangovers.

Unfortunately, it's also human nature to destroy good things, and call it progress.

[TheKnave]

"Call someplace Paradise, kiss it goodbye..." - 'The Last Resort'- Don Henley, Glenn Frey (RIP)

There was already smog in CM year-round in 1996, last time I spent any time there. The good old days were seen slipping out the back door not long afterward...

[lannarebirth]

One word; Loxinfo

I had Loxinfo satellite. It worked fine if you had lots of time to waste, or the wind didn't blow, or it didn't rain, or it wasn't dark outside.

[bazza40]

Really. What does she say?

Everything.

And she is always correct!

Well! I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one to hear her!

Voices in your heads? That's grounds for committal.

[FolkGuitar]

Changes seem to happen fast.

I moved back into Nakornping condo 18 months ago. In that time, three areas of land outside my room have been bulldozed flat, and three new hotels are being erected. A quick walk around the area will find a new condo or two going up in each block. Same across the road and up towards Nimman.

The city is becoming nothing more than a gigantic, unregulated block of apartments. Narrow sois have traffic parked on both sides of the road.

It will lose its charm in no time flat.

I believe that the large building going up just behind your building is a school. A four-story building that is part of the church that fronts onto Huay Kaew.

That would be nice, but the rooms are very small. The story here is that there is a 30 year lease on church land, and it is a hotel. The concrete for the 5th floor is about to be poured. There is certainly no space for outside activities.

5th floor? I don't think so. There are no supporting columns. There are no water pipes. There isn't even a stairwell leading to it.

No, according to your building's manager, Khun Montri, it's a school. But let's wait and see. You may be right. After all, this is Thailand. I wouldn't be surprised to see them build a building with a floor that isn't usable. Even your building has a top floor that can't be reached by elevator. 17 floors of apartments but the lift only goes to the 16th floor.

[MaeJoMTB]

^^

I was told the top floor was for service staff only.

[FolkGuitar]

^^

I was told the top floor was for service staff only.

I have friends who live on the top floor. Two different apartments. As far as I was told, most of the building's live-in staff live in either the 11th floor or the 7th floor.

[fey]

Having changed from my usual walking route around the moat to one that takes in all the new boutique backpacker guest houses in the north-east quadrant of the Old City, I've found walking through these small shaded sois to be pleasant morning's stroll. A lot of the old shabby places have been replaced with garden restaurants, flower-filled fences surrounding quiet cafes, etc., and as there is virtually no traffic at all down these sois except the occasional motorbike, it's like being a "Old Chiang Mai" once again.

You forgot to mention the large exhaust cloud with traffic flow walking around the moat on any side...

[FolkGuitar]

Having changed from my usual walking route around the moat to one that takes in all the new boutique backpacker guest houses in the north-east quadrant of the Old City, I've found walking through these small shaded sois to be pleasant morning's stroll. A lot of the old shabby places have been replaced with garden restaurants, flower-filled fences surrounding quiet cafes, etc., and as there is virtually no traffic at all down these sois except the occasional motorbike, it's like being a "Old Chiang Mai" once again.

You forgot to mention the large exhaust cloud with traffic flow walking around the moat on any side...

Exhaust cloud? Hmmmm.... I never noticed.

I guess I was too busy enjoying all the flowers and the pretty girls.

Having a choice of what we pay attention to is just one of life's daily perks.

[MaeJoMTB]

Exhaust cloud? Hmmmm.... I never noticed.

I guess I was too busy enjoying all the flowers and the pretty girls.

Having a choice of what we pay attention to is just one of life's daily perks.

No exhaust fumes in Santhitham this morning, and I was right by the road.

Beautiful weather.

Choc au pain fresh out of the oven.

Edited February 3, 2016 by MaeJoMTB

[Trujillo]

...nice view too. That hasn't changed.