ACCOMMODATION
Currently accommodation is abundant, with a surplus of flats, old and new houses. Apart from town houses, all are detached with garages and gardens. Quality and size will depend on personal budgets, ranging from 5,000 Baht to 45,000 Baht per month. It's simply a matter of choice.It is normal to rent two or three houses before becoming settled in. Numerous house agents will show a range of houses for rent, collecting one month's rent from the owner, as a finder's fee. Resorts, hotels, and guesthouses are best booked in advance via a ticket agent or via the Internet, both offer good discounted rates. Many hotels discourage walk in guests by charging high room rates.

AIR TRAVEL
Chiang Mai airport is within 15 minutes of the city center. Direct flights from Bangkok shuttle back and fourth every other hour. There are many cheap flights available by various new airline carriers. International transit passengers arriving via Bangkok are required to pass through immigration and customs clearance at Chiang Mai airport upon arrival.

AIRPORT IMMIGRATION
Tourist visas are applied for on arrival at Chiang Mai Airport. Applicants are granted a 29-day visa, but longer periods can be extended if required at the immigration office near the airport. The 29-day rule is strictly enforced with heavy penalties for overstaying. Be wary of surprise holidays, which, through personal experience, normally occur on, or near visa expiry dates.

AMATEUR LICENCE REQUIREMENTS
Full detail of requirements can be obtained from the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) web site. Formalities are becoming easer than in the past, but do require a mandatory residence visa for at least one year. Applications also require a formal no objection letter from the owner of the rented property. Temporary licence's are no longer issued. Exceptions are guest operators at the new RAST club house in Bangkok HS0AC. It is not advisable to bring radio amateur equipment into Thailand, without first obtaining an Amateur licence, and then applying for an equipment licence.

ANTENNA MATERIALS
Due to the high cost of importing commercial antennas, it is very attractive to make your own. Construction materials are cheap and readily available such as bamboo and aluminium of all sizes. Copper wire, antenna fitting, pipes, and towers are available. It does not make sense to import such items.

BANKING
All Thai commercial banks operate 24-hour cash machines. Locations are too many to list. Several, but not all Thai banking establishments offer International banking and money transfer facilities. All major credit cards are usable for cash and goods. Traveler's cheque's in most currencies are accepted.

BEST BUY – JADE –SIVER – GEMS – WOOD CARVINGS
No visit would be complete without visiting one of the above factory outlets. Items range from good value, to rubbish, depending on ones requirements and pocket . Many outlets show a short film, and a live demonstration of items being made. The wood-carving village located out of town, requires several hours to see all.

CAR INSURANCE
Car rentals are available from several international companies and will include all costs. However car ownership requires two sorts of insurance, the first one is state or nation insurance, and is mandatory, costing a few pounds. This covers third party liability only. The second insurance is optional for third party fire and theft, which covers things not covered by the first type of insurance. Premiums depend on type of vehicle, and are quite costly.

CASH MACHINES
Cash machines are available throughout Chiang Mai, all direct debit cards are accepted for a small fee from other banks. Most accept international credit cards.

CHIANG MAI UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Following the construction of the airport overhead junction, which invoked protest from environmentalist, about spoiling the backdrop of the local mountain. Major junctions have since been constructed as underpasses. Constructions of some six underpasses have been undertaken simultaneously, with severe traffic congestion throughout Chiang Mai. Due to diminished funding not all junctions have been completed. Funding or maintenance of road lighting is also severely lacking.

CLIMATE – WET - DRY
Chiang Mai enjoys much cooler and less humid weather than many parts of Thailand, especially Bangkok. Many people choose to have a second home here, and is the preferred location for retirement. There are just two seasons, one wet, and the other dry. The wet season relates to summer, which is wet, humid, and uncomfortable from April until end of September. The winter season from October to March is very pleasant especially the months from November to February. Please see weather records reachable from the main menu.

CLOTHING
Clothing throughout the year is light and casual, with the exception of December and January where nights can be chilly. Unfortunately some tourists appear to feel warm with minimal and inappropriate clothing, contrary to Thai culture.

CUSTOMS FORMALITIES
For the purpose of emigrating to Thailand, sending personal goods via sea or airfreight is best handled by an approved cargo agent. The agent will handle clearing and customs duty, and delivery to door. Duty on private cars is very expensive. Customs duty on most items including radio component range from 20% to 40% CIF. Radio communication equipment and antennas; require an import permit from the telecommunication bureau in Bangkok.

DO'S & DONT'S
These are well documented on many tourist web sites. Visitors are advised to familiarize themselves with these practical and sensible guidelines, as a respect to Thailand, especially about things not to do. An understanding of these courtesies will save embarrassment and scorn, by other visitors, and residents alike.

DRIVING REGULATIONS
Driving standards are different from western countries, and despite congestion, car accidents are rare. Motorbikes are the most likely the cause of accidents, to each other. Head and leg injuries are common. Recent appearance of the big over powered motorbikes is of increasing concern, as are small high performance motorbikes that can reach a very unstable speed of 90 kilometers or more. Very few western standard rules are obeyed and enforcement's are very rare.

EATING – LOCAL
Eating Thai style food is an acquired taste that quickly becomes habit forming. Most residents eat out several times per week. The cost is so cheap it is more economical to eat out at one of the thousand street vender stalls. Cost of eating freshly prepared food is less than thirty Baht.

ELEPHANT CAMP - RAFTING – BUNGEE JUMPING - TEMPLES
Attractions for many tourists are visits, or a few days stay at the many elephant camps. The more adventurous try their hand at white water rafting and bungee jumping. The less adventurous preferring to visit the many temple and cultural sites.

GOLFING – CADDIES - CLUBS
Golfing is a very popular sport, with many visitors and local residents. The Thais are extremely good at golfing and often carry side betting. High-class golf courses in and around Chiang Mai number around one dozen, and increasing yearly. Chiang Mai is a preferred destination for the Japanese and Korean golfers, often packing out local courses. Green fees are very reasonable, and include a caddy fee, although it is tradition to tip the caddy separately. A round of 18 holes, followed by a meal and a beer does not usually exceed 1,000 Baht. Full life memberships are very expansive.

HOSPITALS – CLINICS – MEDICALS – CHEMIST
Hospitals are plentiful and offer high quality services; these include separate dentist and eye hospitals. Medicines are expensive but all available from all hospitals and chemist outlets.

TRANSPORT – LOCAL TUK TUK - TAXI
Transport is a hot subject in recent times. The local authorities would wish to run regular bus services and close the local taxi service. This conflict has created divisions of thinking, not always in the interest of the tourists. Taxi and Tuk Tuk unions are as strong if not stronger and seem to over rule the government in its planned exit of taxis from the city center. The argument that taxis and Tuk Tuk's contribute to the traffic pollution is true, however new buses may become the same offenders in time. The outcome will be interesting. An overhead transit railway system has been proposed, but unlikely to gain support.

MOUNTAIN ROAD
The road network either major or minor is very acceptable. To be expected, few roads are well sign posted and not usually in English. However, it is very difficult to be lost for very long in delightful country lanes, with beautiful green fields and mountain views. A major highway runs from the northern Burmese border, down south and into Malaysia, from there on down into Singapore. Trains also run between Chiang Mai and Singapore via Bangkok.

NEWSPAPERS DAILY WEEKLY– MONTHLY MAGAZINES
There are several English daily papers printed in Bangkok with international news etc, followed by a weekly paper printed in Chiang Mai, containing mainly local news. Several monthly magazines are printed and distributed to hotels and to appointed locations. These magazines are very helpful for tourists as well as residents with the latest local advertisements, such as events , places to visit, and general information.

NIGHT MARKET
As the name implies, the night market is constructed each night, and removed in the early hours of the morning, each day of the week. It is constructed on the sidewalk, so is free of traffic. It is located in the center of town next to many of the popular hotels. It is fascinating to see vendors offering a wide range of items. There are several shopping and entertainment centers off from the night market, as well as many eating and drinking places to suit ones taste.

PETROL
Applicable to car renters, or owners, is the cost of petrol which has risen alarmingly in recent years. There is a campaign to reduce consumption without reducing cost. Petrol stations are now required by law to close at 10pm each night. Unfortunately this action also closes the attached service shops.

RADIO SHOPS
Several well-stocked components shops exist in Chiang Mai. These are based around replacement parts for audio sound systems and TV repairs, also parts required for university teaching. Several shops advertise equipment by ICOM and Kenwood but mainly for the commercial VHF market. Frequent visits to Bangkok; have located a component emporium where test equipment and construction kits of all sorts are available. A trip to this store can easily empty my wallet. Unfortunately radio amateur equipment off the shelf is again lacking.

SHOPPING
The number of quality shops and major supermarkets are increasing monthly. The proven formula of ample parking, draws shoppers out of town. In turn, housing estates supply a requirement for shops, with the result that Chiang Mai is expanding rapidly.

SHOPS
It seems very popular to own a shop of some description, these range from general hardware stores with electrical and plumbing items, to bicycle repair shops. Very popular are telephone and accessory shops. Upmarket shops sell cameras and boutique clothing. The number of chemist shops is increasing rapidly.

TOURIST POLICE – DRUGS
Often indistinguishable from local traffic police, tourist police patrol the night market, and are generally very helpful. Local traders are fearful of falling foul of the tourist police, for fear of losing their trading stalls. Not evident in the city, are the drug enforcement police, staffing inter county state borders for drug runners. A program of drug rehabilitation offers hope to the offender, but none for the traffickers.

TRANSPORT
Every Thai household possesses at least one motorbike. This is the most used form of transportation. The government by way of fines is trying to educate users to wear crash helmets and obtain registration. The cost of both is minimal, as is the fine if stopped at the many spot check points, at traffic junctions. This safety campaign seems to be working but the increase of new motorbike costing less than 40,000 Baht. is making driving a car safely increasingly difficult.

TRAVEL
Intercity travel, several options are available. The cheapest is the bus service; the terminal is located on the northeast side of the city for all destinations. The train to Bangkok is another solution, and a travel experience. Several trains per day leave Chiang Mai, for Bangkok, including an overnight sleeper. Journey time is about 12 hours. There are also regular daily flights to various north and south locations. Several flights have direct international destinations.

Travel by air is expensive by national carrier, but cheaper from competing airlines being less than quarter of the price. Driving to Bangkok is popular, but completing the journey to Bangkok at reasonable speed, is around eight to 10 hours no stop. The high cost of petrol, cheaper flights, and severe traffic congestion in Bangkok now make flying the 500 milesattractive.

HOME ENTERTAIMENT - TV CHANNELS - SAT CABLE – INTERNET
Apart from the local TV channels in Thai, several new services are appearing including fixed satellite, pay satellite and cable TV. All offer a verity of English programs. Internet connections range from poor to excellent depending on location. None are truly broadband at the moment. Providers fight for international traffic rights to the limited available bandwidth, and most offer some form of scratch card payment systems, based on connection time or download size.

VOLTAGE – OUTLETS
The domestic grid voltage is 240 ac, single or three phase. The regulation is extremely good within city limits, but can vary elsewhere. Socket and plug configuration is two pins and a combination of flat pin, or round pin is normal. Plugs and socket outlets have no earth safety pins, instead mainly relying on plug molded construction for protection. Power cuts do occur due to heavy rain or lightning strikes, mainly to the overhead high voltage grid system. Systems are quickly restored to normal.

I hope the information provided has been of interest, and outlines the many question asked about life in Thailand.