chiang mai 2016 vs. chiang mai 2002-which do you like better?

[totally thaied up]

From 2009 to 2016, I was in Chiang Mai full time. Before then, from 2000 to 2009, I called in once a year.

 

Now I am out at San Kamphaeng. The inner city and the traffic got to me. I met my wife that is from San Kampheaneng, and it is one of the better moves I have made, Less traffic, slower pace, many coffee shops and places to eat. No Digital  Nomads and fewer farangs. Chiang Mai is a great city;  the inner city that once was so quiet is just now so busy during high season. My favourite season now is the low season; just less traffic, fewer people and not having to worry about trying to get a set in my favourite coffee shops due to Nomads working online. Last week, my wife and I who have been visiting one coffee shop as regular visitors for many years, could not get seating. All these young guys were working online. The owner saw us and found a setting, asking some of these guys to move their laptops. Things in this regard have changed, but then, if it were not for the advent of a 200/50 fibre connection connected to our house, IPTV and torrents would not be possible and my life would be less enjoyable. FaceTime or chatting to my family would not be possible.

 

So, yes there are many good things now that we did not have. I will say 2016 is cool, but I could not live now in the inner city anymore. I could not live in a Village either as I have done at one stage with a previous partner a few years back. Creature comforts the older you get are important like the first class service you get from Bangkok Hospital. The past is great but then, I also lived in an age of having no internet, and it was never something imagined possible.

 

Progress is good in many ways. 2016 is fine by me.

[moe666]

Been coming to CM since 2000 now live here. The traffic is my only complaint and Starbucks are not every where only two that I know of are Taephae Gate and Airport Plaza.

 

Every place changes it will never go back to the good old days especially since the good old days usually not so good

[godblessemall]

I am getting old so I prefer the 'café boraan'  made in an old sock with tinned milk... but it is getting difficult to find... even in Laos now too. I have never and will never go into a Starbucks.... overpriced froth. I can still find my way around the streets easily, even though I haven't lived there for nearly 20 years now.

I do miss some of the old places.... Irish bakery, American restaurant, PumPui Italian, and still enjoy Bier Stube.

 

[lkn]

Anyone who complains about the traffic just need to get a bicycle :)

 

Regardless of traffic, I can always get from Changklan to Nimmanhaemin in less than 15 minutes.

 

The only issue when on a bicycle is the red lights, some intersections can have you wait up to four full minutes, so I always try to take a route that avoids them.

 

Of course it’s wishful thinking, but imagine if everybody was using a bicycle, much less traffic noise, less air pollution, much safer to be a pedestrian (not having to constantly jump out of the way when walking in the smaller sois), and it would probably also do wonders to counter the current obesity epidemic (it’s really tragic how many obese school kids you see in Chiang Mai, though selling soft drinks and candy outside the schools might also explain some of this).

 

 

[MrBrad]

11 hours ago, moe666 said:

Been coming to CM since 2000 now live here. The traffic is my only complaint and Starbucks are not every where only two that I know of are Taephae Gate and Airport Plaza.

 

Every place changes it will never go back to the good old days especially since the good old days usually not so good

For the record, Google shows that there are 7 Starbucks in and around Chiang Mai.

  https://www.google.co.th/search?q=chiang+mai+starbucks&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=3eE4WNytMIrLvgSWsrOICA#q=chiang mai starbucks&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=18795073,98980257,1618&tbm=lcl&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:4,lf_pqs:EAE&fll=18.853835801474254,99.07339513037107&fspn=0.2872551216590935,0.45874569933477005&fz=11&oll=18.753736149999998,98.9748615&ospn=0.11769151424426383,0.09682273972936173&oz=11&qop=1

[khwaibah]

22 minutes ago, MrBrad said:

For the record, Google shows that there are 7 Starbucks in and around Chiang Mai.

  https://www.google.co.th/search?q=chiang+mai+starbucks&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=3eE4WNytMIrLvgSWsrOICA#q=chiang mai starbucks&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=18795073,98980257,1618&tbm=lcl&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:4,lf_pqs:EAE&fll=18.853835801474254,99.07339513037107&fspn=0.2872551216590935,0.45874569933477005&fz=11&oll=18.753736149999998,98.9748615&ospn=0.11769151424426383,0.09682273972936173&oz=11&qop=1

 

You can add 12 McDonald's. 2006 there was only 3.

[1FinickyOne]

22 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

This.

 

And personally, between 2002 and 2016 I really prefer 2016 and chances are things will get better still in the coming years.

 

That said, out of curiosity I would really, *REALLY* like to see 1974 and I'm member of all the 'Chiang Mai Memories' and 'Then and Now' groups and I have a couple old pictures to contribute myself from the early 1990s, but.. honestly it's a no-brainer for me.

 

Although I will say that the early 1990s were more suited to the person I was then, and 2016 is more suited to the person I am now, with kids to send to find a good school for, medical services, more stylish/luxurious places, excellent cafes, breads, pastries, coffee.  (Really does anyone remember what that was like?  Right.)

 

It's all good.  And getting better.

 

It's kind of like the difference between having ONLY this for coffee: 

 

 

Versus STILL having that, but also having lots of other incredible places.

 

 

Or when your car needs work, having to go here: 

 

 

OR still having those places, but also this.

 

 

I could probably go on.

 

Like only the Crusty Loaf section at the Irish Pub, versus lots of excellent little bakeries around town today, specifically l'Opera and Baan Bakery, but also the Dhara Dhevi bakery; heck, even Rimping does a good job.

 

And then there was all the completely hideous architecture in the 1960s->2010 or so.  Compared to the incredible architecture you see in the boutique hotels going up in the old town.

 

Hi Winnie  - - you make a very good point that I think is often overlooked. Our age and point in life matters. In 1974 the adventure was more important and conveniences less so... passing through as a young man holds very different needs and values than retiring as an older man... 

 

I am sorry that I have no photos from back then and I spent most of my month here in 1974 in Bkk. which was far more quaint back then and not the bustling metropolis it is now. I did visit CM for a few days and remember only 2 events... as a young, long-haired, bearded backpacker who had been on the road for nearly a year at that point, I was an unusual sight. Just being out in public brought curiosity and a friendly, near circus like atmosphere of people smiling and saying hello. I remember stopping for a coke in a market and a crowd of about 50 people watching me drink it.

 

I also recall going around a corner, probably inside the moat somewhere, and seeing the most beautiful young lady that I ever saw, long silky black hair, smiling at me from just inside a doorway... she took my breath away as we both stopped. We both smiled, her invitingly, me shy and stupid. Not knowing what to say, I continued onward. The fact that I still remember this insignificant moment makes me hope that somewhere, in an alternative universe, we shared a lifetime together... 

[Sparkles]

26 minutes ago, MrBrad said:

For the record, Google shows that there are 7 Starbucks in and around Chiang Mai.

  https://www.google.co.th/search?q=chiang+mai+starbucks&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=3eE4WNytMIrLvgSWsrOICA#q=chiang mai starbucks&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=18795073,98980257,1618&tbm=lcl&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:4,lf_pqs:EAE&fll=18.853835801474254,99.07339513037107&fspn=0.2872551216590935,0.45874569933477005&fz=11&oll=18.753736149999998,98.9748615&ospn=0.11769151424426383,0.09682273972936173&oz=11&qop=1

Plus another about to open at the new Chiang Mai RAM Hospital complex south of the main hospital.

 

What an opportunity missed  to feature a local coffee producer outlet but big bucks got in the way.

 

[naboo]

3 McDs in 2006? I can only think of Night Bazaar and Airport Plaza. Where was the 3rd?

[CMBob]

1 hour ago, naboo said:

3 McDs in 2006? I can only think of Night Bazaar and Airport Plaza. Where was the 3rd?

 

The one at Thaphae Gate has been there for a rather long time but I can't swear it was there in 2006 (by my memory, yes, but even I don't trust my memory...).

[naboo]

15 minutes ago, CMBob said:

 

The one at Thaphae Gate has been there for a rather long time but I can't swear it was there in 2006 (by my memory, yes, but even I don't trust my memory...).

Well, one of our memories is shot, because I thought that one appeared a year or two ago.

[Bill97]

Wow, thanks guys. It is so great to know how many, where and when the Starbucks and McDonalds got to Chiang Mai. Hopefully you will soon get to KFC, Burger King, Radio Shack, and Dunkin Donuts.

[hml367]

28 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Wow, thanks guys. It is so great to know how many, where and when the Starbucks and McDonalds got to Chiang Mai. Hopefully you will soon get to KFC, Burger King, Radio Shack, and Dunkin Donuts.

They left out The Pizza Company!

Edited November 26, 2016 by hml367

[Bill97]

Pizza Hut

[hml367]

There were a few Pizza Hut locations in Chiang Mai (and many in Thailand) around 2002 - not exactly that year maybe... They all closed then reopened shortly with some being Pizza Huts and some being The Pizza Company when they reopened.  How about that????  Not necessarily more locations right away, but a slight change in the menu offerings OF PIZZA.

 

I am not a big fan of using Wikipedia as reference, but it was the quickest way to find the story.

 

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

Edited November 26, 2016 by hml367

[mcfish]

I just spent 3 weeks of a month booking there, yes of course I left early there are only so many night markets you can visit and so many back packer's! It's pretty crazy but not in a good way

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[Dibbler]

I'd have to say I prefer Chiang Mai of 1990. No cellphones, cheap rent, food, classic beauties everywhere, much more fun!

[freedomnow]

1 hour ago, Dibbler said:

I'd have to say I prefer Chiang Mai of 1990. No cellphones, cheap rent, food, classic beauties everywhere, much more fun!

2016 - cheap rent, food, classic beauties everywhere, still having fun!

[godblessemall]

15 hours ago, kenk24 said:

4 hours ago, hml367 said:

There were a few Pizza Hut locations in Chiang Mai (and many in Thailand) around 2002 - not exactly that year maybe... They all closed then reopened shortly with some being Pizza Huts and some being The Pizza Company when they reopened.  How about that????  Not necessarily more locations right away, but a slight change in the menu offerings OF PIZZA.

 

I am not a big fan of using Wikipedia as reference, but it was the quickest way to find the story.

 

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

.The fact that I still remember this insignificant moment makes me hope that somewhere, in an alternative universe, we shared a lifetime together... 

 

I liked Pizza Hut, and when they all closed and The Pizza Company appeared I immediately thought 'Hostile takeover'. I have never entered a Pizza Company establishment since. Same thing happened to Pepsi and Esa.

[godblessemall]

I do like to get a 2 hour massage at the traditional massage places, and a foot massage beside the road at the Sunday walking street. Twenty years ago the little massage shops around CM were staffed by teenage girls and they were mostly tribal from the Mae Hong Son province. Now everywhere is only middle-aged women. The youth of today are too lazy to actually work for money.

 

[lkn]

6 hours ago, godblessemall said:

Twenty years ago the little massage shops around CM were staffed by teenage girls and they were mostly tribal […] The youth of today are too lazy to actually work for money.

 

I see lots of young people still work for money here, and I also see a lot of them attending school as their aspirations are higher than ending up servicing western men in a massage parlour.

 

[lemonjelly]

Definitely 2002 as that would mean me being 14 years younger
Ha


Sent from my twisted mind using Thaivisa Connect

[Teak]

38 minutes ago, Teak said:

 

I first came to Chiengmai in '86. Always was told that (in 1986) that Koh Samui was 'done'. No reason to ever go there. I went with the Thai family  (then) in 1999 and had a great time. It is all relative, of course,. Even now, as I am about to return, again ....it is simply change. The old Chiengmai is just a few kilometers away. That roadside 'coitio' lady is just as pleasant as was her granddaughter.  The old Thailand is only a few blocks away from the tourist zone....Ken

[freedomnow]

As someone said previously....move to Lamphun if you want 1979 CM all over again....hahaha.....a moat city centre with low western franchise 'pollution' or hipster architecture....ugly 60's concrete for you to enjoy and sock coffee.

[masuk]

On 27/11/2016 at 3:29 AM, godblessemall said:

 

I liked Pizza Hut, and when they all closed and The Pizza Company appeared I immediately thought 'Hostile takeover'. I have never entered a Pizza Company establishment since. Same thing happened to Pepsi and Esa.

It's sad that SIZZLERS left Kad Suan Kaew.   I had been meaning to go there, but it was not cheap.  Steak in Thailand never was.

[dhream]

On 27/11/2016 at 0:36 AM, godblessemall said:

I do like to get a 2 hour massage at the traditional massage places, and a foot massage beside the road at the Sunday walking street. Twenty years ago the little massage shops around CM were staffed by teenage girls and they were mostly tribal from the Mae Hong Son province. Now everywhere is only middle-aged women. The youth of today are too lazy to actually work for money.

 

Could they just be the same teenage girls who got old? 

[dhream]

7 hours ago, masuk said:

It's sad that SIZZLERS left Kad Suan Kaew.   I had been meaning to go there, but it was not cheap.  Steak in Thailand never was.

Sizzlers started off great in Australia, then they cut costs dramatically, and I would suggest they underdeliver and overprice, particularly here. I went just once at the Airport Mall, never again!

If you want really great western food at a fair price The Dukes chain have never let me down, I think the waitress there has only ever said "Mai mee" once, and it may have been a seasonal dish. I've eaten maybe 9/10 of the menu and usually have their finest steak offering done to perfection and a glass of their very drinkable house red, at Xmas, rather than the Xmas Dinner, which is a bit too mutt to wade through.