thedi

This will be the end of thaivisa.com - Who will pay for ads if not this so called schools?

A general good and very expensive hospital is Khon Kaen Ram Hospital

Sri Chan Road, west of Mittrapap Highway, easy to see from Central Plaza shopping center

043-333800 http://www.khonkaenram.com/

For heart problems there is http://www.heart.kku.ac.th/en/ 043 203 080 Queen Sirikit Heart center of the Northeast.

It is on the Mittrapap Highway, leaving Khon Kaen north, (direction to Udon-Nong Khai) on your left, just before you reach Sri Nokarind Hospital (which is also very good). Both belong to the University and are about 2 km from center of town.

A third one in Khon Kaen is Ratchapruek Hospital

150/19 Mittraphap 043-333557 about 300 meters from Khon Kaen Ram to the north. Less expensive than Khon Kaen Ram.

The 'Ram' hospitals can be found in many cities of Isaan. The one in Khon Kaen has an especially good name. On the other hand it is known that they call doctors from the cheap government hospital (called soon) for difficult operations. Hence: you could get the same doctor there for a fraction of the price. But the environment and nurses are much nicer in Khon Kaen Ram.

Regards

Thedi

Thanks for all the good advice.

I will try this reflector suggested by FlatOut first. I have an uncontrollable affinity to things made of card stock paper and scotch tape. If it does not work as desired, I will opt for a repeater.

Regards to all experts

Thedi

I live in my house 50 km from Khon Kaen city. There is a nice big garden with a pond, shadowy trees and a cool sala about 100 m from my house. The sala stands in the middle of the pond, it can be reached over a small bridge. The sala and the bridge are made of concrete and both have a roof made of metal frames and tiles.

I also have a great MacBook running with MacOSX. Now I would like to use this MacBook in said sala near my pond - with internet.

Problem: the wifi station is in my house. Its signal reach some of the garden, but is too weak for a reliable connection in the sala. I guess one of the problems is the metal of the sala's roof. Another may be that 100 m is probably the limit of my wifi station.

Has anybody experiences with wifi boosters?

I have the only wifi in our village. Hence problems with other wifi owners should not be a concern. I also could use a booster where the antenna bundles its signal to one side (my garden), but not to one point, because there are several places in the garden where I would like to sit and play the internet. Depending on the sun and wind - this or that place may be preferable.

Thanks for any tips.

Thedi

Just had a chat with a niece. She is a student and lives in KKC:

• the taxis exist
  
• they are painted yellow and green
  
• they are parked in front of the head office of the company
  
• they are not running yet and the phone is not yet answered
  
• base cost will be 30 Baht plus 4 Baht each km exceeding 3 km
  
• trips to the country will NOT run by meter - outside of the city limit the price will be up to discussions
  

Regards

Thedi

His website is hosted in Thailand. Why doesn't the Gov take it down?

After visiting his web site my Firefox froze...

This may explain why 'they' do not take it down

Cheap phone service providers advertise with very good prices for international calls. One such provider in Germany (predeal 01056, PM2 Telecommunications) increased last summer its prices from 2 cents/minute to 1.50 Euro/minute (by factor 75). In the same time they stopped the usual announcement of prices before they made a connection ('for technical reasons'). Users of this service got now bills of up to several hundred Euro from their normal telefon provider company - which automatically collects costs for this cheap providers. Many users may not even be aware of this scam, because they did not ask for detailled bills.

If your wife likes to call her relatives in Thailand through cheap providers, tell her to check the announcement of connection costs before she gets a connection. Do not use providers without such cost announcements - hung up immediately if there is no a cost announcement.

Original article in German: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Kos...all-877851.html

Regards

Thedi

Do you have a pickup truck?

Do you have a rice storage house?

Do you need the money right away?

We have no pickup, but we sell with a truck of our neighbor. 4 tons would be a lot of pickup runs anyway.

Naturally we have a storage fro our rice. Our rice is 10 month old (see posts above).

Hom mali gets a better price (17 baht/kilo), but in Isaan the harvest is not so good (only about half of what we get from sticky rice).

What sort of testing, if any, did they do on the sticky rice to determine the value?

An employee took some samples of several bags and went away with them. After a while he reappeared and showed us what he told to be the milled rice of our harvest.

But the Chines dealer mentioned the 10% cut off long before this ceremony (before the employee came back with what he said was our samples).

Another point: the rice we sold and the rice which our truck driver sold came from the same fields, the same harvest. We did the fields together and then shared the harvest. We got a cut off of 10% - he did not. Our rice store is quite new and certainly does not leak. His rice store is old and the corrugated irons of his roof are full of holes. I am sure that his and our rice are of the same quality - except that ours was stored in a better place.

I am sure that the rice farmers around here (Khon Kaen) get cheated. The same seems to be customary with eucalyptus: some of the paper factory pay a kickback to truck drivers in return for an agreement to a lower quality. Truck drivers from our village take a much longer ride to Nam Pong (90 km) where kickbacks are paid instead of selling the eucalyptus near Bora Bue (40 km) where no kickbacks are paid. Their explanations are verbose but sound fishy to me.

This is no problem for me. It is at it is. I am not depending on rice harvest or rice prices, I am not a farmer. My money comes from Switzerland. But I would like to know how the Thai system ticks.

Best regards

Thedi

I won't say it does not happen but never heard of it or saw it in Surin.

Did you get a 10% cut on the weight because of humidity when you sold your rice. How about your neighbors?

We are speaking here about 10 month old rice which was stored in an adequate way. Not new rice.

Regards

Thedi

Each time when we sell rice there is a cut of 10% on the wight because of too high humidity. This year as well. But our rice has been in our store house for 10 month and was as dry as rice ever gets.

Two weeks ago we sold our last years harvest to a Chinese dealer in Ban Phai - some 25 km away from our village - we filled it into bags about 30 kg each and loaded it on a truck of a neighbor who went to sell it. This year I went along because nobody else of our family had time to go. The Chinese rice dealer said to my chaufeur '10% cut' and 8.90 Baht per kilo (which is about the current market price for sticky rice) right away - before he was aware that I speak Thai. When he got aware of my understanding of Thai he went into long explanations which did not add anything to the fact that I had the choice between a 10% cut on the weight combined with a price of 8.90 Baht/kilo or no cut but only 8 Baht/kilo - which is actually quite the same.

When we had unloaded and I got paid the Chinese dealer reappeared to the scene and gave each of us a bottle of M150. He also waifed the change of about 150 Baht - rounding 38'850 up to 39'000. Lots of smiling and 'see you again next year' etc. When I went back to our truck my chauffeur lingered to the back of the house, sipping his M150 away, as if he wanted to go for a piss. I wondered if he actually would piss behind the Chinese's house...

But then he went just for two/three seconds behind the corner, then reappeared and we drove home. I didn¨t think anything about this at the moment but...

I got suspicious when a few days later I saw the bill from his own sold of his own rice which he carelessly forgot in his truck: there was no 10% cut and the price was 9.10 Baht/kilo. The price difference could be explained because it floats from day to day and dealer to dealer - but the no-cut surprised me. I talked to people in the village. Everybody complained about the 'bad cheating' Chinese rice dealers - each and every one had suffered a 10% cut on the weight.

There are two trucks in our village and there are about a dozen Chinese rice dealers who buy rice in our region. The truck owners are neighbors and friends, they get 800 Baht for a 25 km ride with 4 to 5 tons of rice.

Now I wonder if there is a kickback payment custom for chauffeurs if they supports the dealers claim for a 10% weight cut - with the fantastic reason of high humidity...

Does anybody know anything? Has anybody own experiences?

Regards

Thedi

About 3 years ago I tried to withdraw 25'000 Baht with my ATM at my bank. The machine made noices of counting money for about 2 minutes - but no money came out. I then went inside the bank and called someone to come an look. When we came out - less than a minutes later - the ATM just spit out my money.

The bank official said it may have been a malfunction in the counting mechanism with old currency bank notes. This may result to recounting the money several times. This can last very long: 3 minutes are very long, when you wait in front of an ATM.

Maybe your mother in law gave up to early? In this case the next customer found the money there - ready to take...

Regards

Thedi

Thanks for all the replies.

I think that sending a new laptop from Switzerland by fedex or whatever is too risky, especially considering customs and their well-known fondness for expensive teas.

I will now first try to contact a local Apple dealer. There is a shop which sells MacBooks in Khon Kaen, which is only 50 km from where I live. No idea if they just sell or if they know something about Macs. But maybe it is just a minor hardware problem like memory or disk drive - then a repair in Thailand should be possible.

If that does not work out, I will try to buy a new one directly from store.apple.com and let them deliver it to my home here in Thailand. This should solve all difficulties with customs, taxes etc. Special thanks to cmsally for this tip.

Regards

Thedi

Hello,

I write programs for an university in Switzerland. I do my developing work in UNIX with a MacBook Pro 17" which belongs to my employer. Unluckily it froze and can not be rebooted up to the graphic interface (kernel panic). I can boot it in single user mode, but there is certainly something wrong with the hardware. I have a complete timemachine backup - hence data loss is no issue.

I contacted my employer and they would be willing to send me a new MacBook to Thailand.

My questions:

• Is there a save way to send a MacBook Pro to Thailand? Its value would be well above 100'000 Baht.
  
• Would there be any troubles with customs? It would be a replacement for the MacBook I took with me when I came to Thailand. I will take both back to Switzerland when I go back. Hence I don't want to pay any custom or import taxes for it in Thailand.
  

Does anybody have experiences?

Thanks for any pointers

Thedi

• I entered Thailand on the Aug, 20 2009 on a Non-Immigrant O (multiple entry) visa and was stamped until Nov, 17 2009.
  
• I never did an extension of a Non-Immigrant O stay before.
  
• but I plan to change to yearly extensions now.
  

I like to ride my bike - but not in the rain. Hence I would like to do my future extensions sometime in the cool season (Nov to Feb). Should I do a visa run (I have Non Immigrant O multiple entries still valid until June 2010) to sync my future yearly extensions into the cool season?

If I extend the permission to stay with reason 'retired' (I fulfill all conditions: money in bank, 60 years old) in the beginning of November, will I get an extension until Aug, 20 2010 or until Nov, 17 2010?

I was always of the opinion that the first extension would give me only an additional 9 month to make it a full year, but I heard now from two different cases which claim they got an additional 12 month on their first extension in Nong Khai. What are the current rules - or is it depending on the office/officer?

Thanks for any comments from sages and people with own experiences.

Thedi

The Khon Kaen rumours rumble on. Will it happen? I hope so.

Looks like it. This was in khonekaen.com forum:

The rumor gains momentum. Below is a quote from a post on udonmap.com, reporting the results of a meeting at Nong Khai Immigration on August 29.

Source: http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/nong...ing-t15105.html

============= START OF QUOTED MATERIAL===========

We were then informed that the new immigration offices in both Udon and Khon Kaen would be operational before this Xmas.All stored documentation on residents in those areas will be transfered to the new one, and we must use the office for the area we reside in. Nong Khai will not be an option, only for those within its catchment area.She did list the places applicable but unfortunately I didn't make a note of them.

============= END OF QUOTED MATERIAL===========

Edited by rickfarang - 30.Aug.2009 at 12:41

We are all from this planet, and requesting a visa from you if you wanna go somewhere on this planet, just because you happen to be born somewhere else on this planet, is a retarded and wrong concept, simply utter nonsense. It should be abolished, like slavery was.

Yes lord ... and noboby shall be forced to identify himself with any papers - nor shall there be persons wearing a uniform - with the possible exception of gogo girls...

Amen

I have a Yamaha Royal Star, 1300cc, 350 kg which is fine for touring. But to go to the marked or to the fields I take my Kawasaki Boss: 170cc, 130 kg, easy to handle even if there is no road. Each bike has its uses. Don't buy a Phantom if you what you dream of is a HD!

Regards

Thedi

...What I really miss at those "lakes" all around in Isaan and elsewhere are some small sailing vessels or wind surfing boards where the kids and grown ups can learn to really enjoy the water sports. At least in Buriram there is a lot of wind.

Thais would rather be interested in the water scooters. But I guess to costy for Isaan. Many places have tires for kids to play in the water.

Sailing is for farangs. Most of the Isaan lakes are rather swamps - not deep and often full of pring (leeches); reeds and Hydrilla may be a hindrance for sailing.

Thais are of the opinion that they get a dark skin if they expose their skin to sun or wind. Worst is sun and wind. You certainly would get a good sun tan if you go windsurf in Isaan

Regards

Thedi

As mentioned above I swim in my pond since 5 years, maybe two or three times each week. I never got snapped by any turtles - but then my pond is more than 1000 km from Malaysia - which may explain that.

When I planed my first trip to Thailand - 30 years ago - I got five shots against many possible illnesses. I was warned: 'boil it, peel it or forget it'. I did not eat ice cream and certainly did not drink anything with ice in it. After 2 month I went back home without any symptoms of anything.

Then I came back regularly and forgot about this warnings. I began to eat papaya salad on food stalls, drank water wherever local people drank from, naturally enjoy now ice cream, and soon began to like life in Thailand even more. After each trip - and that is more than 60 trips now - I returned to Switzerland without any symptoms of anything.

I wadded bare footed through rice paddies, swam in huay and went repeatedly with people from our village to catch fish in rivers. Still nothing.

But maybe I am just a lucky devil - and you better keep your shoes on at night

Best regards

Thedi

I have myself a pond which I use for swimming since 5 years.

No problem.

There are warnings from those who know everything better - I guess they sleep under 5 mosquito nets and keep their shoes on at night just to be save. Bilharzia is their most loved word. Well I didnt get it, the Thai kids dont get it, my wife was swimming in ponds and canals - she is now 55 and still did not get it...

But there are this waters where you get itching red spots all over you when you swim in it. I heard that it comes from very small worms which use snails and bird as alternating hosts. They get into humans by error only and do nothing but irritate your skin. The problem is: when you get into contact with them, your body will react to them - and remember them. Next time the reaction will be stronger - until you do not enjoy it any more. Some people do not develop any reaction to them - then it is no problem.

If you have a pond used for swimming, you may consider to not to keep any birds in it - like duck. The snails are more difficult to control, but it takes the two to make a problem.

In my ponds are the snails - but no birds. Neither I nor any of the kids had any problems.

In the huay on the other side of our village are the same snails and ducks - nobody goes for swimming there and if they have to catch fish there, it is always a job to find people for the outing

Regards

Thedi

Could it possibly be Hydrilla? If so, from what I've read, it'll be a beast to control.

Yes, I searched a bit in the internet and it is Hydrilla.

From what I read, the only way to keep it under control is to let something loose that will eat it. There are fish from china which should do it - but from what I read they would develop into an even bigger pest than Hydrilla.

To let a Thai boy try to remove it will never work out, because the Hydrilla breaks very easy - and each small segment will grow to a new plant.

Hydrilla is the name of the plant - Hydra was the name in the old Greece tale - the dragon who was growing two heads wherever a hero cut off one.

I think, once I got it, the best way to go is to like it

Regards

Thedi

What did u do to have such a clear pond?? I have no idea what to do about the growth but i wish my fishing pond was half as clear

I pumped out all the water.

Then I let them catch all the fish.

Then I let it dry, until it was possible to cart the ki tom out of the pond.

Then I build small walls - about 60 cm high - in the pond, filled up earth in this steps. The middle part was laid out with sandstone plates which we found in fields of a village close to our. Between the sandstone plates we even poured some cement.

After some rain, when the pond was filling up, I planted all the plants I could find: lotus, reeds etc.

Only small fish - no carps! Carps like to muddle in the ground which will result in milk coffee colored water.

The smaller the fish the better.

This cost me all together maybe 100'000 Baht - maybe a bit more. I never keep track of costs of my hobbies.

I think the main point was the fish: no fish which likes to muddle in the ground. The worst are any kind of carps.

Another important point: as much plants as possible. Swamp areas are very good.

The sandstone plates looked like an overkill when I did it. Maybe it saves me now: This itching water plants do not grow in the middle part where thee are sandstone plates on the ground. This part is about 20 x 20 meters - quite OK for a swim. So this water plants do not trouble me too much. Its more that I like lotus and I am afraid that the lotus can not compete against them.

Regards

Thedi

I have a pond which I use for swimming. There are lotus, lots of small fish - it is full of life. The water quality was a concern for a long time, but now I have quite clear water. The main point seems to be to avoid fish who muddle in the ground. This is how it looks like:

Everything would be fine - but now there is this ngae growing: Ngae is a plant which grows in ponds. It is fully under water. Unlike a lotus there will be no part of it up. It grows so good that lotus plants do not grow as well es before. When I tried to remove some, I was full of small red pickels afterwards, which did not go away for about a week. It was itching when I removed some of the ngae, but not afterwards: the pickels did not hurt, but my arms where covered with them.

This are a view pictures a ngae:

Does anybody know a way to get rid of them without too much damage to the rest of the live in the pond? There are thouends of small fish living around it - they seem to like it. I tried pla nil, in the hope that they have more apetite but they were coming from a farm where they where fed with hua aharn - they are not interested in bio food at all.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Thedi

PS: there is a second plant, which looks similar but makes no problems. Here is a picture it:

There are a couple of others one heading towards tad-ton called kanchana piset which is good ...

Kanchana Pisek is a school with a very good name with Thais, but it did not meat my expectations at all, when I evaluated it 3 years ago.

The school was founded 10 years ago to celebrate a coronation day of the king. There were several Kanchana-schools all over the country. They all hold very much to traditions. Teachers are very young and change very often. Many of them do not even terminate a one year contract. The school is too strictly 'traditional'. And with 'traditional' I mean: stop thinking - do what you are told and most of all: always stay in line...

Well - that was my impression after I visited the school three times. It was highly recommended to us by different Thais. But I would certainly not send my daughter there. It was 100% opposite of my idea of what a good school should be like.

Regards

Thedi