Ajarn

Of course there are other places, like Mae Kampong (The treetop gibbon thing) but it's a bit more up-scale and not large enough to accommodate people in any kind of volume

Where is the darn place? They tell me left at Baan Huey Kaaw, but there is no left...

I've been there twice, looking for it.

It's a *right* turn past Ban Huay Kaew (assuming you're coming from the South i.e from the Mae On area). Ban Huay Kaew is where all the wholesale tree sellers are.

Mae Kampong is here: http://tinyurl.com/9x7ock

It's INCREDIBLY scenic. Pretty high up, so will be cold. (Weird plants overthere that you don't normally see) All good roads (fairly narrow, but all paved).

As I thought. I know this road very well. A couple of years ago, they re-opened this road to through traffic. I believe it is in the re-opened section. Thanks for the clarification

When I had a business in Bkk, my accountants at the time told me there were 2 types of Buddha’s. Those which are made for the kingdom and cannot be taken out, and those which are made for no other purpose than for tourist souvenirs, often made from resins, wood carvings, and certain metals. They said no paperwork was required as any official is able to identify a souvenir Buddha without any problems at all.

This is not what I know, but simply what I was told.

Aitch

I believe to do it absolutely correctly you should have paperwork for any Buddha saying it isn't antique etc.

However getting a certificate for quantities would be prohibitive.

I have seen them sent in bulk with some creative wording on the invoice - such as medium size male figure as wooden statue etc.

I would suspect that those dealing in any kind of decorative Buddha statue in quantity, have ways of channeling out as its not a problem when they reach their destination.

Clamping down on small worthless gifts sounds a bit overzealous.

According to what I have heard fom the 'experts', and from what I have read, All buddha images have to have a certificate for export given by the National Library.

Of course there are other places, like Mae Kampong (The treetop gibbon thing) but it's a bit more up-scale and not large enough to accommodate people in any kind of volume

Where is the darn place? They tell me left at Baan Huey Kaaw, but there is no left...

I've been there twice, looking for it.

My first years here (20+) I spent some time buying buddhas and shipping them back to the states. I went to the National library with all my pictures and got permits for them. All nice and legal. Have not done it since, but I still send buddhas back with no problems. I imagine they act only if they find one

The Charin Resort

for those who are unsure exactly where it is.

Charin is at Kilomet #142

My experience this year with the Thai tourists was that they were in force everywhere

In the mountains on every road I saw out of cangwat plates. They caused incredible traffic in Chiang Mai, one trip into downtown took me hours to wangle my way home. I was happy for the businesses that got ther business, but I was also happy to stay off the roads downtown. I have never seen so much traffic.

And Sunday night, they were heading south in a large mass

it's common knowledge that you shouldn't buy flowers from street kids: people may think theyre being "generous" but they're actually perpetuating a sick situation

Another idiotic statement. Not all street kids selling flowers are being ripped off, or are ripping you off in some way. Many famililies sell flowers honestly and deserve to be supported by folks.

sure, maybe if there are parents around. i see this often in the rasta area off of ratwithi. it's still pretty terrible, and i'm sure they could find more healthy ways to raise funds for the family, but that's a complex issue.

however, six year old kids hanging out by themselves at girly bars selling flowers at 1 a.m. is not something anyone should support with cash. supposedly a good portion of those kids are orphans who are taken advantage of by mafia types. of course, they're the ones who end up "graduating" into far worse trades.

my point was that being "generous" with your cash isn't implicitly the most pragmatic or moral behavior in the long run. it's up to the individual to decide, but they shouldn't only think about the short-term effects of their spending habits. if you disagree with my "street kids" illustration there are a host of other ones that would suitably support my point.

I think you are hanging out making your own assumptions about the kids, with no facts to back up anything.

This reminds me, there was a plan a couple of years ago to move the Consulate out on the Hang Dong road as the current building has to be returned to the government or something in a few years. Anyone know if that's still alive?

No plans to move anywhere I've been told.

it's common knowledge that you shouldn't buy flowers from street kids: people may think theyre being "generous" but they're actually perpetuating a sick situation

Another idiotic statement. Not all street kids selling flowers are being ripped off, or are ripping you off in some way. Many famililies sell flowers honestly and deserve to be supported by folks.

First surprise: Yesterday we got our usual weekly supply of drinking water (1x20 l + 24x1 l). It used to be 40 baht for years, but about 1/2 year ago the price rose to 46 baht (no surprise). However, Yesterday the price was down to 43 baht all of a sudden.

Second surprise: Today I went to my usual supplier of cd's with "free trialware". It has been 100 baht pr cd for years, but today it was 80 baht all of a sudden.

I used to pay 10 baht a trip for a sawngthaew. A while back it went up to 13 baht. Today it was back to 10!

The reason, a couple of drivers told me was it was because they had to carry a lot of one baht coins as change, and the hassles dealing with 3 baht with customers was a pain, so many (not all) drivers simplified it for everyone. 'Just for awhile' of course

A few people seem to have had a problem with the 'owner' of the Chiang Mai Expats and Chiang Mai Friends clubs. However, many members seem to be happy with the organisation and have posted their views here.

To the unhappy, please go to a solicitor. there are recommendations on this site. At the moment you are creating an atmosphere that I'm sure a smart businessman would exploit: 'it's us against them my fellow friends and members'

CEC recommended ICO as it is their sponsor.

I went there and will make no comment but look at other posts on thaivisa on the legal forum

Best recommendations are from Thais you know

I thought you were smart, but my mistake

Is the the club consisting almost entirely 100% of retirees? The club that meets at CM Orchid?

The Club does meet at the CM Orchid but the membership profile has changed over the past six months. There are a high (although not preponderant) percentage of retirees but this is a fair reflection of the make up of the CM expat community as a whole.

The Club wants to appeal to people of all ages, it has grown substantially over the last year and there has been a widening of the age profile.

The next meeting is on Saturday July 14th and all are welcome to attend so why not come and find out for yourself.

Thank you for the comments on the newsletter UG I know the people concerned have worked hard on getting it going and will be very appreciative of your comments.

One of my problems with this club is that the major advertisers seem to be running the show. Now that could be okay but lets face it these advertisers are getting some sort of credability by being associated with a non profit club that has been set up to help expats. What if the club was just a front for unscrupoulus buisness men attracted to the more relaxed buisness climate (less regulated) that prevails here. I would be pleased to know what other people think about this.

I agree about the advertisers, but what can you expect from businessmen? They are out to make a living any way that works. Can't respect them for anything except maybe their products. The idea going in is, retirees are needy, maybe they need me. I have been asked numerous times to go to a meeting because I have been here a long time. But I'm not selling anything to anybody, so why should I go?

Has anyone any experience or advice that they can pass on about engaging the services of a private investigator?Its nothing sordid or untoward or even a legal matter simply trying to locate a family member last known to be in the area.

The problem I forsee is that I am stuck in the UK for now and would be open to all sorts of cons,so fellow forum-ers,what say you?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice

shocks

you are right, you would be subjected to lots of cons from lawyers and investigators. if you are not in the kingdom they would not need to do any work for you even if they had your money. that is how the thai mind works i am afraid.

you could try the chiangmai expats club, they might to an email shot - they have in he past. but again if anyone asks for money, run.

please be careful. expats newly arrived heer are getting caught everyday

[that is how the thai mind works i am afraid.

Not only Thai minds, but most everyone's mind

Bill97.

For a very good selection of knives, machetes

you could also look at any one of the roadside stalls on the main road to mai jo

regards ..... dave2

Dave2,

Very detailed pics. Do you which one is the machete for opening a coconut? I dont need a samurai sword for a coconut.

I try to "greng jai"(reluctant to impose on) my thai neighbours by not asking them questions

so as not to let them score points in their favour krap. Does it make sense?

Yes, but fairly pointless to anyone else but you

Just go to any large Hmong village and talk to their Puu Yai Baan

They supply the needs of their Hemp cloth producers...

As some of my reasearch says, nothing stays the same. But the worst is limited to an 'instance' or two, then they have always recoverd with a limited loss.

Some of the PAD's actions went overboard, like the airport closure, which suceeded, with very few injuries, but BIG MONEY Losses, which has made interest in this matter a much broader interest than it deserves..

All this is just regular Thai Politics on a daily basis in my view. Nothing to worry about

Here is an article on Thai corruption from 97 to 06

When I started buying coconuts, I asked my maid to give it a go.

We used screwdrivers, hammers, everything we could think of.

It was like gnawing the foot off a dog. Messy.

Not giving up, later on I tried the bog standard meat cleaver that generally comes with a regular set of knives.

As previously mentioned, angle the knife up so the corner closest to the handle hits the coconut.

Then don't be shy, take a healthy WACK! It works.

It works with the juicers, but I imagine you'd need to a serious knife when thick hair is in the way.

Yep, a meet cleaver is the tool used by every coconut cracker along the Chiang Dao hiway.

Always relaxed and quiet where I live, except on Xmas and New Year's eve.

Every year

I have never had a satisfactory answer to why they need to know your address, has anyone ever had a visit...I think not !

Yes, they do visit, mainly for those on a marriage visa, but many others too.

Here is a photo

And it being done on Samui with my ex-wife...

I've ordered food from them through Meals on Wheels 4u a few times. Excellent food, high prices.

This and other threads are some of the reasons why I say, "Too many farangs in Thailand", and why it is impossible for me to respect anyone living here. Well, there is one person who I respect a lot because he has lived here longer than I have, and has pretty much figured everything out...

I would like to hear something from Nienke Parma who is listed as one of the main folks involved...

Hope someone can be of help. Any idea how much it will cost for a good pump, filtration, lights for a 4x7 meter pool? Thanks

Please PM me

in Chiang Mai we have bought our swimming pool from DesJoyaux, 179 Mahidol Road

Tambon Haiya , District Muang ,Chiang Mai 50100; close to air port plaza coming from SW corner of old city. tel:053 283901

for sure they will know what your parts will cost.

In Chiang Mai, they are the best at everything except prices. They quote the same prices as you would pay in france.

The best idea is to hire your own pool contractor, work out a price for his work (I paid mine 30,000 baht), then be around your pool during construction and pay good attention to anybody getting any deals. Mine cost 200,000 for everything in a pool. DesJoyaux asked 1.1 million for the same pool...

I know that I am amazingly annoying about my gratitude that we have Miguel's Mexican, but please consider that I have been whining for a decent Mexican restaurant in Thailand for almost 20 years and I am most grateful that we finally have one and that I don't have to fly home for a burrito.

Still waiting for a good mexican restaurant.. Miguels is okay for fast food, but the Tacos are not made with corn tortillas, and a deep fried burrito? AWFUL