sezzo

Ray,got two friends just starting out with their rubber plantations,one in Nong Khai and the other in Ubon.Will e-mail them today to get the latest and post any interesting news.

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Gday Aletta,

Where abouts is your friend with the rubber plantation in Ubon. I am also in ubon and would be interested in having a yarn with another farang who is in the same game. We are situated in the northern corner of Ubon on the Mekong River.

Sezzo

When going to Savannakhet do you get the Lao visa when you get there or do you have to get it in advance?

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You can get it in the ferry terminal at Savanakhet. From memory it will cost about 1500 baht. This will be valid for 15 days. About 5 metres away is the immigration window.

I am in the same situation as you. I am building a house about 500 m from the nearest power lines. Mind you these power lines arent the one that go the other houses in the area, these are the transmission lines that go to the transformer. We also have enquired to the local electricity mob and got a couple of proposed solutions.

1. We buy enough of the smaller posts to get from the transformer to the start of our property (about 300 m from the house) and then use trees to reach the house where another post with metre must be purchased.

2. We canvess the other locals (all thais) in the area and have their tabian ban's changed to this new location to justify the govt/electricity board to put in another line to this area.

3. I purchase a transformer and run the line from the nearest point of the transmission lines. The price in your post was much more than I was quoted (50,000 baht).

Both options 1 and 2 will be of similar price. Option 2 is out as all the other locals wouldnt have 2 baht to their name.

One of the family has a contact at the electricity board so we are just waiting for some input from him.

I know it doesnt help your situation but just telling you that you are not alone.

Good Luck.

G'day Bicko and Welcome.

You have a a diploma in Horticulture !

Be prepared for a lot of questions

There are a lot of wouldbe growers here, incl yrs truly.....

Where are you from?

Oz?

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Ditto on that one. Just went passed another rubber tree plantation in our area and they are in the process of installing a drip system as well. Checked out the prices in Ubon for pvc and it works out for 25mm 5.5 baht per metre. Could be the way to go.

Will be monitoring this subject

Absolutely p*ssed down here on the morning of 30 Mar from 0230am till about 0530am. First rain here for about 7 months. Great stuff.

Yes you can buy a car in Thailand. From what I am led to believe buying one in your name can only be achieved if you have a tourist or Non-imm visa. I bought one recently and used my licence from Australia only. I was informed by a policeman on my 5th or 6th time that I was asked for my licence that I require a International Drivers Licence in addition to my aus licence or I need to get a thai drivers licence. This can only be achieved if you have a non-imm visa.

I stayed at the Comfort Suites just recently and was not impressed at all. Dont know about the smell but aircon not working properly, constant noise from aircraft, etc. The only positive side was the good shuttle service to the airport early in the morning.

I went there last november to get a new tourist visa. The consulate is only about 5 mins walk from the ferry terminal if you know where it is. I took a tuk tuk which cost about 50 baht. I dont think the place it is situated in is a hotel as I saw no signs to indicate that. It does have a diplomatic type sign out the front of the building.

When I used this service the two young guys working in the visa section were very helpful and courteous. Passport and application in before 12, visa issued by 2.30 pm.

[No one ever seems to mention the Leong Nok Tha area ,situated on the main highway between Amnat Charoen and Mukdaharn, lots of great places , the waterfalls ,the volcanic park with its wildlife and views of the Mekong, the hidden airfield at Ban Kok Sam Rahn, all farang visitors treated like old friends,it was the area where a large detachment of british and aussie engineersin the early 60,s who did a lot of good work for the local population,the area is also famous for its local products, woodcarvings and silks and local cloths , sorry if I ramble on a bit but I am highly prejudiced about this area ,first visit was 43 years ago and have been a convert ever since, my english wife and even my grandkids share this enthusiasm for everything that is Isaan!!   Nignoy

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Thanks Nignoy,

I only live within 45 mins drive of there and have been looking for some interesting places in the area to take visitors.

Shall definately try that one. I drive past the road to the national park everytime I go to Mukdahan.

Thanks

Other worldwide airports don't care at all.

Just as a brief update to this comment. I was departing Perth W.Aus. on 30th December last year, and had to produce an on-going ticket to prove that I would be leaving the country. They are taking it seriously down under. This was at the Quantas check in desk.

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I just returned to thailand about 3 weeks and was told at the travel agent that I might need a return ticket but at the checkin (Singapore) at Tullamarine airport there was no problems at all. I had a Non-imm O visa.

Perhaps its just "Quaintarse" being a pain in the arse again. Never fly with them again!!

Thanks guys for all the positive replys.

Certainly will be on the agenda very soon.

Once again thanks very much for the info.

Booked with Qantas last year to come over to Thailand and was really peeved that I had to board a BA flight. Have been told many negative things about BA and every one was true 100 percent. Very poor service.

Seems that most people I have spoken to who book with "Quaint arse" always get shoved onto a BA flight.

No problems with service that I have encountered with Thai, Singapore or Malaysian.

I have been informed there is a spectacular Wat on the Thai/Cambodian border which I would like to visit. The only information that I know of is that it is either in Ubon Ratchathani or Sisaket provinces. Apparently the Wat's area is in both Thailand and Cambodia.

Can anyone help me here?

Further to my last about income from the rubber trees per rai.  I mentioned that the wife's family had researched about 20k baht per rai.  That should have read about 20k baht per 6 rai.

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Even with the change of numbers per ria it still olks like a ten year plan would be realistic.

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Pardon my silly question but is that 20k baht per 6 Rai, per month or per year?

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Those figures were quoted to me as being a monthly figure. Just have to wait and see if it materialises.

There's plenty of plantations on hillsides near us in Bandung, Udon Thani province.

In the south you always see the latex lying in balls by the roadside; later after pressing, it's hung out to dry on fences, looking like saddles for horses,the smell is rather unpleasant.

However I've never seen this in Udon, I think they take it straight to the co-operative where it's processed.

bannork.

Travelling to Khong chiam thru the hills from Khemmarat I saw some small rubber plantations and they had the latex hung out to dry like down south.

No idea where the co-op or factory is in Ubon though

I have heard of the no driving at night of red plated cars. I was also told that if you opt for no rego plate at all you cannot legally take your car out of the province.

Once again I have been stopped on a couple of occasions and never been asked for my local address to verify the province where I live.

Further to my last about income from the rubber trees per rai. I mentioned that the wife's family had researched about 20k baht per rai. That should have read about 20k baht per 6 rai.

Sorry for the mistake.

My wife and her family have about 40 rai of one year old rubber trees. They have been researching this for quite some time and the figures of about 20,000 baht per rai per month were bandied around. It takes about 5 or 6 years to start producing but they are planting other crops in between the rows of trees for some money earning before then.

Once the land is prepared and trees planted the only costs so far have been fencing the plantation so the buffaloes and cattle dont eat the leaves and a bit of cleaning of weeds.

When I first arrived in Ubon 7 months ago there was nobody within 100ks radius selling rubber trees, now every 5 ks on all roads from my home have people selling trees. The government must be trying to promote the rubber plantations up here.

As to the watering of the trees. Nearby there is another plantation where the trees have not been watered since I have been here and they are still alive and growing, all but slowly. Our trees have been hand watered from a tank every week or 10 days and they are coping fine. Mind you they will take off once the rains come.

Hope this has been some help to you.

Fair comment there.

I had to do a rushed trip back to oz about a month ago. With only about a weeks notice to reach a deadline, I was informed from my carrier that all flights were fully booked. I, also, was on a yearly ticket with 6 months remaining before the expiry date. I did toy around with the idea of buying a cheap return ticket and then using the return part of my yearly ticket later. Luckily the carrier called me to say they had squeezed me on. To the point of the matter there should be no reason at all why you cant do what you planned.

Earlier this year I checked out the prices in a travel agency and found the prices for thai and singapore were much cheaper if originated from here rather than from oz.

Hope this might help you. As I am out in the sticks with no travel agency close by, I couldnt tell you how much the tickets are from here.

Good luck mate.

Thats a shame to hear about what was supposed to be a help not a hinderance to aquiring a visa. Im sure that if other disgruntled users of this service sent emails to the embassy informing them of their displeasure and complaints something might get done. The more emails sent might get the public servants off their backsides and getting the system fixed.

Just goes to show the incompetancies of the Australian government aren't just confined to their shores.

Well my plan of action to get my sit on mower is to get the wife to phone around the golf courses of Isaan and see if any are looking to upgrade their mowers and knock out their old one.

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Good idea. Let us know how you go. I am looking for a second hand mini tractor. Maybe I might try the same plan as you.

Did a bit of searching on the web and found this picture.This is the size of vehicle i saw,more of a large lawnmower than a tractor really.

Sorry I didnt realise that the poms call the ride on mowers a mini tractor. A mix up in terms. Sorry cant help you with the ride on mower but with the responses so far at least I know where to look for a second hand kubota tractor now.

Sorry for the mix up.

All the best

I actually checked out the price for a new kubota 28 hp 4wd one last week. 314,000 baht with no options. I asked them to find out the price of the slasher (grasscutter) for me. They will let me know next week. Havent see a place that sells second hand ones yet but am still looking. Will let you know what I find out.

Yes just fill out the immigration form on the plane. Once at the airport just go straight to the Foreigners passport line and give them the passport and form. Then you will be stamped and sent on your way.

Enjoy!!