Thailand Forums - Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/ Your online guide to a holiday in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. en-USA Wed, 22 May 2013 19:12:32 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png Thailand Forums - Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/ Failure to Reconstruct Highway to Hell Results in Lawsuit http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43828-Failure-to-Reconstruct-Highway-to-Hell-Results-in-Lawsuit&goto=newpost Wed, 22 May 2013 15:29:27 GMT *Failure to Reconstruct Highway to Hell Results in Lawsuit* May 22, 2013 CityNews - Brave drivers faring the infamously pocked highway no. 107 (Chiang Mai-Fang, heading to Chang Dao) will not see any improvements in the treacherous road... Failure to Reconstruct Highway to Hell Results in Lawsuit
May 22, 2013


CityNews - Brave drivers faring the infamously pocked highway no. 107 (Chiang Mai-Fang, heading to Chang Dao) will not see any improvements in the treacherous road conditions for at least another four months. After promising to reconstruct the jagged stretch for a cost of over 200, 000, 000 baht, Sahamit Motor Engineering Company Limited has been sued for breach of contract by the Department of Highways in Chiang Mai.

Pratuan Tiprat, deputy director of road engineering for the Provincial Highway District Department, said Sahamit Motors was supposed to have the project completed by November of 2008, but ended up breaking the contract part way through, leaving residents of the Fang district at high-risk of suffering a motor vehicle accident due to haphazard road conditions.

A smooth road ahead is finally on the horizon after the Department of Highways ordered Lampang Road Construction to take over the project for just under one billion baht. By the end of the season, highway no. 107 will hopefully have evolved from a deathtrap to a smooth stretch of road with traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and road signs.

CHIANG MAI CITY NEWS ]]> Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand Khun Don http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43828-Failure-to-Reconstruct-Highway-to-Hell-Results-in-Lawsuit Visitor Warning: Foreigner Beaten by Tuk-Tuk Drivers after not Paying Extortionate Fee at Karaoke Bar http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43785-Foreigner-Beaten-by-Tuk-Tuk-Drivers-after-not-Paying-Extortionate-Fee-at-Karaoke-Bar&goto=newpost Thu, 09 May 2013 20:38:32 GMT Foreigner Beaten by Tuk-Tuk Drivers after not Paying Extortionate Fee at Karaoke Bar – A word of warning if you ‘want to do it your way’
James Austin Farrell May 8, 2013
Lifestyle

CityNews – A foreign man was badly beaten by tuk-tuk drivers late April after the driver had taken him to a karaoke bar where he was charged 17,000 baht for a few drinks and forced to pay lest he suffer the consequences.

The man, a Chiang Mai long-term expat, explained that on the night, “I had a tuk-tuk driver, one man from the karaoke and two girls – one being the manager – escort me to the ATM. After some polite bartering I paid the karaoke place 4,000 from the 17,000 they had asked, a bit over priced but I thought a payment I could do for me being silly enough to get myself into that situation.”

But he then says the tuk-tuk demanded 2,000 for his fee. A fee that had not even been discussed.

“The next thing his friend turned up and they said they would escort me to the police station.”

They took him into some land nearby the karaoke bars on Chang Klan Road (close to Chiang Mai Land) and beat him up.

“It was all captured on a CCTV camera and I have got the option to press charges,” he says, “but retribution does not thrill me. I just want to warn others.”

He was fortunate that a local rescue worker, as well as workers from nearby bars, saw what happened. He was picked up by the rescue team worker (Koh) shortly after he was beaten up.

Koh, who is also a teacher at Rajabhat University, told CityNews:

“I was driving out of my house in Chiang Mai Land to work a night on the rescue shift when I saw him running away from somewhere covered in blood. I picked him up and brought him to Central Memorial Hospital. I asked him what happened and he informed me that he was beaten up at a karaoke bar. I offered to take him to the police station or Tourist Police, but he refused. He said because the police here cannot be trusted.”

Koh not only took him to the hospital but he also helped the man get his bike and take him back to his guesthouse. “I left a message and his phone too, in case he needed help,” Koh added.

When we asked Koh what he thought about this problem of being overcharged, something perhaps Thailand nightlife is infamous for, he explained:

“This problem has been happening for ages. I think it’s because the owners of the karaoke bars don’t clarify the prices. When the tourists get drunk, they can’t control themselves and they order more. It’s wrong to beat people up if they don’t have money to pay. I think they should go to the police.”

We also spoke to one of the girls who was working in a nearby karaoke the same night. Although she acknowledged at first that she knew what had happened, she refused to comment about the night in question.

After reading Thai social forums on the internet it seems the sentiment is the same, stay away from (some) karaoke bars unless you want to get overcharged and possibly beaten.

One (Thai) poster writes, “Beware of Tuk-Tuk drivers they will take you to the karaoke and then the place will overcharge you.”

Another Thai poster writes, “I was there just over an hour and they charged me 18,000 baht for stuff I didn’t even have.”

And perhaps a more telling poster wrote, “Chiang Mai has many karaoke places and you should always look for information on the internet before you go. A lot of them overcharge, and even if you call the police they won’t help you because they [karaoke] already bought a law.”

A foreign expat came forward to CityNews while we were writing this piece and explained that he was beaten and overcharged the same week as the man in this story:

“I decided to stop for one last drink in a karaoke bar, so having sat there for about 5-10 minutes I had one drink and asked for the bill. When the bill came it was 11,000 baht,” said the foreigner, who also did not want his name revealed. “I gave them pretty much everything I had in my pocket but again it wasn't enough, and a group of Thai men came into the area where I was sat and locked the door.”

The man said he not only ended up paying the bill but paying for items broken in the fight that ensued when he first refused to pay.

CityNews called Chiang Mai (muang) police whose jurisdiction covers the karaoke bars in question. They told us:

“If you get overcharged and intimidated you have to call the police. It is your legal right to defend yourself, and if they try to beat you up, they are breaking the law. A good karaoke place will show true prices to customers on the menu. If an officer finds that a place is overcharging people then we will charge them. So far this has rarely happened.”

The officer is of course correct. Thailand’s Consumer Protection Act states prices of any goods or services have to be clearly stated. If a place fails to comply with the act it risks being fine or its owners being imprisoned. Police have charged karaoke bars with extortion in the past, as in this Nation article in 2009.

The problem the extorted face though is fear. How many people would challenge the bar with the consumer protection act? If anything is to be learned, that is while places use and get away with extortion, it might be sensible never to buy anything without a clear interpretation or statement of the costs.

CHIANG MAI CITY NEWS ]]> Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand Khun Don http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43785-Foreigner-Beaten-by-Tuk-Tuk-Drivers-after-not-Paying-Extortionate-Fee-at-Karaoke-Bar Eating after the Clock Strikes Midnight in Chiang Mai http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43783-Eating-after-the-Clock-Strikes-Midnight-in-Chiang-Mai&goto=newpost Thu, 09 May 2013 10:57:27 GMT Eating after the Clock Strikes Midnight
Satthapat (Koa) Eiampikul May 9, 2013
Features

It’s quite a common thing in Chiang Mai, especially with young people, to fill up on food after the pub closes. Fried chicken and larb are usually the order of the day, quite a distance from the UK doner kebab, or a big steaming portion of Montreal poutine, but equally as good after a few drinks. We’ve come up with a list of Chiang Mai’s favourite after midnight eating spots. Expect them to be packed most nights.

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Midnight fried chicken (Kai-Tod-Tiang-Kuen)

This place is maybe the most famous in Chiang Mai for post-party-prandials (PPP – there, I’ve coined a new abbreviation). It’s small place dedicated to Lanna food, such as sticky rice, Lanna dips (nam prik), and its signature fried chicken. Open every day from midnight. Located on Kam Pang Din Rroad.

Click here for map

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San Pa Koi Thai Noodles

Larb Bunker

Bunker! We love the name. Lanna nosh at super-duper cheap prices. Only 10 baht for 1 dish (small dish). I guess you could say it Chiang Mai tapas. It prides itself as being the most authentic Lanna food restaurant. Open after midnight every day. Located on the Chiang Mai – Lamphun Road before you get to Nong Ho.

Click here for map

Chang Puak Market

Chang Puak market is open all evening but after midnight you will find two places open, one is Kaw-Mun-Kai, and another is Pork Basil by K.Mae, serving some of the best pad kapow moo this side of Siam.

Click here for map

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Sompet market is also open late at night

San Pa Koi Thai Noodles

Near San Pa Koi market this little restaurant is always lively after midnight. You’ll meet tons of young party revelers eating noodles here late at night. They even serve some western style food. Open every day from 7 p.m. ‘till morning.

Click here for map

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3 Yellow Noodles

This noodle spot on Suthep Road is most popular with young folk who’ve been partying on Nimmanhaemin. If you’ve already spent a load of cash, don’t worry because these noodles are delicious and go for pennies.

Click here for map

CHIANG MAI CITY NEWS
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]]> Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand Khun Don http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43783-Eating-after-the-Clock-Strikes-Midnight-in-Chiang-Mai The Mysterious Charm of Chiangrai http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43725-The-Mysterious-Charm-of-Chiangrai&goto=newpost Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:51:38 GMT *The Mysterious Charm of Chiangrai* Attachment 18811 (http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=18811) White Temple opens daily from 0800 to 1700, free of charge CHIANGRAI -For many years Chiang Rai has lived in the shadow... The Mysterious Charm of Chiangrai

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White Temple opens daily from 0800 to 1700, free of charge

CHIANGRAI -For many years Chiang Rai has lived in the shadow of it’s older sister city, the big and bustling Chiangmai. Many felt that it had very little to offer tourists who generally by passed it in favour of Chiangmai. 
However after several years of living and traveling around this northernmost city of Thailand, I am now very impressed at what Chiang Rai has to offer to tourists and to its local people.
For a start, Chiang Rai is home to some of the greatest artists in Thailand, such as Chaloemchai Kositpipat who has turned the local temple of Rong Khun into an art gallery. He also designed the amazing Ordination Hall and Pagoda, or The White temple, which can be found after the turn from Mae Suay Intersection up on Road no 1.According to the locals, this temple is still a Buddhist temple but has been turned into an art and sacred gallery by Khun Chaloemchai.
The building houses a collection of world-class religious art. Some of his paintings attract rich collectors who pay more than fifty
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Chaloemchai Kositpipat

million baht for some of his art works. You need at least an hour to peruse his paintings and collect souvenirs. Kositpipat is now the most respected provincial artist in Chiang Rai. His style has been duplicated everywhere such as in the new clock tower in the city of Chiang Rai and the new bridge of Chiang rai.(The White Temple opens daily from 0800 to 1700, free of charge, but requests visitors to dress politely by covering their shoulders and knees. This rule of etiquette applies to every temple visit in Thailand.)

Chiang Rai is also the home of the Emerald Buddha or ‘Pra Kaew Morakot’ . The Emerald Buddha is believed to have been discovered here in Fourteenth Century before it traveled to many different kingdoms. Eventually it settled in Bangkok. The temple where it once resided now features a newly built museum in the Lanna style and the wonderful Ho Kham equipped with stunning paintings.

On the other side of town is the Black House owned by Dr. Thawan Dajjani. The 72-year-old artist opens his house and compound for visitors to appreciate his collection of art works which are most mysterious but very interesting, consisting as they do of animal skulls and skin. The Black House is part of a group of his Lanna style houses, each one houses farmers fish traps, utensils, animal skins or horns. The main one displays his abstract paintings. (The Black House usually opens between 0800 to 1700, but closes at lunchtime.)

Located north of Mae Chan on Road No 1 to Mae Sai, The Golden Horse Monastery is rated as a ‘MUST SEE’ among many different travel magazines. Tucked away in a small mountain, away from townships near the border of Myanmar, the temple is similar to Sao Lin where the monks and novices are being trained in martial arts. I learned that monks and novices here are trained to appreciate the art of Thai boxing. Every evening, the temple master conducts Thai boxing dances as well as three rounds of Thai boxing. A proper curriculum of Thai boxing has been posted on the board for the young novices to use as a reference.

According to the head monk, it’s only an exercise but it is also part of their mental training. It was amazing also to see monks and novices using horses as the preferred mode of transportation in the hilly terrain around the temple. All of them seem to be very agile and good at riding horse. Given the mountainous topography, the monks need a horse to bring them up and down the mountain and help them to patrol the forest. The most interesting activity is watching a caravan of warrior monks and novices riding their horses from the mountain to receive alms in the early morning from the devout Buddhist villagers. The temple has done a lot for the tribal people, by recruiting tribal children to become monks and teach Buddhism to their parents who have not really been exposed to the Thai language. The tribal children also have the opportunity to go to school in the temple and can be assimilated in Thai society well.

Located in between laos and Myanmar and not very far from China, Chiang rai is home to at least five diverse groups of minorities who either once migrated into Thailand or who have been living and migrating back and forth
between Thailand and its neighbouring countries. For the last fifteen years ago, the minorities have been seeking a better life by establishing both several private and public projects.

One of the most important is the royal project which was implemented to enable the minorities to be recognized economically and socially. The royal project at Doi Tung initiated by Her Princess Mother some fifteen years ago clearly illustrates how much the royal family has done to better the quality of life for the minorities.

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Gardens at Doi Tung, Chiang Rai

Doi Tung nowadays is a symbol of the close relationship between the Lord of Thailand and the minorities of Chiang Rai. Its beautiful garden draws several thousand tourists a year to appreciate the beauty of Chiang Rai and the sustainability of people living on the mountain. This helps them assimilate into Thai society well and live together in harmony. However, their cultures
 and folktales have been preserved and promoted to maintain their strong dignity which they share proudly with visitors. Minorities are not only interesting in terms of their external dress and colouful ceremonies, but their
belief and practice of agriculture. The Chiang Rai provincial organization has recognized the
importance of its diversity.

Before visiting the actual villages of the minorities, tourists are encouraged to gain some basic information from the Hill Tribe Museum at C&C. this museum provides an excellent overall picture of the hill tribes and their history.
All of the places I mentioned above do not attract as many tourists as the Golden Triangle.

Chiang Rai is infamous for its past history of opium trading, migration of the Haw Chinese of the 93 KMT battalion, and the border trading town of Mae Sai. The Golden Triangle is the point 
where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet and provide a convenient spot for opium traffickers to conduct their illicit trade. 
However, the story of opium trading goes back to the great opium war between England and China in the 19th Century. After being forced to open up the country to receive tobacco and opium produced in India from England, the Chinese government equipped its population to grow opium and tobacco in order not to lose out in the ensuing drug wars.

In the early 20th Century, the migration after the cultural revolution in China brought in those minorities who have learned the know how on drug dealing from China. The Chinese KMT were the greatest opium traders during the old days and those armies in Shan and elsewhere who needed to liberate their states from the oppressive regime were all involved in the opium trade. 
This page of history also referred to ‘Air America’ who were engaged in the opium business in the Golden Triangle. Believe it or not, the Hmong in Laos helped the CIA fight
against the communist in Laos and were using the profits of opium trading to finance the purchase of weapons.
The story of opium has has become a fading memory but the lesson learned is simply not to repeat it again.

However, the place and its history bring tourists back again and again like a bees to a honey pot, only this time, to participate in an equally insidious activity. 
The Golden Triangle has now turned into a casino. Tourists come here to lose their money before setting off to Mai sai to spend their remaining funds on counterfeit Chinese DVDs and other amazing goods at the duty free shop just across the bridge leading from Mai sai to Burma.

Apart from the above mentioned attractions, Chiang Rai has many other numerous attractions to visit – such as the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand, an opium
museum, a Chinese village on the mountain, and numerous hot springs.
Given the choice of places to visit, Chiang Rai is definitely worth more than a sojourn of a few days, offering much more than Chiang Mai and other provinces in Thailand.

By Dr.Kris Dhiradityakul

CHIANG RAI TIMES
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]]> Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand Khun Don http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43725-The-Mysterious-Charm-of-Chiangrai Pictures: Chiang Rai Songkran Festival http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43724-Chiang-Rai-Songkran-Festival&goto=newpost Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:42:03 GMT Songkran Festival in Chiang Rai
April 13 2013 – April 15 2013

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The Songkran Festival is the most traditional celebration in Thailand. Chiang Rai is one of a few provinces that still retain folksy traditional customs. Apart from parades, decorated floats and beauty contests, which are guaranteed to impress you, there are also boat races among 4 countries–Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar, waiting for you to see on the Mekong River in Chiang Saen County.
Songkran Festival is the most traditional celebration in Thailand

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Songkran Festival is the most traditional celebration in Thailand

The nationwide Songkran festival is held from 13th to 18th April each year. In Chiang Rai province it is best celebrated at the village of Chiang Saen. Here visitors can enjoy watching a traditional Songkran procession that includes pouring water over respected Buddha images. There is also a very lively three nations boat racing event and other local entertainment for all to enjoy.

Enjoy the traditional Thai New Year “Songkran Festival” beginning with “Wan Jun Kran Long” on April 13th, the day that marks the end of the old year. Follow up with “Wan Nao” on April the 14th, the day marking the New Year, before staying on for what is traditionally believed to be the best day on April 15th - “Wan Phra Ya Wan”.

The widely popular Songkran festival is derived from the Thai word that means “to move” or “change place” as it is the day where the sun shifts its position in the zodiac. More commonly known as Thailand’s Water Festival, it is believed that water will wash away a person’s negativity and bad luck.

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paying homage to the elderly

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colorful flower procession,


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Offering alms to 99 monks, bathing the Buddha

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10-oarsmen row boat competition


CHIANG RAI TIMES
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]]> Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand Khun Don http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?43724-Chiang-Rai-Songkran-Festival