macsurf

I don't think it's a leak, I only smell it when they are cooking. Also accompanied by the sound of the gas / flame. But it's not just the smell of cooking food, it's definitely some kind of gaseous odor. Kind of makes me light-headed.

I'll try to close up the house as much as possible, not sure what else I can do. Maybe I need an oxygen tent inside the house!

Those cannisters of gas that most locals use to cook with....the fumes always come straight into my house from the neighbors house.

It does'nt feel pleasant. I assume it can't be a good thing to inhale. But I'd like to know exactly what it is and possible harmful effects.

LKY's daughter in-law (Temasek holdings) did'nt complain about Taksin being 'corrupt'. Bought up his shares with a smile on their faces.

And your point is?

That a clever crook is still a crook. Taking advantage of corruption does'nt leave your hands un-dirty. I thought it was obvious.

No it's not obvious at all.You need to read up on the details of the Temasek sale not just grunt out a Pavlov dog (Thaksin crook, Thaksin bad) reaction.The sale was legitimate and was supported by key elite Thai institutions such as Siam Commercial Bank.There were some tax irregularities certainly but the campaign against the deal only gained traction when Thaksin's domestic enemies saw it as leverage.

And BTW, since I was referring to the Singapore side, but you assumed I was referring to Taksin....

I guess that makes YOU the pavlov dog!!!

Woof Woof!!

LKY's daughter in-law (Temasek holdings) did'nt complain about Taksin being 'corrupt'. Bought up his shares with a smile on their faces.

And your point is?

That a clever crook is still a crook. Taking advantage of corruption does'nt leave your hands un-dirty. I thought it was obvious.

No it's not obvious at all.You need to read up on the details of the Temasek sale not just grunt out a Pavlov dog (Thaksin crook, Thaksin bad) reaction.The sale was legitimate and was supported by key elite Thai institutions such as Siam Commercial Bank.There were some tax irregularities certainly but the campaign against the deal only gained traction when Thaksin's domestic enemies saw it as leverage.

I was referring to the Sg side being crooked as well for taking advantage of a situation which they are clearly intelligent enough to fully understand.

And, of course the sale was 'legitimate' , but define 'legitimate'. Taksin tweaks the law first, then makes 'legitimate' sale.

This does'nt make it in his own countries best interest now does it? Just because something is lawful at the time does'nt make it right.

There is however some limit to the Singaporeans level of corruption ie. Do you think majority shares in Singapore Telecom will ever be sold off to a rival ASEAN country?

Not sure what gives the singaporean government (or anyone in singapore, for that matter) the right to point their finger at anyone !

The singaporeans have been fleeced by their rulers for ages for the right to own a car, to hire a maid, to use the roads etc., so the singaporean government can sink billions of taxpayers money into Lehmann Brothers, AIS and others.

When it comes to moral integrity, the biggest joke of them all is singapore!

Agree 1000%!

LKY's daughter in-law (Temasek holdings) did'nt complain about Taksin being 'corrupt'. Bought up his shares with a smile on their faces.

And your point is?

That a clever crook is still a crook. Taking advantage of corruption does'nt leave your hands un-dirty. I thought it was obvious.

LKY's daughter in-law (Temasek holdings) did'nt complain about Taksin being 'corrupt'. Bought up his shares with a smile on their faces.

Lee Kuan Yew created a new position for himself something like, 'Tutorial Minister, or Advising Minister' (singaporeans help me out here), but truthfully long retired. With salary of nearly 4 Million SG$ per year. That's more than the US President, more than LOTS of Presidents.

Pots calling Kettles black. What a joke.

I know nothing about it, however there is a gigantic hive just outside my apartment / overhang area. Will post a picture

if it's of any use.

Hi Flying,

Reading your previous post, so if my math is correct, your'e saying the minimum to buy with Comex contract is 1000 oz.s of silver or

close to 30 grand USD, and we must take physical delivery?

What is your recommended way to purchase govt. minted coins?

Thanks.

Hi Flying,

You may be right, Yes your coin may be stamped 999.

All I can say is many silver jewelry makers here have offered to stamp incorrect numbers for me.

It's not difficult at all.

Im not an expert. I do have a customer in the US who I supply silver jewelry to though. I looked into buying silver bars also. I can only tell you what I've learned from the silver jewelry factories here. Which is this; first of all the factories all buy silver in pellets and not just because it's easier to melt down. It's also purer. They say that if you buy a bar it must be mixed with something in the first place to have created that bar. Secondly they have all told me 'easy to buy, difficult to sell' this was referring to ANY form. Having said that, they buy from a shop called Chiangdao. (not sure about spelling). But I think it's somewhere at Wararot market. I can ask my wife for specific location if your interested.

If I was going to invest a lot of money in silver ( Boy do I wish I had about 2 years ago!) I would probably just go through a commodities broker.

Liquidity & storage issues solved. After all is it really the silver you want, or the profit?

Hope this helps somewhat.

The OP should consider transporting the infant the way that Thai people do, i.e. fashion a sling with a length of cloth and carry the infant close to your body. Thai children are so much calmer than western kids. Maybe it's because they are next to their parents, hear their hearts and feel their body whenever they are in new situations. Much better than being strapped into a chair that bumps along, a couple feet above hot pavement while your parents are nowhere in sight.

I agree that KSK isn't up to western standards and the OP deserves to vent. The first month we were here, Hubby hit his head on one of the low ceilings at KSK. Really hard. The staffer we "complained" to just did the Thai giggle and smile. At least she had the manners to wipe the smile off her face when I pointed out that it wasn't funny. But, (of course) they haven't raised the height of the ceilings. Hubby just has to pay attention if we go to see a movie at KSK. As they say, this is Thailand.

He's adapted and perhaps the OP's family should if they plan to remain here for a while.

In my opinion it takes a lot of gall (impudence, audacity) on your part to actually bother the 'staffer' with your "complaint" just because your husband is unable to use his eyeballs and his brain well enough to avoid walking into things.

Actually the girl at the information desk gave you some very key information (kee information!) about Thailand and you should thank her heartily! You have to remember 'TITs' after all - This Is Thailand. And she's just a body who is supposed to show up. Training ? Like with actual learning and a test ? For her salary ? Not much likely in either case. She's just a body and she did what she could with her limited abilities. Not taking the piss here, just pointing to the realities with rose-colored glasses off.

I remember being lost one day in my first month here in Thailand. We already spoke some Thai too - limited but enough to get around. I asked the security guard in front of the Thai Airways office which street I was on. He didn't know. I stuck around, made small talk for a cpl minutes, asked his name, how long he'd worked there, was it good work, etc. ? He told me he'd been there almost two years. After that I thought I'd give it another try. I asked again what the street was called - and another time only got the awkward Thai smile as he was mystified and embarrassed. IN TWO YEARS HE NEVER BOTHERED TO LEARN THE ADDRESS OF WHERE HE WORKED OR THE NAME OF THE STREET RIGHT OUTSIDE HIS BUILDING ! Two years ! I was shocked and incensed. To me it still seems like it would be of little bother to stretch the brain a little and put some information in there, but curiosity is a trait that has to be encouraged in the greater society for it to catch on. It's quite the opposite here.

Were you speaking to the guard in Thai? , Could you have looked at a map yourself?, Do you think it's in the security guards job description that he should be willing

and able to understand & speak foreign languages in order to give names of streets to any disoriented foreigner approaching him with a completely non-security related inquiry? If you were a young man working in your home country as a security guard and an old Thai man approached you speaking not a word of English, seemingly repeating a certain question over and over, might you have just replied "I dont know" ?

You were "shocked and incensed" ? Why should that be?

Could it be that you feel entitled to receiving instantanious gratification on demanding information from anyone you see fit to ask?

Maybe YOU should bother to stretch YOUR brain a little and put some information in there.

Op, How long do you plan on staying here? You are in for a rough ride.

as long as the price of palmoil and rubber paid to the producer is going up too it is ok.

Both have nearly doubled in the past 3 months.

Wife came home just now, 71 kg liquid rubber off 600 trees for the nights work - almost 3.000 Baht. One year ago that would have been less than half that amount.

For those of us who depend on income from the Euro or Pound only tough times lie ahead.

Could be a consequence of flooding in the south. Killed off alot of rubber trees.

Loy Krathong- it's a really happy time of the year is it not?

Peace on earth and good will to all men, wrong festival?

Celebrated by getting drunk and blasting illigal fireworks ... Peace & good will... Fun Like hel_l aint it?

Probably more like +++ for water/elec. in those type of places. Check the rates against actual govt. rates.

We are a family of three, me British, wife Thai, Iysha 9.

We all eat Thai food,

We do things as a family, I do not really enjoy the bar scene

I love fishing, daughter dancing swimming and singing, wife likes hair being done and eating Somtam

Would like 3 bed house either rent or purchase - with pool own or communal ( probably rent )

Will buy a vehicle of some type, probably new with warranty ect

Food & Groceries - 20K

House - 14K (incl. fees for garbage collection, pool use, maintenance fees for typical out of town 2 floor 3 bedroom house)

School - 12K (assumes bi-lingual school, but not a super fancy international school, then you will spend a lot more)

Singing, dancing, etc classes - 2K

Electricity - 2K

Car payments - 12 K

Car insurance - 2K (assumes 24K annual)

Car fuel - 2K (varies of course)

Car maintenance - 1K (Or a bit less; new car, just change the oil & stuff)

Health insurance - 60 K / 12 months = 5K (for 2 adults, one child)

Visiting home with the family once a year: 90K / 12 = 7K5

Other travel in Thailand / region: 5K ?

Maid - 6K

Clothing - 3 K

Hair dresser, beauty shop etc - 3 K

Other shopping - 6 K

Going out for dinner, etc. - 6 K (varies of course)

Hobbies & things - 6 K

Truevisions TV - 1K5

Other small expenses - 4K

Total: 120K baht.

Note to all: I'm not answering any "<deleted>, I can do this for far less!" type remarks or "You stingy bastard, I'm paying at least X!". If / when you feel you won't spend as much, or will spend more, then feel free to adjust as needed.

Yeah thats bout what I spend in total per month, I dont have car payments or employ a maid nor have a child who needs schooling and dancing lesson.

Just to clarify here's my monthly outgoings, this does not include any eating out, clothes, bars/gogo's etc etc.

House

Rent - Bt.20,000

Electric - Bt.5000

Water - Bt. 500

Miscellaneous

Food (home) - Bt.16000

Beer (home) - Bt. 6000

Missus's allowance( lunch/ciggies/salon/scooter stuff) - Bt.6000

Ciggies (me) - Bt.3000

Dogs (vets/grooming) - Bt.1000

Internet - Bt. 590

Local cable TV - Bt.300

Pickup

Fuel - Bt.5000

Service/maintanance - Bt.1000

Tyres - Bt.3500

Rego/insurance Bt.1650

Scooter

Fuel - ?? Missus sorts from her allowance

Service - ?? Missus sorts from her allowance

Tyres - ?? Missus sorts from her allowance

Rego/insurance - ?? Missus sorts from her allowance

Total Bt.102040

Easily top that up to Bt.120,000 a month with "other" items.

This does not include health insurance nor a trip home every year as this is covered by my employer.

EDIT: just noticed this is in the Chiang Mai forum, I live In Chonburi.

9000 Baht on Beer & Cigarettes??..!.. ......Please stay in Chonburi.

Click on "Forums" instead - then you get a broader match.

I don't want a broader match, I live in Chiang Mai. That's the whole point.

And btw, just tried "Forums" that did'nt work either. Blank.

Just tried 'motorbike' drop down, chose 'this forum'....result - blank.

Thanks DO. On a side note, all the ads blinding me in here seem to be working just fine.

No matter what search term I input, nothing comes up. Food, Designer, Motorbike...all come up with a blank.

It's one of those Thai peculiarities. I've been to Thai homes which have been renovated by the owners to luxury standards in the main house,

then walked into the toilet and it's like a truck-stop bathroom. Upon questioning (politely) the owner says ... ' its not important, its just a toilet'.

Bullshit

Yea right, I'm made that up just for the hel_l of it.

By the way nice articulate reply. The hangover must be banging today huh.

It's one of those Thai peculiarities. I've been to Thai homes which have been renovated by the owners to luxury standards in the main house,

then walked into the toilet and it's like a truck-stop bathroom. Upon questioning (politely) the owner says ... ' its not important, its just a toilet'.