harsu

A Mynah bird - you lucky thing. We looked into getting one a little while ago, but ended up with a Jenday Conure instead. But you're welcome to the info. we found out about their dietary needs.

Mynahs have an iron storage disease so they need to have a certain type of diet. You can't feed them parrot food/pellets - only the soft bill/pelleted food for Mynahs - this is because this has a low iron content only. They also have no crop so you shouldn't give them seeds.

Their problem with iron also means you should only give them fruit that is not too acidic (high in Vitamin C which increases the absorption of iron from foods). Fruits such as limes, pineapple, oranges, lemon, grapefruit, pomelo, avocado and apricots shouldn't be given.

Don't give them RED meat either.

Give them fruits such as apples, water apples, pears,melons,grapes, bananas - make sure you get rid of seeds and pits before you feed them to the bird- and they're not worried if they don't get a lot of variety.

Fresh water, non-acidic fruit and Mynah bird pellets will keep it healthy.

Enjoy.

YOU CAN BUY PELLETS WHICH WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH.YOU CAN SUPPLEMENT THEIR FOOD WITH FRUIT ,THEY ARE SOFT BILLS SO THE DO SHIT A LOT BUT GREAT TALKERS.HOPE THIS HELPS JIM

Many thank's. Yes have got the pellet's pinky/red, and give it fruit mainly banana's as I get them for free. "Talk" the Bloody thing doesn't stop pick's up anything/everything in minute's. One good thing to come out of it all, is I'm now opening a shop selling Gua'no. Fred.

Here are my observations based on our dogs.

If you are moving to the North of Thailand where we have a 'winter/cooler season', you may find that your dog continues to develop a winter/seasonal coat which is then shed in Feb./March followed by the normal coat shedding throughout the year.

Elsewhere -as a heavily coated dog - that will probably spend a lot of time in the shade/by a fan etc- you may find that he/she will eventually adjust to the lack of major changes in temp./weather and just shed constantly throughout the year to maintain a healthy coat, hopefully without a thick winter coat build-up.

We have greyhounds and they shed more noticeably here than in the UK - this is probably because their hair is more obvious on tiled floors - but they don't get as much soft 'downy' undercoat in the winter (Chiang Rai) as they used to. My family's other dogs are white Alsations - have acclimatised fully and have no winter coat build- up, and a Doberman who spends a lot of time outside, and he hardly seems to shed at all.

A lot of the local heavily coated pet dogs are routinely clipped as soon as it starts to get hotter here.(And, up here in the cold North, most local Thais put winter coats on their dogs ,irrespective of breed, when the temperature drops below a scary 24.C)

In other words, I think it''s going to depend on where you're moving to, the lifestyle the dog is going to have, and the individual dog and how long it takes to acclimatise. Unfortunately, the coat brush may still need to be in daily use. Good luck with your move.

Qatar Airlines gets our vote - my daughter is (literally) just driving up from Chiang mai, after a round trip back to the UK (to Manchester) via Bangkok and Doha with the main carrier as Qatar. Won hands down on staff friendliness and helpfulness, quality of food -she's kept the menu to show me - and efficiency over B.A, KLM and quite a few other airlines she's travelled with. She travels economy class. The only slight criticism she has was that at Doha, you have to transfer between terminal/plane by bus. It was a little bit more expensive than her other two options, but that was because she wanted to fly from Chiang mai, going through Immigration there and just navigate Suv. BKK as a transfer passenger without the possible problem of lengthy Immigration delays and luggage to move around.

I am invariably 'well intentioned' ,albeit misguided.

VF. the Bike hash is nothing - absolutely nothing - like the 'proper' hash, it simply got the name because a couple of people who started it up also go to the HHH. Someone plans a route and once a month a small group go out to enjoy the ride. They don't follow a paper trail, just go out with the pathfinder. T. says they have been to Doi Chang, last month they went the back tracks behind Mae Yao/ Bandhu, and they go for a coffee or meal afterwards. I am told it is very sociable and civilised.

And - I know- I'm still off topic because this post isn't about paved road cycling;this is about pleasurable cycling in C.R's lovely countryside away from traffic fumes. Much nicer.

I wouldn't be so hard on 'harsu'. She was well intentioned after all.

Confirm that it is member of the Dipterocarpus family.

If the 'wings' of the fruiting body/seed were brightish pink when fresh, it is probably Dipterocarpus obtusiflius (called ยางเหียง in Thai) which grows up to 28m, has big broadly oval shaped leaves -which are hairy when young-, greyish very cracked looking bark and vivid pink flowers in Nov - late January. It's one of the main trees that make up dry dipterocarp forests in northern Thailand.

The other Dipterocarpus with very similar fruiting bodies is D. tuberculatus (พลวง ตึง) , but the leaves have a rounded or heart-shaped base, the flowers are pale pink-violet with a darker red-violet colour on one side only - flowers slightly later in Feb - April, and the fruiting body/seed has 5 lumps between the wings at the top where they join the 'round bit'. Tree grows up to 30m, and it is not a common tree.

So it's probably the first one.

If you are interested in trees - even if it's just to have the satisfaction of being able to say 'I think I know what that is' and you can get hold of a copy, I would highly recommend a paperback 'A Field Guide to Forest trees of Northern Thailand' - and I think they also publish similar guides to other areas of Thailand.

The Chiang Rai Hash House Harriers have a bike trail once a month - usually a combination of road and some good surface tracks .If that isn't for you, I would still recommend going to their webpage (or P.M. "Soap' who posts their reports on here who could probably give you the gents. details), as I know the person who maintains the site is a keen cyclist and would, no doubt,be able to put you in touch with like- minded individuals.

We found it very pleasant this afternoon to stroll - and buy - in the coolness of the centre. Sometimes you just need a bit of relief from the May claminess. Also noted that there are now at least 4 disabled car parking spots and upstairs by 'Mr. Donut" (?) there are now two very nice wheelchairs and a baby pram to borrow if you have the need. We have also found that the fruit and veg. stalls downstairs offer really tasty quality stuff, and that places such as 'เอา เอา' (who have shops elsewhere in the town), haven't put their prices up just because of their location.

We're willing to be the 'back -up' site.

Now that we have had our first pot luck at a house, any comments, preferences, etc. One thing seem quite apparent. Even if we have it at someones house, their is an apparent preference for moving it out of doors (assuming no rain). I am assuming if there was heavy rain the attendance would be rather sparse to non existent anyway. Looking for some possible sites for the next one but is there anyone that wants to volunteer their house as a back up? :jap: We can always take our chance with the original site and pray.

Thanks to lannaman for opening up his house/garden for all of us and to everyone else who came along to make it another very pleasant afternoon with some scrummy food as added bonus.

Some other places to consider (for variety) are Aye's deli shop (down the alley beside De Vinci's Restaurant almost opposite the entrance to the Night bazaar,) or the Dusit Island Hotel has a small bakery shop to the left just inside it's main foyer. There's also the new Tops supermarket in Central and the japanese(?) bakery (begins with a 'y') on the left hand side of this Tops -both do a nice wholemeal that isn't sweet and has crusts. They also do bags of bread cut -offs which I intend to try using for bread and butter pudding - not for this pot luck though.

The Tourist Inn is OPEN, I have been buying my bread there daily . There were some renovations to the kitchen area at the side of the hotel. The bread ovens were even put out into the soi on the side of the hotel to make sure her customers got bread . Then after a couple of weeks of baking outside in the small soi , the ovens were moved to the front of the building next to the outside seating area at the front of the building.

The Kitchen is now finished and the ovens are back inside. I know at times she has problems with the demand for her Fresh Bread. They also make different types of bread, croissants, Dutch apple Pies, Burger Buns as well.

Thanks for the update there, SHS1. I guess I wasn't looking at the side when I drove by....only inside and saw no one. Good to know. However, everytime I tried calling, no one answered the phone. And it is the same # as I used before. I will keep trying as I really like their bread. I will also try the other bakery north of the new clock. Again, thanks for the info....ett

We only use the Namkok for boating, but have seen lots of fish spry in the shallows, some big catfish and little silvery fish - can you tell we are not experts? Most of the locals we see fishing are doing so in the ponds and monsoon drains, but we sometimes see people with rod and line on the river. I think the fishing season is January till May, but my advise is to go to the 'Fishing' sub-forum on here- you will find it under the main heading 'Sports, hobbies and Activities Forum', I'm sure someone there will be able to give you proper advise. Good luck.

many fish the river with nets and sometimes you see the odd Thai with a rod.

I have never been stopped ,questioned, fined or anything when I have thrown the line in.

I think its ok to fish and if your lucky you may catch one . Try the local lakes, they seem to be

the places many Thais do fish from .

We'll see you there. Thank you for offering an alternative site for this.

All very welcome at my house for next Sunday at 1 o'clock.

There's plenty of room and parking no problem.

I'll post a map and directions later in the week.

We took a chance and went to Chiang Saen today. Boat racing (!). Some in morning, more in afternoon. About a kilometre course -two very long boats each race. Great fun. Lots of noise, mass picnicking and food stalls along the Chiang sean side of the Mekong. Parade of floats, drums and a final flurry of water blessings via hose pipes, buckets. Believe there is more tomorrow.

Looking for information about the 4 nation boat races. have been on all the official tourist sites i can think of but info. is patchy. So far I've gathered they are near Chiang Sean and possibly on the 16th/17th/ 18th of this month. Any further clues would be welcomed.

Took a ride today. Thanks to the Harsu gang for showing us the way to some cool stuff. I hope they can go on future trips with us. They are good company.

Riding, sightseeing, eating, drinking coffee, self guided tour at Doi Chang and visiting. What a complete day. We didn't get wet. Took in the zoo, the reservoir and the reservoir dam, DC, the bakery and, up high, took in some smoke when the mountain was burning. Two of the more adventurous riders struck out for home the back way from DC. I'll give that a route a try next time, in the not too distant future.

Great company today, as always. We were missing a few of the previous riders and gained a few new companions on this ride. Super people to spend time with, all of them.

Thanks for sharing the trip photos.

It reminds me of our visit when we say you both :jap:

You'll have to make a trip with us one of these days. Always a nice day of getting to know people. For me, it really is about the folks more than anything else.

Lannaman - please don't feel you need to apologise. It was just me pulling your leg. I always try to be the photographer not the photographed one! J. says I should have used a smiley face - here it is- belatedly.

lannaman, I demand a removal of me drooling over the pie. What a horrible photo!! Reality hurts. Next time I'm wearing a burka with pie slot. It was a nice day though.

Cannot remove, If you have a camera next time I'll be hiding!

With tail between legs Lman publicly apologises.

Click on "My Settings", proceed to "Manage Attachments", check the offending image and then delete. Easy-peasy, you have learned how to do something new.

You can even replace it with a photo of a burqua...no one will know it is not her.

I agree about the dedicated parking Harry, we found two spaces by the lifts in the middle of complex that have w. chair only parking, but couldn't find any more than that. But- aside from that - Central seems to have done well. We did a recce before taking our 'user' and found three lots of lifts that are big enough for w.chairs of any size and manoeuverability room as well! So you can turn around and face outwards once you're inside. The disabled loos are nice and roomy too. The aisles in Robinsons aren't too close together either. So it gets my family's thumbs up.

Agree about the wheelchair facilities except for one thing... or maybe two. There is currently no dedicated wheelchair parking and they told me that is because they did not think there were many people in CR with wheelchairs. I need it as I have tho be able to ener my vehicle with a wheelchair so needs space on the right hand side and space at the back for my lift/ Also the security had no idea where to go and took me to 5 non accessible doors before I got to one I could use. I now know where to go but a little signage and training would help.

Of course it takes time for people to realise that people in wheelchairs can drive and manage by themselves without having to be driven everywhere or left at home as it is too dificult. I was a little disapointedas i know how good Central is in regard to access generally ans is Tesco and in its newer stores BigC.

lannaman, I demand a removal of me drooling over the pie. What a horrible photo!! Reality hurts. Next time I'm wearing a burka with pie slot. It was a nice day though.

First time out with the bikers of TV Crai, and a most enjoyable day it was with the best of company. Here are the promised pix, just look at that lady drooling over the lemon pie!

For those wondering what kind of female company their wives may have on this trip, my wife says she believes she will be going. But because it is a lengthy ride, she will insist we stop often for a rest. She and I will stop when she needs to stop and if we have to catch up to the others later, that is no problem.

T. came by late p.m. with a map , but missed you. He will drop it in tomorrow (with full instructions) .......if you're not in. The apple or mango cheesecakes at the half-way stop are to be recommended. Enjoy your ride.

We will drop off the precise directions to the routes to Kandahar and Woraphat. They're very straight forward. probably tomorrow if that's not too late.

I like the harsu suggestions. Is it straightforward as far as directions?

Didn't like that, and a few little shivers since. Anyone know where it was centred?

My first

Been though many and i would say that was a 5.8 not too severe a shaker is what we call that type. The other type is a roller.

You could leave a PM for Woraphat on the forum - I can't remember if she has helmets in her shop, but she's certainly got all the other proper protective gear for biking.

Try the shop near Da Vinci restaurant on the old bus station road, its a few door up from the Tesco Lotus Store, on the same side .

Another suggestion. Took the 3037 up past Wawee (วาวี) today in the truck. Turn off the C.M road at Ban Huai San. A longish drive. Major curves and hills but all paved (except for one 75 metres stretch being repaired). No pot holes. Should be great on bikes but not in the rainy season as the hill sides look subject to slides and some of the bends are bendy! First part takes you around and over the end of the big reservoir.

Pine trees, bananas, tea shrubs, lots of native poinsettia and water buffalo. Only saw two vehicles on the way up. Air quality wasn't so good so views not as spectacular as I'm sure they can be but still some fab. vistas.

Very Thai/Chinese area like Mae Salong. Had a refreshing pot of oolang (and another family member had the strongest cup of coffee ever and is still buzzing now)at the Lao Lee resort 4 km past Wawee. Spoke to some people originally from Taiwan but who now grow tea up there. Then headed back to Chiang Mai road and fav. resort for strawberry cheesecake before home. Good trip, lots of different vegetation, lots of places to stop and look.

The Wawee road signposted a turning off to Doi Chang along the way but we don't know what condition this linking road is in. If it was good, you could do a round trip rather than going back the same way. As it was it took less than half the time to come down as to go up, and, anyway, the views were worth it.

I haven't been on a motorcycle since 1975, I'm dangerous enough now on a bicycle. But I'll be happy to look out for more routes from the comfort of the truck.

So dust off your Saddle bags Harsu, and lead us on that trip (those trips) . T can stay home and do the chores for the day

Somewhere else that is a nice easy (rainy season)drive is to go down to Chiangrai zoo off the old C.M road (stopping to say 'hello' to the toucans and talking mynha birds) then back down to the C.M road where you have the option to head up to Doi Chang coffee up the hill if it's dry, or to go a little further along the main road to access the dam/ reservoir off to the right for a breather/coffee/ lunch. After that it's down to Mae Suai to stop off at the Charin resort on the left hand side of the road who do great cakes. Then it's straight back up the road to home. Should take the best part of a day at a very comfortable speed. The roads are all paved. Another nice route is to go up past Doi Tung and visit the captive breeding place and the Arboretum, then carry on over the hill to meet back up with the superhighway near Mae Sai. You need to take I.D with you if you are using this back road as there are a few military guard posts. Great views.

Nice offer Harry. Thanks and keep us posted.

raylo just joined the long list of guys who are more interested in my ass than I am. I don't understand it.

VF's statement, the original, basically said the request was redundant because of previous posts. And it was a bit redundant. But the statement with the word "redundant" wasn't an attack on TB, as near as I can tell. Maybe just a not-so subtle reminder to pay attention. The same statement would have fit me in lots of instances in the past. I don't see what the grumbling is about.

I agree with having trips that involve local attractions. I discovered the elephant camp on the last ride and today, my MIL, FIL and Aunt IL went out there with me. They had never seen it. FIL and his sister went for the 30 minute elephant ride, in the river and all and had a blast. So, discovering the local stuff gives my butt a rest and allows me to stretch my legs and it gets passed on to a few elders who have never seen some of these things. BTW, the FIL insisted on taking his machete on this trip when he heard we were going to see elephants. I don't know what he thought we were going to be doing but the wife could not talk him out of taking it. Cracked me up. Anyway, I think these three senior citizen Thais enjoyed the camp more than the youthful tourists that were there.

So, I think woralak has the next ride on his plate, in the CK area. Is that right? If so, I'm in but will go up the day before. If anyone wants to join up and go together the day before, let me know. I do know rooms aren't too expensive there. Maybe I'll just take a hammock and hang out out someone's house where I can get a shower. Can't speak for the wife at this time; don't know if she will go or not. Will have to wait until we get closer to the date.