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  1. #26
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Or maybe pond bank.

  2. #27
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille
    Or maybe pond bank.
    So, it sucks and it's not worth a trip?

  3. #28
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Fluke's version?

    No, I won't be visiting.

    As for the real CM, well, doubtless TD posters are sufficiently au fait with the country in general to summise just how similar CM is to fucking Paris.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille
    TD posters are sufficiently au fait with the country in general to summise just how similar CM is to fucking Paris
    I doubt they meant it literally Cyrille. A bit of hyperbole to describe it's bohemian vibe no doubt. I'm sure no offense was meant for the Left Bank.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Humbert
    options travelling up there from Surin other than driving would be appreciated.
    Kan Air do a direct flight from Ubon to CM, quite reasonably priced.

  6. #31
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Ten hour drive from my place. Bit more from Surin. Have done the trip several times. Always stop at resort in Khao Kho, Phetchabun. As a first time visitor lot's of good stuff in CM and surrounds. Well worth the trip. Drive up to Khon Kean then west on highway 12. Scenic with all sorts of interesting stops along the way. Buy a box of avacados from hill tribe folk near Phetchabun.

    CM is fine but for me the trip not the destination is better. Take your time and enjoy.

  7. #32
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    Cheers Norts

  8. #33
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    I have driven sangkha to phichit a few times now - 24 - 201 - 2256 - 1 - 11 and phitsanulok is only another 50 klms

    though I would suggest khon kaen and then highway 12 would be a better route to go to chaing mai

    as your missus can drive you could easily share the trip
    If you torture data for enough time , you can get it to say what you want.

  9. #34
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
    I'm not sure why people like the city. The drive up there is more interesting.
    The main attraction of Chiang Mai is indeed the province rather than the city. The temples of the old city are also worth an afternoon wandering around. The rest of the city these days is mostly just traffic choked scruffiness typical of all cities in Thailand.

    Of course they could introduce drastic traffic reduction measures, a park and ride scheme and get the old city heritage status as they would if it were in many other ASEAN countries.

    Maybe that's just too much effort with not enough tea money.
    Last edited by cyrille; 08-05-2017 at 08:29 AM.

  10. #35
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    chiang mai, like most thai cities is notable only for its ugliness, lack of planning and the selfish behaviour of its occupants.

    the roads are choked by traffic and paralysed by inconsiderate parking and driver behaviour, the sidewalks are mostly impassable due to the crumbling pavements and encroachment by vendors, any smaller buildings of architectural merit are hidden behind gigantic advertising hoardings or cheap plastic shopfronts and the ugliness of the electrical cabling that plagues most of this country is visual pollution of the highest order.

  11. #36
    god
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    Nonsense.
    The streets are as drivable if not better than in most cities, the footpaths in some of the inner city areas are crowded, but not impassable unless the occasional hoard of Chinese decide to barge their way along, gawping and yelling and spilling out onto the roads blocking traffic.

    Overhead wires are now being re-routed underground, and gigantic advertising hoardings are almost exclusively confined to large arterial roads with high traffic volumes, they''d be pointless any where else.

    Much of the old city is still there, all within walking or cycling distance, no need for a motocy or tuk-tuk, you can walk around the old city's perimeter moat (4 miles) in an hour and a half, stop on the way around at cafes and bars, or just duck into one of the side streets and get lost wandering around a maze of sois cluttered with Thai style dwellings, new and old, trees everywhere, and many small street food stands and "mom'n'pop" shops serving the immediate locale are hidden away there too.

    Plenty to see and experience in and around Chiangmai, it's only drawback is the smokey season, which has now more or less ended, so clear skies again. As with any city, exhaust fumes can mount, but their are enough breezes flowing along the Mae Ping to cool the air, reducing the city's "heat island" and draw a lot of the pollution away.

    CM's also a great "hub" or jump-off point to visit surrounding districts, some of the most beautiful in Thailand.

    A very cosmopolitan city, (2nd largest Thai city) far more attractive than Bangkok.
    “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? John 10:34.

  12. #37
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    ^ Shhhhh! Don't let everyone know. We don't need more people up North.

  13. #38
    Not a Mod. Begbie's Avatar
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    ^^ A dreadful place. Everyone is advised to stay away.

  14. #39
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    it's only drawback is

    .... it is in thailand, where, like every other thai city of any size, it willsuffer thanks to the appalling levels of mismanagement, planning, pollution, maintenance, ugliness and the selfish behavior of the inhabitants.

  15. #40
    last farang standing
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    I like Chiang Mai but preferred it years ago with less tourists and backpackers. Think humbert would be disappointed after 30 years. Some nice areas North of Chiangmai city. I like MaeTaeng some lovely little places there but close enough by car to Chiangmai if you like being near a big city.

  16. #41
    god
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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexile View Post
    it's only drawback is
    ...the appalling levels of mismanagement, planning, pollution, maintenance, ugliness and the selfish behavior of the inhabitants.
    Sounds more like Bolton.

  17. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    ^ Shhhhh! Don't let everyone know. We don't need more people up North.
    Or needn't more people [generally speaking] anywhere, less CM.

  18. #43
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    ^ The roads in Thailand are relatively good *in comparison to NZ at least...

    I used to drive from Petchaboon to Bkk (and vice-versa) in under 3 hours... raced my policeman buddies to future park rangsit.. I arrived first, (to his utter dismay) 2 hours 33 minutes (from memory).. I was 19, drove like a Thai on meth 55...

    Bit older and wiser now.. try to keep it under 200, just to be safe..

  19. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Cow
    Think humbert would be disappointed after 30 years
    The last time I went there was on a trip with a home furnishing accessories buyer who worked for me. We spent the whole time visiting suppliers and saw very little other than the hotel and factories. I hardly remember anything of the place.

  20. #45
    Harbinger of Doom

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    Comparisons to hipster ghettos are a bit more appropriate than ones to the left bank but Chiang Mai is nice enough, and certainly nicer than any other large Thai city I can think of.

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