mick220675

I have just found a dead chicken, the ghosts must be back.

Our village has been under attack by ghosts for years now. Many people have suffer'd at the hands of 3 ghost solders on a motorbike.

We have had a number of ceremony's to chase the ghosts away, they are fantastic. In our village the oldest man in the village gets dressed in old style clothes and after he gets very drunk he is armed with a large sword. He runs around the village as every one chases him hitting pots and pans.It dose not seem to work as the ghosts keep coming back but it is very entertaining. 

All involved in Thai politics, red, yellow and green should apologise to the public they have all failed the country.

Last night our village had a meeting attended by around 60 people to discus how they are going to survive. They are all in debt up to there eyes and things are getting worse. My wife tells me a few said they have weeks before the banks take there farms, there was a lot of angry people and some in tears. They are going to our local farmers bank today as a village to try and get help, but I do not think they will get anything.

5 hours ago, Gonefortea said:

What the he'll has education got to do with burning sugar?. We don't burn our sugar crop we sell it in situ to the sugar company. They employ a gang of sugar cutters to harvest it. The night before cutting starts they go into field and burn the sugar. Makes it a dam site easier to cut. Plus it makes our job easier as it burns the weeds away thus we get healthy shoots comming up very quickly. So just maybe there is method in what people see as madness

We have been growing sugar for the last 12 years, my wife's family works for a sugar factory providing a teams of cutters for those who are contracted to the factory. It is not as simple as you say, if you burn the field before you cut the sugar it reduces the moisture level of the cane, so you will receive a lower price. The sugar is tested in the factory, you as a grower can go witness the testing.

The difference is money a cutter is paid one baht per bundle of burnt sugar, or three baht for cane that has been stripped by hand as there is a higher moister content. Most cutters would prefer to burn the field as there job will be a lot easier, but they will need to cut more.

The factory supervisor (my wife,s farther) dose not care  how the sugar comes to the factory as they do not lose out, the grower is paid by the quality and quantity.

As you say after harvesting a burnt field will shoot quickly, but the weeds will also come back faster and will need treating.

The sugar factory is no ones friend they are there to make as much money as possible. This year was the first year they introduced a mechanical harvester, no burning little labour and much faster. I think 10 years from now we will see lot more of these machine's as has happen'd with the rice harvesters. 

It is worth saying that the last king of Thailand, who was a lot more intelligent and knowledgeable than me repeatedly told farmers it was not a good idea to burn any field.

There is nothing and no one who can stop the burning, the royal projects have tried. Where I live they have been burning the sugar fields for the last 10 weeks, soon it will be time for the rice fields.

Last year our neighbour set fire to his sugar field the fire got out of hand and spread burning 16 of our rubber tree's, in his drunken state he burnt his legs and arms. 

The Thai mindset is everything can be improved if you set fire to it.

I had to retire from going wild. The last real bender I went on I woke up in Cambodia next to a lake, I was covered in mud and leaches. I was told I had been swimming in the lake and could not get out, a villager had pulled me out and left me to dry out.

Black panther stout is lovely but to strong for me now.

1 hour ago, clockman said:

Which is the most common drug, in use in Thailand?

I just took my wife's grandfather to hospital, he is depressed after a dog killed his favourite chicken and has not slept for three days. They gave him 50 diazepam tables and 30 paracetamol. I could not work out if the doctor wanted him to have a good time or die.

I like them, it keeps my wife and daughters out of my way. A bit of peace as they sit transfixed on there TV, I can enjoy a cold beer as I sit  watching auf wiedersehen pet.

It sounds a good idea, but without providing the poor with other sources of credit it will not succeed.

Our local branch of the farmers bank will only lend to farmers who have an account, and have stopped opening new accounts, those who do not put more than 50,000 in  there account or are over 60 years old have seen there accounts closed.

The private banks will not lend money to those who do not have a salary.

The high street finance company's require a land/car ownership documents, high interest rate often results in loss of there farms/cars.

So if farmer's and there family.s don't have a land paper, or have already financed it, the lone sharks are there only option. Looking around our village of 30 farms/houses 90% are in trouble after borrowing money.

The first time I used a Yankee driver, it felt like the space age had come to the construction industry. When I first got a battery drill (the old 9 volt makita) life would never be the same. The modern battery drills now are fantastic and we have laser levels. It is just like star wars.

Personally my favourite tool at the moment is my rubber tree tapping knife, as it puts money in my pocket. 

My daughters passport ran out, my wife took her to Korat to get a new Thai passport. Even thou it was not her first passport they would not issue a passport without me being there to sign the application.

I did my car test in 2001, all I had to do was drive forward between some cane's then reverse back between them. They asked me if I could read a sign, I said yes then I was given me my licence. At least 40% of the people failed the test. There was a old man who's job was to stand the cane's back up after they had been knocked down, he did not stop all morning.

Stopping to give a monk a lift always seems to cost money.

Artical 44 is simply creating a problem for the future, the current government have totally failed to reform anything. The NCPO will have to continue in one way or another after the next election or we will simply return to the past and the military can not have that.

At some point in the future as the average Thai whom have seen there life become worse will want change. Since the last coup things may be better in Bangkok, but for the majority incomes have become worse. Thais don't look at the international picture if they have less money it is because the government have failed.

In the village I live in the current government were welcomed despite there genuine love for Thaksin, but people want to know why things have not improved. The price of rice, sugar and rubber are down everything is more expensive in the shops and the banks have started to clamp down on credit. Two family's near me have lost there farms and homes, people are working harder and for longer hours but are financially worse off.

The people of Ayutthaya have gone soft. The Thais near me would have them wiped out in a week.

Sex with a chicken? I  have led a sheltered life, although I think I once saw a man fingering a Yorkshire terrier.

A  couple of years ago I was sat on my bicycle watching a approaching bike and pickup, the bike did just as the video but the pick up did not slow down or swerve it killed both on the bike. I was left a bit shaken as one of the men had his leg ripped of.

When you drive in Thailand you must assume everyone is ether drunk, stupid or both. Full concentration all the time.

2 hours ago, tso310 said:

Is a casino being built there ? I've never looked inside the ones at Chong Chom but they look impressive from the outside. 

There is a large casino/hotel being built on the Cambodian side, I have not been over the border for 6 months since they stopped farangs crossing. My wife was there this week she tells me it will be open this year, ready to remove large sums of money from the Thais.

We went in the casino on the left at chong chom four weeks ago. Its getting a bit run down inside I think there are fewer customers than in previous years, the days of 4 or 5 bus loads of Thais visiting seams to be over.

Try Ruangsandthai . If you travel from the railway line on the road that passes the Buriram private hospital keep going until you hit the big cross roads, just over the cross roads there is a builders/DIY store(look at there website for better directions), they have tablets cheaper than the online store mentioned. There is a couple of English speaking people working there, mr bob is from the USA and very knowledgeable.

Even if you get your tables some ware else its worth a look as they have a good selection of pool stuff.

A man in our village has been sent to prison last month, he was sentenced to 10 years for stealing a aluminium ladder. I do not know the details, but I can understand why the prisons are overcrowded.

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Where do you get them facts from?

Not every school has 50 students in 1 class, or not enough teachers.

Some schools have too many teachers, school near me has 6 teachers 51 students, so your figures do not work here.

Our village school has told 3 teachers they are no longer require as they do not have enough children to teach. My brother in laws wife has been teaching for the last six years now she is out of work, she sits in our garden all day eating all my mango's.

On 2/27/2017 at 8:07 PM, tso310 said:

 It will be interesting to see what happens when the Ban Kruat crossing gets full immigration posts. Thai's are supposed to be ready just waiting on the Cambodians.

 

I talked to the Thai immigration officer who will be in charge of the Ban Kruat crossing, He told me both sides are now ready and every thing at the border is in place. The only thing holding things up is the road on the Thai side, the last part of road from soi six to the crossing is in a national park. There is a survey of land encroachment taking place, when it is complete the road will be built. The road builders are in the area so hopfuly it wont be long.

It would be a little embarrassing for the Thais if the casino opens and busses can not get to it.

I paid $50 for a taxi to SR last year. You can take your car if you have done the paper work, the road has many thai cars driving to SR.

When I went on the road last year it was very good no problems.

The car park on the Thai side has soldiers looking after it, but I have never left my car more than a hour or two.

If you do get a taxi there are Cambodians on the border who will get you one, but make sure you organise the return journey and price.

My neighbour works for Buriram immigration, not always in the office but with the military looking for illegals. When the notice first appeared in Korat immigration office I asked him should I ware long trousers when visiting a immigration office. In his words it dose not matter what clothes you ware only that you are polite.

Some of the kindest most polite people I know ware flip-flops, some of the rudest people I know ware shoes.

If you attend any government office dressed like a tramp its not going to look good but wearing a suit and shouting at the officer is worse.

Maybe in the future all immigration offices will have a dress code and we will all have to buy a pair off shoes. But actions should speak loader then your clothes, we do live in Thailand a country with many monks none of whom wear shoes.

On 2/27/2017 at 9:02 AM, Ahab said:

We nipped the borrowing money thing in the bud before it could really get started. We have supported my wife's parents with three to four thousand baht a month. I really like almost all my Thai in laws (issue with one sister), my mother in law is the best and my father in law was also great (he passed about two years ago). My Thai in law experience is considerably different from other TV members and that is because my relationship with my wife is apparently very different also.

When we lived in the UK I bought my wife's family a farm 24 rai and paid for rubber trees to be planted. My wife paid for there home to be built, when we moved to Thailand my wife's close family had no need to ask for any thing. I can assure you in 15 years they have never asked for any money. They always give my daughters money and help us out, they are wonderful.

The problems came when distant relative started to ask for money and the people who live in the village, it takes a strong person to tell people I will not help you even when people are in trouble and believe me when you look around people are in the sh!t.

I was only trying to give you a bit of info to help you out, please don't insinuate I have any problem with my wife. If you come with the attitude you are superior to others you you will find many problems, good luck.

It looks like a impostor, probably a tourist. Police officers in Thailand do not drink bottles of Johnny walker at work do they?

A few years ago I took my wife to the police station so she could report a brake in at her shop. 4 o'clock in the afternoon the two officers were so drunk they could not fill out the paper work and asked her to come back the next day.