preahko Posted June 26, 2006 Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 >I would prefer somewhere a little cooler - Chiang Mai perhaps only cooler in the cool season...in the summer (march to may), it's the hottest place in the country, hotter than bangkok, hotter than isaan. basically as you head straight north from bangkok on any given day in the summer, the temp climbs a centigrade degree with each couple provinces you pass...by the time you're up to chiang mai you're looking at 44 sometimes, to bangkok's 40. I lived in ayutthya for 6 months a few years ago, only an hour and a half drive from bangkok, but the heat was unimaginable, and way worse than bangkok. preahko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted June 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 I lived in ayutthya for 6 months a few years ago, only an hour and a half drive from bangkok, but the heat was unimaginable, and way worse than bangkok. Thanks for the headsup Preahko - makes me wonder why so many people wax lyrical about Chiang Mai if that is the case. The conditions you describe sound remarkably similar to my current location, but I rationalise it thus : for every additional degree that we experience over Brisbane in summer, we have about 20,000 less cars to deal with - nothing like sitting in a traffic jam in 40-deg heat. I would hope that an even better ratio applies to folks in the north of Thailand - if you can be home in under 10 minutes at any time of the day, I'll take the extra 4 degrees :: Later, Artie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 9, 2006 Report Share Posted July 9, 2006 I can't believe that Chiang Mai is hotter than Bangkok. Check these out: http://www.travelfish.org/thailand_weather.php http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/weather_in_north_thailand.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Preahko is right. Reread his comments and reread your sources. They say the same thing. During the hot season (March, April, May) it generally is the hot spot. Almost always hotter then Bangkok. During the cool season, Bangkok is hotter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 To me the graphs look like Bangkok is hotter. So, I looked for some numbers and they say that they are about the same, except Chiang Mai is a little more in April. There may also be some variation depending on where the temperatures are taken within each city. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT002900 http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT002890 Chiang Mai March 34 April 36 May 34 Bangkok March 34 April 35 May 34 The charts also show that there is more heat discomfort from humidity in Bangkok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldFun Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 Looking at night temperatures(min) CM definitely is way colder most if not all year round. Not too bad really though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalenoi Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 I don't give shit for the "magic number" Had a myocardial infarct in may 2000 and live here since dec 2001. I have enough money to get around, but not enough to buy all these nice things the gf wants: gold, car, house; well they are coming slowly, she will need patience or find an other punter. I was close to dying 6 years ago, believe me money does only matter a little bit. I have enjoyed life more the last 6 years than the 50 years before that with a lot less money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Money isn't everything, but having some sure helps. The OP said he expects to budget 10% for medical (if I read that correctly). As you get older, you will probably find that your medical expenses increase. US$500K, put into selected certificates of deposit or other bonds, coupled with a little Social Security income (if the politicians don't screw that up, and you could live pretty comfortably, and particularly so upcountry. Gotta say that Thalenoi hit the nail on the head. There is no advantage to having a lot of money in the bank if you are dead. Get out of the ratrace and start living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HonoluluJimmy Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 Own a nice house free and clear Own a good car/truck free and clear Have about 210K Baht per month. I will travel in Asia for scuba diving and change of flavor punting , have a full time maid. With all the stories that every relationship goes bad at some time 1 week to 20 years I'll probably remain a Soi Slut ala Kashier King and do ST or mini GF for holidays. I plan to keep the Surin unit but she won't move away from family and I'm a Phuket thru and thru...As soon as I get a little older (18 mos.) I can say good bye full time from Hawaii as the U.S./Hawaii State Gov's will be out of my hair and bank account! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted September 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Thanks for the feedback everyone - have been away from the board for a couple of months (!) but its great to see that people still take the time to reply. Thalenoi, I absolutely agree that its not about a magic number, but I think we all try to factor in as many 'what-ifs' as possible before making such a huge leap, particularly given the (perceived) instability in many parts of SE Asia at the moment. I'll be 55 in 2014, and I'm sure that many expats were in my position 8-10 years ago : somewhere between dreaming of retirement and actively working towards it. Up until the last 2-3 years it all seemed so far off, but now it seems very close indeed. :smirk: Cheers, Artie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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