near Thanalai Road on a Saturday ni

near Thanalai Road on a Saturday night, forget it, too many kids of motorbikes, to many families take the car.
For years, a new road has been under construction to the east of the city limit, connecting the road adjacent to the airport in the north, down to the south of the city, presumably to create a ring road around (the major north south route #1 presently runs through the middle of Chiang Rai) and relieve the superhighway of the traffic that previously conjested the intersections at the Mengrai Monument and the Sri Sai Mun intersection. Much of it has opened already, there's a car dealership on that open stretch where we sold our car last summer. He's doing brisk businees, apparently a lot of locals has the spare cash for running late model autos (and used cars sure are overpriced in Thailand).

No doubt when that ring road is complete, even more huge advertising billboards will be erected, like the ones that have gone up along the present superhighway. They really changed the feel of the city. They're apparently trying to make it look like the mess that is Viphavadee-Rangsit road in the capitol.

Of course, Central Group opened the vast new shopping mall opposite the Big C site. I actually appreciate that development, it means I don't have to travel to Chiang Mai for my high tech shopping, with names like Sony operating franchisee licenced stores (the Vaio on which I'm hammering out this post was purchased there).

Unfortunately, Chiang Rai has succumbed to the very worst of globalisation, you can buy a Starbucks, KFC, basically all the crap brands from the west, right on the high street and in this new mall. I can live with Swensen's though.
7Eleven is nothing new in Thailand of course but Tesco's Express stores are. I can think of at least two of them that have opened in recent years. Incidentally, there's no Tesco supermarket in Chiang Rai, the nearest being to the north in Mae Chan. I wonder how long it will be though, the British brand seems intent on extending their empire to every corner of Thailand.

There are a lot of white faces around the city, I'm sure a lot moved to Chiang Rai in search of somewhere quieter than Chiang Mai, that city now being just a facsimile of Bangkok's pollution, traffic and big city entertainment. If they go ahead with the rail link extension to Chiang Rai, and if road links with China materialise, you can sure expect ballooning speculation in what was once a sleepy northern town. All this change in just 11 years...

In the next decade? We can sure expect more tourists, and more of this beautiful province will go under concrete for sure. Thais really love concrete, with sky blue water pipe sticking out of it. Wherever there's something pretty, and wherever a few tourists come, you can be sure they'll pour some concrete. Our house is around 15 kilometres out of the city, but the rarified flights that operate to Chiang Rai occasionally fly right over our place. I guess that'll increase. I can't complain about that though, I also make use of the airport.

I just can't see any of the above as positive changes (but I admit I like the new shopping mall). The city is the same place as it was when I first visited, but it's blighted with burgeoning car ownership and the road building progress trap that inevitably follows. However, I expect our little village corner of Thailand will remain pretty much as it is for the rest of my days. That said, old faded wood board houses in the village are being pulled down and replaced with two floor, multi bedroom concrete houses, complete with shiney gates and a nice new Fortuna (or two) parked outside, as families become wealthier.

When I lived in Bangkok, a white guy speaking Thai was nothing unusual any more... and even in Chiang Rai these days, locals don't appear that phased when I fluently order my cappuccino in Lanna accented Thai. It's nothing to get excited about now, they heard so many westerners speaking it, especially since a number of westerners started appearing in their own Thai language slot on TV.

I could go on all day, but it's bed time...