planemad

I don't know where you can have it done as a service, however, if you can find one of the Japanese Diso shops (I know of one at Seacon Square, top floor but plenty of others), they sell vacuum bags in packs (various sizes), for just 60 Baht, in fact, all items are just 60 Baht! Great place to shop!

Dubai International was forced to close last Wednesday (10th Oct) firstly due to early morning fog (which should not prevent operations), and failure of the instrument landing facility at the airport. 50 flights were diverted all over the gulf countries. Thailand is not alone.

VASU is probably the easiest to find, just on the corner of Suk/Soi 7. Rates are about 2 satang lower than SupeRich, so unless changing millions, not worth the bother. Always better than banks.

Should there be a decimal point somewhere in the I.Q. of 180?

I was a publican owning my own pubs in the UK for over 10 years. I had been involved in the trade for as long as I remember, so when the time came to buy, I knew what to expect. At the end of 10 years, I didnt make much money, but I did live well and left with pretty much what I had put into it.

During that time, I saw so many people wanting to come into the trade, many found a pub only to be out 12 months later, broken dreams and skint! I have heard many prospective owners making the remark that they wanted to "retire" to a nice pub! They will have had a rude awakening.

Owning a bar or pub is very hard work, the hours are long and you must have time to chat to every drunk who has a story to tell, no matter how many times you have heard it before. You must also remember that when money and booze is involved, EVERYONE is out to rob you. Family can be the worst offenders and "friends" who come to help out behind the bar are actually there to help themselves. Don't even consider taking a holiday, that is a prime time to be turned over, it happened to me twice.

All this was in the UK and I have to say, weighing things up, I really enjoyed the trade, however, it will drain the life out of you. I knew what I was doing, so when I see so many with no idea of what they are doing investing their savings into a bar, which isn't theirs in the first place, I just have a quiet chuckle to myself and wonder where they will be in 12 months time. Some will no doubt make it, most wont FACT!

Best advice I can give to anyone wanting to go into the pub game in Thailand, unless you have previous experience, done a lot of homework and chosen your venue carefully and have a credible business plan with realistic goals.....walk away or you are well on the way to becoming your own best customer.

Good Luck

KS

James Hewitt met Princess Diana 2 years AFTER Harry was born. That is quite well documented.

Many shops in the BKK Suk Soi 7 area has them.

As I recall, there was some doubt as to the girls actual age, 16 or 17, a point which seems to have been overlooked. The point being that it was reported that she had recently returned from America (the length of stay was never mentioned as I remember) where it is POSSIBLE that she gained a legal U.S. drivers licence. I have no wish to try to make her actions more acceptable, but just possible that she was not driving illegally. Also, does anyone actually know who she was texting? Requesting advice maybe? How would you deal with the situation if it was YOUR daughter?......please be honest!

Like many others, I felt 384 per carriage was a little optimistic to say the least, however, travelling last night at around 6 pm I can see that the numbers are reasonably achievable albeit seriously tightly wedged it. Each carriage has 3 seating sections with seats for 14 persons, the entrance ways (4 off) can accommodate (last night) about 45 and the standing area between the seats held about 35, so do the maths, about 330 and realistically, there was room for a few more, not comfortably, but as a means of getting between A and B cheaply and quickly! Hard to fault.

Further to my last, today is Sartjeen (Spelling) day or ancestors day. So there will be lots of burning of red paper and firecrackers. I hope this helps a little.

I cannot tell you what the celebration is, however it is a Chinese "Do". I am sure some of the more enlightened members will be able to provide more details.

Indian Ringnecked Parakeets most likely.

Sorry Chaingmaikelly, but you have it wrong. Non commissioned Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen swear to serve the Queen and her government, the manner in which this is carried out is however through the orders given by the hierarchy (commissioned and non commissioned). That apart, I suspect that underneath the pomp, you are having a go a Prince Harry because he does not seem to meet your definition of an Officer. Do YOU know what an Officers lot is this day and age? After having served in an active war zone, ones need to live for the day becomes quite prominent in you mind and letting off steam takes many forms.

As pointed out, he is young, SINGLE and certainly seems to know how to enjoy himself, in addition he is a serving Officer in the British Army. Do you know what sort of high jinks go on in the Officers Messes? I do and some would make your hair curl, sliding down the staircase of a Rothchild mansion on silver salvers is very minor stuff.

Basically, get off his case and remember what it was like to be young yourselves, if you can.

Pratunam is quite central (not far from Pantip Plaza) and is a large clothes outlet where you might find what you are looking for. I would however recommend a trip to Bo Bae which is pretty much the centre of the clothing industry in Bangkok (near China Town (Yarowlat)) . They have sizes to suit about everyone and is easily accessible, ask a taxi driver. Down side, they like to sell in multiples of 3 at least, but still worth a try as the place is seriously HUGE!

Having looked at the new office suite, I have to say I quite like many of the additions particularly the ability to open, read and edit PDF files. Powerpoint has some new features which, as an Instructor, I quite like. For those that are concerned about the Skydrive, some reviews suggest that files are saved there by default, that is simply not true. Just use your C drive as normal and upload to the Skydrive IF YOU want to.

If you don't like MS, this wont encourage many to try it, but for those that have used the previous office system this is very good (for a Beta version) and certainly far better than any of the available freeware .....IMO.

KS

I agree with stevenl on both counts. You might be lucky and not get asked for the B500, but if you expect to pay and don't, bonus! Some time back (maybe a couple of years), I was 2 days over and was also concerned about future implications, the guy I was dealing with spoke good English and simply said that the fine was paid, it was not a long overstay and there would not be anything to worry about for the future.

So, take B500, be polite and no problems.

Indeed, a good site and I have no wish to knock it, however, a better site in my opinion is http://www.coolthaihouse.com/ it is a site based on the experiences of those who have either just started to build or already completed their project, No so dissimilar to the house building chapter here on good 'ol TV, but it is much more comprehensive. Just try it.

I don't know what you are expecting. Khunron has given you what I think is the best advice for PC repairs, Fortune Town is easily accessible, has a wide range of stores most of which will offer advice on where you can get repairs etc. It is however Bangkok, and things can be more expensive, so either live with it or go back to Pattaya for repair.

Thanks Crossy,

I have been following your build for quite a time, I am just waiting for the film to come out! I have rather got the feeling that there should not be too many problems, but it is good to get another view from a fellow expat.

Thanks.

PM

Hi all,

Within the next few month I am hoping to start a small bungalow project with my wife on her families land. I have found a suitable (almost) set of plans on the internet - Thanks Crossy for pointing me in the right direction!, The plans however need to be "mirrored" to suit our requirements. So, my question is what sort of latitude (if any) will be allowed by the land office? Apart from the mirrored footprint, I wish to use aluminium window frames and simplify the roof from the quite complicated but ornate Thai style.

I have produced a set of rendered floor plans showing all the outside elevations which includes the simplified roof and alternate windows, so, am I wasting my time with what I have?

I would greatly appreciate any views or advice on the matter. I am on a reasonably tight budget, so I don't really want to have a new set of plans drawn to accommodate what (I) consider to be reasonably minor changes.

Thanking you in advance.

PM

SCB has a few exchange booths as well.

Rate is always lower (ie, less Baht for your Buck) than the banks in town, use only in emergency!

OP asked about "Whisky", note spelling! This means it comes from Scotland. Assuming the OP knows the difference, he was asking about Scotch. Just a point that many don't seem to know.

It is however very common in Thailand to bring your own bottle to the bar/club/restaurant and pay the corkage but you must buy the sodas/mixers from the establishment. Suggest you don't try this in the UK

PM - Ex publican.

I have no wish to direct TV users to a different forum but you could try coolthaihouse.com they deal almost exclusively with all things to do with house building. Could also try google translate, for an example, I tried rebar then copied the Thai word back and asked for an English translation, hey ho! rebar, anyway, just a thought.

Good Luck

PM

Hi KosraeTV,

I must admit, I had forgotten about the Soi you are referring to. It WAS a thriving area but is now under development, but you will have seen that already. I assume you walked past the building work on the far left side at the rear of the market because I recall maybe 6 months ago having to negotiate my way through workings to find what was left of the place. There were still quite a few shops as described, but I guess that the renovation has now finally forced the remaining shops to close. Shame, it was always a good wander.

Sorry I couldn't have been more help.

KS

Hi Lopburi,

Sorry to hear about your muddy water. I have a few thoughts, but please, I am no expert so really up to you. First, your larger pic seems to show 2 water returns (1 through the filter and 1 through the water feature) and a small fountain. That will create a lot of water disturbance, especially as your pond is not very deep. I suggest with the filter maybe adding a length of blue pipe and an elbow joint to take the returned water to the bottom of the pool, then another joint with a diffuser on the end. This will reduce the direct force of the water. I assume the pots with the lotus were not the basket variety, if they are replace with solid pottery bowls and use the proper lotus mud available wherever you bought the plants from, I would also put a shallow layer of pea gravel over the top.

I hope something I have said works for you, plastic plants just don't look right.

Good Luck and let us know if you have any success.

KS