Post: #1

I'm thinking about spending 3 weeks in Chang Mai.

I work off the internet so I'll fit in with the digital nomad scene there.

I'm 43, white, anglo, look late 30s.

Just kinda wondering what that ratio is like in Chang Mai of thirty sex tourists, backpackers, digital nomads to available women who speak some English (not including the Pro's).

Is it like 100 guys for every available woman?

I'm assuming it's going to be nothing like the Philippines in terms of ease.

I mainly do internet dating game; never been into those loud clubs.

My game is basically be white and mild mannered. It works for me.

Also, do most of the Thai women in Chang Mai shave? I prefer natural bushes.

Post: #2

I made the mistake of spending a few weeks in Chiang Mai, for similar reasons(apart from the clumps)

Generally I found it an awful city to live in mostly due to the traffic and choking pollution

The only thing I like about the city is there are a lot of cheap restaurants., and the surrounding nature is nice.

Lots of cheap backpackers and Digital Gonads in CM, most of them are making peanuts, or there are guys trying to sell you a place at one of their BS seminars on how to make a million selling Ebooks

Wouldn't know about women, not into Thais. But the women there will custom grow their minges to suit your requirements, they will probably even dye it a different color if you ask them

Post: #3

^ Concur with everything except the pollution, and "not into Thais".

I lived there for a few months late last year and the air was fine, but apparently during the burning season it is near inhabitable and many people leave.

Post: #4

I imagine it's somewhat like Chang Rai. Lots of old (and I mean old dudes) being catered to by ugly bar girls. So you have that option.

There will be an endless stream of college 7s. But in your 40s maybe hard to get much traction.

Good luck and report back!

Post: #5

(06-20-2017 05:39 AM)yellowfever Wrote:  ^ Concur with everything except the pollution, and "not into Thais".

I lived there for a few months late last year and the air was fine, but apparently during the burning season it is near inhabitable and many people leave.

I suppose it depends on what you're used to, a lot of people wearing face masks in CM at any time of year. I was there in December, I made the mistake of basing myself near Huay Kaew Road, which is pollution overload.

I got sucked in by the hype and thought it would be a benefit to be living among like minded individuals, but I soon came to learn that most of them are young people scraping by there by selling ebooks etc, or just plain bullshitters.

The cheapest major city in Thailand will of course attract some special individuals such as hippies.

Also I found that the Western women that live in CM are the type that don't want to flaunt their "Womanly Curves" on the beaches in the South - lots of land whales.

For me if it's CM or somewhere like Koh Phan Ngan, Lanta, Phuket, even Bangkok, then CM doesn't get a look in

Post: #6

Yeah same here, I had high hopes about the supposed digital nomad entrepreneur scene.

I'm sure there are a handful of legit guys there who are starting out a business on a tight budget. But I think anyone making decent money will move almost immediately. The leftovers are either wannapreneurs, hippies or other low-class travellers (for lack of a better word). Once I was in a cafe an this fat white girl was sitting with her feet on the table and blasting Jamaican music on her laptop speaker. Nasty.

It also seemed like a lot of the guys were out to scam each other, or selling their "Guide to Chiang Mai" ebooks.

I meant near uninhabitable* during the crop-burning season.

Post: #7

I was thinking of spending a month there later in the year, rethinking it now :/
Is it really that bad? What is the nightlife like?

Post: #8

(06-20-2017 10:27 AM)naughtynomad Wrote:  I was thinking of spending a month there later in the year, rethinking it now :/
Is it really that bad? What is the nightlife like?

Like most of Thailand:

1) Local places without any or very little foreigners present because foreigners don't fit in and don't like it.
2) Hooker bars and after hour clubs with hookers.
3) Backpacker hangouts.

Post: #9

The Thai officials have really made an effort to minimize burning season-related pollution. Spent most of this February and March in CM, air quality and visibility was decent, much better than at the same time in 2016.

CM in my opinion is great for food (whether it be Thai street food, vegan/vegetarian food or healthy Western food) and for fitness. Cheap, healthy and abundant is the only way I can summarize the CM food scene. Anthony Bourdain even featured it on one of his shows, Also, there are lots of decent gyms around, some costing 60 bht for a 24 hour pass (Go Gym). The muay thai scene is hit-and-miss in terms of quality, but not in abundance of places where you can train.

Constant flow of backpackers and tourists makes Tinder, Happn and Bumble probably the best options for meeting non-Thais. The backpacker bars (Zoe in Yellow, Spicy, etc. ) will attract younger Thai Farang-hunters, but for the most part you're better off meeting non-Thais through activities (elephant tours, cooking classes, kickboxing, etc). Don't have much experience with the digital nomad scene, so I can't comment on it.

Also, I wouldn't sleep on Pai as an option, worth a weekend trip as it has a constant influx of tourists. If you have any questions or need local CM recommendations, don't hesitate to PM me.

Post: #10

What are your on-line dating experiences like in CM?

Is there are large pool of women on the various sites? Does the supply of thirty men grossly outweigh the demand?

Post: #11

I'm in Chiang Mai right now. I'm having a pretty good time- I definitely wouldn't say it's a "pussy paradise" but it's a nice, very livable place.

With regards to girls, I have a fair amount of leads on Tinder, only met up with one so far but we get along well and she's great in the sack so I plan to keep her around while I'm here. I will start doing some more daygame this week- met one cutie working in the foodcourt in one of the malls the other day. Her mom liked me too and was egging her on to give me her number, haha.

There were some very cute girls at Zoe and Spicy over the weekend, I was getting eyefucked left and right...but I don't want to give people the wrong impression...this is nowhere near the same level as a place like BKK or other hotspots in Thailand. There were also, unfortunately, a lot of annoying, immature, hippy backpacker types.

As far the "digital nomad" scene (God, I hate that term). I've met a few people who seem cool are were running legit businesses. Haven't met any scammers and bullshitters yet, but I'm sure I will.

It's only been a week, but my impression is that CM seems like a nice place to post up and get some work done, chill out and maybe do some martial arts training (currently doing BJJ here). I'll post a detailed report in mid-July when I leave.

Post: #12

(06-19-2017 11:29 PM)dogthom Wrote:  I'm thinking about spending 3 weeks in Chang Mai.

I work off the internet so I'll fit in with the digital nomad scene there.

I'm 43, white, anglo, look late 30s.

Just kinda wondering what that ratio is like in Chang Mai of thirty sex tourists, backpackers, digital nomads to available women who speak some English (not including the Pro's).

Is it like 100 guys for every available woman?

I'm assuming it's going to be nothing like the Philippines in terms of ease.

I mainly do internet dating game; never been into those loud clubs.

My game is basically be white and mild mannered. It works for me.

Also, do most of the Thai women in Chang Mai shave? I prefer natural bushes.

I lived in CM for two years and was there yesterday. Henny's description is debatable but valid. It isn't the healthiest city to live in, even if you avoid the traditional burning season, unless you base yourself outside the central areas. There is an endless parade of 'Red Songtaews' that crisscross the city from early morning until 8 or 9pm spewing thick plumes of black smoke out the back. https://www.facebook.com/antiredtaxi/

I didn't have problems meeting girls when I lived there, but I wouldn't rate it a top destination for gaming English speaking Thai girls for an Anglo. What makes it worse than other second tier Thai cities is that it attracts a high percentage foreigners. If the main objective is to put yourself in a position to meet the best girls Thailand has to offer, no other place comes close to BK. If you're not interested in BK you could try other provincial cities like Korat or Ubon, but will have a much harder time without conversational Thai.

Post: #13

(06-20-2017 10:27 AM)naughtynomad Wrote:  I was thinking of spending a month there later in the year, rethinking it now :/
Is it really that bad? What is the nightlife like?

Don't get me wrong I stayed there three months and had a great time.

It's a great place to be working on something and living cheaply, and it's the easiest place I've ever been for girls.

But the "digital nomad" scene isn't what it's made out to be. And the city attracts a range of foreigners due to the low cost of living, both good and bad.

I haven't lived in any other Thai cities but as others said it would make sense if the coastal cities like Phuket or bigger cities like Bangkok would be better for girls.

Zoe in Yellow seemed loose as, and I reckon there's potential to meet a lot of the English majors by hanging around on campus. Though the king died about a month after I got there and all of the bars were closed for some time after that due to the mourning period.

Post: #14

(06-20-2017 11:41 AM)Satoshi Wrote:  

(06-20-2017 10:27 AM)naughtynomad Wrote:  I was thinking of spending a month there later in the year, rethinking it now :/
Is it really that bad? What is the nightlife like?

Like most of Thailand:

1) Local places without any or very little foreigners present because foreigners don't fit in and don't like it.
2) Hooker bars and after hour clubs with hookers.
3) Backpacker hangouts.

Try again NovaVirtu;

2) "Hooker bars and after hour clubs with hookers." Spicy falls into the hooker category.
3) "Backpacker hangouts." Zoe falls into this category and to top it off many of the Thai girls that go there are part or full time hoes.

Post: #15

Chiang Mai is my favorite city in SEA. I have a decent grasp on how it works. I'm gonna be there in 4 days. If you are down for a meet up let me know!

Post: #16

I stayed in Chiangmai for 3 weeks 2 years ago. It was pure curiosity of the digital nomad scene that drove to to check out the place. I am not a big fan of the city and found it abit boring after awhile and much prefer d Bkk. There are some hiking to do, and some cheap gyms, food, etc, but any of those you could get in any other mid sized SEA city, be it da nang, Saigon, Cebu etc..

So why do people go there? Because it's cheaper even than those cities above ( that's the main reason), and the secondary reason being there are some Internet cafes.

With regards to the digital nomad scene:
It can be scammy sometimes but not all. I have met guys who are trying to create something legit online, but I also met guys who are trying to sell $1000 dollar "how to make money" courses. To me anything that is selling "how" to make money is a scam, whether or not it is " value adding" as advertised.

There are some (many) people who are living there due to it being cheap. So they are not living the "digital nomad high life " as advertised. They are not partying the night away, popping champagne and enjoying the sun, banging chicks everynight with their cash. Instead most are living a frugal life. So I think people are mislead there, as a lot of the advertising seem to market the cool, hip dude who's good with girls, making money online, being your boss etc... Most are trying to be as cost effective as possible.

In terms of the social side, I found the people to be quite cliquish. Everyone is concerned about their own online hustles. You are better off making friends from climbing Mount Everest ( there is real camaraderie/ bond formed there). And I found some to be too much " me against the society types" even though they themselves are judgemental. There are some cool dudes out there ( check out cs on Tuesdays) but they seem to be in the minority and are there short term. Hence I think the scene would suit a more introverted person.

Post: #17

(06-20-2017 09:45 PM)ZAMSKI Wrote:  Chiang Mai is my favorite city in SEA. I have a decent grasp on how it works. I'm gonna be there in 4 days. If you are down for a meet up let me know!

Sent you a PM

Post: #18

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to consider BKK now, but I remember that city being a bit nuts.

Post: #19

(06-20-2017 10:52 PM)worldtraveler3 Wrote:  I stayed in Chiangmai for 3 weeks 2 years ago. It was pure curiosity of the digital nomad scene that drove to to check out the place. I am not a big fan of the city and found it abit boring after awhile and much prefer d Bkk. There are some hiking to do, and some cheap gyms, food, etc, but any of those you could get in any other mid sized SEA city, be it da nang, Saigon, Cebu etc..

So why do people go there? Because it's cheaper even than those cities above ( that's the main reason), and the secondary reason being there are some Internet cafes.

With regards to the digital nomad scene:
It can be scammy sometimes but not all. I have met guys who are trying to create something legit online, but I also met guys who are trying to sell $1000 dollar "how to make money" courses. To me anything that is selling "how" to make money is a scam, whether or not it is " value adding" as advertised.

There are some (many) people who are living there due to it being cheap. So they are not living the "digital nomad high life " as advertised. They are not partying the night away, popping champagne and enjoying the sun, banging chicks everynight with their cash. Instead most are living a frugal life. So I think people are mislead there, as a lot of the advertising seem to market the cool, hip dude who's good with girls, making money online, being your boss etc... Most are trying to be as cost effective as possible.

In terms of the social side, I found the people to be quite cliquish. Everyone is concerned about their own online hustles. You are better off making friends from climbing Mount Everest ( there is real camaraderie/ bond formed there). And I found some to be too much " me against the society types" even though they themselves are judgemental. There are some cool dudes out there ( check out cs on Tuesdays) but they seem to be in the minority and are there short term. Hence I think the scene would suit a more introverted person.

I'm here now. What is "cs"?

Post: #20

I'm in Chiang Mai now. I've only been here a week but I don't understand a lot of the negativity in this thread. Sure, traffic sucks and it's polluted, but after living in Bali neither of those are as bad as I've experienced before. There are a lot of good food options and good cafes. Not the best place to meet girls but I'm here to workout at the gym, eat good food, and work on my business. There are a lot of meet ups and communities in the nomad scene so it's easy to jump into that here.

Haven't decided whether to stay here my whole two months or bounce to Phuket, but so far I'm enjoying it here.

If anyone is here and want's to meet up for a beer let me know.

Post: #21

(11-18-2017 07:15 AM)tatted-mormon Wrote:  I'm in Chiang Mai now. I've only been here a week but I don't understand a lot of the negativity in this thread. Sure, traffic sucks and it's polluted, but after living in Bali neither of those are as bad as I've experienced before. There are a lot of good food options and good cafes. Not the best place to meet girls but I'm here to workout at the gym, eat good food, and work on my business. There are a lot of meet ups and communities in the nomad scene so it's easy to jump into that here.

Haven't decided whether to stay here my whole two months or bounce to Phuket, but so far I'm enjoying it here.

If anyone is here and want's to meet up for a beer let me know.

Are you actually a Mormon?, is that why you are not interested in women?

If not then there are better places in Thailand to be that actually have attractive women, in Chiang Mai the Western women are chiefly the travelling swamp donkey types who have nothing to flaunt on the southern beaches

Post: #22

cs = couchsurfing

I'm an entrepreneur (a real one, not a wannabe fake guru) and in the next 6-8 months, if business remains steady, I'll be quitting my dayjob and moving abroad to develop it further with a really nice savings safety net. Thailand is high on the list, but I don't fret about picking the perfect place.

I'll be booking a one-way flight to wherever (maybe Chiang Mai) and grabbing a cheap airbnb for a week or two. If I like it? I'll find a longer term place. If I don't? Ok, off to the Phils. Or KL. or Bali. Or South Korea. Or anywhere on the planet.

Still on the hunt for other dudes who are hoping to do something similar. It would be awesome to have a travelling roommate who isn't the typical backpacking beta loser that frequent the "DN" scene and actually has motivation to develop something and not live forever on $550 a month. Because I promise, even though that's barely possible now, it won't be forever.

Post: #23

(11-18-2017 07:42 AM)Wander Wrote:  

(11-18-2017 07:15 AM)tatted-mormon Wrote:  I'm in Chiang Mai now. I've only been here a week but I don't understand a lot of the negativity in this thread. Sure, traffic sucks and it's polluted, but after living in Bali neither of those are as bad as I've experienced before. There are a lot of good food options and good cafes. Not the best place to meet girls but I'm here to workout at the gym, eat good food, and work on my business. There are a lot of meet ups and communities in the nomad scene so it's easy to jump into that here.

Haven't decided whether to stay here my whole two months or bounce to Phuket, but so far I'm enjoying it here.

If anyone is here and want's to meet up for a beer let me know.

Are you actually a Mormon?, is that why you are not interested in women?

If not then there are better places in Thailand to be that actually have attractive women, in Chiang Mai the Western women are chiefly the travelling swamp donkey types who have nothing to flaunt on the southern beaches

No I'm not actually Mormon and yes, I am interested in women. I'm now re-considering doing a month here and considering other options. Where would you recommend? Not too keen on Bangkok--spent a week there on the way in and got my fill. Not a big fan of mega cities. Thinking maybe Phuket...