pgrahmm

More so unavoidable which, over time translates to "acceptable"....

Cumbersome cameras are gone.... They've been replaced with Dick Tracy phones / cameras coupled to instantaneous world wide social media.....

500 people polled? Out of 330mil?

Agreed - extremely annoying....One right in the middle of this reply.... Ridiculous....

I've seen them at Home Pro....Looked like oak.....

Hawaii is a nice, scenic place....It is enjoyable for about a week....Two weeks if you island hop..... There's a lot to see and do....

However, island fever is real.....It only takes a short time to take in the sights and local flavor....

I like motoring trips....You can only go in repetitive circles so many times......

 Growing up in a state that has virtually everything of natural beauty to offer + hop in a car & drive up to/or well over 20 hours in many directions leaves Hawaii feeling confining after a few trips....

I went there for pleasure as well as sports competitions....After awhile it's wash, rinse, and repeat....

Waiting to see how bad it gets....

We're holding on a 5-6 month August trip before paying for a flight with all the catch as catch can rule & procedure changes....

Once out of storage & on the road we get 8-12 mpg depending on terrain.....Usually we stay 3 days to a week at each area we like....This year we might stay 2 weeks up to a month in each///fewer places & do more extensive local area exploring.....

We have/can go 5,000 miles per trip but fuel costs can seriously hamper the miles traveled this year.....

Don't forget Calif is considering also levying a per mile tax....One of the first orders of business is getting the vehicles out of CA and registered to a different state...  

Whenever we get there....

Thailand related topic - or mud slinging...

Nope - left out in the heat & diesel fumes for untold days....Flies buzzing & landing while a useless fan holding swinging empty plastic plastic bags around in semi close proximity to dissuade them..

Rim Ping has a butcher counter, Big C #2, or Makro (last).....

Makro has large commercial sizes of rolled parchment paper....The largest I use is about 18" wide.... It's possible they might have the butcher paper available.....

Yok on the superhighway seems to be the go to place for all things food prep/cooking related.... I've never been but have seen many referrals for hard to find items....

You have to have a special personality to pull that off....

Almost everything here is over the counter.....

Find the biggest pharmacy close to you & take in the box or punched out wrapper (most will order or have another manufacturer's available) - or - some have great success with an online pharmacy....

48 minutes ago, moogradod said:

Well, six hours is quite a feat. Would need to fall into a deeper meditation state to afford it this long. You are right, Thai people are very sociable, and if they are then my wife might be part of the upper 1%. Wherever she shows up - regardless if in Switzerland or Thailand or wherever we visit, she makes friends in a jiffy and starts chatting - quite the opposite of what I would do. Her talent, aura and disposition in this regard is facilitating communication with even official administrations and is a door opener (I remember opening my first bank account which I did with a hotel adress and without visa - OK - some time ago).

 

But sometimes it is just too much for me. Noise cancelling phones can help as well as can ear plugs - "Ohropax" being the only ones I know that really work. OP, rest assured - you are not alone.

I spent 8 years together with a Filipina that, honestly, never met a stranger & would have somebody's life story out of them within minutes of meeting - almost anywhere on earth.... Happenstance, casual, or social - she had that knack.....

For me, who's pretty quiet, it was both fascinating & impatience-nating at the same time - I'd just wait it out....Everybody loved her....

My wife can be very sociable & jovial in casual conversation.... She just doesn't care for long, drawn out chit chat or gossip ....

1 hour ago, patongphil said:

Are you sure she is Thai???

Yep - 100%.....Central Thailand = wide open spaces. Not too many neighbors - but there must have been someone around to talk to.....

Actually, her family doesn't seem overly chatty by observation.....

It works well for me, as my family wasn't overly out going / chatty either.....

These things are quite imposing when you stumble onto one....

I'm not a big fan of wild, roving reptiles....

Nope.....

She might talk to a neighbor over the fence/low wall for about 10 minutes max....

She overheard a couple of neighbors gossiping & rarely talks with them, but they all get along....She dislikes gossip.....

Once, she spoke to another neighbor (that basically works - then home <cute with great legs>) for about 2 hours & I thought maybe I missed the apocalypse or something.....The neighbors are all long time, settled owners..... 

She might talk to her folks once every two weeks.....Our oldest daughter is in the Uni so they check in a few times a week - never over 10 minutes ...

Friends - rarely, she's got a group of 12 from her Uni days that had formed a study group....Each went on to be successful & their contact over time has dwindled....FB seems to cover all their updates.....

However, when there are family visits they'll prattle on for hours....

I'm actually more visible & outgoing around the Mubaan than she is....

Phone conversations - I've never seen her talk for over 15 minutes....

Probably....

I'd probably opt for a small fridge, microwave, & electric oven - there's a lot than can be prepared with that combo if you're willing to relearn some of your skills....You could also get an electric mukata grill that basically will let you cook with chopsticks.....

Pan frying food is going to muck up the walls, linens, etc in a small room.....

Better check on your available electric service before you overheat the service & burn the building down....

I have seen some rooms that have ample space on an open rear balcony for a small cooking space.....

22 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

Oh, I know it's not so bad especially for smaller farangs. It has it's good side as do other places. I'm literally just too big for this place to enjoy it like when I was young.

 

Steps are often tiny made for little people.

Chairs and desks are smaller made for little people.

They don't sell my shoes size or clothes size here. I have to buy things online.

Thailand is good for shorter, smaller people. It's heaven for 5 ft men no doubt. Of course some taller men can find stuff but not fatter or bigger people.

 

It's just me. Enjoy it. I've spent decades in Thailand some of which I had really good times Now, I just need some change.

I'm 6'4" and really haven't come across a lot of difficulties....

Some Tuk Tuks are undersized a tough squeeze - I've only used a few times...Some handrails are low....Some stair steps are narrow & steep....

Other than that, it's pretty easy to live life....

I do not have now, but almost always had a chest freezer....It was always a valuable add....

I would have one now except my wife doesn't see a need....

Given that she keeps us going with fresh daily preparation it's been working....

If it were up to me we would have one....

Makro has a selection with decent pricing....

Just becomes part of the "living" part of life....

I don't like people in my space, so this would be intolerable....I like to have a little control over the space around me....For safety & decency....

I remember going through an airport in the middle east for a flight leg/transfer.....A few hundred crowded people waiting in  cordoned zig zag lines to be processed....Some fat westerner German lady said loudly "we don't have to put up with this" and unlocked the cordon to cut straight through = everybody stampeded, some were ruthless....Some fell or were knocked down by the crush....Roller bags became weaponized....I pulled my lady out of the way behind a pillar until order was restored....

I don't like being locked into a herd....

3 hours ago, CMHomeboy78 said:

Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue.

Not cheap, but if quality is important it's the one to use.

Bingo - a must have for most woodworking....

Add to the list....

Stairways/steps....

Guardrails = height....(the last miscalculation that some people make).....

Thai Lady's hands....Regardless of body size, Thai women universally seem to all have small, delicate hands.....