I'm planning on taking my TEFL course through Talk and Text in Chiang Mai soon, and am trying to find out as much as possible about the place.
If you live in Chiang Mai, what do you do for fun? What are some good places to meet other farangs? I'm a 20 year old American, so I never had a chance to get into the bar/pub scene here at home. Are these spots a good place to meet farang friends?
I'm also thinking about buying or renting a bike to get around, is the city navigable by bike?
I've been here all of 3 days so I can tell you anything you want to know about CM with complete and utter confidence.I see lots of falang running around the city on mopeds and bikes. The Loi Kroh street area is the place to hang out if you like the company of fellow westerners. The CM Entertainment Complex has lots of bars w/ pool tables and you won't have a problem getting a beer. There are many, many other places to hang out all in this area. If you like guided tours there's lots of travel shops everywhere for that. The night market is a crowded, sweaty place but you can find some ok deals there for clothes, CDs or whatever.
This is as much as I have explored, I'm sure there's lots more but this area is a good place to start. It's a little slow up here right now (so the locals tell me) because of the flooding but that makes it easier to find a place to stay.
Good luck on your schooling.
In the beginning there was nothing. Then God said "Let there be light!" Now, there was still nothing but at least you could see it.
Ask PeaceBlondie, I think he lives there.
lots of great meeting places and yes, you can get about by bike too.
When I was in America a guy told me to 'have a nice day' but I didn't, so I sued him
doesn't she live in hua hin now?
By 2005 every previous resident of Warsaw had listed their temporary address as Portswood, Southampton, leading to it's appointment as capital of Poland. It is currently the subject of a hostile takeover bid from the home counties, particularly
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.
err.....He...did move to Hua Hin.Originally Posted by bulldog
i would suggest "mao dok mai" or drunken flowers...a cosy little pub in Nimmanhaemin Soi 1 ka.
Favorite things I like to do in CM are to go to Baan Tawai - an outdoor shopping venue outside of town, Central shopping centers/malls (2 of them in town), Queen Sirikit Orchid garden (the orchid jewelry has been a hit back home with friends), and Wat Doi Suthep. But then .. I don't drink or fraternize with westerners much. I spend money on movies and different restaurants.
Getting around on a bike is less preferable to a moped/motorbike because of pollution and road conditions. The rule of the road in Thailand is -- biggest vehicle has the right of way. Be very careful!
:smile:
You'll be going to class at Tha Phae gate, which resembles Khao Sahn Road. Just swing your arm and you'll hit a backpacker. After school, just walk around and choose a place (but don't even think about ordering Mexican food at the Art Cafe).
The class requires homework, and practice teaching in the evenings. On weekends, the Queen Sirikit garden near Mae Sa waterfall is good (rent a big bike and run the loop around Doi Suthep). Once you've seen Wat Doi Suthep, you won't need to see any of the other 398,456,898 wats in Thailand.
Don't figure out the songtaew routes; they're a myth. Flag down a tuk-tuk and start haggling at 20 baht (call it 'saow baht' and he'll think you speak northern dialect).
Good luck. Great place to live.
song taew routes are not a myth... flag down a song taew, tell the driver your destination, if he nods, jump in the back - the fare is 10 baht. If the driver starts talking with his co or gives your a price, your destination is not on his route and you'd be better off trying to flag down a different song taew.
Personally, I like the zoo (not the tiered pricing to see the pandas, though), doi suthep, mae sa elephant camp, queen sirikrit orchid garden, strolling through the inner city, the over-priced river side restaurants, taking a canoe ride on the river. the artificial lake, and lots more... lovely place it is, too bad I'm not there anymore :sad:
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Bloody Hell! It can't be that difficult!
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Chiang Mai is high res in google earth, great for getting a birds eye view of the outlay of the city. I just found the T&T building, Aroon Rai restaurant and my fav guesthouse Orchid house.
I heard that there has been severe flooding and 80,000 people have had to leave their houses lately. Take a pair of flippers...
yes its all quite sad, still i didnt particulary like chang mai so its not that bad, of course over the following weeks i should imagine the stench of dead bodies may get to be a bit too much...
The old city is nice to stroll around in, especially in the evenings. There are lots of small pubs and restaraunts to choose from. Good for lesson prep over a coffee or beer.
As others have mentioned the wat on Doi Suthep is impressive, though a bit touristy. PB's suggestion of riding the loop on a bike is a good one, but make sure you're prepared for prepared for rain; it's a winding road and gets rather dangerous when it's wet.
You'll have no trouble meeting other foreigners. The trick is avoiding them when you want to.
- Reg
I'm in a minority here but I wasn't sold on the charms of CM. Too many tourists in too small an area. But I only visited a couple of times. Couldn't bear the thought of living there. Too big for small town charm, too small for big city metropolis feel. The curse of the middle ground.
Sure it's got lots of farang friendly places to recreate so if that's your pleasure, then you're fine.
I wouldn't think that a bicycle would be all that pleasant. It's small enough for a bike but the traffic is too heavy to make it a viable mode of transport for any stretch of time. But you may have a higher tolerance for exhaust fumes.
I would go the motorbike route as preferred mode of transport.
Give me C.M anytime over the shithole known as krungteypmahanakorn yadayada
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