jcisco

Glad to be of assistance. 

Yah those will do just fine, they aren't specifically designed for pizza but they have enough mass and depth you can use them for that using the method I prescribed previously. 

E-Bay has a good selection, I personally haven't got one from a store there, but others have.  They seem to have the best prices for these sort of things that I can find. 

I use them in an environment where I have either a brick oven to use or a dutch oven.  Dutch ovens are great for when you want flexibility as you can bake in them or say use them as a regular pot or for stewing.  If you want to cook a loaf of bread can do it, of course if you want to cook a few KG of bread, use the brick oven, usually better more consistent results. 

You can get coals on the top and on the bottom so gives a really even baking environment. If you have a modern oven at home, then sure you can just go ahead and use one. But if your cooking outdoors, camping or otherwise on the move, these things are the killer. 

Yah regarding the price, if you want a large wont, say 12quart or about 30-40CM accross, expect to drop at least $150 for one. I've never seen them any cheaper. they are heavy, they will weight at least 6-10KG depending on the sizes. 

You can buy an electric hotplate pretty cheap, you can go that route, personally I prefer gas or wood/charcoal for baking. 

Chimney starter can be a simple home made job such as below, you just put some acetone (paint thinner, 40Baht a bottle) and piece of paper in the bottom, it burns clean with no residue or smell left over. Just make sure the acetone has burnt out before you pick it up and move it. You can pick up acetone at all paint shops or hardware stores, it usually has a blue label. Otherwise my preferred method is just using a propane gas torch to get it going.  Leave it for 10 minutes until you see a flame at the top, it will get that hot.

You can probably get away with flour on the bottom, but i find it is too hard to lift what you are cooking out, that is why I suggest using a ceramic plate sitting on a piece of metal. Any thing metal will do, I use a piece of of 5mm steel bent into a triangle, it is only 25mm high.  

You can pick up a very large aluminium pot very cheap, just get one of those and pour some sand into the bottom and sit it on a wood cutting board. 

 

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

Charcoal produces a significant amount of smoke when it is started before it reaches the optimum temperature, I wouldn't be using it indoors, period!

 

 

That's why I use a chimney starter, you can start them outdoors then bring it inside. 

Buy yourself a large Dutch oven, and buy one with a lip on the top and feet. You can pick one up on E-bay for a few hundred dollars.. 

Also get yourself a chimney starter for the charcoal, or otherwise make one, they make it easier to get going.  Also a cheap infrared thermometer is handy.

You heat up the charcoal then put it under and on the lid of the dutch oven, use a fair bit to get it hot, then you can remove most of it and place whatever you want to cook inside.

I recommend a metal square to drop in the bottom of the dutch oven so you can place your pizza or bread or whatever inside on a ceramic plate. It will cook just fine.

They are wonderful for cooking, check out youtube, there should be plenty of videos explaining what they are and how to use them.

As for a burning surface a couple of concrete blocks is just fine, they cost a whole 10 THB for a full block, a few of those will do, they may crack after awhile, if you want to avoid the hassle some clay bricks or paving tiles at least and inch thick will do.  You don't need mortar, sand or epoxy will do just fine if you want to fill the gaps. 

The best solution however might be a piece of ceramic fiber board if you can find it, just note that its R value reduces greatly if you compress it, so you might want to put an inch or two of it under whatever you are cooking.

I've noted that almost all water storage on private land up country are completely exposed to the sun. No effort taken to cover their storage, or build in ground and above ground storage tanks. Simply covering your reservoir with rubber tiers filled by expanded styrofoam will reduce the water loss by evaporation by 80%, you can pick them up relatively cheap, as is the foam. You only need to replace the foam every few years, and is generally the easiest and cheapest method to save water.  

Shade coverings are more complex and expensive and suffer problems with wind, weight and durability,  

I'm nosy - what's it used for? [it'll never hold a knot in shoes. Really ally people might use a cord grip and para cord laces, but not on flip flops].

i wanted to make some sinnets, and it has worked for me in the past. I mainly wanted it to help my headphone stay on my head they tend to move too much, they are wireless so i move about.

Does anyone know where I may buy reels of paracords. Ideally around the victory monument area or in Pattaya, I can have it brought down from there f necessary. The choice of a few Colors would be handy.

All you need to do is note the alteration if it is any concern to you,, time date location officers name and stamp number of the officer that made the alteration and put that stapled on the page in question or better in the back with reference to the location.

It is likely to be torn out if it is on the active pages or entry stamps and to attract more screening everywhere, so if you must low key in the back, signed dated.

Unless it is easy to spot on a light table or under UV and lets be honest, how often have you had a stamp inspected like that anywhere, don't worry about it. Even if it stands out and isn't signed.

It is not material alteration, just make sure you are exit stamp has clear date.

Do they only consider the stamps from their office or all offices, cause I had look at the passport and he has the following

Continuous back to back Tourist Visa
------------------------------------------------------
Penang Single Entry + Extension
Savannakhet Double Entry + Extension

Savannakhet Double Entry + Extension
------------------------------------------------------

None of the stamps are any different to the ones I've received from TRs.

So he should be good to go then, just need to decide if its back to Savannakhet, he'd prefer it, since he done it and knows the way.

Is there anything at all Deterministic about visas here, even for just go no go, its all very grey.

Got a few questions here:

If you already have two back to back double entries from Savannakhet will he be able to apply for a double entry in Vientiane ?

What is the easiest way to get to the Vientiane consulate from BKK.

What places to stay do people recommend.

If someone has any experience first hand on the actual journey they could share that would be great.

Champion Athlete - check

Boxing company - check

Ex-military - check

Brother is Australian Federal Police - check

Well educated - check

Successful Thai family - check

Ranked Thai Police friends - check

You seem to have all the bases covered.

I really don't know why you were stopped...and given your impressive resume, why you were unable to drop a few names and ride away.

Unless...

Street smarts - prolly not....

It seems all of you should research culture. Cultural differences may not be immediately noticeable; perhaps you lack enough exposure to these cultures.

Culture is generally considered to be comprised of seven elements—customs and traditions, social organization, religion, language, the arts, political structure, and economic systems.

Of course there are similarities in Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Burmese cultures; likewise there are also differences. For they have both similarities and differences among these seven elements.

Look at other groups of countries; Europe, for example. Differences between the Northern European countries and the Southern ones may be most apparent, but they also have similarities. Germanic is different than Franco, which in turn is different than Anglo, which all differ from Latin, which is different from Norse, which is not the same as Slavic.

These may be termed national cultures. However, there are local cultures, where behaviors and norms differ even though there may be no line on a map separating the locale. Think of how many differences you can think of in the customs and traditions of the European countries; then think of the similarities.

Language is a function of culture, look at the colloquial language differences on Great Britain. They may all speak the same language, but in very different manners.

Religion too is a function of culture. The countries you mention are all Buddhist; that may account for some of their similarities. Spain, France, and Italy share Catholicism and the Mediterranean, and their cultures are often equated. They are similar in some ways, but oh so different in others.

Interesting post, I like it.

While reading your examples of Europe. it occurred to me that everything you say applies to the United States.

North, South, East West and mid west USA...all same same, but different.

You mean similar? Same same but different is just strange. Similar is the word.

Incompetence and laziness gets you killed even working on that Low Voltage lines, sometimes as simple as not inspecting your gloves for pin prick holes or not whacking in an earth for your truck.

I live near a massive feeder and switching yard and can hear the loud speaker and see the operations, yet to see a fire an ambulance or hear the emergency alarm.

They aren't as incompetent as you are trying to make out, in fact I'd suggest far from it. If you knew the number of ways aussie linemen got killed that were avoidable you might have some perspective on the matter.

As for making a pole stand up right, quick check down my soi, and trust me, theres a lot of poles.... all straight up in both axis.

Ah our apologist from earlier in the thread who doesn't see anything wrong is back.

Fine in your soi they are all straight up, but maybe your soi isn't even in Thailand.

So you see only good jobs in Thailand, how about if I post pictures of 50 poles that are dangerous leaning over, within a week from now. I will go even further and take only pictures within a range of 20km from my place.

What is your offer?

I'd say you are deep in confirmation bias land. And I am not apologizing, if this is what you deem as apologizing you've gone from culture shocked to dimwitted in no time at all. Dismiss and insult away it is rather intolerable.

Incompetence and laziness gets you killed even working on that Low Voltage lines, sometimes as simple as not inspecting your gloves for pin prick holes or not whacking in an earth for your truck.

I live near a massive feeder and switching yard and can hear the loud speaker and see the operations, yet to see a fire an ambulance or hear the emergency alarm.

They aren't as incompetent as you are trying to make out, in fact I'd suggest far from it. If you knew the number of ways aussie linemen got killed that were avoidable you might have some perspective on the matter.

As for making a pole stand up right, quick check down my soi, and trust me, theres a lot of poles.... all straight up in both axis.

"Damn... this post could be a metaphor for the whole of Thailand. "

And this thread a metaphor for the mindset of many foreigners who chose to live here with no other occupation or recreation than whiling away the otherwise idle hours attempting to inflate their shaky egos by putting down everything Thai.

One can only wonder why, if things were so fantastic in farang utopia, those whose limitless expertise in all things must have netted them great wealth, would choose to live in a developing country. Possibly in their home countries they had run out of people willing to listen to lectures on the way things ought to be done.

It's interesting how so many farang losers come to Thailand for low cost of living yet bash it for not have 1st world standards. Yet any small criticism of their home country and they flip out in their typical overly dramatic farang fashion.

Where was ther Thai bashing in the OP?

I posted a picture of a clearly dangerous construction, or is it not allowed to show real life situations for our resident Thai apologists.

And what has this to do with the reason why I moved here? Does your home country have 365 days of sun?

Mine doesn't, but that is still no reason for the country that likes to call itself the hub of the universe every other day, to endanger other peoples life.

Do you think it would have been safer if they did nothing? Maybe given their limited resources, this is the best they can do for now until a more permanent solution can be implemented without inadvertently cutting off power to hundreds of businesses. Did you consider that scenario before making your 'I'm so concerned about others' post?

It's sad so many farang use TV as a vehicle for any little opportunity to bash Thais while taking for granted their hospitality and enjoying a higher standard of living than most of locals.

Don't you think it would have been safer if they had it done the proper way when they initially installed the pole several years ago? You think they don't have the equipment to dig a deeper hole and some sand an cement to pour concrete around it.

Nothing to do with limited resources, it is the maipenrai attitude that is the culprit here.

Did you look at that other post of mine, where I posted pictures of the pole they replaced opposite my house and where they came with SIXTEEN people including a university educated head engineer, and still couldn't do it right.

Did you notice that I wrote in the OP that they cut the power to hundreds of businesses from 9am till 4pm that day, and one more time only 2 weeks prior to it?

It is sad that there are farangs that live with winkers and don't see that what I posted happens here every day and is a prime example of incompetence and laziness, not about limited resources.

So they only put it in the ground half a meter? Very unusual while knocking on the PEA for the apparent stupidity, may it be known to you MEA and PEA are extremely good at their jobs and have a good safety record.

The network installation in Thailand is far from Junk and in fact uses some very pricy solutions.

From what I can see in the one photo, is they have the pole braced against the forces applied by the lines in preparation to dig out the base of the pole. In place removal of a pole without one or more hydraulic manipulators to hold the pole, this is how its otherwise done.

Huh I don't geddit.... what devil? Are you addicted to more than forums?

True no go.....strange

Nuked the cookies and it came back to life... though it now displays:

Bangkokpost.com will undergo system maintenance to enhance our service quality.

The website will be offline, beginning on Monday, July 13, from 2pm to 4pm.

Is this site down at the moment, I'm getting connection refused. Before it was in a redirect loop.

Anyone can check it also thanks.

Well from my experience there is the potential for what you have proposed happening at least once, but this is hardly representative of all lawyers. And in fact would not such a demand cast a doubt to the capability of the individual that you would discontinue using their services.

And with a big case, this actually becomes more absurd, lawyers aren't a rare breed.

Speaks volumes of the state of the profession if the integrity of lawyers is so easily brought to question. And its not much of a stretch considering the Justices are by many accounts flying well below the necessary bar of unimpeachable integrity and professional standard.

Is that three from same consulate that problematic ??

I am unsure why a dissolution of the NLA is the answer to not accepting the proposed constitution, is this not the body to which the drafting committee reports too. If they are unable to develop an acceptable draft that they NLA members are willing to commit a yes or no too as individuals, than <deleted> is the drafting group doing with all this power. In this backwards system, it hardly makes sense to blatantly castrate the NLA and treat them as nothing more than seat warming rubber stampers..

Perhaps I'm off the game here cause I'm hungover, but I'd be bit annoyed if I was apart of the NLA and unable to guide the refinement / drafting of this set of laws in the best interests of the country and all Thais. What is the point...