Relocating to Chiang Mai and to work in Kad Farang, please advise

[tanat]

Hi all,
 

I'm Thai and living in BKK. I've got a new job and their office is in Kad Farang. 
I have to move (alone) to Chiang Mai as soon as I can settle with a place to stay and means of transport.
The problem is that I don't own any vehicles and licenses (feeling like I'm helpless, but I'll get them later on)
So I have to rely on public transport for now. Perhaps someone here share the same situation as mine or could give me some advice.
I'm considering these options:
 

Option #1: Living in the city
With this, I would travel back and forth from the city <-> Kad Farang on daily basis. Plenty of choices for condos/apartments. Thing to consider is how to travel to work.
I've heard about a van service (BTTS) or Song-taew passing through Kad Farang but I'm not exactly sure if their schedule would align with my working hour (9am - 6pm)
Pro: It's convenient in many aspects, places to chill out and parks to run  (running is my hobby)
Con: transport to the office could be inconvenient, not sure whether there's such transport with reasonable price and how the traffic is.
 

Option #2: Living nearby Kad Farang, preferrably, in a walking distance (1-2 kms)
I would need suggestion on renting a house or something else, or a contact to a trusted agency.
It's just a bit inconvenient if I need to hit the city.
 

Appreciate any thoughts and nice to meet you all.

Thanks,
Tanat

[lkn]

There are definitely song-taews going that way, but I have no personal experience.

 

I live in the city and I use my bicycle to get to Kad Farang (~30 min.), though this might not be practical if there is no shower to use at Kad Farang.

 

I would expect renting outside the city (near Kad Farang) to be cheaper, unsure if budget is a factor, if not, you can always rent a motorbike, though if you are Thai, the lack of a license might be more of an issue if you get stopped.

[sammieuk1]

Close to Kad Farang P.M me if you get  stuck for answers

[daoyai]

It would be an easy commute from the CM gate area on a yellow S.T. ...... something like 16 baht they leave often.

[Generalchaos]

Plenty of transport running back and forward - traffic out of the city at peak times is pretty bad coming out of Chiang Mai on the Hang Dong road, and is busy mornings heading in. However, you will probably miss it as you are doing the opposite commute.

Hang Dong is quite a busy little town, has most things, just 5 minutes to Kad Farang. The rental prices in Hang Dong and beyond into San Patong are a lot cheaper than the city.

[ianf]

Living in Tambon Nongkwai or Mae Hia is probably the solution. Not far from Kad Farang and a great choice of quiet running routes towards the Queen's Gardens, Doi Kham and so on. As for renting contact Elite properties who work in this area. This area is excellent for getting into the City, the airport, the countryside & shopping malls & markets. I have a house in a local Moo Baan. It is very quiet and safe.

[lungnorm]

Get a gas mask for the smoky season.

[jobin]

Rent a house at Koolpunt 9, seems the best way coz it's only a few minutes walk to the Kad.  On off-hours trot down to the North Hill golf club, also only minutes away, and improve yourself.

[1FinickyOne]

Just in general - I have always preferred living close to work.... you can waste a lot of your life commuting... 

[Generalchaos]

1 hour ago, lungnorm said:

Get a gas mask for the smoky season.

Indeed! But that covers most of the North and Central Thailand not just Kad Farang.

I saw a post from, Jobin regarding Koolpunt, is that place still open?

There are also a few dodgy places around that side of Hang Dong that really need to be avoided, you probably need a bit more local in depth info, east of Hang Dong has had some weird issues of late with biker gangs, local vigilantes and heavily armed cops! It is safer Hang Dong / San Patong side rather than Hang Dong towards the city (just for a few kilometers out of Hang Dong) - Best check with some locals to be sure.

Edited November 23, 2016 by Generalchaos

[davehowden]

" I'm Thai and living in BKK. "

 

" I don't own any vehicles and licenses "

 

Yet you write very good English?

 

Something doesn't add up!!

[stament]

12 hours ago, davehowden said:

" I'm Thai and living in BKK. "

 

" I don't own any vehicles and licenses "

 

Yet you write very good English?

 

Something doesn't add up!!

Not really. English isn't perfect, should be vehicles or licenses. Other minor errors too, although to be fair excellent for a second language person.

 

Tanat, you will be fine, no need to worry. There is a wealth of information and advice on this forum.. Good luck, and welcome to CM 

[davehowden]

22 minutes ago, stament said:

Not really. English isn't perfect, should be vehicles or licenses. Other minor errors too, although to be fair excellent for a second language person.

 

Tanat, you will be fine, no need to worry. There is a wealth of information and advice on this forum.. Good luck, and welcome to CM 

Just curious as to why a Thai would ask about living in Hang Dong on an English language web site rather than talk to Thais who have a far greater knowledge of lodgings in the area.

[tanat]

Hi guys, 

Really appreciate all the advice. They're helpful. I think I'm gonna focus on finding a place near Kad Farang.
I'm super fine with walking.

And to answer davehowden's doubt

13 hours ago, davehowden said:

" I'm Thai and living in BKK. "

 

" I don't own any vehicles and licenses "

 

Yet you write very good English?

 

Something doesn't add up!!

I know it's a bit weird why I'm seeking the information here. First, I don't have a local connection.
And all of my Thai friends suggest me to have a car.
 
Living and working in BKK so far doesn't require me to own a car or bike, and I hate driving in BKK.

Instead of having a car, I bought a condo near a subway station.
So I didn't bother practicing driving skill or getting a license. Call me lazy, but, yes, this kind of guy exists (-____- " )

I even feel lame about myself.

In order to move fast, I have to stick with my constraint of not having a vehicle. 
I think that my situation might be similar to some expats or foreigners living in CM, so that's why I'm here.
while asking Thais will get me "go get a car, dude" answer.

 

Once again, thank you all for sharing your thoughts :)

[tanat]

15 hours ago, jobin said:

Rent a house at Koolpunt 9, seems the best way coz it's only a few minutes walk to the Kad.  On off-hours trot down to the North Hill golf club, also only minutes away, and improve yourself.

I see, there seems to be a few villages in this area.

 

14 hours ago, Generalchaos said:

Indeed! But that covers most of the North and Central Thailand not just Kad Farang.

I saw a post from, Jobin regarding Koolpunt, is that place still open?

There are also a few dodgy places around that side of Hang Dong that really need to be avoided, you probably need a bit more local in depth info, east of Hang Dong has had some weird issues of late with biker gangs, local vigilantes and heavily armed cops! It is safer Hang Dong / San Patong side rather than Hang Dong towards the city (just for a few kilometers out of Hang Dong) - Best check with some locals to be sure.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind and be sure to ask locals. When you say East of Hang Dong, is it somewhere in the area I marked on the attached map?

 

[tanat]

2 hours ago, stament said:

Not really. English isn't perfect, should be vehicles or licenses. Other minor errors too, although to be fair excellent for a second language person.

 

Tanat, you will be fine, no need to worry. There is a wealth of information and advice on this forum.. Good luck, and welcome to CM 

Thank you, stament. 
I consider myself non-local for this situation. No (direct) connections there. So I would love to hear from non-local point of views as well.

[JaseTheBass]

" I'm Thai and living in BKK. "
 
" I don't own any vehicles and licenses "
 
Yet you write very good English?
 
Something doesn't add up!!

I assumed he was an Aussie.

[nglodnig]

Hi just a thought - I am a part-time resident in Hang Dong and visit Kad Farang every day - by bike (push bike) -Big C special 6000 baht I think it was. Takers about ten minutes one way and five coming back  - I do a u-turn at the first lights.

[William C F Pierce]

Get a bicycle as 2 kilometres is less than 10 minutes and you don't need a licence. Near to the city you can expect to pay rent 10,000 Baht upwards a month. Near Kad Farang you might get somewhere for 5000 Baht a month. Get yourself a decent map of the city and its ring roads.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Go live close to work and instal Uber taxi on your phone for when you need to get in to town.

Buy a bicycle for shorter rides.

 

Good luck

 

[pgrahmm]

There's rooms/flats/apartments roughly behind the outlets....

There are houses available in the area as well + some secluded pockets of homes/townhouses between KF & Baan Tawai....

The Hang Dong market area also has options around it....

 

All of that is really doable, especially with a bicycle....

[Chicog]

Use Uber.

[zeichen]

I guess the foreigners suggesting getting a bicycle cannot read thai newspapers. Do you realize how many people die on that road each year?  Definitely, not worth riding a bike especially after work when it gets dark.  Hangdong or Sanpatong are good options for commuting and the yellow taxis drive very frequently. 

 

Really depends if you want a simple quiet life, or you want to stay each night in the city and go out after work. 

 

 

[ELVIS123456]

Book yourself into a suitable hotel in Chiang Mai - look them up on internet - price/distance from Hang Dong your call. 

Catch songthow/taxi from airport to hotel - and then from hotel to hang dong (KF) for work each day . 

Ask the people who you work with where is the best place to rent accommodation nearby.

 

 

[lkn]

1 hour ago, zeichen said:

I guess the foreigners suggesting getting a bicycle cannot read thai newspapers. Do you realize how many people die on that road each year? […]

Not sure what you are referring to, as fatal bicycle accidents are certainly not the majority. In fact, only 2% of fatalities are bicycle riders with pedestrians being 8%.

 

Of course if you normalize based on kilometers travelled, time on the road, or similar, bicycles might rank higher, but I have not seen such numbers, have you?

 

[sfokevin]

If on your commute you can avoid riding your bike on the Chiang Mai/hang Dong highway a bike would be fine...

 

Both the Koopville 9 and Kad Farrang Moobaans are easy and nice bike rides to Kad Farrang Market...

 

You might check out a row of new townhouses near the North Hill golf course... my guess is you could rent one cheap...

 

Here is a nice place you could rent for the first month:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6019040?checkin=02%2F13%2F2017&checkout=02%2F28%2F2017&guests=1&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&s=qnJ6aIvn

Edited February 5, 2017 by sfokevin

[WinnieTheKhwai]

 

It makes sense to not own a car in Bangkok, however I think that you'll soon find that in Chiang Mai you really need one.

 

Yes there is some public transport along the Hang Dong road, but: 

 

• It runs out in the evening. Sometimes you're in town at night and then getting back out is difficult and expensive.
• Hanging out of the back of a Songthaew is fun one time, but becomes annoying in the heat in April or rain in September.

It doesn't really matter if you decide to live a little closer to town or a bit further out: you'll want to get around either way.

 

Koolpunt 9 and nearby developments do come to mind: it makes for a very easy trip to/from work in the mornings and back in the afternoon/evening when there's the most traffic.  But rush hour doesn't last long, and going downtown in the evening is really quick. 

[William C F Pierce]

On 05/02/2017 at 9:25 AM, zeichen said:

I guess the foreigners suggesting getting a bicycle cannot read thai newspapers. Do you realize how many people die on that road each year?  Definitely, not worth riding a bike especially after work when it gets dark.  Hangdong or Sanpatong are good options for commuting and the yellow taxis drive very frequently. 

 

Really depends if you want a simple quiet life, or you want to stay each night in the city and go out after work. 

 

 

Most accidents as fact are from motorbikes, who do not stop at any road junction or just ride all over the road and weave about all over the road. Bicycles riders tend to correctly stick to the inside of the inside lane. In any vehicle you can have an accident even if it is not your fault. I can do a shorter journey 8 kilometres through the city on a bike just as quick as a car that has to do endless detours (Mae Hia, Hang Dong to Chang Phuek) and there is not financial cost to the journey. At night I use A Hiviz jacket and various flashing warning lights so that I am noticed. Police at road blocks see this respect what I have done for my own safety and always wave me through without having to stop. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO BE SAFETY AWARE.