Chantra

7pm BELGIUM F1

??? Monaco this weekend, Belgium on 25 August.

7-11's should have Golden Virginia.

The best shop for rolling tobacco is the SanPet in Nathon, halfway down the one-way system towards the sea, coming from the Imm Dept direction. Huge selection.

Thanks for the quick reply, stevenl. It took my friend the best part of a day queuing to get the name changed, and I wouldn't like to ask her to go through the process again.

Hi all...I recently bought a Toyota Yaris from a friend. The car was registered in Bangkok and is currently located in Koh Samuii.

A Thai friend helped me to apply for a change in ownership in Bangkok. However, the blue book has come back to me with just my first and middle names, no surname. I'd be grateful if someone could advise whether or not I have to go through the process again and have my full name registered. TIA.

Just make sure the soil drains well. If there is any build up of moisture, root rot can hit from lack of oxygen. One of the best things you can add to the soil is some coco coir, the 'hairy' husk of the coconut. Break it up and mix it in. Adding some worm casings (available at any garden centre) will provide a nitrogen kick for strong growth. Happy growing..

Without knowing the pH of the water after it drains through the soil, it's only guesswork. However, with a slightly higher than recommended pH level, the plant should still grow fine; it just won't win any prizes. Watering and adding organic fertilizer will naturally lower the pH.

Monitoring the pH level is for optimal growth and the only upshot is that there might be some mineral deficiencies during growing as nutrient uptake is inhibited.

OK, anyone know how to check PH in soil and how to regulate that.

Soil pH Guide

Check the pH of the water using a pH meter (good luck finding one on the island). Collect some of the soil you'll be using and put it in a small plant pot (with holes in the bottom). Run the water through the soil and collect it in a jam jar or whatever, then measure the pH of the collected water. It will generally be on the acidic side, Peat moss (among others) will lower the pH; lime or even Epsom salts will raise it.

It may be enough to test that the soil is acidic using litmus paper. Depends how broad a range of acidity the plant thrives in.

The southside has a new restaurant and it's well worth making the effort to try it. Sweet Sisters (run by Detlev and Noiy) opened last weekend at the Bang Kao crossroad, just past the Alhambra rum distillery heading towards Tongkrut.

The menu stresses healthy eating with many vegetarian and vegan dishes (all fruit and veg is locally sourced and organic whenever possible), but there are a few seafood and chicken options. There's a huge variety of fresh fruit and vegetable juices and shakes that can be mixed and matched for 80B. I tried the Morning Buzz shake, an odd-sounding mango, passion fruit and mint concoction that had me slurping greedily to get the last drop, while the wife had a glass of white wine (100B).

Would we go back? In a heartbeat.

Hello, Dolgure...welcome to the island.

I'm not sure what specific 'horror stories' bluechipit is referring to, but all of the Suzuki Jeeps are at least eight years old (production stopped in the early 2000s) and have received minimal servicing over the years. I have rented many in the past and in one example the entire exhaust system fell off within the first 10 kms, the petrol tank was leaking and the brakes were dodgy. Best to have a close look before parting with any money.

The majors, like Avis and Budget, should have cars that are in better condition.

Having said that, I rented a Suzuki Jeep (Caribian) for the first seven months after I moved here for B13,000 a month. It was missing a few items, like sun blinds and a door handle, but the mechanicals were sound and I experienced no problems with the car. Good luck.

It was pretty loud in Hua Thanon as well. Thought it was a bomb!

scorpio...I sympathise; I have been in your situation a few times. Even if you could get Librium, I doubt it would help the situation.

If you feel the alcohol withdrawal might be too much for you, book yourself a three-day hospital stay. Otherwise, stop drinking alcohol and start drinking lots of water and prepare yourself for two or three difficult days (by difficult I mean sweats, delusions, confusion, insomnia). By the third or fourth day, you will feel so much better.

In my experience, there is no easy way out. Bite the bullet and get it over with. Good luck.

Thanks for the excellent info in this thread.

It's 15 years since I was last in PP, but one fond memory I have is of the FCC (Foreign Correspondents' Club) located in a lovely colonial building on the riverside. Great atmosphere and good grub at very cheap prices. Unlike other FCCs, no membership was required. Is it still going and, if so, is it recommended?

A pineapple? Gosh, with the mango tree and banana plants, I'll soon be self-sufficient in fruit. Cheers, samuijimmy.

Greetings from the deep south (Hua Thanon).

Can anyone help identify the attached? Thanks.

Best Pizza on the island -7 years on the Island, the best place is the Pizza shop next to lamai boxing, run by an italian gent, cant remember the name ...Pizza Napoli

Must disagree. I had a pizza there and it was so bad I could not finish it, and that's almost impossible when it comes to pizza. It was like squashed bread slathered with a thin layer of ketchup. Bland in the extreme. I noticed the foreigner working there and was amazed that he would allow such poor pizza to be served, but there you go.

Have to agree with insertmembernamehere. Myself and the wife ate there two weeks ago. OK base, but poor quality toppings. Spent 1,000 baht on two pizzas and a half-litre (looked smaller) carafe of freezing red plonk. Not good value at all.

Termites live underground and cannot survive in the open, so the only way they can get to your house is if there is wood touching earth. Find those spots in your property and check them out.

The ones that live in soil can also build earth tunnels to reach the nearest wood. If you see a thin earth tube on concrete leading from soil to wood, the buggers are inside. Would post a picture, but the pest control guy left just minutes ago.

The same 8 minutes.......... in our taxi from the airport in Hong Kong to central, cost HK45 or B$183.

HK$45 doesn't even cover the toll road and bridge charges. From the airport to Central costs in the region of HK$300. If the ~30km trip took Cleveland eight minutes, the average speed of that taxi was ~200kph.

Previous car (in Hong Kong) was a Porsche Boxster S. Would still be driving it were it not for the move to Samui.

Currently renting (long-term) a Suzuki Caribean. Think I prefer the Suzy...

Edited for spelling

Just what I was looking for. Thanks.

When I was living in Bangkok in the 90s, a popular snack was a nam prik pao sandwich. Just spread it straight from the jar. Add a couple of slices of roast chicken for a nam prik pao gai sanger.

BTW, would only recommend Gaew (Glass) brand for this. The other brands are a little industrial to be eaten like this.

Thanks for the reply. I know it's a prescription drug. I didn't mean to ask for anything illegal, or against forum rules, I just need to know if anyone knows a hospital or pharmacy that has stock. I'm tired running around looking for it.

Hi all...I have been taking Tegretol for the past seven years for petit mal seizures. At Bangkok Samui Hospital there was no stock, so I was advised to get it at any local pharmacy. However, I have tried just about every pharmacy in the Lamai/Hua Thanon area to a chorus of "mai mee".

Can anyone help? TIA.

Great topic...pity it seems to have stalled. Thanks for the links and the Anki recommendations.

1.What level are you at?

Basic, very basic.

2. Can you read and write Thai?

Can read parts of restaurant menus and road signs. Write like a two-year-old.

3. How long have you been learning for?

Spent two years in Bangkok during the '90s with speaking lessons once a week. Then back to Cantonese until I moved to Koh Samui three months ago. Now revising previously studied books and lessons.

4. How did you learn?

Mostly self taught.

5. What other languages could you speak before Thai?

Native English speaker. Schoolboy French and Irish Gaelic. Studied Cantonese for 18 years on and off. Can read Chinese (traditional), enough to follow subtitles on a movie.

Appreciate all the advice. Waiting until the 16th would frazzle my nerves, so I think we'll go the separate application route.

I thought I had this extension thing sorted out, but it's a minefield.

Thanks again.