Mae Taeng Dreams... a holiday home in Thailand?
..a holiday home in Thailand?
Holiday Home Thailand
Ever considered a dream holiday home somewhere in a tropical climate, where bananas grow at the foot of your garden, and the moonlit sky is framed with the silhouette of palm leaves & coconuts? Thailand could well be your perfect destination.
Chiang Mai is located in the north west of the country, and is generally regarded as the second capital. Less industrialised & smokey than Bangkok, Less tourism oriented than Pattaya or Phuket, it nevertheless has plenty to see and do whatever you're looking for.
Once you move out of Chiang Mai city, you will quickly find yourself in the countryside. Idyllic landscape is always in abundance as can be seen in the pictures below, not least through the ubiquity of national parks.
In general, westerners, or "farrang" find Thai people sublimely polite, obliging and friendly - even shy in many cases. "The Land of Smiles" is a commendable slogan, and well deserved: Thai's are often cited as being among the nicest people in the world. My own personal experience as a UK ex-pat now living in Thailand bears ample testament to this viewpoint. There are far more reasons to visit or even relocate to Thailand than mere economic expedience, or climatic preferences.
Most in the west are familiar with the bustling city night-life and beach resorts found in such tourist orientated cities as Bangkok, Pattaya & Phuket, which is perhaps a slight distortion, as much of Thailand - more so than most European countries - still remains a largely rural landscape. Indeed, much of the Thai countryside is protected, ensuring the future enjoyment of the land for generations to come. Yes, this is a wonderfully rich and vibrant country; soaked in centuries of culture, tradition and beauty, but take care not to overlook the more subtle virtues to be found away from the beaten track.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. Chiang Mai's historic importance is derived from its close proximity to the Ping River and major trading routes.
It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province, a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna (1296–1768) and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. The city is along the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River. Chiang Mai means "new city" and was so-named because it was the new capital, founded in 1296, succeeding Chiang Rai (founded 1262) as the capital of the Lanna kingdom.
King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296 on the location of an older city of the Lawa people called Wiang Nopburi. Chiang Mai succeeded Chiang Rai as the capital of the Lanna kingdom. The ruler wmoat was known as the Chao.
The city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall, since nearby Burma was a constant threat as well as the armies of the Mongol Empire which only decades earlier had conquered most of Yunnan, China, and in 1292 overran the bordering Thai Lü kingdom of Chiang Hung. With the decline of the Lanna Kingdom, the city lost importance and was occupied by the Burmese in 1556.
Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1775 by an agreement with Chao Kavila, after the Thai King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Because of the Burmese counterattacks, Chiang Mai was abandoned between 1776 and 1791. Lampang then served as the capital of what remained of Lanna. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance to its current status as the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok.
The modern municipality dates to a sanitary district (sukhaphiban) that was created in 1915. This was upgraded to a municipality (thesaban) on March 29, 1935, as published in the Royal Gazette, Book No. 52 section 80. First covering just 17.5 km2 (7 sq mi), the city was enlarged to 40.216 km2 (16 sq mi) on April 5, 1983.
Chiang Mai gained prominence in the political sphere in May 2006, when the Chiang Mai Initiative was concluded here between the ASEAN nations and the "+3" countries (China, Japan, and South Korea). Chiang Mai was one of three Thai cities contending for Thailand's bid to host the World Expo 2020 (the others were Chon Buri and Ayutthaya). However, Ayutthaya was the city chosen by the Thai Parliament to register for the international competition.
It has also recently positioned itself to become a Creative City, and is considering applying for Creative City Status with UNESCO. Chiang Mai is one of two tourist destinations in Thailand on TripAdvisor's list of "25 Best Destinations in the World", where it stands in place 24.
While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 160,000, the urban sprawl of the city now extends into several neighboring districts. This Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of Chiang Mai Province.
The city is subdivided into four wards (khwaeng): Nakhon Ping, Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kawila. The first three are on the west bank of the Ping River, and Kawila is located on the east bank. Nakhon Ping district comprises the north side of the city. Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kawila consist of the west, south, and east respectively. The city center—within the city walls—is mostly within Srivijaya ward.
- Historical & statistical information & text courtesy Wikipedia
Why a holiday home in Chiang Mai?
Of course, it all depends on who you are, and what you enjoy. It's pretty simple to state the obvious by pointing out the generally lower cost of living compared with the more frenetically engaged tourism sites, although that doesn't mean that there isn't a thriving tourist industry in Chiang Mai too – there is. True to say that there is less of a “full on” tourism approach in Chiang Mai, which I for one find generally refreshing; but more importantly I find everything to be just that little more relaxed.
There are many among us who when escaping the entrapment of the daily 9-5 crave a solid slice of party: nothing wrong with that and there are plenty of opportunities for such activity throughout Thailand, Chiang Mai notwithstanding. If you're considering buying a Thai holiday home however, it might well be considered that you'll be spending more than the occasional fortnight in here. For some of us (am I showing my age?) there is only so much partying that you really want to do...
Personally, I like to enjoy the occasional party - in truth they're pretty hard to avoid, so that's just as well, but I'd rather not actually live amongst a party that goes on everyday. It's nice to enjoy some quiet when it suits. From the centre of Chiang Mai, you can be in another world altogether within 20 minutes. That's one of the great things about Chiang Mai - proximity: I will elaborate. You can awaken to the tranquil bliss in your country cottage, then within five minutes be in the centre of a bustling market-place. You're unlikely to ever be more than half an hour from a busy town centre, which by definition includes all of the ramifications that statement entails; you're never too far from amenities or emergency services should you need them.
Whilst we're considering practicalities, we should be aware that whilst being accustomed to low cost properties in Thailand, it should be noted that typical house pricing in Chiang Mai is currently ~ 1/3rd that of Bangkok.
Until quite recently (by which I mean that you can still find web entries) there was relatively little movement in the affordable housing sector. If you were to buy for example, a traditional Thai house, you were just as likely to see the value go down as well as up. Many houses were of course built to fairly low standards, which is never a good thing; but remember that the climate here isn't exactly punishing – so long as you have a sturdy roof to withstand the weather, you can get by. Intriguingly to westerners there is another rather unexpected reason: Ghosts!
Many Thai's did (and some still do) believe that ghosts would occupy old houses. Rather than renovating (or even decorating) older properties, the typical thing to do was knock the old house down and build a new one, using as much of the old material as possible. Only last year I was mortified to see (directly opposite from my own home - just over the road!) a beautiful 100 year old farmhouse flattened, to be replaced by a dull, modern, tiny "same as". The BHT 3,000,000 new construction replaced what with a little TLC (maybe BHT 100,000) would easily be worth £750,000 GBP (~THB 37,500,000) had it been sited in the UK.
This trend has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, partly through a shift in the mainstream ideology (my Thai wife for example does not share many of her mothers beliefs or superstitions) and perhaps more importantly, there has been a dramatic increase in materials and labour costs. To give an example, a house built 20 years ago can today be disassembled and the reclaimed materials sold for 20% more than the entire original build value (excluding land prices). A THB 100,000 build circa 1993 might now cost something in the order of THB 2,000,000:
pretty good leverage to ward off any unwanted spirits one might say. From a local perspective, one only has to speculate that a further trend – already under way in part – is inevitable. Given the overtly greater property prices seen in Bangkok, there is already a trend towards weekly commuting.
Additionally, consider the annual floods, the more recent political disturbances, and investing in a sizeable Bangkok property might not be to every Thai workers taste. Factor in plans for the new high-speed rail link, and this scenario becomes something of a “no-brainer”. Moreover, consider what will happen now that Myanmar (Burma) has now opened it's doors? The priority of Bangkok as a trading port relaxes as product moves freely via road & rail throughout Asia. Make no mistake, Chiang Mai properties are on the rise, and will continue to do so.
