Ajarn

Nobody has mentioned salt water pools, I would have thought they would be more suited to LOS as opposed to chlorine because of the higher sunlight levels. I know this to be the case in QLD.

Sure is Bronco....No-body builds anything but a salt water pool nowdays. I've got one ande they're easy as ###### to look after.

What are the advantages of a salt water vs fresh water pool, outside of raising your own prawns?

I have a reasonable builder in Surin. He said that he would build me a 20m x 10m pool for about 250,000, including the dig, laborers and all the stuff at the hardware shop.

I know that Thai builders  don't manage the budget that well, but add about 25% - 30% and there is the money. He did a good job on my house, and I made the possibly fatal mistake of not supervising the work.... to date I am happy.

He has done large pools before

if you want to PM me, I can give you details. There are many examples of his work around Kab Choeng and Bangkok.

That sounds like a reasonable price. Mine is a LOT smaller, and only 20% cheaper.

I made a mistake not using an accountant as a go between on daily expenditures. I feel I could have saved 10,000-20,000 baht had I done that. Dodgy receipts were a headache, and I wasn't prepared to follow up each one...

The advice to use a construction expert is a good one. I know I never could have done as well myself, even if I do think I know everything....See? I knew that, too!

Our house is nearly finished, so it is research time.

I bring this thread up again just in case there is anybody out there with new information.

Cheers

I think I've already shot my wad on the topic...

Do you have any questions?

To answer your question, no, I'm not playing the stock market. Its playing me.

Hey, ain't that the truth for me, too!

After losing a bundle in 2002, I am sticking to index funds, ie. qqq and am waiting for the Nasdaq to bottom out before investing.

I switched to mostly index funds myself a number of years ago, after reading The Coffeehouse Investor. The cental msg is that no stock analyst, anywhere, has ever matched -- not to mention beaten -- the stock market average, so you'll do better betting on the stock market as a whole, via index funds, then in trying to pick a stock based on X information, whether it's your own research or someone else's.

On the other hand for some folks the gambling aspect of the market is the best part, so why spoil the party by introducing reality?

Coffeehouse Investor

The Coffeehouse Credo

Once you remove yourself from Wall Street's complete and total obsession with trying to beat the stock market average, and accept the fact that equaling the stock market average is a rather sophisticated approach to the whole thing, building a common stock portfolio becomes an immensely gratifying experience.

Wall Street has conclusively proven to us that pursuit of performance above a benchmark is an unproductive use of our time, our talent and our money.  By trying to beat the stock market average, it's easy to forget that the stock market has historically provided an excellent investment return, and by trying to beat an already good thing, investors are virtually guaranteed to end up below it.

I figured I'd get some good tips here from you guys

Most of the indexes are at low levels now, and some are in the red for the year, which seems to make them a good buy now...I remember reading that the market has, on average, gained 11% per year during the history of the market. In that case, it would only take me three years to make up the losses I've had since last December....

I wish I could find a monkey, or elephant, to pick my stocks. Testing has shown their picks to be better than the experts...

Maybe things will quiet down after the American elections....

After losing a bundle in 2002, I am sticking to index funds, ie. qqq and am waiting for the Nasdaq to bottom out before investing.

Well, I hope you shorted the indexes

This year has been a crazy year. People are making decisions, not based on the quality of the companies, as is traditional, but in news from Iraq and everything else...

I lost a bundle on a couple of stocks...I sold them off, and then shorted the stocks, which, because the prices continued to fall, helped to regain some of the loss....

I'm also waiting on the sidelines for the prices to bottom out, but I'd say there are lots of bargains out there now, like CSCO, an extremely strong company financially, but it has fallen victim to these outside market forces, forcing their price down to about $20. Unfortunately, I own shares in CSCO at $28...If the market ever turns around and reverts more to normal market forces, then I'll be okay..I hope

At that point, they're nothing more than a Troll, in my book...

Do you reckon there are Trolls at large in this Forum ?

Hey, if the shoe fits...

It was all a matter of face. The guy's walked away and seen my superior logic (in this case at least) and organised the crew to come pronto. Perhaps he realised it would be better to move the pole beforehand while I was expressing my opinion but to openly change his mind and agree with me there and then would have in his judgement involved a loss of face on his part. If I hadn't said anything the road would now be finished with a power pole in the middle still blocking the way.

Maybe...Or maybe not...

I'm not saying you're wrong by any means, but maybe there were other things happening which you weren't aware of...

For example, The guy with the Tie at the Amphoe office. Is he the guy who tells them what to do, or is he simply a bureaucrat that has nothing to do with the actual construction planning, but is there to do something else, like make sure everyone is there to work, or...? Maybe the plan all along was to move the pole before construction, but this guy didn't know that, so, instead of saying 'I don't know', he simply said the first thing that came to his mind, since the actual construction was not his job?

My point is that I think we all do a lot of 'guessing' here in such situations. We often assume one scenario, but it isn't always the case where we have enough real evidence to make an accurate judgment of the situation, even when we feel sure we do know what's going on. I've found myself in such a situation plenty of times here, unlike back in my home country...

For me, that's when 'MaiPenRai' comes in handy. Instead of getting myself all worked up with my frustrations and value judgements, I try to just let it go, and accept that it's good they removed the pole (as an example), without tripping off all the other stuff about who is thinking/doing what, and who has the superior logic, etc.... I've learned from experience that that is akin to beating one's head against the wall, and serves no useful purpose to them or me.

TGT...there's whingers where ever you go.  I'm sure you know people who are never satisfied and always look at the glass as being half empty instead of the other way around.

I'd propose that many are satisfied...Some people simply enjoy whinging, and if there isn't any real item to go on about, then they look for something to whine about, and if nothing can be easily seen, then they create it...At that point, they're nothing more than a Troll, in my book...

Do you play the stock markets in Thailand, or maybe the NYSE ?

I've been trading online for a couple of years with some success, but the nature of the market seems to be different now since 9/11...

I would be interested in hearing the experiences of others, and maybe get a good tip or two...

One night a few years back, I was in  outside Pata Pinklao when I was sitting outside drinking beer, and was pretty drunk. I threw a cigarette on the sidewalk, when suddenly 4 or 5 guys in uniform started asking me for 2000 baht. I soon realized that they were  only Pata security guards and told them where to go. If I had been a tourist, I probably wouldn't have known they weren't real police.

Some in that area are over eager to rip off us whiteys.

Don't forget that many real police moonlight as security guards...

My rule is, 'no gun, no money'

So you're saying that all those motorcycle shops selling the 300k baht tenere's or whatever are full of BS when they say they can make it legal for 50K?

I'm referring specifically to the type of bike belonging to the original poster...A used bike parted out in Japan and sent here as spare parts and no other paperwork, and reassembled here. There must be thousands of these running around Thailand. I have no experience with new bikes, parted and imported in as spare parts...

I can't drive bikes anymore, but it's a question I've tried so many times and ways to find a successful solution to making these bikes legal. Even with money not being an issue, I've never found a legal solution... And, besides, this often quoted figure of 50,000 baht should be a major clue that this ain't legal, since there are no possible legal filing fees that could ever ad up to that amount.

And the earlier suggestion of making a 'semi-legal bike' is still illegal, no matter the spin. If the numbers don't match nothing else is gonna happen...Forging frame numbers is an easy way to get busted, from the forgery attempts I've seen....

I have a number of friends whose bike's legal status remains in limbo. They all wanted to drive legal bikes, and all of them were under the impression that 'legal' was possible, for a price.....Well, they're still waiting. I'd be happy to pay 1,000 baht for a true solution I can pass on to my friends....

Many of the thais ride motorbikes and drive cars without the proper paperwork, and it is common to pay the police off. But for thai people, it's usually 200 baht. I guess it's higher for farang, just like many other things!

Yes, my experience has been, 200 on the street, 400 at the station. And that's for my farang friend, too, who insisted to himself that the station cops would buy his story about why his bike was missing his tax sticker...They didn't. This was in CM, just after Songkran, and he called me for advice...My advice was to not waste his time and pay the 400 baht they demanded...

Better take enough money with you when frequenting the restricted "night life" in this city!

Now that's a radical idea!

Firstly, I have a large knowledge of the Bike scene in this country, and thats all I intend to say on open forum, you believe what you want, the 20 yrs you always harp on about makes u appear a tad arrogant

Okay, you stand by your alleged 'knowledge', I'll stand by my direct experiences...over 20 arrogant years.

Give me a phone number of ANYONE you know who has made an illegal bike legal. I'll pay you 1,000 baht if it's really true.

So, lets see who's right and who's wrong. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is (even if that does sound kinda icky)

And, frankly, I hope I'm wrong. It would help many friends....

I pay something like 400B/year for it but it sounds like maybe I'm throwing 400B away. Possibly the police could fine me more by NOT having the insurance, even if it means nothing in the event of an accident? The thought of driving a Honda Dream around is quite depressing, but maybe a lot easier

From what I can gather, the parts were shipped over seperately from Japan and then assembled by the Dirt Shop in BKK, then sold to the Thai guy...

Very common in Thailand, and not a one ever legally registered, I believe. When I lived in BKK, I had two such bikes, and I followed every lead to that elusive 'legal' status, with results as noted earlier....

By the way, the standard price for one of these after being reassembled is 20,000 baht. Hope you didn't pay much more than that. That's going to be the price another Thai will pay, so if you want more, sell it to a farang

Chang Mai is not so big and you have big chances to meet the same cop again, and again

Good and true point. You do not want to be remembered by the police

Yes the rego can be done and pass scrutiny, have seen it done. Never owned an unregistered vehicle myself, what happens when you are involved in an accident?

Yes the rego can be done and pass scrutiny, have seen it done.

Please excuse my impudence, but talk is cheap, especially here. I'll accept that you believe what you say

As for insurance, illegal bikes are not allowed on the road, so they can't be insured against an accident claim. The insurance company doesn't care when they insure you, because they know they're covered, either way. If your bike is illegal, and you register it, the insurance company knows they won't lose any money on you. Hey, you may even get 'preferred customer' status

I've never had an accident, and of the people I know who've had bike accidents that involved the police, their bikes were all totalled. Not sure how much scrutiny the cops give after they've fixed blame for the accident.

If the bike is legal....Known registered owner, previously registered, all numbers match.... No sweat. Back taxes (about 200 baht per year) plus 20% fine, new book/plate fees....Easy and simple, really.

But, if it ain't legal, forget it, in my experience. Don't believe anyone who tells you that you can get your illegal bike made legal for xxx amount of Baht. I've personaly researched this over and over for the last almost 20 years, and I have yet to ever find a true story of this happening. The closest is someone who has paid xxxx amount of baht to some guy working in a vehicle registration office and gets a new owner's book...Then the instant they try to register the vehicle where they really live, the local registration office notices 'the numbers don't match'. The book is sent back to the issuing office, where it stays, 'under investigation' forever....

This story I've heard a few times-- after it actually happened to me. Bkk and Rayong (Ranong?) are two places that had this happen...

I would love to hear a confirmation that what I'm saying isn't necessarily true, and that, in fact, such a legal deal has been created, and held up to scrutiny.

Buyer Beware, especially for advice.

Cover your ass, in any case. If you ride, remember that you could lose your bike at any moment, though it's a total crapshoot, isn't it? History says it's likely you'll never have a problem (though, since you did, maybe your luck is changing for the worse?...) Pretty high stakes for some, no big deal for others. Personally, I've owned 5 big bikes in Thailand, only one was legal, but it never made any difference to me. Never had any problems, but I knew the limitations of registering and selling, hence, the cheap prices for such bikes. I'm not saying do this or that, but just make sure you've given due consideration to all issues, since the potential consequences of running afoul of the law here is certainly more serious than any country we've come from, right? You may not go to prison for not having a plate at a roadblock, but a subsequent search of your body could turn up that joint you were saving, or hey, you're only a few days late on going to Mae Sai for a new stamp.....Deported, if you're lucky....

Some years ago, I, along with a couple of friends, got stopped at a checkpoint on our way up to Doi Mae Salong . These guys were friendly, but they searched every bike, every passport, every person.....While this was going on, two more farangs on bikes came by, but raced off...Two cops jumped on one of our bikes and gave chase, and a few minutes later, they all come back. The Germans told us they had a joint, and when they saw the roadblock, they feigned not seeing it, and up around the next corner, they tossed what they had. These guys were extremely lucky, in my book. The cops accepted the stupid farang scenario, but they did sarch them with even more vigor than they had shown with us.

Onward, through the fog

Do Thais have driving lessons, or do they just try to pick it up as they go along?

I imagine that if they do have lessons and a test it a case of a couple of hundred Baht bribe to pass. If they do have lessons what the ###### are they taught? A Thai once told me that the test consists of being able to drive seven meters in a straight line. I’ve yet to meet a Thai that drives responsibly. My wife is pretty good, but she drove in UK and had lessons there. Thais don’t even seem to understand the basics of gears and gear changing! The few times I’ve been in multi-story car parks with Thais driving I have found they wiz around and round in a high gear so as to get up the ramps. They didn’t realise that they could drop a few gears and go up the ramps slowly.

How can it not strike them as dangerous to drive in either direction, on either side if the road???

I blame religion. They may believe that everything is preordained in the same fashion as the Muslims believe it’s all in the hands of Allah (no peace be upon him).

Still, it must be said that I see far fewer accidents than I would expect. There is obviously a system somewhere that everyone follows.

Anybody any idea of the figures for road accident in Thailand?

Yes, many Thais do take private driving lessons, but not nearly enough, I'd say. Thailand ranks among countries with the highest rates of accidents...

There are many instructers in any town or city. If you can't easily find one, ask a local car rental place for some leads. Most of them advertise in local rags, too, if you can read Thai. Cost in Chiang Mai is about 10 hours of driving instruction for about 1200 baht. Some places also include a license guarantee...

All drivers should be required to take a driving safety course before they can get a license. I took a motorcycle safety course when I was 15, and I'm sure the training has saved my ass on more than one occasion....

Fact is, the vast majority of Thais drive just fine, but the ones that don't can really stand out in your memory, that's for sure. There is a method to the madness, but not all are on the same page, just like anywhere else where people drive. Here, the rule of the road is not based on Law, but on a continuation of society's main rule, Might is Right. Frankly, it makes much more sense on the Thai road than in Thai society.

I've driven here for almost 20 years, surely over a million kilometers, and never an accident...Knock on Wood (my head!)

So far I've hit 6 bikes and a car this way. And naturally it was my fault or so their logic goes.

 

There's a clue in there somewhere, I think, mate

What is the reasoning here?

Perhaps the reasoning is that you are trying to think like a westerner when you are inside a southeast asian society. You have to put yourself in the other persons shoes and think of things from their viewpoint. Then maybe you will understand.

Here is another example, albeit far removed. In many middle eastern cultures, it is not recommended for a single male to enter an elevator, when inside the elevator there is already a single woman or a woman with children, who may appear to be married.

The "logic" is that it would be assumed that you were trying to hit on the woman inside the elevator. As a result, both you and she would be viewed as "tainted" if discovered. This could have bad consequences possibly for you and almost definitely for her. This is the "logic" of the culture.

So what is the point?

The point is that whether or not something may seem "logical" or not from a western culture, makes almost no difference if you are in an area where the culture or customs are different.

Western "logic" may not really apply in many situations in Thai culture, and vice versa. There is probably not much anyone can do to change it. The only alternative would seem to be to adjust one's thinking and adapt to the surroundings.

Your example is based on Sharia (Islamic) Law. It is illegal under Sharia Law for a lone man and lone woman to be alone together, and that includes elevators. In Malaysia, I've heard of several such situations where both parties were arrested.

As for Thai thinking, often it is different, and as someone mentioned, westerners often misread Thai situations, based on their own western culture or upbringing, and often, acting on these wrong assumptions can create more problems for the westerner. This is maybe one of the most common sources of conflicts between Thais and Westerners that I've seen. And it works both ways, too...

More American programs, fewer British programs

Who exactly ruined Thailand by convincing them to drive on the wrong side of the road? 

kenk3z

Nice Question ?

Most people in the world drive on the Right Hand Side of the Road, we however drive on the Correct Side of the Road..

I'm still trying to figure out how the Brits came to call the outside lane the 'inside' lane...

Anyone have any ideas of places that will refill Co2 bottles? Or places in CM that refill scuba bottles (much higher pressure than normal air bottles)?...I realize this might be a bit of a stretch in CM 

You want CO2 in your scuba bottles?

Where do you come from? Mars

No, and I didn't say that I did, did I?

Where are you from? Uranus?

Well over a thousand...Here it is a bit more graphically

http://www.thehungersite.com/