market trader

The truth is, truth is a alien (foreign) concept to many Thais.

I am in the midst of a week-long hassle trying to get a visa renewed. I have all the documents, but there is one tiny little thing that they say is needed. In other words, 6 pieces of good ID aren't enough for bureaucrats to believe I am who I am. They want a 7th or an 8th piece of verification, and even the bureaucrats have been tussling among themselves (in my case), some saying it's ok, others saying "no, instructions from Bangkok insist upon ........" It's a bureaucratic nightmare, and it stems from the Thai proclivitiy to never believe anything a stranger says. Their culture is built on (and hobbled by) distrust. All the houses in Thailand have walls and/or barbed wire around them (you see little of that in more trusting societies in the west). Similar for their shops with their ubiquitous metal rolling walls. Ebay never worked in Thailand, because no Thai trusts a stranger to send a product that's paid for. Same reason checks aren't used for everyday purchases - because no one trusts anyone they don't already know.

Ebay never worked here beccause 99% of Thais do not have a credit card

Why do crack downs happen only after the fact.

I would recommend that for the first week or two you stay in a hotel or guest house until you can gather your bearings and develop a feeling for what area you like the best. However that being said I think that you will end up somewhere around CM university considering your age. Now internet is another story. I also need reliable fast speed for overseas business. However even though I pay for the best service available it is nowhere near what you receive in your home country. Servers here crash consistantly and it seems to happen just when you need it the most. In addition to my regular server I also have an AIS air card which even though it is not the fastest gets me through difficult times when my primary server goes brain dead. For those of you who might like jackr's suggestion of Cambodia. www.khmer440.com this site will give you an idea of life in Cambodia.

Put kiat Num on there (as my post 3/4) and I will make a positve comment.....otherwise your map is crap!

Crap really? Please enlighten us. As I recall you put down Lawrence Chee's higher priced venues. So what is wrong with beb's below 50 baht choices?

Makro Hang Dong in the front of the store has a few brands of imported cheese. But when I want real good cheese I go to Rimping. the selection is excellent and yes it does cost a little more. But you know the old saying. You get what you pay for.

Bon voyage

Does a 10 million baht investment in Bangkok bank and PTT via the stock market also qualify for the investment route?

The Muslims are not happy!

They're not happy in Gaza ..

They're not happy in Egypt ..

They're not happy in Libya ..

They're not happy in Morocco ..

They're not happy in Iran ..

They're not happy in Iraq ..

They're not happy in Yemen ..

They're not happy in Afghanistan ..

They're not happy in Pakistan ..

They're not happy in Syria ..

They're not happy in Lebanon ..

So, where are they happy?

;

They're happy in Australia .

They're happy in Canada.

They're happy in England ..

They're happy in France ..

They're happy in Italy ..

They're happy in Germany ..

They're happy in Sweden ..

They're happy in the USA ..

They're happy in Norway ..

They're happy in Holland .

They're happy in Denmark .

Basically, they're happy in every country that is not Muslim and unhappy in every country that is!

And who do they blame?

Not Islam.

Not their leadership.

Not themselves.

THEY BLAME THE COUNTRIES THEY ARE HAPPY IN!

AND THEN; They want to change those countries to be like....

THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM WHERE THEY WERE UNHAPPY!

Excuse me, but I can't help wondering...

How dam_n dumb can you get?

You hit the nail right on the head.Good post.

I guess the Ram is a bit like overkill. But hey for your 100 bahts they at least take your blood pressure and make sure your heart is still beating. Also in and out within 15 minutes.

not my favourite store but for lighting the Home Pro has excellent displays, and many you can play with the switches to compare with eachother.

a little more expensive than the inner city places; but....a plus for the likes of Home Pro and Global is that they have a no quibble returns policy within 30 days, which is great if you buy the wrong thing, or dont like it.

try getting your money back in the cramped hell hole shops...not a chance

I agree. Home Pro, especially the Hang Dong location has a huge choice of lights. Global house is also a good place to look. For Americans and Canadians not familiar with Global house it is set up exactly like Home Depot in those countries.

fearless. I am also curious about the 50% discount card you mention. Please provide some input with all the details.

It is obvious that Mr. Chee likes good food and his reports on restaurants and his opinion of them are appreciated by me. Those who would not pay 600 bahts for a meal are obviously those who do not enjoy good food or those who cannot afford to pay the higher prices. Which is fine. But some of us can,do and will

I never really saw the point of those machines. Just get a bag that closes properly?

have got a bag that closes properly, it's really just an extra precaution just in case it does pop open, plus i guess it might deter anyone trying to open it, of course some might think it's worth opening because of the wrapping...depends how you view it.

Especially airport security, thinking that maybe you are trying to hide something.

I used Lipator for over a year to no avail. Plus the side effects were painfull. After a year I stopped using it and my cholesterol Hadn't gone down. I now take Vitamen b3 I believe the one I get is niacon.I get it from my doctor as the ones in the store are not strong enough.

She has to order them from Bangkok. My cholesterol is down now and no side effects. Well every once in a while I will get that Niacan rush. About once a month.

You should look into buying slow release niacin. This will eliminate the feeling that your head is on fire.

That is true what they told you. That is how prescriptions are issued in Thailand.

Why not just buy the generic equivalent which is cheap as chips? There are two generic brands in Thailand, but by far the cheapest is Atorsan (GPO). You would save even more (about 35-40% more) by buying 100 X 20 mg. and splitting the tablets.

Edit: Don't buy your prescriptions at C.M. Ram. That is the most expensive place in C.M. to buy drugs.

Where do you suggest we buy prescription drugs? None of the pharmacies I have tried carry the vast majority of them.

I've been searching for a slow cooker recently and this one is the only one I can find, I saw it in Big C and Makro. It doesn't look great tbh, but does anyone know if it does the job ok? Has anyone seen any other slow cookers for sale around CM recently? Thanks!

I bought one of these Otto slow cookers from Makro and it practically fell apart after one use. I returned it before seven days after purchase but Makro would not replace it. They suggested I buy another to which I had a good laugh.

After some argument they returned half the purchase price because they said they had to throw it away as they couldn't return it to Otto. I then requested the crockpot and lid part (the only robust parts of the cooker) because it was just being thrown away anyway and was strongly refused but they eventually gave in.

I have owned several crockpots in Australia and they were much more robust than this flimsy offering.

Otto products as I am sure most posters know are probably the cheapest priced products available here. In the past I had 2 Otto products a hot pot and a toaster. The hot pot lasted one month. The toaster never worked. Big "C" replaced it and the replacement lasted 10 days. Needless to say I now opt for better quality products.

If you go to Makro, make sure you also look in the commercial cooking section. That is where you will find all the restaurant size appliances

I suggest you guys start a new forum topic called 30-50baht best dish restaurant ...so that you guys have a good time sharing and boasting the best local street stalls...I recommend lam Duan kao soy as that is my fav stall at 30 baht a bowl with the best moo satay also at 30 baht to start it off

I'm not recommending or posting the cheapest restaurant as I have no interest in that....so sorry to disappoint ! I hate to be disrespectful ...zzzzzz ...there are more groups of people in Chiang Mai than 30baht dishes retirees sorry....

I am looking for nice decor places with great food that will not break the bank ...this restaurant falls into that category...the food is fantastic and u can get some Thai food that is not easily found in most Thai restaurants ...the woo sen dried shrimp is delicious cooked and painstaking prepared ..worth the 150baht in my opinion

Enjoy

I for one enjoy reading your food posts. I'm surprised no one has started a post about who does the best steamed rice in CM Because for 30 - 35 bahts that is basically what you are getting.

I like your last sentencce of trying to record fees for doctors and tests. I hope people who have been going to doctors or hospitals will provide input on this.

Note to self... Do not go within 200 km's of Phuket or Pattaya.

Poetic Justice....

Your sick.

Thank you all for your great replies.

I have just had the inside of my house completely repainted. He told me that they also paint house exteriors. They did an excellent job. Our windows, floors and furniture are also paint free. they also did some electrical work that needed to be done. They supplied the exact paint and colours that I wanted. If interested PM me and I will give you the name and phone number. Don't worry about language they speak english and Thai.

Muriatic acid is a low concentration of Hydrochloric acid approximately 40%. It's available from hardware stores and chemical supply houses.

You can't get a much bigger hardware store than Global house. I think if I had the Thai name for the product it would help a lot.

You might have better luck using a more modern term.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrochloric_acid

Well I did also ask for hydrochloric acid they still did not know what I was talking about. With all the concrete buildings in Thailand you would think that it would be very common here. It is also excellent for removing black marks from porcelain toilets and sinks.