CMHomeboy78

Home Pro is an excellent store with a large stock of goods on offer. Turpentine, however is not one of them. What they sell is nahm-mahn sohn. A reasonable translation of turpentine. Nahm-mahn-oil; [dtohn]sohn-pine tree.

But it's not the real thing.

The OP, judging by his specific request seems to know the difference.

Genuine turpentine is a distillate,or essential oil of pine, fir, or balsam resin.

What Thai companies sell here, with the sole exception that I mentioned in my first reply, is a synthetic solvent of some sort, but not turpentine.

Synthetics have largely replaced turpentine for industrial use. In the fine arts, the real thing has never been improved upon and is still preferable.

Vidhyasom Co.,Ltd. in Bangkok [02-381-7100-2, fax 02-711-1195] produces a very good quality turpentine in 450 ml. bottles.

Likisin Art Store used to carry it but they haven't had it for awhile. I've been looking everywhere for it, but no luck so far. I'm going to contact the company directly if I can't find it soon. I just hope they're still in business.

The alternatives are the very expensive imported brands, Rowney, W/N, le Franc&Bourgois, etc., and the local stuff, Fishook, Whale, and others. Nahmahn sohn they call it, but it's not turpentine at all, although it can be used for cleaning brushes. I wouldn't use it for mixing with paint.

Choke dee. I hope you find something.

You might be interested in reading my posts Exchanging Satang Coins for Banknotes in CM. 2011-10-10. and Satang to Banknotes...Thanks for the Response. 2011-1013.

I had just joined the forum and was fishing for a topic when I saw a newspaper article on exchanging satang coins. I thought it would be of interest. But the response was overwhelmingly negative.

It turned out to be an object lesson on how quickly things on this forum can turn into farce.

Maybe it was the fact that I was a newbie. Whatever it was, my first post turned out to be a baptism by fire.

Thanks, I love you guys.

But Homeboy oughta be drawn and quartered for bringing up a dangerous subject like that.

Sorry Gringo, I didn't mean to kick the hornet's nest.

But maybe there's a lesson to be learned from all this. Don't put on your Santa Claus suit until Christmas Eve, and even then, try to avoid the Gauleiters.

I used Hakluyt.

Sorry about the layout - I just coped and pasted from my book.

And thank you yet again.

Especially since my edition of Hakluyt [Penguin 1972] omits any mention of Jamahey [or any of it's other 1001 variations in spelling] whatsoever. In that edition Fitch's account is edited or abridged to exclude that part of his trip. I was vaguely familiar with the Chiang Mai part through other reading. Your contribution completes the trip for me. I will definitely get all the books you refer to.

All the best to you, and the work you are doing.

Odd sexual facts? You have my attention now. Can you elaborate on that?

Rest assured Winnie, there was no mention of beastiality.

Ralph Fitch.

Check out 'Ancient Chiang Mai Volume 1', US$4.99, Amazon Kindle, Cognoscenti Books. There's a link to this (and the first four volumes of Ancient Chiang Mai) at:

Contents for Volume 1 includes two articles on Fitch:

'Ralph Fitch, an Elizabethan Merchant in 16th Century Chiang Mai' and 'Ralph Fitch's Account of Chiang Mai in 1856-1857'.

Pinto, Samuel and the others are in the pipeline with Silkworm Books - pm me if you want more info.

Thanks for the most cogent and informative reply yet received.

Ralph Fitch seems to be the one generally accepted as the first European in Chiang Mai. Doubtless there were others before him but their accounts haven't been found, if they ever existed at all.

What are the earliest sources of information on Fitch? I've always thought it was Hakluyt. He was a contemporary and his Voyages and Discoveries include Fitch's travels and a mention of Jangomay [Chiang Mai] and a few odd facts, notably sexual, about the inhabitants.

Do you know any other reference to Ralph Fitch and Chiang Mai? If not, perhaps another TV member might.

Thanks again for your reply.

Not sure how long Pinto, Fitch and Samuels stayed in CM, but Dr and Mrs McGilvary arrived in 1867 as missionaries. Dr McGilvary, a medical doctor, stayed in Chiangmai for the rest of hus life, dying there in 1911.

http://www.chiangmai...issionaries.htm

Thanks for the input.

Missionarys, mostly Americans, and people working in the teak industry, mostly British, settled in Chiang Mai in the 19th cent. and put down roots here.

That's a very interesting subject in itself and would make a good topic.

Who was the first farang in Chiang Mai?

I think it was me.

In October 1977 I came up from Bangkok to play a small part in a Thai movie that was being shot on location here.

Getting 1000 baht a day with a tee-rahk and a poo choo-ay tee-rahk. It was the time of my life.

Chiang Mai was the best place I had ever seen by a factor of ten.

News of the discovery spread quickly and I was soon followed by hordes of other farangs.

R.I.P. Chiang Mai

You have no place in a serious discussion.

I don't need your good ol' boy wisdom and your lame attempts at humour fall flat. Don't tell me again how long you've been here. I've been here almost as long, and you remember little or nothing about Chiang Mai in the 70's that I don't. So save that rap for the greenhorns.

Probably the biggest difference between you and I is that my young family has, to a large extent, kept me from living totally in the past and turning into a horny old goat like you. OK, TIT, do your own thing. I'm all for that. But what do Thais think when they see an old farang with a girl less than half his age? Screw 'em. Sure, you can say that, but we have to live among them and their opinions of us do matter. We're not like the birds of passage who live in their own little expat world and can bag out fast if things get rough.

Too bad they don't sell Mehkong anymore. If they did, I'd hoist a glass to you. Bogart and Bergman always had Paris. If you were more congenial I'd say "We'll always have Chiang Mai".

R.I.P. Gringo

TV members knowledgeable about Lanna Thai history may be able to help shed some light on the circumstances surrounding the first visits by Europeans to Chiang Mai.

Ralph Fitch, Thomas Samuel, Cesar Fredrick, and Mendez Pinto are names often mentioned as possible early visitors.

What are the original sources for accounts of these visits; and has anything been published recently on the subject?

This is something of interest to me and quite possibly others,

Thanks for any information.

I started this topic on the Chiang Mai forum but was unable to get an answer as to whether or not there is a law saying that foreigners must carry their passports at all times.

Since the late 90's there have been periodic announcements from Immigration implying there is.

Does anyone know for certain?

The big church at Sacred Heart College on Charoen Prathet.

There was a seminary on Huay Kaew, Seven Fountains, with a chapel. I'm not sure it's still there.

Hope you find what you're looking for.

The right to deny service based on religious or racial grounds no longer exists in the USA where I come from.

But we are not in the USA. We are in Thailand. So these people had a perfect right to refuse to print artwork that contained Buddhist imagery.

It's not a question of legality. It's a question of tolerance. We live among Thais and accept their hospitality on many levels. From the old pee-lee-ung who has raised your children, to the immigration cop who stamps your passport.

Their religion is part of their culture and to disrespect it as these fundamentalists do is repulsive.

Bible-thumpers are their own religion's worst enemies. They are the reason why after hundreds of years the percentage of Thai Christians is so small that it can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

A couple of years ago the Bangkok post reported a pronouncement from Immigration that photocopies were unacceptable because they could be too easily altered. The passport itself must be on hand. But that was awhile ago and things change often here. Hopefully law abiding people won't be harrassed. If you have gold chains around your neck and an East European hooker on each arm, walking down Soi Cowboy, then I'd advise you to have your passport ready to show.

But that description doesn't fit you, Gringo, does it? So chill out, man.

Yet another run-in with ignorant arrogant farangs.

I feel your pain. Why didn't you make a scene?

Let 'em know they're not in the backwoods of Tennesee anymore.

You're OK Homeboy. All you lack is cojones.

I didn't make a scene for reasons that would be obvious to anyone but a bellicose a**hole like you.

Easy tiger, he was backing you up there.

Really, if there's one type of farang that's not needed here, it's that type. Get some stink-bomb stuff on your boots and pop back in.

Chill it, Homeboy. No need to get abusive, especially to people who are on your side.

On a more general note,- thank your God you are in a Buddhist country. Otherwise you could be a 'Dead man walking' or on the path to eternal damnation. I wish you all the best, really. Take it easy, man.

If you and jackr don't know what "cojones" means, get a Spanish dictionary and look it up. But I have two offspring that are living proof that I do possess them. Gringo be damned!

Seriously, thanks for the supportive reply. So many people totally misunderstood me that I thought my original post was unclear, too verbose, or something. But maybe there was a problem with comprehension. I realize that English is a second language for many TV members... Americans and Australians for example [jes kiddin' Yanks and Aussies]. Whatever the problem, it was really good to get a few understanding responses. Thanks again.

It usually goes with the territory.

Fundamentalists of any sect = brainless bigots.

Agreed. It's true isn't it. Thre mindset seems to be the same among fundamentalists of all religions. Either you're with them or you're against them. And if you're against them you're one of the Devil's Party.

But the Devil throws some really good parties.

David

Agreed again. Come to my next one!

Incidentally, Pattrara Prepress does top quality work. I had some giclee prints done on a recent visit to friends and relatives in New York. What Pattrara did was 99.9% as good, and at a fraction of the cost. Check 'em out. Choke dee with what you're working on.

Yet another run-in with ignorant arrogant farangs.

I feel your pain. Why didn't you make a scene?

Let 'em know they're not in the backwoods of Tennesee anymore.

You're OK Homeboy. All you lack is cojones.

I didn't make a scene for reasons that would be obvious to anyone but a bellicose a**hole like you.

You misunderstand.

This company is run by farangs who are fundamentalists with a strong prejudice against Buddhism.

Did you know this before going there or after?

How did you establish that they are "fundamentalists", with strong prejudices against Buddhism?

To tell you the truth I did have some idea that they were fundamentalists before going. But I didn't think they were brainless bigots who would reject work simply because it illustrated certain aspects of another religion.

It usually goes with the territory.

Fundamentalists of any sect = brainless bigots.

Agreed. It's true isn't it. Thre mindset seems to be the same among fundamentalists of all religions. Either you're with them or you're against them. And if you're against them you're one of the Devil's Party.

An interesting post. If they have a problem with Buddhist imagery, I have no doubt that the fine art nudes I shoot would really put them over the top.

CMHomeboy78, if you don't mind, a PM with the name of the shop would be appreciated. I would hate to accidentally impose art on them.

David

Sorry, but I'd rather not tell you the name.

Google printers+chiang mai and I'm sure you will figure out which one it is.

Nudes would most likely be taboo. One of my paintings was a lotus mandala based on an Ayudhya period woodcarving. I tried to explain to them that the lotus motif predated Buddhism by a long time, but they would have none of it.

You misunderstand.

This company is run by farangs who are fundamentalists with a strong prejudice against Buddhism.

Did you know this before going there or after?

How did you establish that they are "fundamentalists", with strong prejudices against Buddhism?

To tell you the truth I did have some idea that they were fundamentalists before going. But I didn't think they were brainless bigots who would reject work simply because it illustrated certain aspects of another religion.

Not supposed to be commercialising Buddhism, more likely.

You misunderstand.

This company is run by farangs who are fundamentalists with a strong prejudice against Buddhism.

It is fine art with some Buddhist imagery. Genre scenes, mandalas, etc. Nothing that would offend or exploit anyone or anything.

In keeping with TV policy about naming names, I'll refer to a prominent local printing company as "Company X".

From time to time I have original artwork printed as artcards and hi-resolution giclee prints.

Company X refused to consider some work of mine that contained Buddhist iconography. I can well understand why they would refuse anti-Christian work. But my paintings couldn't be construded as that by any stretch of the imagination. If these people find Buddhist imagery distasteful they must be in a continual state of irritation here in Chiang Mai.

I was born and raised a Catholic, and although not a very good one, I have a great respect for that religion and Christianity in general as long as it doesn't descend into bigotry. But I have also been interested in Buddhism since I was in my early teens. Not to mention the fact that I've spent most of my adult life here and have been happily married to a Buddhist for a long long time.

I know what the probable response to this complaint of mine will be; Company X has a perfect right to refuse anybody, anytime. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. Fair enough. That is exactly what I intend to do. My mee bpahn-hah. The incident was inconsequential to me personally. What's at issue is the attitude toward Buddhism which is not only the religion of Thailand, it is part of the culture as well. Denying it, or trying to substitute it with something else would be like virtually cutting the heart out of the country. For cryin' out loud, we're only guests here!

Anyway, i anticipate a firestorm of criticism from all you pious folks out there. But whatever the reaction is, I sincerely wish continued prosperity to Company X. You do beautiful graphic work.

But please, some toleration for the religion of the country that tolerates you.

Ginkas lots of false information.

Land and hotel not owned by "a lady" it is owned by a company.

You say the site was sold by "the lady" to Beer Chang - another lie.

All your other "information" is wrong.

Another person in Thailand who talks without knowing anything.

Are you the aggressive alter ego of some mild-mannered TV member?

Where does the Macaw sleep?...

in the cage outside the house. we just got her a new bigger cage yesterday. At our home in Bangkok she got her own avairy .

Have you been teaching her English, or has she been teaching you?... That was a cheap shot. Sorry.

Welcome to Chiang Mai and I hope you find something soon. My wife has three rental houses but they're all occupied at present. Anyway, they're not as classy as what you seem to be looking for.

Choke dee.

It's not: A firetrap

Wouldn't fare to well in a flood, though.

How do you think it got it's name?