# I'm back!



## Xynoplas2 (Jan 4, 2017)

Good day all, I had a little problem signing in with my previous account, but I am back. I hope that's okay.

Anyway, I am bound for Bangkok and Chiang Mai next February. I'll spend a week and a half checking out LOS to see if I would like retiring there.

Recommendations and suggestions are welcome! Thanks!!


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## Dianex (Nov 12, 2016)

Thank you - I will be interested in what you have to report back.


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## Xynoplas2 (Jan 4, 2017)

So I will spend a couple of days in BKK at Baan Pra Nond, grab the train to CM and stay about a week at Nap in Chiang Mai. I shall endeavor to report back.


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## Emigrow (Jan 17, 2017)

I hope you have a good time! If you are going to Chiang Mai in February, the air quality might be a little iffy. Every year between around February and April, "burning season" causes a lot of air pollution across Northern Thailand. 

A lot of expats try to get out of town for those few months, as it really makes a big difference. A lot of Thais wear masks when going outside at this time of year. I have heard varying stories - it seems to be a much bigger deal for some expats than others.


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## Xynoplas2 (Jan 4, 2017)

Yes, thank you Emigrow! As a prospective expat, I wanted to see how bad it was, and see for myself if I could put up with it. I could have gone in March or April, to get a real taste, but that would be odious. I'm guessing that in February I'll experience a light preview.


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## Pigman58 (Oct 21, 2014)

Providing you don't have breathing problems, you should be okay. A couple of years back, I was just recovering from bronchitis, so it caused me problems. Other people frankly over-react. You should be fine.


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## NorthForty (Feb 9, 2017)

Xynoplas2 said:


> Good day all, I had a little problem signing in with my previous account, but I am back. I hope that's okay.
> 
> Anyway, I am bound for Bangkok and Chiang Mai next February. I'll spend a week and a half checking out LOS to see if I would like retiring there.
> 
> Recommendations and suggestions are welcome! Thanks!!


Have you landed yet? Hope all is well. Mornings are still very comfortable but it is heating up.


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## Xynoplas2 (Jan 4, 2017)

Here's my report, copy and pasted form a tourist forum:

My initial intent to visiting CM was to find out if I could live there as an "ex-pat", as a retiree or English teacher or both. My questions included whether I could cope with the temperature, the spring smog, the people, the food, the traffic etc.

I took a nighttime 2nd class train from BKK to CM. It was a newer train, very clean. First class means that you share a cabin with someone else, and I'd advise against this for a solo traveler. Second class means that you start out sitting in regular seats, which are converted to berths by a very fast porter/conductor. This is sort of a hostel-like arrangement and allows you to meet and mingle with your fellow travelers. I also wish I had been able to go with a day time trip; I would have seen much more, although that would have eaten up an entire day.

We arrived in the morning at CM of course. The station there is both smaller and more attractive than the one at BKK.

I stayed at Baan Ratchiangsen south of the old city. That district is more of a village-like suburb than any other area of CM I have visited. Roosters and zebra doves wake you up in the morning. The streets here alternate between sois and alleys. Traditional Thai single-family homes surrounded by fruit trees and low walls or fences make up much of this suburb. The alleys are barely wide enough for one car to pass. Welcome to Thailand; two cars often try to pass one another on these roads.

The first day, I just wandered around, allowing my feet and my curiosity to be my tour guides. I found a wat (Wat Thatkam) near my hotel. As you go further south from the hotel, fewer and fewer options appear for foreign visitors. Signs are only in Thai, the menus are not adapted for tourists. All the businesses there are to support the locals.

By the afternoon, I was in a mood for exploring the swimming pool at my hotel. The cold water made my sore feet happy again.

The next day, I rented a bicycle (single gear but not a "fixy") into the old city and visited two of the major wats (Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Sing). Since it was in early Feb, the nighttime and morning temperatures were in the 60s.

I dropped by an English language school to see what chances I would have there as a TESOL instructor. After a conversation with one of the instructors, was a Thai who once worked in Silicon Valley (as I do), my hopes were raised. Things look pretty good in that regard!

I could have rented a scooter or "moto-sai" but I did not bother. Thai traffic seems very chaotic and it is! But although they are aggressive drivers, they are not rude or inconsiderate. On my bike, I found that many drivers were willing to yield the right of way. Of course, the lines in the roads, the stop signs, the red stop lights, these are apparently considered to be guidelines rather than rules. It's best to keep your head on a swivel and take responsibility for your own safety in Thai traffic.

On Saturday I was at Gai Restaurant on Hua Lai road, having some papaya salad and Thai iced tead, when the Makha Bucha parade passed by. This was an important Buddhist festival (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magha_Puja) and apparently concluded with a candlelight procession at the wat. I missed that because I was interested in the night market at Hua Lai road. I was not disappointed. This stretch of road was closed and vendor began constructing their stalls. Clear plastic cups with cut-up pieces of selected fruits in them. Choose the cup and they will add crushed ice and blend up the mixture for you.

Grilled meats are also a common and delicious snack, or you can find pad Thai, or mango sticky rice (bliss!) or any of an amazing array of fresh foods prepared as you watch. I saw very very few flies around the food. In fact what caught my eyes was a comb of wild honey that was being used prepare some other food; a few bees were swarming the honey, trying to get their food back.

At the night market were also sold many tourist wares. However the throngs in the streets were made up not only of tourists from all over the world, but local Thais as well. It was quite a treat for them as well.

A group of blind musicians were led into a place in the street, where they set up and played traditional music in exchange for alms. Another booth was raising money to care for dogs and cats. I have to say, if you listen to the music or take pictures, then go ahead and drop a few baht in the box!

On talking with other western travelers, it seems that I am not alone: the need for a typical western breakfast was one of those things we need. I can snack on bugs once in a while, but I need eggs, toast, coffee, orange juice and so on when the sun comes up. It's not negotiable! In my hotel's area, I found a place for a decent western breakfast. Bloom Cafe has a sort of "girly" vibe, and mean that in a good way. Flowers are everywhere, and light folk music plays on the speakers. As most places in Thailand, "al fresco" tables are available for a leisurely breakfast.

I returned the next day to the Walking Street market in the old city. Waiting for the market to get rolling, I had a beer at an Italian restaurant, Girasole, and realized that if I come there to live, there are many dining options besides just Thai food every night!

Although I was told it was on only a single street, it wound up taking over the whole old city, inside the moat. The crowds were enormous, and at many points it was hard to get through. I saw a few things for sale there that were not at the previous market on Hua Lai, but I'm not sure it was worth the crowds. It you are at all claustrophobic towards packed crowds, I'd would advise missing this market.

So the day before Valentine's Day, I walked by a bar ("Tip Top") I had noticed before. I remember a sign saying they had free pool. Two lovely Thai ladies were there and I asked if I could play pool with them. They said sure, and I promised I would return after dinner.

I had gotten lost the day before and saw a sign for the Pinte Blues Pub (https://bluespubchiangmai.wordpress.com/). I was down one of the narrowest alleys in the neighborhood. It looked as though someone had a garage close to the roadbed and had simple opened the door and brought out tables and chairs. But it was much more than that. About ten people, mostly westerners, were dining there when I got there. Blues music was playing on their system, and pictures of all the various blues music greats covered the walls. The menu looked great, and I ordered a coconut curry, and opened a conversation with the party next to me.

They were all Belgians, speaking in Walloon-acceented French. One was an expat, and had been living there some time, and the others were thinking of joining him. At that point, I could not blame them.

I returned to the bar for pool and a close-up look at the Thai ladies again. They let me beat them at a couple of rounds of 8-ball, possibly due to me buying their drinks. They talked about how they had so much free time on the following day. One of them mentioned a lake (Huay Tung Tao) to the north of CM, and would I like to join them and of course I said oh boy yes.

So the next day we got into my new friend's car and we drove up to the lake. There is a restaurant up there and it's quite popular with the locals. There's also a zipline facility there, for the daring tourists. But I had the company of a couple of attractive locals and they were ordering food.

About Thai food. In the "States" we have restaurants that serve Thai food, and all of that is available in Thailand of course. I wouldn't say that it's usually better. But in Thailand, there's a greater variety of dishes, many of which you will never see in a stateside restaurant. Prices vary. If you are eating in an air-conditioned restaurant in CM, then expect your bill to rise as high as 100-150 baht. In the street, one can find a meal for well under 100 baht.

They eat bugs, did I mention that? I am not a fan of cricket, the wings get stuck in my teeth. The girls did order some pupae, or silkworm larvae. I liked these better from a texture and taste viewpoint, but I am not ready to make them a mainstay of my diet. And the lake is no Tahoe, but it's a nice break from the hectic city life.

All in all, I believe I could manage to live in CM. It's not for everyone. It's hot, even on "cool" days; the spring smog can be pretty miserable, and of course it's a third-world country with a military dictatorship, but I can take the bad with the good.


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## Xynoplas2 (Jan 4, 2017)

So I am definitely going back to make it my home. Got some things to do to get ready:
1. Bone up on "pasaa Thai". Hard to find classes, but I have a tutor that I work with one day a week.
2. Prep my house to be rented. I'm giving myself a year to get ready.
3. Send my TESOL resume to the various schools in CM.
4. Research what it would take to bring my cat with me. He travels reasonably well. Ideally, I'd like to bring him in the cabin in the plane all the way, then find a long-term hotel/apartment where he can be an indoor/outdoor cat.


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

Xynoplas2 said:


> So I am definitely going back to make it my home. Got some things to do to get ready:
> 
> Why do you keep getting booted?
> 
> ...


You'd be doing the cat a favor to leave him with someone. It's difficult and expensive to import a pet. And, unless it always - as in ALWAYS - stays indoors, it wouldn't survive very long here.

Good luck.


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