Chiang Mai news & weather update
- Thread starter kaptainrob
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kaptainrob
Administrator
Yes, an inversion layer certainly traps smoke below in our valley but fog actually clears the air of particulate matter by moistening particles which then drop to ground. Conversely, a searing hot day lifts dust particles and exacerbates AQ by mixing with smoke and vehicle emissions. This is when you'll see high AQI readings in cbd areas especially during rush hour traffic.
kaptainrob
Administrator
If you've got a spare 2 billion baht lying around .....Daytime temperatures now average around 30c, with clear blue skies, though our mornings are a tad chilly at ~ 22c.
No rain for a month already and it's getting a little dusty. This will no doubt cause a stir among the AQI watchers on Thai Visa even though we've experienced little in the way of fires yet.
The current Covid scare has caused an increase in body temp scanning although ppl are accustomed to wearing masks anyway so little has changed .... except the big Malls are desperately quiet! Could've shot a cannon through Central Airport Sunday lunch time and not hit anyone, except us. No waiting for a table at Fuji ... more staff than diners.
Many hotels are closed, large and small, even some of the most luxurious. Those which remain open were hopeful of an improved NY holiday season but that's looking doubtful. Dhara Devi, the most luxurious of all hotels is closed, in receivership, and owing millions in unpaid wages. I wonder if Chinese buyers will snap it up.... it's a massive property and ideal for further development.
กรมบังคับคดีประกาศขายทอดตลาด ‘โรงแรมดาราเทวี เชียงใหม่’ ประเมินราคาเริ่มต้น 2,116 ล้านบาท – THE STANDARD
หลังจากปลายเดือนพฤศจิกายน 2563 มีรายงานว่า ‘โรงแรมดาราเทวี เชียงใหม่’ ได้เลิกจ้างพนักงาน ปิดกิจการ เนื่องจากขาดทุนต่อเนื่อง
thestandard.co
OZZYGUY
Well-known member
Are you going to the auction?, could you do a live feed and do a bid for me please.......55If you've got a spare 2 billion baht lying around .....
กรมบังคับคดีประกาศขายทอดตลาด ‘โรงแรมดาราเทวี เชียงใหม่’ ประเมินราคาเริ่มต้น 2,116 ล้านบาท – THE STANDARD
หลังจากปลายเดือนพฤศจิกายน 2563 มีรายงานว่า ‘โรงแรมดาราเทวี เชียงใหม่’ ได้เลิกจ้างพนักงาน ปิดกิจการ เนื่องจากขาดทุนต่อเนื่อง
kaptainrob
Administrator
No wucking furries mate. PM your bank a/c details and passwords please.
BTW, feels like snow coming .... 21c here at noon today with a mild nor'easterly blowing.
OZZYGUY
Well-known member
Oh wait.........the price was Billions, not Millions.......To many zeroooooooooo's
kaptainrob
Administrator
Too many bedrooms for Janice to clean anyway.
This is the coolest 'winter' in 10 years. Usually we'd have 2 or 3 weeks of 'cold', but this year it started early December with sub 24c mornings but we're now seeing 13 or 14 here in the city! Yesterday's high was only 22.
OZZYGUY
Well-known member
kaptainrob
Administrator
It's finally warming up although it's been a good 6 weeks of 'winter' in Chiang Mai [suburban areas] compared with 2 weeks most previous years. Beautiful days though and top temps ~ 25 to 30c. Not complaining. 
Rain ceased early November so we're well into our 3rd month of drought.
The Covid scare in our province is over, all cases found and dealt with, border checks in place and virtually no incoming flights from the badly affected southern provinces. Shops and malls have tightened up on hygiene measures and automatic temp scanners are becoming more prevalent, with Makro using a video screen temp system that records every customer and their temp as you walk in... very efficient!
Had a superb seafood lunch at Fuji, Central Airport, yesterday and the mall was virtually deserted, most restaurants with only one or 2 tables occupied except for Fuji and Yaiyoi which were ~ 40% full. Even the normally popular, though expensive, Oishi buffet restaurants were almost empty. The large S&P restaurant has closed permanently.
With ~ 1.5m Thai's already unemployed the pain is just starting to show through in an increase of petty crime.
Houses are not selling and rental properties are going cheap ... one local lady found an older 2 bedroom house for just 7k baht per month ... would have been double that before covid.
Chinese investment properties are nearing completion, after 12+ months construction but they'll be empty for a long time yet. Most have been built for AirBnB type lease or on-sale to other Cn clients.
Rain ceased early November so we're well into our 3rd month of drought.
The Covid scare in our province is over, all cases found and dealt with, border checks in place and virtually no incoming flights from the badly affected southern provinces. Shops and malls have tightened up on hygiene measures and automatic temp scanners are becoming more prevalent, with Makro using a video screen temp system that records every customer and their temp as you walk in... very efficient!
Had a superb seafood lunch at Fuji, Central Airport, yesterday and the mall was virtually deserted, most restaurants with only one or 2 tables occupied except for Fuji and Yaiyoi which were ~ 40% full. Even the normally popular, though expensive, Oishi buffet restaurants were almost empty. The large S&P restaurant has closed permanently.
With ~ 1.5m Thai's already unemployed the pain is just starting to show through in an increase of petty crime.
Houses are not selling and rental properties are going cheap ... one local lady found an older 2 bedroom house for just 7k baht per month ... would have been double that before covid.
Chinese investment properties are nearing completion, after 12+ months construction but they'll be empty for a long time yet. Most have been built for AirBnB type lease or on-sale to other Cn clients.
kaptainrob
Administrator
Saturday one week ago, after 11 weeks of drought, we had an hour long downpour across much of the province. That storm front crept in slowly from Burma, in the north west and put out scrub fires as it crossed thru Mae Hong Son. With dust wetted down we enjoyed clear blue skies much of last week. Rain like this in Jan/Feb is unusual but very welcome.
By Friday, and more so Saturday, smoke was carrying across from other areas in MHS. Sunday saw a few wind squalls and scattered thunderstorms but the best was to come today. 2pm and clouds rolled over followed by thunder, now it's pissing down
Radar image is 20 mins old, rain now more widespread and should continue much of afternoon, possibly overnight.
By Friday, and more so Saturday, smoke was carrying across from other areas in MHS. Sunday saw a few wind squalls and scattered thunderstorms but the best was to come today. 2pm and clouds rolled over followed by thunder, now it's pissing down
Radar image is 20 mins old, rain now more widespread and should continue much of afternoon, possibly overnight.
kaptainrob
Administrator
Smoke obscured any blue sky today and visibility is ~ 8km. Otherwise a magic 28c day with sub 40% humidity.
Was talking to a near neighbor, a FIFO worker/expat with many years experience as an oil rig dive and safety manager. He's retiring due to covid as a./ very little work available, b./ 1 month of work can mean up to 4 months wait to get back into Thailand + quarantine ... and c./ his dive cert's will cost a grand to keep current ... why bother.
Meanwhile, life in Chiang Mai is good, as long as you weren't an offshore worker or in the tourism/hospitality sector. No lockdowns and no pesky tourists clogging the streets either.
Was talking to a near neighbor, a FIFO worker/expat with many years experience as an oil rig dive and safety manager. He's retiring due to covid as a./ very little work available, b./ 1 month of work can mean up to 4 months wait to get back into Thailand + quarantine ... and c./ his dive cert's will cost a grand to keep current ... why bother.
Meanwhile, life in Chiang Mai is good, as long as you weren't an offshore worker or in the tourism/hospitality sector. No lockdowns and no pesky tourists clogging the streets either.
OZZYGUY
Well-known member
A few of my expat friends from the biking community have now moved back to CM. Normally work in CM as local business owners, guides and one is a photographer. They cannot work but really enjoying CM life without the customers. Spending time camping with Thai partners, MB trips, fishing etc.Smoke obscured any blue sky today and visibility is ~ 8km. Otherwise a magic 28c day with sub 40% humidity.
Was talking to a near neighbor, a FIFO worker/expat with many years experience as an oil rig dive and safety manager. He's retiring due to covid as a./ very little work available, b./ 1 month of work can mean up to 4 months wait to get back into Thailand + quarantine ... and c./ his dive cert's will cost a grand to keep current ... why bother.
Meanwhile, life in Chiang Mai is good, as long as you weren't an offshore worker or in the tourism/hospitality sector. No lockdowns and no pesky tourists clogging the streets either.
kaptainrob
Administrator
^Great photos. My dive master neighbour occupies his time with touring solo on his big bike and camping out in spots like those.
CNY has been and gone, very busy at Makro but malls otherwise quiet and hotels lucky to have even 10% occupancy. We noted many BKK vehicles in town and out looking at real estate so perhaps a little action for that sector, otherwise it was a fizzer.
Superb weather continues with faint possibility of showers in coming days. If this is our new winter/spring climate change I hope it becomes a permanent feature.
CNY has been and gone, very busy at Makro but malls otherwise quiet and hotels lucky to have even 10% occupancy. We noted many BKK vehicles in town and out looking at real estate so perhaps a little action for that sector, otherwise it was a fizzer.
Superb weather continues with faint possibility of showers in coming days. If this is our new winter/spring climate change I hope it becomes a permanent feature.
OZZYGUY
Well-known member
Hows the prices looking?
kaptainrob
Administrator
Same as usual, over the top asking prices.
One 2 y/o farang owned house on the next lake went on at 40mil before Covid, now asking 28mil, which is still ~8 over the top. The house was poorly built red brick with poor external finishes, but presents superbly the way it's furnished inside.Next door dry land 2rai with 20 y/o ranch-style house on one side, sold for 13mil before Covid, now listed at 27mil .... lol.
Most of the quality homes that didn't sell due to Covid/no buyers, have been rented whilst the old ones lie empty.
Rents have come back, we get 25k, while comparable modern houses which used to command 35k stay empty for long periods.
Many new builds are under construction or about to start as ppl anticipate a return of Chinese buyers .... wishful thinking perhaps.
One major developer has gone bust leaving a condo block near Royal Flora completed but buyers unable to get title. Another site, outside our mooban upon which a canal-type development had commenced with earthworks pre Covid, has ceased as they'd only paid a deposit and finance (thru pre-sales) dried up. Moo will be familiar with the 'Pool Villas' condo development ... blocks 2 and 3 have stopped and SS handrails and other fittings removed by subcontractors who didn't get paid. This developers MO was typical of the early Gold Coast developments sold to unsuspecting NSW/Victorians on high leaseback returns. The leaseback having been built into the asking price.
kaptainrob
Administrator
Yes m8, have solid tenants, American guy with local tech business and a stunning TGF who works from home as translator for Google/Netflix etc.
We'd had many Cn prospects but the language difficulty alone put us off accepting them. Thankfully we missed out on the Jap ganja mob too, they'd taken a cheaper rental.
As it turned out most Cn renters only stayed in CM until they could return home, 3 to 4 months, many lost bonds and left homes in filthy conditions.
kaptainrob
Administrator
Smoke haze from bush fires all across the north (Burma and other provinces) has once again settled in our broad valley. Yesterday the smoke was as dense as I recall from 2012, with visibility at ~ 1.5 km's. We were on the highway south and so it was easy to measure. Dust from agriculture, building and industry is lifted airborne by the heat and adds to the haze but we're lucky there is very little chemical pollution.
The highway #11 south continues to improve, now mostly 6 lanes, nearly all intersections have flyovers and there's a massive overhead junction being constructed at Lamphun. The arterial roads around Lamphun are being upgraded and widened as more and more fruit, packaging and distribution warehouses are established. New 7-11 and CPFood buildings have a massive footprint.
Well over half of all hotels, large and small, are closed and occupancy for the balance is in single digits except for long weekends when Bangkokians tend to visit and are drawn to the likes of Shangri-La or Ratilanna hotels though even their rates have been drastically slashed. Songkran visitors are being enticed with room rates up to 90% off.
The highway #11 south continues to improve, now mostly 6 lanes, nearly all intersections have flyovers and there's a massive overhead junction being constructed at Lamphun. The arterial roads around Lamphun are being upgraded and widened as more and more fruit, packaging and distribution warehouses are established. New 7-11 and CPFood buildings have a massive footprint.
Well over half of all hotels, large and small, are closed and occupancy for the balance is in single digits except for long weekends when Bangkokians tend to visit and are drawn to the likes of Shangri-La or Ratilanna hotels though even their rates have been drastically slashed. Songkran visitors are being enticed with room rates up to 90% off.
kaptainrob
Administrator
It's not like Australian bush fire. Here it's mainly scrubland burning out of control in fairly inaccessible areas. Even the grass verges along some roads have caught alight from glass or cigarettes but they're easily extinguished.
There's barely a breath of wind and what little westerly there is simply pushes the smoke across the north and up the valleys.
AQ is worse in the city as vehicle emissions are added to the mix [220ppm] but just south of the airport we share a reading of 176ppm with Doi Suthep. Today not as bad as yesterday was.