BookMan Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Spent 6 nights in Chiang Mai the other week. My first visit to the city. Loved the place, just didn't get to see enough of it. One thing i noticed, was the amount of American accents. Whether in the hotel, at a bar, walking the markets, I would hear American accents. (Some might have been Canadian). Seemed to be a lot of ex pats and also a lot of younger backpackers. In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners. Does Chiang Mai hold a special place in American hearts? Just a popular place for Americans to retire? Interested in peoples thoughts on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post transam Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted February 22, 2012 There are 5 McDonalds. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookMan Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 There are 5 McDonalds. Several Starbucks also... but i'm not sure if the Americans come for those... or they came for the Americans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jefe Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Pretty simple. There are over 300 million Americans. They should equal almost all the Europeans combined. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 There are 5 McDonalds. Several Starbucks also... but i'm not sure if the Americans come for those... or they came for the Americans Sad if they dooooooo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) It has gotten lots of publicity for decades now on a number of popular retirement abroad media organs in the U.S. Mostly categorized as a desirable budget option, but in a good way. They seem to never mention the air pollution issues. Also, keep in mind American retirees are now largely "baby boomers" meaning many ex-hippies and Chiang Mai (and Thailand) has a definite counterculture appeal to people with this background. We grew up with Thai stick and later got into pad Thai ... Well traveled baby boomer Americans of a certain class usually know of Chiang Mai even if they haven't actually been there. You can find similar types of Americans in places like Oaxaca Mexico, San Miguel de Allende Mexico (but richer), and Cuenca Ecuador. These are a good class of open minded Americans. Enjoy! Edited February 22, 2012 by Jingthing 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. Edited February 22, 2012 by uptheos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. Not to mention that Chiang Mai offers things that none of those places has. Why would an American move to Hua Hin when he can move to Florida or Mexico for the same, and likely better beaches? Not to mention for the same or better prices. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zippydedodah Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted February 22, 2012 in some part, it is due to the fact that central/south america are too close to USA, in terms of location and in terms of culture. Same for Europe. Having said that, of SE Asian countries, Thailand has a LOT going for it, on many different levels... more modern (which i personally consider a plus) than Cambodia and Laos, less restricted than Vietnam, miles ahead of Burma and for those that care, Buddhism vs Muslim as a core value. So unless you want to venture out to China or Russia or the Eastern Bloc... this looks mighty fine to this old hippy. The Asian culture and way of being in the world, coupled with lower cost of living and removal from the fear based societies of the west is a perfect combo for me. an old haight ashbury alumni 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. Not to mention that Chiang Mai offers things that none of those places has. Why would an American move to Hua Hin when he can move to Florida or Mexico for the same, and likely better beaches? Not to mention for the same or better prices. Thailand has a retirement visa at age 50 with no pension. Mexico ... doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. Not to mention that Chiang Mai offers things that none of those places has. Why would an American move to Hua Hin when he can move to Florida or Mexico for the same, and likely better beaches? Not to mention for the same or better prices. Thailand has a retirement visa at age 50 with no pension. Mexico ... doesn't. Yeah, but the girls in Mexico have bigger boobs, not that you care. Plus we all had at least 4 years of Spanish in school. It's not that hard. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. Not to mention that Chiang Mai offers things that none of those places has. Why would an American move to Hua Hin when he can move to Florida or Mexico for the same, and likely better beaches? Not to mention for the same or better prices. Thailand has a retirement visa at age 50 with no pension. Mexico ... doesn't. Yeah, but the girls in Mexico have bigger boobs, not that you care. Plus we all had at least 4 years of Spanish in school. It's not that hard. You did ? Hmmmmm, to talk to the illegals ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. But then they seem to be very frivolous with tips, so I'm not sure the prices have much to do with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. Not to mention that Chiang Mai offers things that none of those places has. Why would an American move to Hua Hin when he can move to Florida or Mexico for the same, and likely better beaches? Not to mention for the same or better prices. Thailand has a retirement visa at age 50 with no pension. Mexico ... doesn't. Yeah, but the girls in Mexico have bigger boobs, not that you care. Plus we all had at least 4 years of Spanish in school. It's not that hard. Excusez-moi, I studied ... French. Edited February 22, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. But then they seem to be very frivolous with tips, so I'm not sure the prices have much to do with this. I think that's right. By far the wealthiest people I know here in Chiang Mai are Americans. They're pretty low key for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 "In other tourist places, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Samui, Phuket, Bangkok I heard nowhere near this number as a percentage of foreigners". Haven't you compared the prices? The answer is pretty obvious. But then they seem to be very frivolous with tips, so I'm not sure the prices have much to do with this. Yanks don't tip that's why in the states they add on 15%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Americans tip well because they're exporting the tipping culture. Its seen as required and for many, that is very hard to shake. Edited February 22, 2012 by Jingthing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainiain101 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I played golf with an Australian last week, and he happened to comment that whilst there were a lot of Americans in Chiang Mai, most western golfers seemed to be Australian, European or Canadian. On discussion we all agreed that whilst we might know 50 odd golfers here, only one or two were American. So why do they not play golf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Americans tip well because they're exporting the tipping culture. Its seen as required and for many, that is very hard to shake. It all depends. I think people should tip their servers for good service but I think somewhere between 7% and 10% makes more sense. That said, I have certainly tipped nothing before, given to incredibly terrible service. OTOH, I once tipped a waitress 100% because I found her particularly enchanting. Not this one BTW: http://videos.sapo.pt/hLPL7uI3k7SbcEnUochU 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Americans tip well because they're exporting the tipping culture. Its seen as required and for many, that is very hard to shake. Yes. And the Thais (in tourist/expays areas) have noticed this phenomenon, and are requesting tips from everyone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I played golf with an Australian last week, and he happened to comment that whilst there were a lot of Americans in Chiang Mai, most western golfers seemed to be Australian, European or Canadian. On discussion we all agreed that whilst we might know 50 odd golfers here, only one or two were American. So why do they not play golf? I think they do. Check golfers in residence at clubs like Green Vally CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbrock Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Thailand has a LOT going for it, on many different levels... more modern (which i personally consider a plus) than Cambodia and Laos, less restricted than Vietnam, miles ahead of Burma and for those that care, Buddhism vs Muslim as a core value. And Chiang Mai has a LOT more going for it than other parts of Thailand (that I've seen), on many different levels. It's definitely more modern than Samui, where I'm living - and I've only been here three days so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OriginalPoster Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted February 22, 2012 Americans tip well because they're exporting the tipping culture. Its seen as required and for many, that is very hard to shake. Yes. And the Thais (in tourist/expays areas) have noticed this phenomenon, and are requesting tips from everyone. The only reason that I tip is to piss off Europeans who won't. Since it doesn't seem to piss off the Thais, I figure that it's a win win. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhawk_usa Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Being American, I never really felt there were all that many of us here in comparison to others. I always feel like there are more Aussies and Kiwis. Never checked the real numbers though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippydedodah Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Thailand has a LOT going for it, on many different levels... more modern (which i personally consider a plus) than Cambodia and Laos, less restricted than Vietnam, miles ahead of Burma and for those that care, Buddhism vs Muslim as a core value. And Chiang Mai has a LOT more going for it than other parts of Thailand (that I've seen), on many different levels. It's definitely more modern than Samui, where I'm living - and I've only been here three days so far! Yes, indeed it does. Key for me was a good international school and decent medical care...along with some (not all) of falang necessities... BKK was my only other real possibility, and while i have lived in big cities (Rio, London, Sydney, Bogota, LA), at this stage in my life, big city life is not really appealing... CM is just big enuf, but still some small city feeling... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookMan Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Being American, I never really felt there were all that many of us here in comparison to others. I always feel like there are more Aussies and Kiwis. Never checked the real numbers though. Being Australian myself, i certainly noticed a lot of Australian accents in CM also... But you hear these all over Thailand, Australian dollar being so strong, travelling in record numbers.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Pretty simple. There are over 300 million Americans. They should equal almost all the Europeans combined. On the other hand. Many of them don't know where or what Chiang Mai is. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Being American, I never really felt there were all that many of us here in comparison to others. I always feel like there are more Aussies and Kiwis. Never checked the real numbers though. I agree. I meet a lot of Aussies but meet a whole lot more Europeans. In fact I would say that I mostly meet Europeans here. I too, have never checked the numbers but I'm guessing there are a lot of Americans here but I rarely run into them. Not that it matters, but since someone raised the issue, I've met a lot more wealthy Europeans than Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Pretty simple. There are over 300 million Americans. They should equal almost all the Europeans combined. On the other hand. Many of them don't know where or what Chiang Mai is. Of course they do. Taiwan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Yanks don't tip that's why in the states they add on 15%. I don't know where you're getting your info from... But speaking as a "yank," most restaurants in the U.S. don't add on any automatic service charge, so it's up to the customer to voluntarily add a tip of their choosing... 15-20% these days is considered normal...but again, it's strictly voluntary in most cases. So in fact in Thailand, American tourists probably over-tip as a general rule. Because they're not used to or familiar with the notion of an automatic 10% service charge being added on Thai style (even if the service is crappy). But they are used to adding 15% more or less onto the total bill as is the custom back home. So until they catch onto the 10% service charge scam, a lot of American tourists probably end up double-tipping here. Speaking personally, I'd rather have the choice of tipping American style... There were relatively few occasions where I've ever left less than 10 or 15% -- unless the service was really bad and I wanted to send a message. But there were lots of times when I left more than 15% to reward good service. Here, because the Thais add on 10% automatically, I rarely add on any extra of my own... But then again, at regular restaurants here in Bangkok, the service is rarely deserving of any extra tip anyway. Edited February 22, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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