Long Term Visit

[alamo5000]

Hello.

I am new to the forum but I would like to tell a little bit about myself and what I am doing. I am from the US (Texas) I am male... and more or less I quit my job a few months back and came on an extended vacation going around the world. I am hoping to get at least a year in. So far I spent a month in Africa, now I am in Istanbul again soon to be a month. I am hoping to make my trip last around a year if possible.

I am extremely free... as in you can't get any more free than me I pretty much am a clean cut non smoking guy but very friendly...and I love photography....so more or less I am doing an around the world chill out/fun/photography/have a good time session. Pretty much I am going with the flow with no real plan. I decided to come to Istanbul for example in 2 days and to be honest... This place is awesome. Great destination.

But alas in a few weeks or so from now I will need to find a new destination. I can either stay at least a month or longer if I need or want to. Time constraints are not really a problem. I have been to Thailand before but it was around Phuket and all over the south. I have never been to BKK or the north. I hear fantastic things about the north near Chiang Mai. Conversely I haven't heard a ton of great things about BKK. (crowded, congested, dirty, traffic, etc)

Anyway my plan is to pick a spot (somewhere cool with lots of things going on or just somewhere mellow) and get an apartment or a shared apartment with someone. I don't really want to live in a hotel for a month, but that said typically what I will do is fly in... stay in a hotel for a few days and then look for a suitable place. That way it's all on the level.

My budget that I can spend is I am trying to stay $1000 to $1500 US per month total for everything... if it's less thats even better. I am really not looking for a luxury apartment... in fact my requirements are pretty simple...Bed, wifi, and a shower... western bathroom is preferred If I share with another person that's cool. I don't mind. I don't need gym memberships and all that... just a nice quiet place to sleep that will let me rent month to month.

The questions I have are several.... First, Bangkok or Chiang Mai? Theoretically I could even do both... a month in each...but I've never visited either so I don't know. I am trying to make a more educated choice here.

Normally as I said I stay in a hotel for the first couple of nights and then look for apartments after that. However online typically they try to sell me the $500 a night hotel and I find it pretty useless. When I went to Phuket we had booked online (and overpaid) but as soon as we landed we found hotels for much cheaper...they were not 5 star but they were safe and secure and more than met the need.

When it gets closer to time I might ask about specific hotels that I can stay in... and if anyone has any input about anything please feel free to chime in.... but for now I would like to hear a little more about BKK vs Chiang Mai. As I said I plan to move in for at least a month if not longer....If I go there and fall in love with it I can stay a lot longer.

[KittenKong]

Everyone has their own opinion. Mine is that Bangkok is good for eating (and shopping, if you like that sort of thing) and totally awful for everything else. I would not stay there if it was the last place on earth.

Chiang Mai would be much more my cup of tea for a month, but not in the hot dry season (now) when they burn the crops. By the time you are here that period should have passed.

You should be able to find somewhere quite nice for 10,000B/month (condo or serviced apartment) to which you may need to add the cost of electricity.

[alamo5000]

A little bit about my personality I guess might help... I absolutely LOVE eating good food. I am a huge foodie. I am willing to eat almost anything. I quite enjoy it. I like simple home made traditional foods and stuff like that. (Not too spicy though). I am not all that interested in hitting up 5 star places although from time to time I might do just that.

Due to many other circumstances I don't drink either... I am not a big time clubber. I went to Patong and it was fun for a day but overall that isn't my thing. But that said I still want to have fun. I am not at all opposed to people partying and drinking or whatever but I just choose to not do it (back story is I got a serious alcohol related accident and had 2 weeks in the hospital, 1 year in a brace, and 1 year of rehab) so all in all that stuff really sucked big ones so now I just stay away. Have fun, be cool, but I don't want it.

I am a pretty mellow kind of guy to be honest. I am wondering what kind of things are there to do in Chiang Mai? Is it 100% sitting around a bar drinking beer watching sweaty expat men or is there more to it than that? I mean what's a day in Chiang Mai like?

Considering I like to have my fun (usually during the day) but I have been known to stay out to 3am if there is something fun... but overall getting drunk in a club isn't really my scene. Depends of course on who I am with.

I am just kind of curious as to what I would be getting myself into in each place...

[alamo5000]

Also I am really into photography... so I like to take pictures...I am kind of a beach bum too. I lived on the beach in Hawaii for 4 years...

[tonray]

Just some advice....dispense with all the personal wants and desires and just stay in each place for a week and decide where you want to be. It's really not rocket science. Thailand is one of the most written about destinations on earth and you can get a feel for both places very easily from the net.

[Suradit69]

Also I am really into photography... so I like to take pictures...I am kind of a beach bum too. I lived on the beach in Hawaii for 4 years...

Nothing personal but I doubt many people are going to read through all that you've written. This isn't a dating service. If you want to get many useful replies it's better to keep your questions brief and to the point.

As someone else implied, only you can decide what and where will appeal to you. Part of the pleasure in visiting new places is exploring and discovery.

[KittenKong]

A little bit about my personality I guess might help... I absolutely LOVE eating good food. I am a huge foodie. I am willing to eat almost anything. I quite enjoy it. I like simple home made traditional foods and stuff like that. (Not too spicy though). I am not all that interested in hitting up 5 star places although from time to time I might do just that.

Thai food in Chiang Mai is fine, though it does tend to be spicy (hey, this is Thailand). Other food there is also OK if a bit limited. Bangkok's main attraction is the big choice of foreign/international food. As a fairly short-term visitor you probably wont be very interested in this, and will be more interested in local dishes. I live here so I go to Bangkok for the day from time to time for a good foreign meal of things I cant easily get in Pattaya.

I would have thought that anyone who likes photography, and is prepared to hire a bike or car, would find more to look at in and around Chiang Mai than in Bangkok. Though Bangkok does have some nice waterways.

Drinking beer all day seems to be a common occupation all over Thailand for Thais and foreigners alike, but surprisingly there is no law requiring anyone to do it.

Just out of curiosity, have you considered Vietnam instead of Thailand? Given your likes and dislikes I suspect that might suit you better.