Jerry Cornelius

If punctuality isn't too high on your list of priorities I would recommend travelling by train to Phitsonulok. You get better views as you're travelling along and you can stretch your legs a little as you go. They're mostly not that late in arriving at their destination also.

Reading your OP, Sukhothai would be be my recommendation too. It's well worth a visit. Plan your itinerary in advance though as getting around between attractions can take a while. Things may be improved during the tourist season though.

Jerry

Well done, you now have the privilege of naming and grading your red pointed route.

This could lead to a base knowledge of VS climbs (or any grading of climbs/bouldering) in Phuket and other areas.

Climbing or bouldering information of routes here should be accessible to all interested parties in a truly committed climbing community.

Then again!!!

Business 'opportunities' seem to prevail and ethics disappear.

Jerry

on average I am guessing 4-5k week without booze, and before someone jumps on the wagon and starts saying I shouldnt be eating extravagant farang food, its not, its just basic's.... food, cleaning stuff, bog roll etc from Tesco's

If I do go to Tops/Villa etc for my monthly "farang" goodies....7-10k a time

Seems that Imodium could save you quite a bit.

Jerry

Maybe to do with when Thai's park on the flat, they leave it in neutral and do not apply the handbrake. So that if need be it can be pushed forward/backwards to make space for another vehicle.

Even if the wheels are straight when parked, i think a lot of Thais will be still scratching their heads, because i believe most Farang (LawrenceN first came in 1977) don't know this and apply park (auto) and handbrakes.

Pretty succinct, although it's good practice (and a requirement in some countries) to not leave leave the wheels straight when parking on an incline.

Jerry

As said, the X-66 is a contact cement that must be applied to both pieces and let dry for about 10 minutes before they are joined. Once joined there is no realligning the pieces so you have to get it right the first time. It will work on wood as is available everywhere.

I use ELMERS carpenter's wood glue. I buy it at Home Pro. It is specifically made for joining wood and gives a good bond. "Spread on both pieces, Clamp for 30 minutes. Finest bond is achieved after drying 24 hours" You can align the pieces after they are joined and if it is a large surface I just put weights on it for about an hour.

Only sold at Home-Pro stores in Thailand.

Jerry

False alarm. The wife talked to city hall (or whatever the office is) and they said that the plans are for 2 stories. the other good news is that he was building too close to us to have windows needs to be 1.5m away. He threatened the wife to see her in court after she explained the situation. It looks like he has relented and his second story is 1.5m away.

Your wife should never have had any contact to "explain" anything with the person that was building. The tessaban should have been the one to inform him of the rule

The three story fear may have been a False alarm but you now have a neighbor that will be looking for payback

Very true, the Tessa Bahn or local Orbitor should have never issued a building permit if the plans fell outside the official requirements. Checking the Location and Layout sheet of the Drawing Set (usually sheet 3) would have revealed any shortfall.in compliance, very quickly. Unfortunately desires can be realised by unscrupulous means, so these things are always worthy of a double check by interested parties who may be affected.

Sadly, I feel that the second statement could be true also.

Jerry

Posted 2014-08-13 16:50:21

I have had my Fortuner Sportivo for about 5 years now, having had the engine tweaked I thought it was about time for a brake upgrade.

Having made several inquiries I settled for a Runstop replacement kit for the rear drums.

Contacted BJ motors BKK [email protected] 022246580-2 very helpful. They wanted an email stating car model year engine wheel size etc I also asked about fitting of same.

Within an hour I had received a reply recommending their 320dics with twin callipers 27,500bt for the kit they also included a photo break down of how it's done looks easy and it is but unless you have all the right pulley's and presses your buggered.

They also recommended a fitting company not 10 minutes from where I live very handy.

After a trip to the fitter to discus the set up I was given a price of 4,000bt for fitting including a rear axle oil change recommended.

Paid a deposit and they ordered the parts this was a Monday afternoon by midday the next day they had receive the kit and Wednesday in I go at just after 8am. All sorted I was home at about 12.30pm after a little run round.

Right was the 31,500bt well spent.

Dose it stop better yes not to easy at first to give an accurate % wise answer just running about town but after just completing a return journey of some 1,000km fully loaded in high temperatures + the usual heavy rain, I can tell you it's fantastic I guesstimate at least 40/50% better.

It does take a bit of getting used to pressure peddle wise at first but after that it's all plain sailing.

Down side.

The hand brake isn't as effective as before on steep hills but an extra click on the handle sorts that out, other than that nothing.

N/B my Sportivo wheels have a 16" internal dimension leaving a gap of some 1.1/4 " between rim and the outside edge of the callipers so whether the standard Fortuner wheels can accommodate this set up I don't know. But what I do know that I should have had it done years ago.

Forgot their wed site it's www.runstopbj.com.

Congrats on your new brakes! I know you are going to enjoy them!

I had the exact same rear caliper brake upgrade kit installed on my brand new MU-7. I could not get to the upgrade center fast enough after I bought it. The improvement in braking was instantaneous and 'quite' noticeable and your description is what I experienced! Now my big MU-7 stops on a dime, with barely any brake pedal effort at all, like a good 4 wheel disc brake vehicle should! It helps me do these LOS mountains like Steve McQueen in, 'Bullit', and performs superbly in rain.

I upgraded to 4 wheel disc brakes because they are better than drum brakes and the brake of choice in higher model, more expensive cars - I would think any auto enthusiast knows that.

As confirmed by the Run-Stop tech, the factory brake bias valve to control the front rear % is factory set and was not been adjusted. They said the factory front rear % for my SUV is 45% - 55%. I have been driving 2 years now (31.5 km total) and I looked at my brake pad wear: The rear disc pads are wearing down faster than the front disc pads in my RWD (4x4 on-the-fly) vehicle.

Surprisingly, the techs also said that their caliper piston rubber dust boots only lasts 1 - 2 years! 2 of the 4 of my rear rubber dust boots are torn!

Thank you for backing up my findings, I did try and put in an informative post but as usual with the motoring section on TV everyone knows better than you do, then without any first hand experience of what's been done or how/if it works just poo poo it out of hand.

I can concur with your statement on pedal pressure you only have to breath on the pedal now and it stops as you say on a dime, hence I said it did take a bit of getting used to. Not to sure about Steve McQueen if I remember right he was in the air more times than he was on the road best of luck with that one.

Regarding the rear pads wearing quicker than the front it could be something quite simple like softer pads that would equate for the difference in wear and not necessarily the Bias Valve setting.

But I would have them looked at regarding as to why they are not wearing at the same pace.

N/B.

Someone stated the cost was 35,000bt it was actually 31,500bt, and it doesn't have 'bimbo' covers the callipers are silvery just like the ones on the front.

There can be a vast difference between ownership and understanding. Not too long ago the military here had some nice shiny bomb detectors bought by some-one who didn’t have a clue about detecting bombs. They they went on to decry the true experts in the field when their folly was revealed.

By changing the rear brakes in the chosen manner, braking effectivity has absolutely been compromised.

Some-one here who modifies vehicles at a professional level changes front and rear brakes to maintain the biasing between them. Its common knowledge that the front brakes on; cars, bikes and other vehicles have most of the stopping power.

Uprating the rear brakes only has changed the braking dynamic of the vehicle by transferring some of the braking force from the front to the rear. The bias set by the prime design team (Toyota) has been altered. The full ramifications of this can only be determined by Toyota. No-one else has the design logs for your vehicle.

Certainly the rear wheels will now lock up more frequently

.

The change in the braking dynamic will change the vehicle response times to microprocessor controlled systems such as; ABS, EBD, Traction Control and VSC. In extreme cases, they could be rendered totally useless in certain scenarios. Again, the full effect can only be determined by Toyota.

Not too long ago Lexus had an issue with VSC which went completely undetected throughout their proving test regime and caused some accidents. It was fixed very simply by changing a timing in the microprocessor firmware.

Hopefully, firmware and hardware tolerance factors will limit any detrimental effects of the change. Again, only Toyota can determine this.

A less dramatic and cheaper way to slightly improve braking would have been to upgrade brake pad and shoe materials.

Jerry

The OP's ride has stock wheels.

Unless the upgrade included an replacement bias valve to compensate for the increased braking efficiency of the rear wheels, overall braking efficiency would decrease not increase as the rear wheels would lock up more frequently. This would also cause the ABS to operate more frequently, increasing stopping distance in dry conditions (more than is normal) and also in wet conditions, comparative to the original design model.

Overall, not a good choice by the OP.

Jerry

Coming from Tak Global comes up on your right, perchance there's a gap in the central reservation right opposite the road you need to go down If you miss it you will have to go to the Traffic lights a couple of KM and do a U turn. Hope to see you for Coffees.

I don't know of the Tak Beef market some info on that, where and what do they sell yes I know it's Beef what sort of cuts size etc would be a help.

Thanks in advance.

H/M.

Fred.

The place is called 'Tak Beef co-op' and yes they sell beef. You can get most popular cuts if you know the Thai names. I remember there being a butchers diagram with pictorial views of the various cuts, so if you know your beef you can just point at the diagram.

The beef is fresh or frozen. It's better to phone an order through if you want fresh as they don't have it every day and what isn't sold on the day gets frozen Last time I got; chuck rib eye and filet mignon. I rest the beef for between 10 and 20 days before cooking or freezing. One woman spoke some English but she usually wasn't the person who answered the phone.

I have two telephone numbers: 0822278976 and 055511934.

You'll find the place easily enough. Just drive to Tak and turn right on Hwy 12 (going to Sukhothai). I'm not sure about the distance but the place is on the right just after the point where the road widens. You'll see a large concrete Hereford at the entrance. If you get as far as the main gate to the infantry barracks (on the left), you've gone too far.

There used to be a restaurant on the road out to Lampang which sold their beef, but that closed down more than a year ago. It wasn't very good anyway, so no great loss. That was the last time we visited the co-op.

Jerry

No reason for apologies. I'm hardly a prolific or prompt poster myself. I appreciate your taking time out to get the information.

I did try to find a website, but only found a couple of links. One did give an address and a phone number for some-one called Oss. Anyway I found the place using Google Earth and now have GPS co-ordinates. As far as pricing goes, your guys restaurant price is far better than that of a small bottle of Hoegarden in Phitsonulok and I prefer dark beers. So the dark beer is all I would be interested in.

It looks like I would need to pay him a visit in order to discuss price and availability if I was in the need to avoid Bangkok's malls. Big C were retailing it for about 135 THB last time I looked and I get mine cheaper than that. I don't know his source cost or his business model, but I wouldn't be surprised or insulted if he rejected any bid that I would make.

Thanks again for your help.

Jerry

I don't look at German beer in super markets in BKK as it's a bit pricy but a friend of mine pointed out that a large bottle of German Erdinger beer (spelling) was selling at 185bt in Tops in Chang Mai he retail's it for 160bt.

I think you have got the wrong peeps regarding the Oasis restaurant as his name is Mike and his Thai wife is Anne so who Oss is Buddha only knows.

If you look up Global store in K.P.P it's on the 1 road. The Oasis is some 1 km down the Soi on the left just as you get to it. To save you a trip I can always let you have his phone no: Via a PM and you can discus what he will do business at also if he has what you want in stock he doesn't stock to many of the lesser selling beers so might have to get some in.

H/M.

Fred.

Quoting prices from Tops isn't a reasonable comparison to show anything other than high profit margins. I do shop there for convenience though and paid the princely sum of 1,900 THB a kilo for Salmon Trout Fillet on Tuesday afternoon. I never looked at the liquor section, as mostly there are more choices and better prices elsewhere.

Erdinger beers are generally more expensive than Paulaner brews, but not by much. Only a few Baht if compared like for like.

Heres the Oasis contact information I got from the web:

Co-ordinates: - N 16-21-12.55 E 99-28-26.15

Address; - Amphoe Muang, Kamphaeng Phet, Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand 62000

Telephone:- 0818947160

e-mail:- [email protected]

I guess Oss was the guy who provided the link. Not the owner. Most of the above came from the Oasis Restaurant Facebook account.

I dont need to replenish beer stocks yet awhile, but I may call in on my next visit to Tak and check out the menu (food and beers). Its only about 50km south of there and theres an alternative route back home from Kamphaeng Phet. Ill let you know if we do.

Jerry

I make you right about Topps, we just happened to be in there as it was near our hotel I also wanted some chocolate biscuits Waitrose ones.

1.900bt kl for salmon trout all be it delish that's a bit pricy. Then again if you want it you have to pay for it.

Sorry to say I don't do co-ordinates never had to look up any.

The phone No: is not Mikes but it could be his wife's I will ask tomorrow when I pop in.

I will also get the proper address just in case.

I've no doubt you will find the place if you go to Tak after you have gone through well bypassed K.P.P on the 1 it come's up about two KM on the left next to Global.

If ever your going passed put a post in and I'll let you have my Phone No: maybe we can meet up at Mike's for a beer or two, that's depending on time as I don't drink during the day I could always have a coffee I suppose.

H/M.

Fred.

We take the salmon trout more often than not. It makes a nice change from the local fare.

To get to the restaurant we would be coming south from Tak. Calling in at the Tak Beef Co-op and Muser market on the way and would probably return by the reverse of the route you're thinking of.

I'll definitely let you know when/if we make the trip. We won't be too late as it's a 150 km drive back.so it'll probably be coffees all round. I don't drink much during the day either. I spill most of it

Jerry

No reason for apologies. I'm hardly a prolific or prompt poster myself. I appreciate your taking time out to get the information.

I did try to find a website, but only found a couple of links. One did give an address and a phone number for some-one called Oss. Anyway I found the place using Google Earth and now have GPS co-ordinates. As far as pricing goes, your guys restaurant price is far better than that of a small bottle of Hoegarden in Phitsonulok and I prefer dark beers. So the dark beer is all I would be interested in.

It looks like I would need to pay him a visit in order to discuss price and availability if I was in the need to avoid Bangkok's malls. Big C were retailing it for about 135 THB last time I looked and I get mine cheaper than that. I don't know his source cost or his business model, but I wouldn't be surprised or insulted if he rejected any bid that I would make.

Thanks again for your help.

Jerry

I don't look at German beer in super markets in BKK as it's a bit pricy but a friend of mine pointed out that a large bottle of German Erdinger beer (spelling) was selling at 185bt in Tops in Chang Mai he retail's it for 160bt.

I think you have got the wrong peeps regarding the Oasis restaurant as his name is Mike and his Thai wife is Anne so who Oss is Buddha only knows.

If you look up Global store in K.P.P it's on the 1 road. The Oasis is some 1 km down the Soi on the left just as you get to it. To save you a trip I can always let you have his phone no: Via a PM and you can discus what he will do business at also if he has what you want in stock he doesn't stock to many of the lesser selling beers so might have to get some in.

H/M.

Fred.

Quoting prices from Tops isn't a reasonable comparison to show anything other than high profit margins. I do shop there for convenience though and paid the princely sum of 1,900 THB a kilo for Salmon Trout Fillet on Tuesday afternoon. I never looked at the liquor section, as mostly there are more choices and better prices elsewhere.

Erdinger beers are generally more expensive than Paulaner brews, but not by much. Only a few Baht if compared like for like.

Here’s the Oasis contact information I got from the web:

Co-ordinates: - N 16-21-12.55 E 99-28-26.15

Address; - Amphoe Muang, Kamphaeng Phet, Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand 62000

Telephone:- 0818947160

e-mail:- [email protected]

I guess Oss was the guy who provided the link. Not the owner. Most of the above came from the Oasis Restaurant Facebook account.

I don’t need to replenish beer stocks yet awhile, but I may call in on my next visit to Tak and check out the menu (food and beers). It’s only about 50km south of there and there’s an alternative route back home from Kamphaeng Phet. I’ll let you know if we do.

Jerry

H/M has had a few crazy days, Monday the electric man should have turned up but alas due to Bundle's of rain and for the first time since I have lived here the power going off at 5am and not back till just before 10am had to put him orf.

Needless to say he was here today to put right what his man had buggered in the first place. I did say before that I had a problem with my electric, prior to that a post about Thai workmen doing the job they were paid to do only to mess up something else.

Well it's happened again. The man that came and put on H/M new motor for the gate, that went on the blink all down to his man cutting through one of my wires a little bit of rain and it was no more.

He had tried to tell me it was my wire that H/M had put in in the first place nothing to do with the fact that he had buggered it.

Well today H/M got at it cut off offending wire and after checking it was as right an nine pence let him see it would now turn on and not blow the fuse.

He still wouldn't have it and said the I would not be able to rewire without him helping. You'll like this bit only Thai's can do electric. I told him not to touch anything and maybe he should call back later in the day to see if I had a problem I also offered him 5,000bt if I couldn't do it.

Shore as egg's are egg's back he come just in time for the switching on. Did it work first time of cause, after checking all my work he had to admit that maybe some Farang are able to put right what a Thai had buggered in the first place.

Nice to see you putting in a few post Jerry thought we had lost you.

Have to agree with your post that you can get booze in most places, where Mike scores is that he's cheaper than any other place by about 20% 40% if you are in BKK and also he will do you a mixed box at a reduced rate.

H/M.

Fred.

Not lost and apparently not forgotten. Been travelling around and resolving a problem or three. Seems you've been doing a little of the same. Don't you just love dealing with tradesmen.

Actually I find the 'not me' or 'nothing that I did' syndrome an international misgiving with these folks. The benefit of Thai tradesmen is that they actually help you with problems that occur much later and the service is free of charge. All you need do if you have a new problem is look where the last guy was working and you'll find the cause of it. Then you get it fixed and the cycle continues.

The price of the beers is directly proportional to the number of middle men between the importer and your point of purchase, If your man doesn't have many of those, then there's no surprise that you can get a good deal. Especially if he's not making seperate charges for service and tax.

If you organised delivery yourself you could definitely undercut him though. However unless you drink like a fish or are cash poor, the question has to be; is it worth the effort? I buy mine when I'm in Hua Hin and load the truck before I come North. I'll make a note of your post though. Just in case I ever run short and have no plans to travel. Can your man get Paulaner Dunkel (the blue labelled bottle)?

Jerry

Sorry for the late reply I didn't manage to get to Mike's last week.

Have been tonight though and yes he does sell Paulander beer white and dark 5.5% I think

He retails it at 170bt a large bottle if you buy 6 or more he knocks off 10bt a go but will reduce it a lot more by the case depending on how many you want.

I don't know what you pay or even if this compares but at least now you know.

H/H.

Fred.

No reason for apologies. I'm hardly a prolific or prompt poster myself. I appreciate your taking time out to get the information.

I did try to find a website, but only found a couple of links. One did give an address and a phone number for some-one called Oss. Anyway I found the place using Google Earth and now have GPS co-ordinates. As far as pricing goes, your guys restaurant price is far better than that of a small bottle of Hoegarden in Phitsonulok and I prefer dark beers. So the dark beer is all I would be interested in.

It looks like I would need to pay him a visit in order to discuss price and availability if I was in the need to avoid Bangkok's malls. Big C were retailing it for about 135 THB last time I looked and I get mine cheaper than that. I don't know his source cost or his business model, but I wouldn't be surprised or insulted if he rejected any bid that I would make.

Thanks again for your help.

Jerry

You're legally allowed to carry loads which; project up to 1m behind the truck bed, 3m above it and 0.3m (it maybe 0.5m) either side.

If you took the tailgate off (to be legal) then up 1m of the load would be totally unsupported. So, it would seem reasonable to keep the taigate on in order to support more of the load. But, what is reasonable here?

Not driving around with the tailgate down and insecure due to lack of loading makes sense.

The two rules appear to contradict each other; in part, if not wholly. Only the Land Transport Office are capable of clarifying the requirement. But, yet again!

Jerry

H/M has had a few crazy days, Monday the electric man should have turned up but alas due to Bundle's of rain and for the first time since I have lived here the power going off at 5am and not back till just before 10am had to put him orf.

Needless to say he was here today to put right what his man had buggered in the first place. I did say before that I had a problem with my electric, prior to that a post about Thai workmen doing the job they were paid to do only to mess up something else.

Well it's happened again. The man that came and put on H/M new motor for the gate, that went on the blink all down to his man cutting through one of my wires a little bit of rain and it was no more.

He had tried to tell me it was my wire that H/M had put in in the first place nothing to do with the fact that he had buggered it.

Well today H/M got at it cut off offending wire and after checking it was as right an nine pence let him see it would now turn on and not blow the fuse.

He still wouldn't have it and said the I would not be able to rewire without him helping. You'll like this bit only Thai's can do electric. I told him not to touch anything and maybe he should call back later in the day to see if I had a problem I also offered him 5,000bt if I couldn't do it.

Shore as egg's are egg's back he come just in time for the switching on. Did it work first time of cause, after checking all my work he had to admit that maybe some Farang are able to put right what a Thai had buggered in the first place.

Nice to see you putting in a few post Jerry thought we had lost you.

Have to agree with your post that you can get booze in most places, where Mike scores is that he's cheaper than any other place by about 20% 40% if you are in BKK and also he will do you a mixed box at a reduced rate.

H/M.

Fred.

Not lost and apparently not forgotten. Been travelling around and resolving a problem or three. Seems you've been doing a little of the same. Don't you just love dealing with tradesmen.

Actually I find the 'not me' or 'nothing that I did' syndrome an international misgiving with these folks. The benefit of Thai tradesmen is that they actually help you with problems that occur much later and the service is free of charge. All you need do if you have a new problem is look where the last guy was working and you'll find the cause of it. Then you get it fixed and the cycle continues.

The price of the beers is directly proportional to the number of middle men between the importer and your point of purchase, If your man doesn't have many of those, then there's no surprise that you can get a good deal. Especially if he's not making seperate charges for service and tax.

If you organised delivery yourself you could definitely undercut him though. However unless you drink like a fish or are cash poor, the question has to be; is it worth the effort? I buy mine when I'm in Hua Hin and load the truck before I come North. I'll make a note of your post though. Just in case I ever run short and have no plans to travel. Can your man get Paulaner Dunkel (the blue labelled bottle)?

Jerry

Not sure what he does as I said before he now has 15 German Beers I will write the name down and have a look next time I'm in more than likely over the weekend.

I cant get his menu orf the web as he wont post it all down to local people trying to copy it.

I do believe he get's all his beers directly for the importers in BKK, hence he can do it at a keen price.

Still a bit of a trip though if ever your passing the Oasis restaurant & bar is down the soi next to Global on the 1 Tak road. As said before he doesn't do any Thai food so your good lady might be left a bit in the cold food wise. Mr's H/M normally has one of his salads that she doctors herself by putting in several crushed chillies that she has brought from the house sad really.

H/M.

Fred.

Thanks for that.

If he's buying directly from the importer, he'll definitely be able to get it.

As things are, I'll still buy from Hua Hin as we stay there on a regular basis and get a good deal from our guy on foods as well. We don't go in the truck too often though. Only if we intend to stock up on foodstuffs and beer.

Your guy could be a good alternative if we have an 'oh dear, we need to go to Hua Hin because you need to buy beer' moment. A round trip to Kamphaeng Phet would be about 320kms compared to Hua Hins 1500. Such moments inevitably invoke a need to visit Bangkok's wonderful malls also (the true need).

You inferred the Oasis has it's own website and if so I suspect it will have a link to an e-mail address. I'll look for it. I would prefer to contact them first and establish price and availability before any visit. I would hate to just drop-in and embarass him by suddenly asking for four or five cases of a beer which may not usually be a good seller there.

As far as food goes, we both eat pretty much anything exept grits. Not saying I enjoy it all though.

Jerry

H/M has had a few crazy days, Monday the electric man should have turned up but alas due to Bundle's of rain and for the first time since I have lived here the power going off at 5am and not back till just before 10am had to put him orf.

Needless to say he was here today to put right what his man had buggered in the first place. I did say before that I had a problem with my electric, prior to that a post about Thai workmen doing the job they were paid to do only to mess up something else.

Well it's happened again. The man that came and put on H/M new motor for the gate, that went on the blink all down to his man cutting through one of my wires a little bit of rain and it was no more.

He had tried to tell me it was my wire that H/M had put in in the first place nothing to do with the fact that he had buggered it.

Well today H/M got at it cut off offending wire and after checking it was as right an nine pence let him see it would now turn on and not blow the fuse.

He still wouldn't have it and said the I would not be able to rewire without him helping. You'll like this bit only Thai's can do electric. I told him not to touch anything and maybe he should call back later in the day to see if I had a problem I also offered him 5,000bt if I couldn't do it.

Shore as egg's are egg's back he come just in time for the switching on. Did it work first time of cause, after checking all my work he had to admit that maybe some Farang are able to put right what a Thai had buggered in the first place.

Nice to see you putting in a few post Jerry thought we had lost you.

Have to agree with your post that you can get booze in most places, where Mike scores is that he's cheaper than any other place by about 20% 40% if you are in BKK and also he will do you a mixed box at a reduced rate.

H/M.

Fred.

Not lost and apparently not forgotten. Been travelling around and resolving a problem or three. Seems you've been doing a little of the same. Don't you just love dealing with tradesmen.

Actually I find the 'not me' or 'nothing that I did' syndrome an international misgiving with these folks. The benefit of Thai tradesmen is that they actually help you with problems that occur much later and the service is free of charge. All you need do if you have a new problem is look where the last guy was working and you'll find the cause of it. Then you get it fixed and the cycle continues.

The price of the beers is directly proportional to the number of middle men between the importer and your point of purchase, If your man doesn't have many of those, then there's no surprise that you can get a good deal. Especially if he's not making seperate charges for service and tax.

If you organised delivery yourself you could definitely undercut him though. However unless you drink like a fish or are cash poor, the question has to be; is it worth the effort? I buy mine when I'm in Hua Hin and load the truck before I come North. I'll make a note of your post though. Just in case I ever run short and have no plans to travel. Can your man get Paulaner Dunkel (the blue labelled bottle)?

Jerry

KPP, thats the place that stinks of Oil ,and N/W is the home of Floods, Traffic Lights and Congestion, both best avoided.

Not the part where I live in by the Mae Wong national park up in the valleys boyo.

I always thought that the terms were 'up in the hills' and 'down in the valleys' but never mind. Although using a term like 'boyo' I thought you may know this.

Away from the cities there's definitely less traffic congestion and the air is definitely cleaner when the locals aren't burning rubbish, making charcoal or burning sugar cane and rice fields.

I wiouldn't mind seeing particulate counts for the contested areas of this thread. Might be a surprise there for one or two folks.

Jerry

I live in a valley between a couple of hills but it is up above the flatlanders who live on the plains of KPP or NS.

The only traffic congestion we get is on market days and the annual big village fair in November or when the funeral procession or men becoming monks are out but that isn't too ofter.

The boyo came from another life long ago when I was in the RAF near Barry, Glamorganshire. The valley commandos used to come down from the hills in their best pit helmets and miners boots as black as coal with 3 pints of beer in each hand and terrify young airmen into dancing. And they were only the women, muscles like Popeye on spinach carrying a pit pony under their arm. A scary sight afte eleventeen pints of Brains SA (Skull Attack) bitter of the River Taff in Cardiff.

Memories of the good old days.

Thought you may have been a Taff, but apparently not.

Our congested (if you can really call them that) days are Tuesday and Saturday when the sea food guy arrives at the Temple market. Seems that E-Toks are congestion charge free when abandoned on a single track road and it appears that seafood fits in very well with the Thai diet of 'see food and eat it'.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the pitskrieg gals had strong firm thighs as well. I remember Brains Ales being on sale at pubs in Bristol when I was a student there. Don't remember trying any of it though. With a name like Skull Attack, that could have been just be what happened. In those days I was more into cider. Well scrumpy to be precise. At Uni-gigs the SP drink was Necastle Brown Ale as there was less chance of getting your drink spiked by some merry prankster.

Brings back a few memories of my own also.

Jerry

They're both okay bikes. Bomb-proof reliability and economical. I opted for the Honda because it has an enclosed chain.and sprocket. So less cleaning needed. No other reason than that. Just choose the one you prefer and enjoy riding it.

Jerry

I live in the country definitely away from any city and about 12 kilometers from the nearest small town. There is definitely less traffic congestion unless the raod is closed because one of the overloaded "cane" trucks turned over as it was exiting the field or took down the power lines as it passed underneath. In rainy season it's sometimes a real "E" ticket ride getting to the main road due to the condition of the dirt and gravel road, yesterday mornig was fun as it rained all night on Monday.

Where I live is farm country with mostly dirt and gravel road s.As far as the air is concerned, my house is not airconditioned, by choice, although I do have air in the bedroom but haven't turned it on in years. There are scrreens on all of the windows and the windows are open 24/7. Even when there is no burning the dust from other sources is reatively high. The screens need to be cleaned at regular intervals and if you dust one day there is a layer the next. I'm sure that its's caused by the constant farming and farm vehicles travelling on the roads.

We burn our thrash and my FIL makes charcoal. We seperate recyclable items which are picked up about once a month and burn the rest as does most everybody else. There is no rubbish collection and the closest "bin" is in the town about 12 kilomters away. I've asked where the landfill is but nobody seems to know because they wouldn't use it. Some people put their trash in a big plastic bag and throw it along side of the raod in a remote location.. Suddenlty that location becomes the local dump until someone cleans it up and it moves to another place. Taking the trash to the bin in the town is not feasable as most peolple only have motorbikes and farm equipment.

Making charcoal is a way of life. They use it daily for cooking. I use it a lot. "Kingsford" charcoal briquets are mot available in the local markets.

As far as the burning of the sugar cane it's necessary to harvest it, as it cut by hand not a combine, and then the leaves are raked and burnt after the harvest to aid in germination of the new shoots.

I live here, and have for 16 years, because I love it and it has become my home. I would never live in a city again. I even have a townhouse onin Bangkok but haven't even been there in almost two years and have no plans of going soon. My Step son lives there.

Some people will always find something bad about anything but still stay where they live. Sometimes I get pi**ed about things that are happening but then pause and reflect on why I moved here!

It's 35km to the nearest traffic lights where we live here. No traffic congestion here also and very little burning. Sugar cane is burnt between November and March, but we don't get much fallout because of the wind direction at that time of year.

A local guy takes away the rubbish for a small fee payable each month. No idea what he does with it though. Probably anything recyclable is taken out and the rest is burnt.

Whether anything is better than something else or not can't be defined by binary thinking as some do. It's a subjective definition that an individual should make for themselves without following the herd. You also need to make compromises wherever you live and here's as good (or better) a place as any to do that. Looks like you've managed to find the ideal place for your lifestyle choice.

I love Thailand and the variety of what it has to offer. However, I do get bored with village life here after a while and want to be somewhere else in Thailand. After a while at the beach or wherever I will get equally bored and move again. Sometimes (eventually) going full circle. For this reason we didn't build a farang mansion near my wifes village. We have more modest properties at different places where we like to spend time.

Thailand just doesn't have all the things I prefer in one place. Nowhere ever has and nowhere is pefect. Besides, I was born a rambling man.

Jerry

KPP, thats the place that stinks of Oil ,and N/W is the home of Floods, Traffic Lights and Congestion, both best avoided.

Not the part where I live in by the Mae Wong national park up in the valleys boyo.

I always thought that the terms were 'up in the hills' and 'down in the valleys' but never mind. Although using a term like 'boyo' I thought you may know this.

Away from the cities there's definitely less traffic congestion and the air is definitely cleaner when the locals aren't burning rubbish, making charcoal or burning sugar cane and rice fields.

I wiouldn't mind seeing particulate counts for the contested areas of this thread. Might be a surprise there for one or two folks.

Jerry

I did look at their new menu first time in ages.

Took some time as it starts with the drinks menu that now consists of 17 I kid you not 17 imported beers and ale's + the usual Thai rubbish, Starting with beer Lao at the cheap end up to the more expensive 8.5% German stuff 'not tried any of that yet' sorry to say that the only English stuff at present is a 7.5% cider have been told that he's working on that.

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Imported beers are easy to get hold of and have been for some time. Basically what you see in a shop, bar, liqour store or supermarket your local liqour store can get for you. The problem area is quantity. Your local guy is hardly likely to oblige if you only ask for a couple of cases of your favorite brew. You need to find a few buddies and pool your order to attract the interest of a local store where you're a regular customer.

Jerry

The question ' is the radio on when the ignition system is off and the key is removed' should be asked of the OP. If it is then there will be a power drain on the battery. If the answer is no then the answer is no also.That's the simple answer.

If the radio is 'on' with the ignition turned off and the key removed the answer depends on how old is the car and what (if anything) has been done to the electrical system. In any case if the radio is 'on' when it shouldn't will be a drain on the battery

With some modern vehicles auxillaries like a radio can be turned on (at the device) without any key being connected to any part of the electrical system. On these vehicles you can turn your radio on at the device and turn it off by switching the ignition switch to the accessory position and then return it to the off position. Or you can also turn it off again at the device. If you have switching issues with this kind of vehicle a visit to your main dealer is your best option.

If it's an older vehicle your main dealer may still be your best option. But especially in the case of aftermarket fitments a good auto electrician is probably better.

If the problem is with an aftermarket fitment it's really more of a learning experience. The lesson being 'don't let idiots mess with your ride'.

Jerry

I would query the price if possible as I replaced the unit in my Daikin ac(looks very similar) for 3000bht.

I'm not at all surprised by the stated price.

Only last week we had a Mitsibushi compressor unit repaired as the compressor had stopped running. A faulty capacitor and a fuse were replaced.

The replacement capacitor cost 1,250 THB which I thought was outrageous. However, it was confirmed (by Mitsubishi) that both the item and pricing were correct.

Labor was 220 THB.

Mitsubishi spares are expensive

THB 1,250 is a fair price for a starting capacitor whether it's for a compressor, a pump or any strong electric motor.

If including the labor cost, yes. But the compressor starting capacitor probably around 35 to 55uf in size costs around 100 baht locally. I replaced the 45uf starting capacitor in my one of my York 18K BTU compressor units just this week...the capacitor is about the same size as one of the new style Coke-Cola cans...I had bought the capacitor a few months earlier at an Among Store...can't remember the cost exactly but it was right around Bt100 to 150 and I'm completely satisfied with the specs/quality. Plenty of capacitors of all sizes for A/Cs, washing machines, water pumps, etc., at Among Stores many times found in Tesco Lotus Malls....the prices are low...and most of the capacitors are made in China (like most everything else now days). I've also got a spare starting capacitor ready for my Mitsubishi water pump...it cost me around Bt50 in an Among Store.

Labor was charged extra at 220 THB.

It's a standard poly-propylene 30uF capacitor rated at 440V 25A.

Anyway, the compressor unit fault was diagnosed and fixed for just over 40 USD and I didn't get my hands dirty, so I'm happy really.

1,250 THB for a simple capacitor is still an outrageous price though. Mitsubishi definitely charge high prices for replacement parts.

Jerry

So, I'm surprised that neither the leading truck, nor (and especially) the camera truck made any attempt to change speed or direction when the event occurred. With a variance of culpability, they all played a role in the dire consequence of the incident.

Rubbish.

Considering the elapsed time since my post and your erudite reply. I'm not surprised that your in favor of folks who do nothing to avoid an accident or are incapable of doing so (and shouldn't be driving et al) not being held responsible for their actions/inactions.

Jerry

I would query the price if possible as I replaced the unit in my Daikin ac(looks very similar) for 3000bht.

I'm not at all surprised by the stated price.

Only last week we had a Mitsibushi compressor unit repaired as the compressor had stopped running. A faulty capacitor and a fuse were replaced.

The replacement capacitor cost 1,250 THB which I thought was outrageous. However, it was confirmed (by Mitsubishi) that both the item and pricing were correct.

Labor was 220 THB.

Mitsubishi spares are expensive