My House in Chiang Mai
My House in Chiang Mai My three-bedroom Chiang Mai requires maintenance, just like houses everywhere. This is my home maintenance diary, with costs and mistakes that come with caring for houses regardless of where you live. Electrical Work Last week my bathroom light went out and, since replacing it required going to the electrical supply […]
Thailand Bank Accounts
To prevent money laundering, Thailand has made opening a bank account without a local, permanent address and a permanent visa almost impossible in Thailand. but, since we’ve introduced almost three hundred clients to our local branch, they’ve gotten permission from Bangkok to allow them to continue. We must provide a Thai citizen to guarantee you […]
Owning, Insuring Cars in Thailand
What Are the Advantages of Owning, Insuring Cars in Thailand? If the cost of owning , insuring cars in Thailand seems steep, then consider a scooter. The cost of a good scooter ($1500) and operating it in Thailand is laughable: the 5,000K service at the dealer costs $7! My scooter days were generally great fun, but much less […]
Thailand Employment Salaries
What are Thailand Employment Salaries? Most companies oppose the government’s plan to raise the minimum daily wage nationwide to Bt400, US$13, or $300/month, as it will hurt small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Chamber chairman Kalin Sarasin said that from the chamber’s discussions with many business operators, it was found that […]
Safety and Danger in Thailand
REMEMBER! THAILAND IS NOT DISNEYLAND. NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD OF ‘SAFETY FIRST’ SO YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF. A 25 year old Canadian was riding a zipline at Flight of the Gibbon in Chiang Mai on Saturday when his safety harness broke and he plummeted 50 meters to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. […]
Snakes in Thailand
Snakes in Thailand: Dangerous and Timid Vern Lovic, Thailand’s snake expert, wrote me this explanation of his new book, Keep Snakes Out!: Probably no other animal that is frequently found in a home scares people as much as snakes! Here in Thailand, we have a serious snake problem. Recently my friend confronted a king cobra climbing his front door. […]
Soi Dogs in Thailand
I know about twenty Soi dogs in Thailand (so named because they hang out in alleys, or sois). They’re not well cared for and, if this story moves you, sign the petition to improve their lives. If you’re in Chiang Mai you can volunteer or adopt a dog from Care for Dogs. They do heroic work […]
Thai Elephant Lullaby
The Thai traditional elephant lullaby goes back a long way. Elephants are very communicative with one another and have a highly-developed language. They also love listening to soothing music. Here’s the charming video of a Thai lady putting an elephant to sleep by singing her a Thai elephant lullaby: Here’s another beautiful elephant moment in Thailand: […]
Yoga in Chiang Mai
Yoga in Chiang Mai has a long history. When I moved to Chiang Mai I was delighted to find a hotbed of yoga teachers and students from around the world. I’d taken classes with maybe 100 yoga teachers over 45 years and had come to appreciate the difference a good teacher makes to each class, […]
A Traveling Life For Me
Have you ever wondered, “Is there a possible traveling life for me”? Derek Workman did, and his quest for an answer turned into a full-time job. He gets paid to travel and stay in beautiful resorts around the world. I asked Derek if he’d give us a realistic picture of what life is like for […]
Landlords in Thailand
Have You Heard the Thai Saying about Landlords in Thailand? “Thai landlords will suck blood from a turd”. Pungent and, as I learned last week, to the point. A dear friend (not a client) who labored long and hard to make his Thai restaurant a success (#1 on TripAdvisor – hard to pull off) was recently […]
Chiang Mai’s Best Coffee Shops
Here’s a handy list of Chiang Mai’s Best Coffee Shops. A wide variety of gourmet coffees and excellent locations and environments. Enjoy your coffee! One of Chiang Mai’s Best Coffee Shops is Sweet Gardens, located here. These are the GPS coordinates 18.82920° 99.00616°. It’s on the second ring road towards the north side of town. Easy to […]
Bangkok, Where Pleasure is King
Bangkok, Where Pleasure is King The mood of Bangkok is very special in Southeast Asia. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, for example, is a whirlpool of frustration; a capital in orbit around anti-colonial slogans. Singapore is energetic, engaged in a puritanical revolution; Kuala Lumpur, in Malaya, is easygoing, a capital with Arabian Nights architecture, where […]
What to Bring to Thailand
What to Bring to Thailand When You Move Bed Linens. Thai linens are pretty awful, for some reason. The towels are bearable, but the sheets are rough and uncomfortable. Even though China makes most of the world’s linens, there are no decent sheets imported to Thailand. So bring your own sheets and remember that Thai Mattress sizes are different from […]
Pythons in Thai Toilets
Pythons in Thai Toilets are Uncommon, But… Thailand is still an exotic, exciting place, as this story about a pythons in Thai toilets, demonstrates. A woman was almost killed by a python that came out of her toilet last night. The woman, Rampeung Onlamai, 57, had just finished her shower at her home north of Bangkok […]