masuk

The proposal was raised out of concerns that squat toilets are to blame for a rise in osteoarthritis of the knee among Thais.

How many hours per day would you have to spend squatting on the toilet to have any affect on your knees. ??

They not only affect my knees and hips, but make reading so difficult!

The last sentance " Thaweesak said Thai people should ALSO improve their driving, what an ffffing joke. One of the most STUPID I have heard in a long time.....WARN tourists about Thai driving habits, another FFFing joke---

It should read--Please take extra care if you drive in Thailand as it is very dangerous. Driving tuition here is near non existant, like Air Asia slogan---anyone can fly------The roads here -slogan Anyone can drive.

I remember when I learned to drive (60s) you where told to think that all the other people driving where idiots so be careful good advice which has kept me safe so far

We are in the land of driving idiots so be extra careful

I taught both my kids to drive over the past few years (the system here now requires that learners receive one hundred hours of logged instruction prior to testing) and instructed them that, whilst they know what their own next move will be, they should ALWAYS assume the other driver is going to do something unexpected.

It's good that the LAW says trainee drivers should have 100 hrs of instruction, but how many observe this?

BTW: where the hell are the "P" plates?? Why don't they use them?

" many foreigners injured in traffic accidents thought all Thai motorists must stop at a red light, but when they did that they had a collision."

Who would have thought it .

That's a bit like expecting drivers to stop at a zebra crossing, and almost no one stops. As we all know, it's a battle of wits. The approaches to a zebra crossing are not even indicated on the road - just a small sign on a post.

Certainly, people should have it CLEARLY point out the difference between normal driving habits, laws and courtesy and what to expect here.

I was nearly wiped out on my motor bike, when I went to the centre of the road, signalling that I was going to turn right. Just in time, I looked again in my mirror, to see a truck hurtling past on my right.

I was told that it's a good policy here to pull over to the left, and then check both directions before driving across.

Thanks. Saving me buying fresh supplies next time I'm in Oz. It's probably heaps cheaper here too.

Interesting tho, that the front of the bottle is in Dutch/Belgium. Is it made in Thailand?

Best little restaurant I've been to in town is "Butter is Better".

Did you look for a source? Aedes likes clean, still water.

The source is other infected people, its not surprising that four people living in the same area caught it. The mosquito is just the vector.

The standing water is the mosquito breeding ground - still water, as you said. That is, unfortunately, just about everywhere in Chiang Mai.

There are outbreaks of Dengue in the northern cities of Queensland, Australia. Most cities have a 'mosquito busters' team, and as the mozzie concerned only travels up to 150 metres from its breeding ground, once this is located, the area is santised.

There are annual campaigns reminding people not to leave out old tyres which hold pools of water, pot plants with saucers and the like.

Singapore goes a few steps further, with active inspection of domestic areas and heavy fines for those who have water containers outside.

Obviously not feasible in rice growing areas.

RGS, Sorry, that should have read "here" not there!

Why a 3-month non-imm O? Why not a 1-year and convert to retirement a year later? Easier to get a 3 month?

Since getting a retirement visa on this side of the world seems to be blocked, anyone know how difficult it is to get a non-imm O from Dublin?

Ok matey, some of our experts will pick up on this and reply.

From my own point of view, why pay the extra momey for a 1 year visa, with all the strings attached to it, plus the BS of doing 90 day visa runs?

Sorry, reporting from Bkk not the Emarald Isle, it would seem to me, easier to get a 3 month Non Immi O in Dublin, then come to Thailand, one month before it expires, go to CW in Bkk and extend on the basis of retirement.

Where is your money, Thailand or Ireland?

In Ireland.

Well, the original logic was to get a retirement visa, avoid 90 day runs, keep the money in Ireland, leave before the year was up and return before the visa expired, get another year stamped. Essentially, 2 years without tying up any money in a Thai bank for several months every year. Then, on year 3 move the money to Thailand if I wanted to continue living there. As far as I was able to find out on this forum, the retirement visa was the only one that didn't require you to leave the country every 90 days.

All things considered, I'd rather do a 90day visa run up to Burma, than spend a day in Chiang Mai Immigration office.

Surely it's better to go a (working) day or two earlier, rather than risk a fine? Just be thankful you don't have to do a visa run, if you're referring to the Immigration office.

but surely every tourist must know that an International driver's licence is required?

You can't waltz into another country without one.

I must plead guilty about not having a motor bike licence tho. I drove one in Indonesia for years and no problems.

We've also found that it helps to top-up the battery-water regularly, as it seems to evaporate much faster, than we were used-to in the UK.

An Aussie mate, from the Northern Territories, says he never expects much more than a year from a car-battery operating in the tropics.

I bought a Honda Swift 2 months back, and was amazed to fund that they had uinstalled one of the old lead-acid type batteries. nonrally sealed batteries are fitted to new cars.

However, I lived in North Queensland and drove a KIA for more than 4 years, and the battery didn't ever give a problem.

I should imagine that using distilled water and keeping a lead-acid battery topped up would help a lot. I buy 2 litre bottles at Tesco, in the steam iron department!

I once 'lost' a battery in Australia when the garage used tap water, saying it made no difference. I had to replace the battery, and it wasn't with that guy!

This sounds so nice.

any chance of such events being posted on this site in future?

On a slightly different matter, we seem to miss out entirely on the British Council film program, ditto the French and if the USA have an equivalent, that too.

We used to get these in different cities in Indonesia, so why not Thailand?

same here. details please.

Yeah, rereading it, you're probably correct. I am used to a country where police officers actually work alone and don't use swarms of officers at checkpoints.

I think the problem is you come from a country where they have a police force in the true sense of the phrase.

I would like to think so anyway. Actually, in the U.S. checkpoints are illegal as they were deemed an unconstitutional infringement on the rights of the innocent individuals.

I think in the UK they're sometimes used for things like checks on heavy goods vehicles or other specific targets. Speeding is usually through mobile or static cameras. Patrol vehicles which are sometimes unmarked are used a lot. These have cameras which give evidence of violations including speed. Of course this means there's almost no opportunity for corruption and it's not just your word against the police.

I often wonder how static cameras would go here. Australian states have them at traffic lights and on highways, to check speed and also red light runners. They provide an incredible income and finance the building of new highways. The fines really hurt, and then there's the demerit points. On the Gold Coast (QLD) a battery of speed cameras have just been installed, facing away from the traffic. They take their photos as you pass through, and you'd have no idea until the mail arrives 3 days later.

The busiest intersections here in Chiang Mai have on average 4 to 5 vehicles which run through the lights until they're forced to stop by the legal green light stream. I would never try to take off too early when the light turns green! There seems to be total disregard for any laws.

They'd be unpopular with the b.i.b. here, as revenue from fines is paid directly to the state, not to tea funds.

Hopefully the next stage will be to start clearing footpaths of motorbikes for that lowest of species, the pedestrian.

I'm waiting to see a "cutting in front of other vehicles from close range" checkpoint.

Me too! I experience about 5 of these incidents every time I drive into the city.

I've seen a few near-misses and often wish I was driving a tank (armed of course).

What the 'ell is the hurry with these guys? they swerve in and out of traffic, fill the 'safe' gap between me and the car in front, and then rush off to do the same to the next car. I often see them waiting at the traffic lights, about 2 cars in front of me.

I discovered that ants liked to nest in a keyboard I had put away; I took it apart, vacuumed up ants and eggs, put it back together and no problems. Saved myself at least $3.00 by not having to buy a new keyboard.

Of course, could be a Casio has a built in keyboard.

I thought it was illegal to advertise properties and not show the actual surroundings.

In these cases, a few hundred kilometres of power and phone cables in front of every building.

I seem to remember that Singapore was worried about the obese kids growing up there, and sugar soaked soft drinks got a good bit of the blame.

I think they either had the sugar levels lowered or bought in a sugar tax.

The lower-income folk in Australia love their coke, and they can be seen waddling out of the stores with trolleys loaded.

Try to buy sugar-free anything in Thailand is so darned difficult! Even a pancake mix I was about to buy had a huge amount of sugar in it. Yup, make my own!

Some countries have been discussing having LARGE sugar-content labels on goods, as the risk of diabetes is increasing.

Sounds like condo time, but then again you get noisy neighbors or a beer bar next door with music until late

That doesn't necessarily help.rented new place in Condo, was told by land lord that dogs are not allowed and there is a "management which cares" in place, only to find out that I have two tiny but very noisy "rats on leashes" almost next door.And the landlord now saying that he "can not do anything about it".

I moved into a condo in March last year, and 2 weeks later they started to bulldoze the site in front.

After many months of banging, clanging of steel form-work, roaring diesel engines, I gave up and moved out.

They're due to finish in April, and then start on an office block at the rear!

Singapore also 'does' a nice, well-lit Chinese New Year.

As one writer suggested, this is Thailand, not China.

Personally, I enjoyed my first ever Thai New Year festival (Songkran) in April, and as they were hot days, a few buckets of ice water were welcome.

As for comparisons to Chinese and Thai, I found the Chinese in Shanghai, rude, pushy and even worse on the roads than here. At least in Chiang Mai, I've never been forced off a traffic light-controlled zebra crossing by a horde of motor cyclists!

I wish they'd have a better link-up with their overseas flights to and from CNX-KUL.

Quite a bind having to arrive at KUL at 13:00 and wait for a 20:00 departure.

Their hotel at KUL is not exactly cheap, but works out ok when you subtract the taxi fares. .

Ground chicken balls with a nice juicy antifreeze filling........

I hate barking dogs and forbid mine to do it. But what you suggest makes me highly upset.

Yup; all they need is correct training. Blame the owner, not the dogs.

I've tried discussing this with her, but she says she is totally unable to do anything with them.

She really needs help.

The only chance you have of acquiring absolute peace and solitude in Thailand, is to buy a 10 rai plot of walled off land and build a home smack in the centre of it.

Good luck with your quest.

Apache gunship or SAM battery

Don't worry, the paramotor a$$holes will fly over at sunrise & sunset

You should check the 'slingshot' topic, could give you some ideas.

Something more like this would be OK

Sanpatong market or maybe Chatuchak in Bangkok?

Oerlikon maybe?? I've actually fired one of these!! Great fun.

The slingshot sounds an idea. Aim for the stern and see what happens. they're totally illegal in Oz, but I've seen them on sale in most of the markets here. Now, where can I buy marbles? Maybe that's too obvious. lots of stray stones about.

However, I'll also check out those places mentioned. I'm just off highway 1001.

I don't live in a moobaan but a stand alone house, we have soi dogs of course, however they are not noisy except when people that don't belong turn up. That is actually rare, soi dogs are helpful creatures that everyone feeds, they are just doing their job. Also those uPVC doors and windows are a lot quieter than aluminium, when the a/c is on really don't hear much at all except new year.

I also give our two soi dogs snacks each morning, and they're as friendly as could be. It's the gated pooches (and or the owner) in need of training!!

Maybe this is wishful thinking, but after some months of uncontrolled pooches howling and barking 24/7, I've just about had a gut full.

Is there such a place in Chiang Mai which is sensible enough to allow residents some peace and quiet and either bans or strictly controls animals?

Don't get me too wrong: I have always had a dog, but in a place where there were dog licenses, restrictions on how many per household, noise control, etc. But I DO like to get a reasonable night's sleep, or even watch the Telly without having to turn it up to overcome the noise.

Does anyone have any suggestions about a nice quiet moo baan, or am I going to have to look for a condo?

One thing I have learned - if a perfectly nice place has not been rented out for 5 months, there has to be a reason. I sure found it.

I'd really appreciate some contact addresses of agents/owners.

I have to wonder about your conclusions. There are a fair number of tourists, but not a lot of the kind that spend much money. In general, from what I have observed, the Chinese are very frugal. Of course, some businesses are still doing well, but over all, I would say not anything like a few years ago when more free spending Westerners were flocking here.

I have to agree with you UG.

Bars are empty, Chinese don't seem to use them.

All I ever see them do is rent m/cs and drive around doing free stuff.

I wonder if the sudden influx of tourists explains why the boys in brown were out in force in parts of the city yesterday, targeting farangs on bikes and motor bikes,. As I walked past one group, I could hear a Chinese cyclist trying to explain something in English to one of the B.I.B., and another group (all with helmets) showing documents etc.

I'd have thought the locals speeding past without helmets would have been a greater priority, or have they given up on this altogether?