Is Chang Mai a better place to retire to ?

[ejwalk]

Is Chang Mai a better place to retire to ? better prices , bars , babes ? any experiences ? please articulate

[Kevro]

Is Chang Mai a better place to retire to ? better prices , bars , babes ? any experiences ? please articulate

Are those your main requirements for choosing Chiang Mai to retire?

Was there a year or so ago when it was announced on TV that Chiang Mai is officially the most polluted city in Thailand, even more so than Bangkok. They also announced that the Mae Ping river was also on the edge and was one level off having the fish floating on there backs.

As these are not your in your reasonings for a long and healthy retirement then I am sorry I mentioned it.

Things may have improved in the mean time but in only one year doubtful.

Kevro

[jackspratt]

Is Chang Mai a better place to retire to ? better prices , bars , babes ? any experiences ? please articulate

Perhaps this question would be more appropriate, and gather more interest, on Chiangmai.com.

[stattointhailand]

Moved there for 6 months whilst my wife was pregnant (to get away from family) .......came back after 2 weeks.
CM is great for a holiday for the reasons you mention, but to live NO THANK YOU.

[jimboLV]

Been there a few times, couple of times in the last couple of weeks dealing with the American Consulate. Definitely better than Bangkok. But that's not saying much. My impression was there's too many farangs there. i saw more farang WOMEN there in a few days than I've seen in Udon over the past year. Traffic is horribly congested and I just got the impression that it was a very congested area to live in. But, to be fair, i don't know anything about the day to day aspects of living for a farang in Chiang Mai. i would say if you're homesick for farangs, farang food, etc. it may be an option, Me? I like Udon.

[izzix]

High smog prompts mask handouts in Northern Thailand

The density measured at a local pollution control office in Chiang Rai on Wednesday was 132 mg/cubic metre exceeding the recognised safety level of 120 mg/cubic metre for more than two days, officials said.

Chiang Rai governor Sumeth Saengnimnual said he had officially asked local authorities in Laos and Burma to make sure their communities did not light unnecessary fires, while local fire services have been placed on alert. Volunteer firemen are now stationed at eight districts where wildfires and manmade fires are frequent.

Deputy Public Health Minister Pansiri Kulanartsiri said the protective masks would be distributed to residents, especially young children and elders, in eight northern provinces affected by the smog.

Chiang Mai is the province hit second hardest by the smog, due to its geographical structure.

[izzix]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/20 ... 23074.html

[WBU ALUM]

Is Chang Mai a better place to retire to ? better prices , bars , babes ? any experiences ? please articulate

'Better' is a relative term.

[rick]

Never been there but researched it before deciding on Udon. Basically, Changmai has more of everything - some of that will be good; but as has been said, more farang, more pollution, more congestion and of course, above all, you will need more baht for those variable costs like accommodation, services etc. Where did i choose. guess.

[pompui]

With regards to earthquakes,how close is the Chiang Saen faultline to Chiang Mai

[BobHelm]

From a 2005 Chiangmai Mail article.

Chiang Saen fault line could affect Chiang Mai

Nopniwat Krailerg

Minister assistant at PM’s Office, Smith Thammasaroj revealed that there are nine fault lines that appear risky and could cause earthquakes in Thailand. Most of them are found in the west, from Chiang Rai to Ranong. Two very risky ones are the Srisawat fault line in Kanchanaburi and the Chiang Saen fault line in Chiang Rai. The one in Chiang Saen could cause a 5–6 Richter scale earthquake and would affect both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

The minister assistant made these remarks at an earthquake seminar he chaired in Chiang Mai, organized by the Engineering Institute of Thailand under H.M. The King’s Patronage, to give earthquake information to engineers and government officials who are responsible for public disasters and to residents in risky areas throughout eight northern provinces.

In addition, the seminar was targeted at engineers to design structures resistant to earthquakes and for residents to be aware of earthquake prevention measures.

“This seminar is to inform residents in the eight northern provinces, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Phrae, Nan and Phayao to realize the consequences of earthquakes, as these provinces are located in risky areas,” the minister assistant said.

“There is information recorded in chronicles that 1,000 years ago an earthquake that could have been 7 on the Richter scale took place in Phayao, causing a subsidence that later became a creek or Phayao Lake as it is today. Professionals from the Chiang Mai University Faculty of Engineering have surveyed the lake and say it is possible an ancient city may be discovered under its waters, to become a new world knowledge source,” he disclosed.

http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/141/news.shtml#hd2

[thrilled]

Chiang Mai is no prize.To manty Farangs.To many traffic jams.And the prices are high.I imagine cause of all the farangs.It might be better than Bangkok as far as the weather goes.For me A nice town is Udon,maybe Ubon,Khon Kaen,and even Korat.
Chiang Mai might be an ok place to visit.I wouldn't want to live there.

[Texpat]

Some days, like today, when it's 36 C with no wind and mirages are springing up while I'm mowing the lawn, I think about a cool mountaintop in Chiang Mai.

As others have said, though, the traffic and congestion are much worse than Udon.

[Tilokarat]

I agree with those that believe Udonthani is a better option than Chiang Mai. Twenty-Five years ago I would have gone with Chiang Mai, but not now, and for the reasons that have already been stated.

I would like to re-visit places like Lamphun and Lampang before I turned down the north completely as Udon seems to be headed in a direction that has more farangs, increased pollution and so on. Maybe I will take a look at Nan, Phrae and Phayao in the future, and Khon Kaen, which seem to have less farangs as a possible place for retirement.

The possibilities are endless, with the exception of Pattaya, Phuket, the Muslim south and Bangkok.

[UdonExpat]

I opted for Udon over Chiang Mai some years ago, and am satisfied with my choice. The many problems with Chiang Mai already mentioned figured into my choice.

I returned from several days there about a week ago. I thought the traffic was about the same as Udon. Lots of vehicles, but no gridlock. The traffic kept moving.

Never saw the mountains while I was there. Too smoggy.

Nevertheless, there are some advantages to Chaing Mai that have not been mentioned:

There are many condominiums, so it's possible to own your residence. Something we can not do in Udon. This is probably more important for single people, but also of concern to some married.

If you have children they can get a much better education in Chiang Mai. There are several quality international schools there and many more after school and weekend activities for their development.

The choice of women is more diversified than Udon, and they tend to be more cosmopolitan and have better English skills. There are many more educated women. If you're into prostitutes, there's also greater variety.

The nightlife has more choices and variety, and the dining scene is far superior.