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Vegemite

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Posts posted by Vegemite

    Guesthouse/hotel Rayong..... Advise

    in Pattaya

    Posted

    Hello, I have a Thai wife and we are visiting Rayong next year to see some of her family ( most of them are in Issan ).

    I was just wondering if anyone new of a decent guesthouse or nice place close to the sea at a reasonable price. We really dont want or like anything to flash but it has to be a little farang friendly and sabai.

    I have never been to Rayong before so any help you can give me would be .........

    Thanks.

    Wine Making Supplies

    in Isaan

    Posted

    Can anyone tell me if and why you can make wine but not beer legally.

    There are plenty of ways to get the canned hop and barley extract into Thailand but if you can get deported for brewing beer I wouldn`t try it. Trouble is I love to brew beer ( and drink it )

    What are the laws?

    By the way, if you want good wine ( or beer ) the yeast is really important. Bread yeast just does`nt do it for me. Get someone to send you good dried brewers yeast.

    All the best.

    Mosquito Repeller

    in Isaan

    Posted

    Lemongrass oil works wonders - some find the small a bit too strong, but at least it is 100% natural. It lasts for a few hours, but it is cheap, and very effective. Comes in spray bottles.

    I worked in an area of New Zealand that had masses of sand flies during the day and mozzies at night. None of the comercial brands could cut it. If your shirt pulled out by half an inch the little black buggers would be in, just like little hot needles. Bands of them.

    The man that I worked with had ' been there and done that ' and he had a simple repellant made from 50% baby oil and 50 % disinfectant ( of your choice ). You have to shake it every time you use it to mix the stuff up but it worked a treat and the baby oil seemed to overide the smell of the disifectant, it smelt quite nice.

    If not for this stuff we would have been spending a fortune on small bottles of stuff that did not work very well as there were literally black clouds of these flying nasties everywhere.

    Maybe of some help.

    Cha Am

    in Hua Hin and Cha-Am

    Posted

    Hey, It looks like I am coming to Cha am for just a few days later this year.  I've never been to this part of Thailand before and was just wondering what the place is like.  I've tried looking at some information over the net but what little info I found was either outdated or useless.

    Is there much activity in Cha am? Not too bothered about nightlife but it would be nice to get a pint somewhere, so are there many bars (not go go's).

    I'm only going to be here a few days so how easy is it to get around?  I'll probably opt to hire a bike out, are the roads farang friendly?

    Basically any info will be appreciated, just if someone can either provide some basic info to what the place is like or a link to information regarding Cha am.

    If it really is dull and boring Hua hin isn't too far is it?

    Hello Davey, you probably are not interested in the trends or prices of real estate if you are just visiting for a few days.

    I visited Hua Hin a couple of years ago and loved the place.

    Guest houses clean comfortable and cheap. Sit on the beach and have a beer or six or a couple of fresh peeled mangoes. Visit the hill with the Monks and the monkeys ( sorry I can never remember the name of the place ) at the end of the beach, and check out the fishing village at the base of it. Try the fresh crab while you are there, yum.

    I found it a really easy place to get around in and the locals very user friendly and pleasant.

    Hope you enjoy your trip and all the best.

    How Does A Farang Make Money- Isaan

    in Isaan

    Posted

    Just a simple question from a lowly carpenter with a small pot of gold and without a rich father. Is a guesthouse feasible in an Isaan village? Any other options?

    I'm not sure if it is a simple question? simple questions ten to have simple answers and i dont think there is one in this case :o

    Given the circumstances you mention I would put that small pot of gold in an offshore account at 6%. If the amount is enough to give you 5000 baht a month then you have enough to survive in Isaan. the locals can do it, so can a farang.

    Forget about the guesthouse, it's a cute idea but destined to see you with empty pockets. Best case is to stick to what you know, as a carpenter you have a craft.

    The key to making money in Isaan is selling a service or a skill to another farang, do everything you can to network yourself amongst farangs, there's not a single house in Thailand that does not have warped door's, termite damaged woodwork. windows that are hanging off hinges. Farangs will pay a small premium to get the job done right first time. There are plenty of raw materials, beautiful teak wood is available, what about crafting some designer coffee tables? exterior decking, I live in Khon Kaen and i wanted to buy some nice darkwood furniture all i could find was garbage from Index so thats what i bought. I would happily have given the 100,000 baht for some unique hand made stuff. I got MDF! maybe you would only make a small amount of money to start with, but compared to the guesthouse that will never earn a single penny profit, you'd be on your way!

    Well thats my 50 satang spent. good luck anyway!!!

    Richard

    Thank`s Richard, at least you are telling it like it is and, realistically, you are not saying anything that I did not allready know. Although I live in hope of a rare gem of knowledge that may be of some help.

    I almost dropped everything to rush up there and start making wooden cows as some bright spark suggested but I just don`t think I could get the uders ( teet things ) quite right.

    Does MDF actully last up there?

    All the best.

    Farrang Market

    in Isaan

    Posted

    You could sell Marmite....

    Wouldn't bother with Vegemite though.. you might attract the wrong crowd...  :o

    totster  :D

    What`s wrong with vegemite?????? Us from the antipodies quite like the stuff hence the reason my parents gave me my name!

    Ray: I dont know if it is possible but there are a good selection of frozen roast dinners available down under with chicken, pork, beef and lamb with gravy and roast potatoes and vegetables. Most of them are very good and easy to heat. Nothing like the old T.V. dinners. If you want brand names and maybe web sites Let me now and I will do some research.

    All the best Nick.

    Has Hua Hin Changed?

    in Hua Hin and Cha-Am

    Posted

    I visited the fishing village that I suppose has replaced the city version. I am not sure of the name of the place but it is at the bottom of the hill with the temple and the monkeys ( bloody things ). For me this was one of the highlights of my trip to Hua Hin. It was such a laid back place and I sat with one or two of the people that worked there and ate tender crab meat and drank some beer. The Thai people that I met there were so easy to be with. There were boats bobbing around in the estuary and no tourist type things anywhere. A great experience for me, but maybe others wouldn't be as happy to step that low.

    Home Brewing.

    in General Topics

    Posted

    I am attempting to brew my own beer and wine at home. I realize that this is an odd thing to do in Thailand as the booze here is cheap, but its become something of a challenge since I told my wife I could make my own easily.

    quote]

    I have been brewing beer for more years than I like to admit. I have found that yeast is really important ( get brewers yeast ) and temperature. In cooler climates it is easier to brew as you can control the temp with a little heat. beer should brew at about 25 C. or there abouts. You have to be carefull when you make the brew that you get the yeast to work quickly because there is natural yeast in the air and it can get into your brew and ruin your beer. This could happen very easily in Thailand because of the temp. Where I live, I can buy a brew kit that has everything that is needed to make 30 big bottles of beer for about $NZ10. or $US7.. There are many good websites on this subject but if you just want to make a good brew, get a " brew kit " from any brewery that sells them. I would be really interested to now if you can get one of these it Thailand, if you find anything , would you let me now? Internet try: Brewers world or home brew.

    Best of luck.

    Does Somebody Know Thipurai City Hotel?

    in Hua Hin and Cha-Am

    Posted

    How is the noise situation there? Are the rooms more or less soundproof?

    Not sure if you are asking me or not but the Thipurai guesthouse was very quiet. I didnt here any other guests at all and we stayed there for a week. It is down an " alley " ( probably wrong word ) with several other guest houses. Thipurai has a small resturant there as well and the girls that worked there were just the best. Really friendly and helpfull. Some rooms face the alley and look down on it but the room we had looked out over open space and trees toward the beach, although we couldnt see the beach or the sea. Most of the other guesthouses have resturants and the food that I tried was good from all of them. At the end of the alley is a walkway to the beach through mango trees but there was a new hotel being built on the beach front while I was there.

    The staff were just so helpful and easy to deal with that I cant give them enough credit. For me, Bangkok was a nightmare and it was so good to get out of the place that I felt as though Hua Hin was the gem of Thailand. Maybe Hua Hin has changed since the wave but I would be there tomorrow if I had the chance and I would stay at the same place.

    All the best.

    Does Somebody Know Thipurai City Hotel?

    in Hua Hin and Cha-Am

    Posted

    If its any help, I stayed at the Thipurai Guest house a couple of years ago and was very impressed. Great service, clean rooms, private and a couple of minutes to the beach. If this was any indication of what the city hotel is like I would not hesitate. At a guest house level I think it would be hard to beat. Ten points to Thipurai.

    How Does A Farang Make Money- Isaan

    in Isaan

    Posted

    A "falang" bar, resteraunt, you could spin off doing house rentals/sales car moterbike rentles, internet  sell "falang" foods ect, It would have to be in a fairly big town with a lot of falangs though.... mabye somewhere like Surin :D  :o

    Actually If there was somewhere like that near me they would probably make a tidy living as people would drive  from far around to go there.... mabye.  The other option is cows.

    **** What a great idea. Surin you say. Hmmmmm. *****

    How Does A Farang Make Money- Isaan

    in Isaan

    Posted

    A guest house in Isaan is certainly feasible but making money with a guesthouse in Isaan is another question entirely.  Does anyone here have any stories about how much money some farang has made running a guest house in Isaan?  Does anyone here have any stories about some farang that went broke with a guesthouse in Isaan?

    And since you describe yourself as a 'lowly carpenter' I will assume that you have no great desire or ability to run a business.  If I am correct in this assumption then there probably isn't any way that you can make money in Isaan.

    ******** Have been self employed for years ********

    Mahasarakham

    in Isaan

    Posted

    Thanks very much for your imput Olaus.

    My wife`s village is about 2K from Kean and is called Waengchai. Her parents were rice farmers and are now in their 80s. They have land there as you would probably expect and the wife has just been given some. There is talk of us retiring there. I am in my late 40s and still have some time to go before I have to make any decisions. I have to say that I love mangoes and prawns so much that my arm could almost be twisted but there are other issues including income.

    I think that you come form a country in the northern hemisphere that is very similar to the country that I come from in the southern hemisphere ( not that hot ).How did you go in the worst of the heat. The wife just came back from the isaan and said that it was the hottest for 20 years up there and that is really something coming from her.

    I would love to get your email address and maybe say hello when we are there next year, probably around July-Aug-Sept.

    Thanks again and all the best.

    Mahasarakham

    in Isaan

    Posted

    I live outside Roi-et but go there whenever I can. The taxis here are called Tuk- Tuk and are a bit small dimensioned :o . The owner of White Elephant has all the connections and might find a car to hire :D

    The food found in good restaurants here tends to be Thai and not Isaan style. Holiday makers will not get lost.

    Thanks for that Roiet. I know what a tuk-tuk is and how big. I quite enjoyed blasting around in the things when I was in Bangkok. They were sort of `ruff as guts' in an exciting sort of way. Loved the stink and the noise, awesome.

    Do you know how I can get hold of the owner of the white elephant and please tell me where it is in Roi-Et. Also you spoke of the resort Sawalak in Phanomprai, where is Phanomprai? It is not on my map. Is it very close to Roi-Et center?

    As far as places to stay go, do you think it is better to book them through a travel agent ( in Thailand or at home before We leave ) or to deal with the hotel directly? It is just that I had an experience in Bangkok where I had booked a package deal with 4 nights included. I decided to stay 1 more night and they asked me if I wanted to go through my travell agent. I thought it would be cheaper to deal directly with the hotel but to my dismay when I came to leave they charged me double what I was paying through the agent and also charged me for 2 nights not 1. I got shafted but didn`t figure it out till much later. Go Thailand.

    Mahasarakham

    in Isaan

    Posted

    [/quoteThe locals call Roi-et the smiling city :o . Nice for holiday making and settle down if you want. Very nice lake and park in the centre of town. Recommended hotels are Roi et City and Petcharad Garden (swimming pool). 2 more swimming pools in the city. Golf place. Shopping Lotus and Makro with lots of falang food. KFC and Plaza Shopping for Falang size dresses. Best falang food at White Elephant with snooker, dart and free high speed Internet.. Some very good styled Thai restaurants with very friendly :D service. Elegant live music restaurants like 101 and the Glass House. Good styled bars. Airport etc etc

    Thanks for the info.

    I guess that you live around Roi-et. If we stay at Roi-et do you think that it would be any problem to hire a taxi for a couple of days so that we can visit the inlaws?

    Tell me, is the tom yum good there? I can`t stop eating the stuff and since the wife has been away I have had to pay for it at great expense.

    Websites About Khonkaen

    in Isaan

    Posted

    I have found a few. I can`t remember the ones that are good or not but still worth a look. I just search isaan- isaans - isarn - isan - ect. ect..

    3rdeyesite.com

    ten`sthaiisaan

    terrysterk.com

    markoinbngkok.com ( not sure, but not sure about any of them )

    isanpeople.net

    khonkaen.com

    issans.co.uk

    isan.swaadee.com

    I hope that I haven`t put anything unsavoury in this list and it has been a while since I looked at these sites. I have a memory like a sieve? ( colander, thing with holes in ). I found another one about a guy that rode a bike with pedals all around the northeast alone and off the beaten track but really worth a look. I think the site was: crazyguyonabike

    Hope I have been of some help but I am sure there are many more than this.

    All the best.

    Mahasarakham

    in Isaan

    Posted

    Thanks for that expatgaz.

    The wife is in Thailand at the moment hence the reason that I can spend so much time on the internet. I speak with her every day and we were talking about the best place to stay and she seems to think that Roi et would be better. Have you been there and if so what do you think?

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