My Chiang Mai

The hybrid version of Toyota’s Camry went on sale throughout Thailand this week. Priced at 1.77 Million Baht for the top of the range model, and as little as 1.59 Million for the cheapest model. Delivery will begin next week and Toyota is hoping to sell about 4000 before the end of the year.

Toyota say that about 900 Toyota Camry Hybrids have already been pre-ordered, they do say that most pre-orders have been from Bangkok customers, though at least some will be seen on the roads on Chiang Mai.

There are three versions on sale, each has the 2.4 litre engine and boast exceptional fuel efficiency together with great performance.

The 3 year/100,000 Km warranty is extended to the battery, this is likely to be important to customers as the battery is likely to be very expensive to replace.

Whilst grey-imported Hybrid cars have been on sale through specialist importers for some time, Toyota points out that this car has been designed to cope with Thailand’s climate and road conditions together with high loads on the air conditioning system which has to continue to run when the car is powered electrically.

The Toyota Camry has enjoyed very good sales in Thailand where it has more than 50% of the market for cars in it’s class, and with good reason. It’s a fine car at a fair price.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

Many years ago when I moved to Chaing Mai I had a Suzuki Caribbean which was about 6 years old. When it was time for a service I decided to use a small local garage based on my experience in the west where it would not have been economical to use a main dealer for service on an older vehicle.

The small local garage stated that the job would cost “Not more than 6000 baht”, yet when I got the bill it was for a total of 12,500 baht!   The garage made such a mess of the service that the car drove for approx one km and stopped dead when the timing belt snapped, they had apparently fitted an incorrect belt.

It was lucky for me that the timing belt snapped.  Because they had also disconnected the oil light after damaging the oil pump. Fortunately the Suzuki Caribbean is one of the few cars where a snapped timing belt does not cause damage to the the insides of the engine.

In desperation I called the Suzuki Main Dealer on the Doi Saket road. They came out and recovered the car and after getting it back to the workshop gave me a full appraisal of the problem and pointed out that the small independent garage had not only fitted the wrong parts, they had damaged the sump, the oil pump and messed up everything that they touched. On top of that they grossly overcharged me for parts.

The Suzuki main dealer fixed everything at a very reasonable cost and I learned a lesson that I have passed on to many expats in Chiang Mai. Don’t use the small garage, take your car to the Main Dealer as it will actually be cheaper and they do a better job.  It’s not just Suzuki. Since then I have used Toyota Main Dealers for an older Toyota car and they too have been thoroughly professional and incredibly cheap.

It’s fair to say that there are a few excellent independent motor mechanics in Chiang Mai, but unless a mechanic comes highly recommended it’s safer to just use the Main Dealer for whatever brand of car you own.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

Chiang Mai zoo recently added a Snow Dome, and it’s become very popular with the tourists.

Located in the panda observatory, the 560-square-meter facility cost a staggering 60 Million Baht to build and will be maintained at a temperature of -5 degrees Celsius. It has separate sections for pandas and visitors and it will be the new home for the panda family at the zoo.

The fee of 150 Baht for adults includes a loan of warm clothing. Each session is just 15 minutes but that’s probably long enough given the temperature inside.  Only 50 people at a time are allowed into the Snow Dome so there may be a bit of a queue at peak times.  There are 12 sessions in a day.

Many Thai people who have never visited a cold country do have a desire to see and play in the snow. Perhaps this is an ideal opportunity to realize that dream?

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

Chiang Mai is well on its way to having a sub-branch of the Royal British Legion, following well attended meetings at The Olde Bell, Loi Kroh Road.

The UK charity, which helps millions of former and current servicemen and their families, was founded in 1921 and is best known as the “custodian of remembrance” on November 11th every year, and the world famous Poppy Appeal. A branch has existed in Pattaya for several years, and only a few more members are now needed to make Chiang Mai a sub-branch.

Welfare Officer Glenn Croston (left) told a packed meeting at The Olde Bell on July 22nd that membership was open to all who supported the Legion’s aims, irrespective of nationality.

Many were surprised to learn that since WW2, in only one year (1968) had no UK service people been killed in action.

Glenn is pictured with Richard Prouse (secretary, centre) and Pedr Fawkes, landlord of The Olde Bell. Colin Hardcastle (below) gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the younger generation.

Editor’s Note: The annual non-denominational Remembrance Day gathering will be held at the Foreign Cemetery, Chiang Mai, from 10.45 am on November 11th. After the traditional 2 minutes silence, traditions of respect will also be held by Seri (free) Thai and the local branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

Chiang Mai’s Noppawan Lertcheewakarn said on Sunday that she was stunned by winning the Wimbledon junior title.

The 17-year-old from Chiang Mai, who was runner-up to Britain’s Laura Robson last year, became the first Thai to win the girls’ tournament after seeing off top seed and French Open champion Kristina Mladenovic of France 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

“It means everything,” Noppawan said. “I didn’t think I was going to win here. In my first match I had five match points against me, and then today, after I lost the first set I didn’t think I was going to win, but I just fought.

“It’s good – it’s for the Thai people, and I will get a wildcard for the seniors next year so I am very happy to win

World number one Mladenovic admitted that a knee injury in the final set had slowed her down.

“Noppawan was better than me, she was in better shape than me. I had some problems – I couldn’t push up on my serve – but I tried to give my best and I have no regrets about that.

“I’m disappointed but I see some more matches for me in the future. I will not be disappointed for so long. It’s not that today I was in such bad (form) that it’s going to kill me for a while, it’s just tennis.”

Noppawan joins a list of junior winners that include recent Wimbledon champions in Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo.

Creative Kingdom,  a Los Angeles based company, has announced ambitious plans for a $650m studio and residential development in Chiang Mai.

The planned 175 acre site would include a film studio, sound stages, an animation and special effects studios, residential neighborhoods as well as a range of entertainment facilities, amusement park and sports centre.

Creative Kingdom has designed developments such as Dubai’s Palm Jebel Ali and World Islands, CEO Eduardo Robles has been quoted as saying that “The new CNX Movie World Studios will serve as the hub for Asia’s booming film industry and become one of the premier destinations for the world’s movie makers.”

The company is looking to the US, the Middle-East and South Africa for financial backers for it’s Thailand development, it has already received an eight year tax waiver from Thailand’s Board of Investment.

Thailand has several studio complexes near Bangkok, and Thailand is a popular destination for overseas filmmakers because of the stunning natural scenery, however the recent political problems and closure of the International airport have had an impact on it’s popularity recently.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

As part of an ongoing effort by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote Thailand as great country in which to get married, fifteen European couples, mostly from France, have tied the knot in Chiang Mai thanks to an event that was sponsored in part by both the TAT and Thai Airways.

Going overseas to get married has been gaining popularity amongst European couples for some time, and clearly Thailand would like a slice of the cake, so to speak.

The wedding ceremonies took place at the Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai between the 18th and the 20th of June.

Chiang Mai was chosen for the event because it’s the cultural and tourist centre of Northern Thailand, following the ceremonies at least two couples went on to Samui for a honeymoon.

The couples were all invited by the Paris office of the TAT, French tourists account for the fourth biggest visitor source in Europe, with Germany, the UK and Sweden taking the top three positions.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

Thailand’s leading shopping-complex developer Central Pattana (CPN) have confirmed that the new Central Festival Chiang Mai shopping plaza will go ahead.

The site of new shopping centre was cleared last year ready for construction to begin, however Central Pattana announced earlier this year that the plan had been temporarily placed on hold due to a perceived downturn in consumer spending and an increase in the cost of building materials.

The site is at least 50 rai and is at the junction between the Super Highway 11 and the Doi Saket Road (Highway 118), the project will feature a modern Lanna style and will be the biggest shopping complex in Northern Thailand, though it’s going to be more than two years till it opens it’s doors.

Central Pattana (CPN) had posted a 23% year on year growth with revenue of Bt2.7 billion in the first quarter of this year, the company had plans to develop new shopping centers around Thailand and also to renovate some of the older ones.

It’s not immediately clear what the future will hold for the Kad Suan Kaew shopping centre which has been home to a Central department store in Chiang Mai for many years, it’s officially the largest shopping centre in Chiang Mai, it includes a hotel, bowling alley and a cinema.  Most importantly for many British expats in Chiang Mai it also houses a branch of Marks & Spencer.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

Starting on the 2nd of August, 2009 Air Mandalay will be operating twice weekly flights between Yangon (AKA Rangoon) and Chiang Mai.

This is great news for tourists and for local residents who want to take a break to Mandalay, where it’s easy to travel onwards to many other interesting places in Myanmar (Burma).

As the main gateway to the rest of Myanmar, the Yangon Division is located in the southernmost part of the central plain and borders, Bago Division in the north and east, Gulf of Mottama in the south, and Ayeyawaddy Division in the west. Coco archipelago, which is part of Yangon Division, is situated in the Bay of Bengal. The total area of the division is 3,927.15 square miles.

If you have never been to Myanmar then it’s well worth a look. It’s a different experience from anywhere else in SE Asia and most visitors are very impressed with the warm welcome of the Myanmar people.

Myanmar has some spectacular beaches for the more adventurous traveller, including Ngapali, Ngwe Saung and Chaungtha.

Other tourist destinations near Yangon include Shwedagon Pagoda, Botataung Pagoda, Bogyoke Market and Kandawgyl Lake.

Myanmar can be very hot and humid in the summer months, and the best time to travel is in the cooler season between October and March.

Editor’s note: Our policy is to help readers with travel information. Whether readers wish to avoid Burma under the existing regime or not is entirely down to personal decisions.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

It’s now just over one month since Lin Hui, the Giant Panda in Chiang Mai zoo gave birth to her cub.  The zoo is having a competition to find a name for the cub.

The female cub’s 1-month birthday was celebrated at Chiang Mai zoo with an enormous cake.

Thailand is the third country (the others are Japan and the USA) other than China to have bred a Giant Panda in captivity.

Chiang Mai zoo is the only zoo in Northern Thailand , unless you include the Night Safari.  It’s located at the foot of Doi Sutep in more than 500 rai of land, it was established back in 1974 and it now boasts 700,000 visitors per year.

Chiang Mai zoo charges foreigners double to get in, however if you show a Thailand Drivers Licence they will usually waive the surcharge.  After you have paid to get into the zoo you do have to pay (double) again to see Pandas!

Personally I don’t like zoo’s, they are (in my opinion) just prison camps for animals and the argument that the animals are well looked after doesn’t do it for me.  However, that’s only in my humble opinion and I’m sure that if you do go to see the Chiang Mai zoo you will find it an entertaining and rewarding experience.

This article is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.