earlofwindermere

I've been watching some of the hockey games online. I also saw one at the X Centre in Mae Rim. They have UBC and it was on ESPN.

Two of my staff are CMU students. They said that a private section will open up alongside the government unversity and work in partnership with each other. From what I could undertand, it would be a similar arrangement to how the private-public hospitals work with Sri Pat and Suan Dok/Maharaj.

We moved to the same area at the beginning of the month (about 400 m down the road from you). TT&T was terrible and told us the same. We went to the Sansai office at TOT and they were very helpful and one lady spoke excellent English. Apparently TOT has limited service in the area. There is only one package available. After a week of applying, it was working. The speed is not nearly as good as what I had at my former place but it is good enough for skype. My suggestion is to visit the Sansai office yourself. It is located on Doi Saket road (of all places) and is on the right hand side as you are travelling out of the city (between the middle and outer ring roads). It is a small office so you may miss it if you're not looking.

Chat is the owner of Buddy Internet. He told me that a lot of customers come in, use the phone and then argue with him about having to pay. He's heard every conceiveable argument from a bad connection to "I only talked for 40 seconds, why should I pay for 1 min?" After hearing this repeatedly every day, I would likely do the same as him and charge customers by the minute for every connected call.

In my opinion, the computers in his shop are usually well maintained and the internet connection is usually good. In addition to his shop, Chat is very involved in the community and has an excellent reputation... volunteers on Boards of Foundations, raises funds for charities and even collects used clothing for poor families in Chiang Mai. Like any place, some staff are not as friendly as others. But, Buddy Internet has had a fairly consistent high level of service for the past 6 years that I've been going there.

Buddy internet is one of the best in town. I know the owner personally and he is a very good quality guy. I actually talked to him about his VOIP phone in his shop. If the call is connected, he has to pay for it.

My VOIP phone has been having poor quality lately as well. Do what others suggest and get a phone card.

I was driving down Chang Moi today and happen to glance over and see a store that was selling this item. It's on a right hand side of the road, about a city block before Top Gear Bike.

Was out at the pub with him Friday night. Shocking

Thanks for the comments. My wife is having a c-section which usually happens two weeks before the due date so we're assuming that we'll be fine. We'll be in Bangkok three weeks before the due date. I'll look into Petcharat as an emergency backup just in case she does go into labour early. Thanks.

Was just sent this link.

Saving Grace Website

THanks

My staff went to Samoeng today. They came back with 10kg of berries. Here is the price that they paid:

Grade A 40 baht/kg

Grade B 20 baht/kg

Grade C 15 baht/kg

Grade D 10 baht/kg

It's amazing how much it jumps up in price when it hits Chiang Mai.

I guess that I should note that these are NOT the organic strawberries.

We are just about to sell our 2005 Jazz (same model as above) with 120 000km on it. Would I be correct to assume that 400-420k is an acceptable amount to ask then? We're based in Chiang Mai

There is a well known farm that attracts tourists every year. It's past Samoeng in a little village called Boh Kaew. The farmer also sells Strawberry wine and other items made from strawberries. My staff are travelling there tomorrow so I can get more info if you need it. Here's what I know right now:

The farmer's name is Vittaya and the phone number is 0848039905

For those who have never been to Boh Kaew, it's a beautiful little town in a valley - lot's of strawberry farms. There are also a few guesthouses in the area.

Like in every country, there are jobs that you can get and are paid in cash. Yes, it is illegal but it happens everywhere. I know of foreigners here who have worked the following short-term jobs without a work permit or proper visa:

1. Swimming Teacher

2. Coach / Trainer

3. Instructor (ESL, First Aid, Nursing)

4. Restaurant Workers (including at a well known Sushi restaurant).

5. Consultant (Marketing, business, etc)

6. Website design or computer programmer

I'm not saying that it is right or wrong but the simple fact is that there are many short-term jobs that foreigners can get here in Chiang Mai if they take some initiative and are a little creative.

There are more tourists right now because all the missionaries working in China are down here for their conferences during Chinese New Year.

A little follow-up on this project...

Apparently very few of the families awarded the homes have moved in as the homes are not yet finished.

I was talking with one family yesterday who are recipients. From what they told me, nearly all the families also work in the city (mostly near the airport). Since their new homes are nearly a 35-45 min bike ride out of the city, many are not even planning to live in the homes. They're going to rent them out to people who live in that area.

I guess this is another example of how foreigners come in and try to do some good without knowing the full story. What a shame.

Because of the smokey season in Chiang Mai, my wife and kids will be staying Hua Hin during March. My wife will be 8 1/2 months pregnant and is expect to have the baby in early April in Bangkok. In the event that there is an emergency or early labour, can anyone recommend the name of a good ob/gyn in Hua Hin or even what hospital would be the best choice?

Thanks.

While I am also not a fan of Grace, I think that this thread is being a bit unfair to both the school and some of the people who send their kids to it. If we could re-direct it back to the original topic, it would be more useful to me.

Specifically, how could this legal case actually have happened? Isn't it a bit scarey to anyone else that it's possible to buy property, have it legally processed and then told several years later that it was all wrong... and then sued because of it?

Is this kind of scenario common in Thailand? What incompetent law firm did Grace use? Perhaps people connected to the situation could help us all by telling us how to avoid a similar situation ourselves.

I know that it is much easier and faster to register a foundation with a Thai-only Board of Directors. Many people register with Thais and then add farangs to the Board at a later date. I've heard that Thai-only Boards can be registered in as quick as three months. I have heard of farang Boards taking up to several years....with the average being about a year.

Using a lawyer is not necessary to complete the application process but it is much simpler for you. Several lawyers in the city are known for specializing in setting up foundations. However; make sure to ask around for opinions because opinions vary greatly.

Also, I just checked with my staff. For foundations registered in Sansai, all documents must go through the Amphur office (including Board changes). The person to contact is "Gai." If you would like her phone number, PM me and I'll send it.

PM me and I'll check at the office tomorrow. We've changed the Board of our foundation. It is a rather lengthy process and it is not something that can be done right away with ease. I would understand that the original application would probably have just continued and then the names changed once it was registered. The hassle to change the name in the middle of the application would have been next to impossible. (It is very possible that the application took 13 months to get approved. Ours took 9 months).

Your name will likely always be on the certificate (which must be posted at the legally registered office of the foundation). However; the government will have on file the name of the current Board members. Our foundation is registered in Sansai and all documents (including changes in Board members) must be submitted to the Amphur office. I am not sure if this is the case for those registered in the city.

From what I know, it would be pointless to try to get your name off the original application. The best you could do is to ensure that you are not a current Board member.

I'm not sure who this lady is but she's using my mailbox number to have her mail delivered to.

Just in case someone here actually knows her, tell her to PM me to get her mail. Otherwise, I'll "Return to Sender" soon.

Thanks.

I met a guy the other day who is staying at Viengbua Mansion. He spends the winters here and is a tax specialist. Can't remember the name but I'm sure that you could track him down if you went to the place.

Almost all of the staff at my office came down with the same thing last week....

Tired, sore throat and low grade fever.

After about 3-4 days, the fever and coughing start to disappear but we all started getting sores in and around our mouths (ie canker and cold sores) as well as a few tiny red bumps on our bodies.

It sounds pretty similar to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Can adults get it? Is HFM making its way around the city right now?

Anyone else experiencing this?

I'm not sure if this should be a pinned topic or not. It's quite common on this forum to have people ask for reputable places to volunteer or to donate funds to. Chiang Mai in particular seems to have a disproportionate amount of development organizations and volunteers.

The following link is considered one of the authorities in the development world. They list pretty much every organization that "fit the general criteria of promoting good governance, sustainable development and poverty reduction."

Link to Thailand's Charity/Development Sector

I'm sure that some will say that their group is missing. Perhaps it was overlooked or perhaps it was intentionally left off the list for one reason or another. Either way, this is a good base for people to start their research.

I second that. Unbelieveable selection for the price. I'll be heading back again very soon.