Alex wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:58 am

Big Daikon wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:04 am Chiang Mai is on my list for the next time I go to Thailand. Hoping it is better than some here describe. (Thanks for the info, though!)

It's fine for a visit, especially if you've never been and want to explore the countryside in the area aa well. Just time your visit wisely.

For living there though, it would quickly get boring. For me anyway, after a few days I've had enough and rhen I'll be back after five years or so.

Thanks for that.
I want to visit Mai and Rai next time if possible.

Have heard older expats like it because CM is smaller and quieter.

Yes, air quality this time of year is a big problem in Chiang Mai. I and many of the expats I know make a point of being elsewhere during those months, and I've spent time weatherproofing our doors and windows. Between that and keeping a bunch of air purifiers in our home, we can get the AQI down to 10 or so even when it's 120 or more outside. In any case we're rarely around at that time of year.

But I'm sure the study was focussed on crime and for sure, Chiang Mai is extremely safe. I'd be comfortable walking alone anywhere, at any time. People are generally super polite and easy going.

I'd tend to agree that there isn't that much to do in CM. I enjoy walking and biking around the old city but after you've seen a few temples and walked a few sois, there's not a whole lot left, at least around the city center. But I could name 8 or 10 places and activities that around town that I think are amazing and as others have said, there are loads of great day trips out of CM. It's a great base for exploring the north, which has a lot to offer.

What the city DOES have going for it is fantastic dining options. The quality and variety of the restaurants there, from the most humble place to the bigger fancier ones, is really astounding.

For me as an expat it's ideal, because I seem to be able to find most anything I want there, and it's easy to get around.

Also, Loy Krathong and Songkran are totally amazing in CM, though the latter takes place during the smoke season.

BANGKOK: Thailand’s popular tourist destination Chiang Mai was shrouded in unhealthy air on Thursday (Mar 9), with its air quality ranked the worst in the world.

At 2pm local time, Chiang Mai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reading in Chang Phueak subdistrict was recorded at 187 – an unhealthy level – according to the Air Quality and Noise Management Bureau of Thailand’s Pollution Control Department.

Chiang Mai’s air pollution was the worst in the world on IQAir – a technology partner of the United Nations Environmental Programme. IQAir’s city pollution rankings compare 95 global cities worldwide with measured PM2.5 data.

“PM2.5 concentration in Chiang Mai is currently 22.8 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value,” said IQAir on its website.

PM2.5 is one of the deadliest forms of air pollution – tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres or about 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair.

Chiang Mai is on my list for the next time I go to Thailand. Hoping it is better than some here describe. (Thanks for the info, though!)
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Have heard older expats like it because CM is smaller and quieter.
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I thought chiangmai was the best place on Earth when I lived there 30: years ago ,
Last time I went a few years ago I couldn’t wait to get out of there
All my old friends were dead, they drive on the wrong side of the road and everything

THAI NEWS REPORTS: Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand is currently the Number 1 most polluted city on the planet earth.

World Air Quality Index (AQI) Ranking


Today, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son in Northern Thailand has seen some of the worst air quality in the entire world. The Thai government are handing out N95 masks to protect people from the dense smog.

Alex wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:58 am

Big Daikon wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:04 am Chiang Mai is on my list for the next time I go to Thailand. Hoping it is better than some here describe. (Thanks for the info, though!)

It's fine for a visit, especially if you've never been and want to explore the countryside in the area aa well. Just time your visit wisely.

For living there though, it would quickly get boring. For me anyway, after a few days I've had enough and rhen I'll be back after five years or so.

Alex I am pretty much like you, I cannot stay too long at the same place, boredom is horrible affliction.

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 7:16 pm THAI NEWS REPORTS: Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand is currently the Number 1 most polluted city on the planet earth.

World Air Quality Index (AQI) Ranking


Today, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son in Northern Thailand has seen some of the worst air quality in the entire world. The Thai government are handing out N95 masks to protect people from the dense smog.

Stays in this top spot for a few months a year every year.