Ebenezer

I have had dealings with a few agents in Chiang Rai. The one I found most helpful was a lady called May who works for I Home. Her phone number is < Phone number removed, please use PM function to contact >.

I note that many (but not all) posters are happy with Windows 10 because it is working well for them. They may not be worried about the more subtle implications of upgrading so if such concerns are not a problem for you then Windows 10 is the obvious solution.

However if you are concerned about such issues as the increased lack of privacy built into the platform and the plans by Microsoft to get you to pay annually for your continued use (once you have been enticed with a free upgrade and a decent time has elapsed) then you need to look elsewhere. Support for Windows platforms used to be guaranteed for 10 years but Microsoft are doing their best to curtail that, particular if you are using Windows 8 rather than 8.1, and one can expect more "gentle" (or not so gentle) persuasion in the future to migrate to Windows 10.

Linux, especially the Mint variety, is becoming more user-friendly but I would not say it matches Windows 10. You can run it in parallel with Windows to try it out but the installation is not as simple as one would like.

I personally have an aversion to paying for Apple to maintain their extortionate profit margins but if that does not bother you they would be an excellent alternative.

I agree with other posters here that Pimann Inn is a good option. It is not perfect, especially with equipment maintenance, but is more than adequate. The last time I checked the price for a 1 year subscription was 8,000 and for 2 years 12,000 which seems reasonable. They also have a good outdoor pool but it is a bit cold this time of the year.

This documentary the trip about is even more interesting. You'll hardly recognise Bangkok or Singapore.

Since I first read the book years ago this trip has fascinated me.

It is a tragedy that politically we have screwed up our world so much that this trip in it's entirety from London to Singapore will probably never be made again. At least this, the 'holy grail' of overland routes if you will, is open.

Brilliant! a fascinating view of the world from the 50's!

Agreed, a fascinating journey and an amazing adventure for the time

The one I have always used is a guy who has a stall in Bandu. He is based at the bottom of the footbridge on the opposite side of Bandu market. I have always found him to be very friendly, helpful and inexpensive.

It varies somewhat but the best information I've seen is here (use the TT rate).

http://bankexchangerates.daytodaydata.net/

But beyond the exchange rate you also need to consider how much you offset the ATM charges both from your bank at origin and the local charge, so CIMB, TMB and Krungsri are good options as they let you take 30,000 at a single transaction. Of the three TMB generally give the better rates.

.

That link to the banks' rates is really useful - many thanks!

Dr. Suwan Sanmee at Sripat http://sriphat.med.cmu.ac.th/eng/home http://www.med.cmu.ac.th/dept/surgery/gastro/staff_profile.php?s_id=9

UK trained

This was a good recommendation. I had laparascopic surgery of the small intestine with GIT surgeon Dr Suwan Sanmee on 29 June in Chiang Mai Sriphat and am pleased with the result. Laparascopic surgery is more expensive but where appropriate certainly minimises post-surgery pain and enables faster recovery.

I thought that getting more by deferring was ending, but it seems not. Deferring looks like a good idea if you're (ahem) abroad. Even under the new scheme you get 1% extra for every nine weeks you defer, which is attractive.

...................and if you live abroad, in a country where the pension increases are normally frozen, you also get the benefit of receiving these increases for the duration of the deferment period.

Crai Krup. I have been deferring my pension in the hope that what you say is correct i.e. I will get the deferral uplift when I take my pension even though I live in Thailand. Was this also your assumption or do you know it to be the case?

Dr. Suwan Sanmee at Sripat http://sriphat.med.cmu.ac.th/eng/home http://www.med.cmu.ac.th/dept/surgery/gastro/staff_profile.php?s_id=9

UK trained

Thank you very much for that Sheryl

I would be interested in any recommendations for colon surgeons in the North (Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai). I have had a colonoscopy and CT scan which have identified a 5cm "mass" near the end of the small intestine. I guess I should act quickly so thank you in advance for any shared experiences/recommendations.

You are right that it was the unions, Unite and Unison in particular, using their block votes that ensured that Ed rather than David was elected as Labour party leader. The unions paid the piper and consequently called the tune.

The shop in Central Plaza occasionally has a special display in the main concourse and they will negotiate at that time. I bought an OMA treadmill from them that was negotiated down from around 33,000 baht to 25,000. (I actually don't use it anymore so let me know if you are interested in a used machine)

I am really surprised about all the negative comments about BT50 reliability. Mine is nearly 3 years old and I have not had any significant problems. I am delighted with mine and have been impressed with the Mazda dealer service (Chiang Rai) although it would be nice if they could explain some things in English. The only problem I have had is with the seat height adjustment which is some kind of "pump-up" system. After a few hours it seems to sink down and need pumping up again. It is only a minor annoyance but Mazda have been unable to fix it. Has anyone else had this problem and manage to fix it?

I agree with AleG, nuclear energy would be the most efficient and cost effective way to address the challenge of supplying more electricity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. There are 1.5 billion people in the world without access to electricity, mostly in Asia and Africa. China has a program to build 363 coal plants to meet additional electricity needs, and India has plans to build 455 coal plants. The WHO says that there are 7 million deaths a year due to pollution so without the extra CO2 we still have the biggest global threat to human health. Drastic action is needed if we are to avoid major climate problems in the future.

Well, they are not going to have an easy time achieving that since the plan is to build more coal plants in the country.

And the burning is already starting in the north to compensate for the reduction in greenhouse gases emissions.

"Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Gen. Daophong Rattanasuwan who represents Thailand and his entourage attend the UNFCCC session and the 10th Kyoto protocol conference from 1-12 December 2014 in Peru."

And a 12 day junket in South America for how many?

Actually, burning fields is carbon neutral, since it releases the CO2 accumulated by the plants that will then be reabsorbed in the next crop. Not that it doesn't produce pollution and should be stopped, but it's not a factor on the matter.

As long as they don't plan to do it by building nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power is the most straightforward solution to reducing greenhouse emissions today, unfortunately fear mongering campaigns based on bad science, misinformation and outdated prejudices has stopped that solution from being implemented. That more nuclear power is not used today, and more research into it's development doesn't happen is one of the great tragedies of these days, like a sick person dying because their faith prevents them from using that "medicine", "scientists" peddle.

No-one can say for sure (or they would be a multi millionaire) but my view is that there will not be any significant change in the short term but that approaching and following the UK election in May 2015 sterling is likely to weaken because of political uncertainty in the UK - yes, worse than is likely in Thailand as long as the King is alive. This is on the basis that there is likely to be no party with a majority so there could be a minority government or a coaltion that may need 3 parties next time.

Also the UK deficit and current account deficit are both ticking time-bombs that are waiting to detonate. As long as the economic growth (currently a respectable 3.1%) does not result in increased government receipts the deficit is going to be an uphill struggle for the next UK government.

There are several repair stalls around. I have found the guy opposite Bandu market (over the footbridge) at the bottom of the steps to be excellent and inexpensive. He seems to be there every day.

I am also in need of some Mazda touch up paint. Could someone please advise which city KSK is in (I am in Chiang Mai)

Reading an information document from the DWP about pensions (dated April 2014) I noted something that may be of interest to others who are entitled to a UK pension. If you do not take the pension when you are entitled to it (currently 65 for men) the pension with be increased by 10.4% a year. It explicitly states in the document that the uplift will also apply to people in countries who do not normally get the index linking. In 2016 the system will change again and it will not be so generous but unless you have a shorter than average life expectancy this is a good deal, especially for retirees in Thailand.

Interesting to read your post and the many responses. Clearly most respondents start from the premise that spirit possession does not exist. I am surprised that I seem to be the first poster who starts from the position that the spirit world is as real as the physical world; it just exists in different dimensions from those accessible by physical interrogation. As a physicist I am aware that science does not have all the answers, even though it has pushed back the boundaries of knowledge in many areas. Recent theories of cosmogenesis include the possibility of a mult-dimensional universe (i.e. not just the 3 dimensions and time with which we are familiar) and there is no understanding yet about the interaction of different dimensions.

An example of the increased knowledge, quoted in several posts, is the understanding of the how the brain works and its role in mental illness. It is clearly important not to ascribe all strange behaviour to spirit possession when there physical explanations but I would suggest that to say that mental illness explains everything is to ignore some of the evidence.

Also, most posters with some experience of spirit possession fortunately appear to have escaped without major consequences. I would caution that this is not always the case and I would personally advise caution when dealing with these things (Acts 19:15).

In conclusion my main comment on your very honest post is that maybe you should re-examine your assumptions in the light of your recent observations and experience.

2012 Mazda BT-50 Pro 4x4 (3.2 litre, 6 speed auto) - I get 50 mpg (miles per gallon) which is about 4.7 l/km (US) - around town.

You sure there isn't a typo there? 50mpg is about 80km per gallon. (multiply miles by approx 1.6 to get kilometers)

1 US gallon is 3.78 litres so 21.16km per litre

1 UK Gallon is 4.54 litres so 17.62km per litre

Neither seems likely.

I agree that that sounds remarkable if correct. I have a 2012 BT%) 2.2 manual. For the first 6 months I averaged 37 mpg (imperial) but a bit less now - 7.5-8.5 l/100km which averages out around 35 mpg.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Get some Borax or Boric acid, mix with sugar and water, make traps, it kills the colony of ants and termites, for months.... easy to do oneself....

Several topics on this on Thai Visa forum.. also do a google search ....

The OP would be very well advised to follow this - It works a treat - Boric acid is hard to find in Thailand. But it is the active ingredient in most ophthalmic solutions such as contact lens solution. Just mix with sugar - works fine.

I also found a boric acid solution to be effective. I was able to buy boric acid powder in a swimming pool supply shop. Just mix the powder with sugar (to make it tasty for the victims) and make a solution of it by mixing with water. Hot water will help to dissolve the powder. Just leave a few small bowls of the solution in strategic locations. The ants will eat it and take it back to their nest.

The Ford/Mazda is the best truck available today.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

I agree that these are the best trucks at the moment. The motor is a Ford with advanced design giving excellent fuel economy, a tank of diesel takes me 900-1,000km.

Opinions about Ford or Mazda are held strongly on both sides and it seems you either love or hate the Mazda design. I chose the Mazda because I liked the cabin design and the wife liked the look of the Mazda. In 2 years I have not found any down-side but you should be aware that they are large and I would recommend adding a reversing sensor of some kind.

There is a clinic on the right side of the superhighway heading north. It is about 100m north of the King Menrai junction. The doctor specializes in ears (so presumably N& T too) and I have been there a couple of times over the years. He has seemed competent and helpful from my experience and is not expensive.

An interesting question, which is confirmed by the large number of replies. Quite noticeable that there are nearly as many different answers as there are posters!

I believe the answer to your question is "yes", but with qualifications.

I have looked into this before and give my views below. (Clearly many will disagree with me but the logic is correct).

1. Those who say that "Buddhism in its pure form is not a religion but a life philosophy, Buddha never intended to be seen as a god" are correct. In consequence from the Buddhist perspective one can be a Buddhist and a Christian.

2. There are many teachings in Buddhism and Christianity which are similar. This however does not include the way to "salvation" which is arguably the most important teaching.

3. From the Christianity perspective whether Christianity excludes belief in other religions depends on your assumptions: (a) if, as the majority believe, the Bible is just a book rather than the Word of God, you can logically make up your own mind - relativism rules rather than the existence of absolute truth so your "truth" (opinion?) is as valid as that of anyone else. It should be noted that modern philosophy discarded absolute truth a long time ago. or ( If however, as a minority (even within "Christianity" these days) believe, the Bible is the Word of God then "no man cometh to the Father except by the Son", and the unfashionable concepts of sin, repentance, atonement and faith in Jesus Christ as savior are the way to salvation. (Truth or the strength of an argument is however not dependent on the number of people who believe it).

N.B. As in the case of financial investments, risk and reward should not be ignored in making your decision: if (a) is correct and you believe ( in error, then the consequences are minor; but if ( is correct and you live your life based on (a), then the consequences are dire. (Paraphrased from the philopher Blaise Pascal).

I was going to take a break from BKK and go to Mae Rim/Chiang Mai next week ... is that still advisable?

It does not seem so bad this year - at least so far. There is a web site that gives the data http://aqicn.org/map/thailand/ and City Hall in Chiang Mai is at 65 today, i.e.quite low.