Anyone regretted having made the move to Chiang Mai?

[bahtman]

CM is a nice place, quite cosmopolitan with a wide array of restaurants, fairs, clubs, and venues and conveniences that westerners yearn for. There is air pollution in March through May, but the climate is generally ideal.

I personally miss a beach, but I can get on a plane and head down to Phuket in an hour and a half.

Each town has its pluses and minuses, and it is up to each individual to find his/her niche in the area they chose to live in.

[pluto]

Anyone live in Mae Rim area?

[DrB0b]

Anyone live in Mae Rim area?

About 83,000 people, according to the Dept. of Provincial Administration.

[pluto]

Great area! Going to Doi Saket next.

[ENT]

Chiangmai is nice, along with the countryside.

Air pollution here is the worst in Thailand for 3 reasons.

a) it has the highest ozone level in Thailand, peaking in spring and autumn.

b) it is rapidly being saturated with diesel fumes (unburnt hydrocarbons)

c) Lampang, close by, spews chemical polution into the air with more hydrocarbons from wood fired industrial heating.

d) there are now 2 rice straw burning seasons, one in November, then March, at peak ozone production periods.

All these unburnt hydrocarbons combined with uv light and ozone produce carcinogenic compounds which the populace breath.

They are further rendered toxic with lead and aluminium from factories.

The whole Chiangmai plateau is like a large bowl, a heat and rain trap at about 1000 ft above sea level.

Chiangmai has the highest respiratory collapse rate in all Thailand.

Chiangrai and south of there is terrifyingly smoke polluted from rice straw burning.

There is some education on the issue so that straw composting has started to increase, but not much.

Thais blame the hill tribes using swidden (slash and burn) agriculture for the smoke.
Not so, as hill tribes have become increasingly settled, adopting Thai and Farang systems more.

Illegal forestry along the Thai Burma border is also a major smokeproducer/ polluter.
Lampun is recorded at Maharaj Hospital CM as having the greatest respiratory failure rates in Chiangmai province.

Apart from that, and a few terrible old teak door ogres and botty bashers, living there, CM is lovely.

Intelligent ladies if you look further than the Moat,where Andy and some others pick up their katoeys.
Lots of good reasonably priced foods and goods,Thai and Farang.

Interesting people of all types, access to the hills and their peoples, cooler temperature.

Nice place, but no good at peak pollution times.

[ENT]

Pluto, DrAndy is/was in Mae Rim area, so am I from time to timeA few other posters are too.

[pluto]

Being the most pleasant city to live in, in Thailand, it is a great shame that they managed to fuck it up with the air pollution.

[ENT]

Yup, the only down side of CM that I can really complain about.

I seem to get on with nearly everyone I meet there.

[billy the kid]

the air done me in
no winds to shift it at times
otherwise a beautiful place.

[rickschoppers]

Weather wise, how is CM April and May? I have been tossing the idea around of renting a place next year for a couple of months and would like to get out of Isaan a little during the heat. The biggest hurddle will be talking the little lady into doing the same since she would have withdrawals without having all her family around.
I would have picked the CM area to retire, but things have a way of changing.

[pluto]

April or May seems to be the ideal season to cough up a lung!

[rickschoppers]

^
Pluto, thanks for that. I guess I will need to find another place to stay cooler then. How far outside CM would I need to go, or is that entire region polluted during those months?

[Chairman Mao]

Weather wise, how is CM April and May? I have been tossing the idea around of renting a place next year for a couple of months and would like to get out of Isaan a little during the heat. The biggest hurddle will be talking the little lady into doing the same since she would have withdrawals without having all her family around.

1. Tell her you're going and if she doesn't want to go that's up to her.

2. Try to buy some medicine to see if you can grow at least one testicle.

[Marmite the Dog]

I have been tossing the idea around of renting a place next year for a couple of months and would like to get out of Isaan a little during the heat.

Try somewhere a bit more easterly in a different 'corridor' such as Loei, Phrae or Nan.

[rickschoppers]

Thanks Chairman for the advice. If I want to end our relationship, going without her would be a good way to do it.

Marmite, you have a good point but I have always found the CM or CR areas interesting. The main reason is the arts and crafts trade that is the best in the country. Phrae, is a possibility but my thought was that CM might me a little cooler in temperature. I guess I need to research all of the north for temperatures during that time period and make a decision. It would be a rental, so I can try different areas before picking some favorites.

[rickschoppers]

After looking at some Thailand temperature and rainfall charts, CM still seems to be a good choice during April and May. The other alternative is Hua Hin which would be easier to convince my better half (sorry ChairmanMao). She has asked several times to holiday there and I will take her up on that once the house is finished.

[DrAndy]

where Andy and some others pick up their katoeys

DrAndy is/was in Mae Rim area

oh dear, bENT is becoming a stalker

[ENT]

^ OOH be careful.

[FarangRed]

Loei and the surrounding country side looks good and not to far from Udon, spent a couple of weekends up there, but for me I like to be near the beach.

I've known a few guys to move from Phuket to different places but the ones that moved to CM wished they had'nt.

[robbo]

I stayed in CM for a few months and thought it to be the very nicest place I'd ever been to in Thailand, great people, pretty girls, great nightlife, easy to get up mountains on hot days. Best place in Thailand.

totally agree Chiang Mai is a great place to live, but dont tell everybody!!!

[Dino]

I've known a few guys to move from Phuket to different places but the ones that moved to CM wished they had'nt.

What were their regrets?

I'd take CM over Phuket any day of the week, except for during burn season. I've found the humidity to be a bit much in the south.

[meat]

I just moved here. Love it. The weather is nice and cool. Rent is dirt cheap. The women are BABES. Best of all, NO RUSSIANS.

[Unlucky Ralph]

^ You missing the beach ?

[Unlucky Ralph]

^^Cool, cheap, babes, no Russians

Maybe you should try Ukraine next

[DrAndy]

I stayed in CM for a few months and thought it to be the very nicest place I'd ever been to in Thailand, great people, pretty girls, great nightlife, easy to get up mountains on hot days. Best place in Thailand.

totally agree Chiang Mai is a great place to live, but dont tell everybody!!!

tell everyone it is a terrible place, keep away