NiwPix

Beer Lao used to be pretty rare here in Ubon, but our Makro has consistently carried it for the past several months...maybe try your local Makro?

Yeah, if we get Phuket then I would say that ubon finally connects to all major cities / airports in Thailand.

I saw on the flight schedule that thai lion air has a rout from dmk to ubon and back...that's quite a few flights we already have to dmk...is the demand really that high?

Great news....but I thought it was already approved a few months ago?? But then again the "approved" figure was 30 million I believe.

I hope they will also increase the parking lot at the airport

Quite some interesting news there, rthai. Can't wait to see what the actual airport will look like once its done.

I went by that site this morning. Looks like it "almost" done...at least from the outside.

I agree that the location is not that great ( very congested already ), but they are building or already completed a ~5 story parking garage.

Edit: sorry about the pictures being sideways. They are upright on my desktop preview.

I have a couple of ideas, but not sure if it will work...

1) there is a restaurant supply store across ubon watsadu / Do Home ( heading to warin ). I bought a few things from them in the past and if something was broken, they were able to fix it and I had a stove custom made / welded by them. I am not sure if they will work on something like you mentioned...but can't hurt to ask.

2) driving around near the lake, there are shops that build metal gates. I went to one of them to get a quote for a custom made metal table, but got farang price...so maybe send the wife in first.

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I can tell you of one to help her......and that is YOU.

Forget about lawyers or persons specializing in Thailand.

She defaulted on her debts .....she has to pay.....and I mean you have to pay.

Oh the irony.....a greek giving advice on debt negotations

Let's try to be a bit more clearer than other contributors, the answer in NO, no independent
negotiators are available in this country, not that i know of and i know a lot.
If you GF doesn't have any asset to her name that can be confiscated than all you/she
need to do is to write formal letters to all the creditors, admitting liability and offering a monthly
payment plan according to her abilities to service the loan, post those letter registered post
and make sure that they were delivered,

Come the time to go to court, the judge will be very sympathetic to some one who's down on their
luck but still willing to pay as long as it take to pay it all up, and believe me, those creditors
will have to be happy ,in the end, with what the lady can afford to pay.....been there, that's
how i know......

Thanks for answering my question directly.

In reference to the other replies, I am aware that it is not good for people to default on debt. I am also aware that I can help. But, nonetheless, some people have to post the obvious. As if the only people that acquire debt are Thai's. People default on loans in every country.

I wanted to know if there is a way to negotiate these loans to a lesser amount. I didn't ask for the morality of Thai culture. And even if I decide to pay them for her, I want to negotiate the debts down, duhhhhh!!! Why wouldn't I try.

You have a long way to go to lean about thais , thais are very stupid when it comes to borrowing and yes all over the world it is the same but not like thais and I am not here to put thais down ok .
I have borrowed a lot of money in my life but I know you have to pay it back , like I say to my thai if you borrow you have to pay it back so sorry your thai has to pay it back .

You say you your not here to put down thais, but in the SAME sentence say they're stupid.

Now, since thais are stupid for not paying back loans, please tell me your country of origin and I will do a quick google search and let you know how much debt your country has and how many people do not repay their loans.

To the op: sorry I cant help on your question. However, post #5 sounds very reasonable and logical. Good luck.

Well, now that you seem to have made up your decision, let me make your life difficult again

I just saw that Air Asia has a special from Don Muang to Buriram for 390 Baht. But you have to book this week and the deal is available as of late march / early april....I'm not sure when your arriving in bkk. Also, remember that with Air Asia you have to book checked luggage.

Hey Richard, I may have somewhat good news for you. I just returned from the "big" tesco here in ubon ratchathani and saw oat milk ( see attached picture ). If you need any other info, let me know. I actually bought a liter to try it. Am curious what it tastes like.

Also, have you tried giving your son some different versions of soy milk? I do enjoy soy milk too sometimes, but have found that there are big variations in flavor among the brands.

Anyways, hope it helped.

Making good mozzarella to sell to restaurants might be a winner....many are crap.

Kwai mozza?

The royal project was making buffalo mozzarella but I haven't seen it for well over a year. A pity. It was delcious.

I think he meant shredded mozzarella. I too think it might be good business to supply good mozzarella at a reasonable price to restaurants.

No, not at all...but it sure does deserve the same celebration

Sorry, I don't know if / where there is a sportsbar that broadcasts the bundesliga.

I just did a quick google search and it was said that these guys show the bundesliga...but no mention on their website. Maybe give them a call ( or visit ) and find out: http://old-german-beerhouse.com

Yeah, I am definitely interested in the bundesliga. And I hope for many more years to come. But maybe next season I may have to settle my interest for 2. Bundesliga

I rarely watch football on TV. The times of most live games are pretty late ( except the Saturday afternoon games MEZ ). I just look for a stream on the internet to watch a game if I am awake when the game starts. Worst case scenario, I listen to a single game or the conference on the internet radio ( http://www.sport1.fm/ )

From what I understood / heard:

1 liter wine / spirit OR 6 pack of beer.

Isan farang: any luck speaking with somebody at makro yesterday?

The Lao gold sure is delicious.

Any truth to the rumor that immigration might move from Phibun to Sirindhorn near Chong Mek in the near future?

I doubt it very much. They might be building a new headquarters for Ubon immigration there but not the office for extension and etc.

I would come closer to believing a rumor that they are moving to here in Ubon city if such a rumor existed.

I'm heading to Laos now for a few days. Can't wait to try the gold.

Thanks for sharing

The post above this one is prime example for the advice I can give you...

If you do western food, you will be judged by just about every Westerner on the food. Keep in mind "Westerner" covers A LOT of countries. Example is bacon for breakfast. Various countries prepare their bacon different and have different preferences. Streaky Bacon smoked? Streaky unsmoked? Back Bacon thick cut? Back Bacon thin? Crispy? not Crispy? Whichever you choose, some will love you for it and others will shrug it off and say "it's not like home".

Make sure you cater to the majority of the population...Thais. Do the food you like / can identify yourself with and have the menu in Thai and English. Thais do like venturing out and trying western food, but many can't read or speak english.

There are other hurdles to overcome as well, but if you have prior restaurant experience ( very important here for starting one up ), you have an idea of what to expect "behind the scenes".

A few pointers:

- Signage: Make sure that if your sign has a Western name ( or whatever else is written on that sign ), has to also be in Thai Script. If you look closely at for example 7/11 or McDonalds, you'll see the Thai name / Script written small in a corner.

- The monthly staff report with salary etc that gets handed in to the Revenue Department has to be done by the 7th of every month. Every day past the 7th will be fined. I don't remember the exact number but I think it was 50 Baht per day. So your January report has to be handed in between February 1st and 7th

- Liquor License....I believe a liquor license also covers Beer and Wine. I am not sure how they calculate the yearly fee, but it is VERY low ( but haven't had anyone come in to check on that )

- I not once had the health Department or Fire Department visit the restaurant to check on current "code". However, you have to register your business with the health department and also pay a yearly fee ( which is a bit higher than the liquor license )

- Safety Requirements:

I think common sense is your best bet. For example when I first took over my business, there was not a single Fire Extinguisher in the building. Nobody ever came to check if I had one nor got a fine or anything like that, but just for some peace of mind, I bought a couple.

- Regarding registering your Business / VAT ( i know, you didn't need any info on that, but you're getting it anyways ). If you set up a company, yes, you are correct. If you are married and / orclosely related to trustable Thai, you can do a Sole Proprietorship. Then you wouldn't need to register VAT, unless your business generates more than 1.8 million per calendar year...which I would assume it never will....officially

Good luck

Those are also available at makro. At least here in ubon

Reminds me a bit of this....

I just checked the apples I have. They're Granny Smith and have a sticker saying "Le Crunch". Any idea where they're from? I tried google and couldn't find an answer. I bought them at Makro if that helps too.

This is apparently what's happening at Huai Wang Nong Reservoir. I haven't been by there since it was drained last year. Are they working on something like this?

image-45D7_54B622D9.jpg

I haven't been there in about 2 months, but remember seeing a bunch of poles set in there. It seemed a bit "confusing", but looking at the picture, it kind of makes sense now.