DeeMockMark

However while our receptionist took her son to the hospital my husband ( he's on a ret. visa) sat at her desk and was watching stuff on his iPad. So the officer said he was working.

And in another thread you stated a few days ago your former landlord arrived with the police at your "new workplace" because you were in breach of contract, leaving rented accommodation after 3 months into a twelve month contract and had also left without paying final electricity & internet bills, supposedly because you lost your job.

Could this be the REAL reason for and the person that reported you to the police? Is the previous landlord the person with the axe to grind? It sounds like perhaps that that landlord got pissed off that you left him in the lurch and tried to hurt you because he knows your "business" weaknesses. Could this be the case? It seems also a possibility that the police sees an opportunity to make some money and is more interested in that than being a tool of the landlord.

Personally i wonder about paying extortion for anything. Doesn't that leave you open for more extortion from the same person? Is that 20000 bht a one time deal or whenever the police needs a little more cash? What about his buddies? I would be very careful about paying any extortion. It sounds like a slippery slope. Does any one have insight? I am just wondering.

I have gotten so used to it that I that most times notice when the dogs are barking or not. At least until my Thai wife tells me that she is going crazy because the dogs won't quit barking. Then I consciously notice that they are barking and get annoyed and pretty soon forget again. Either adapt or move. I am happy to say that I am moving. One of the things I am looking for in my new place are a lack of barking dogs.

I picked up a purse in my soi a few days ago. It could only have belonged to a woman who just drove into the soi as I had just walked up the soi past that point a minute previously and it hadn't been there then.

I took it to her house and as soon as she saw it, she was all "OOOOO, yayayablahblah blah OOOOOOO" and called her daughter out who also recognised it immediately and was blabbering aloud. She took it, wai'ed deeply, as did the daughter, opened it, the 6000 baht was still in it. She waied again. Yesterday she brought be a big bag of grapes, and thanked my wife profusely too.

For some reason, I got the impression that they thought I was a good man in that another person may not have returned it. The whole soi (the social ones) is hailing me a hero and thanking me on the woman's behalf. The money must have been for something important.

Last week I found an I-phone on a glass feezer lid. A Muslim woman and I both browsing the freezer had just swapped places and so I thought she had left it there.....I spoke to her and asked if it was hers...it wasn't, but she picked it up and said she will take.it straight to the staff. I thought to myself, "She's just scored an I-phone!" but a few minutes later some staff came to me with the phone and asked me where I had found it. Obviously the woman had handed it in.

I have dropped 1000 baht note in a store and the clerk returned it. I had an credit card slip out of a wallet and the Tuk Tuk returned it. At the behest of my GF i frequently will leave a plastic bag with stuff in it on my motor bike. One time I left my keys in my motorbike and when I came back someone had taken them out of the ignition and placed them in the cup holder….. out of sight.

After the quake our well water turned yellow and dirty looking. We only use it for showering and non-drinking purposes. The GF took her normal 2+ showers. I waited until the next day when the water started to look normal again. My GF started to itch something furious…. so much so that she had to take an anti-histamine. (Benadryl…. which she hates.). I started to itch also. So we have decided to get some kind of filter. Preferably, a shower filter. But whatever fits the bill. I know there are a lots of knowledgable guys here. Any advice on filters and where to get them and what kind we might need would be of immense help. Thx.

By the way. Thx for the past help, guys. I have been here almost 2 years now. I know some people hate when people ask "stupid" and simple questions. But as a relative newbie I can only say thx. When some people first get here it can be confusing as heck. And you might not know where to get the most minor of things and you are lost if you venture too far from the moat. It is the nice and helpful souls at Thaivisa that got me over the rough parts.

Thx again.

DMM.

Thx guys I will look at the post office. Elegant.

I am looking for a large roll of paper. Is 36" asking too much? Can use for wrapping in industrial use. But I want to draw on it. But not a strict art use item. Been to Siam Paragon art dept..... no luck. They have 12" no bigger. I want to make a large drawing for mural. In America not just art stores will carry this item. Walmart and Staples. You can also cover tables for a picnic with paper like this. Just general use utility paper..... Large size..... On a Roll.

Has anyone seen something like this being sold or used in Thailand?

http://www.dickblick.com/products/pacon-natural-kraft-paper/#photos

http://www.dickblick.com/products/pacon-newsprint-roll/

http://www.dickblick.com/items/11502-1048

White would be prefered. But brown is ok. Newsprint is also ok. I know asking for 48" is asking for perfection. But we can hope.

Any leads will be appreciated it.

I think the OP has be officially crushed by the weight of opinions that he is trollish and we ain't playing his game. He won't be doing this again any time soon.

Why are the safety levels in Thailand 240% higher than in many other countries? In Singapore a PSI 2.5/10 of 50 is the limit!

If that is the case. That is a good question. All i know is that my respiratory tract feels irritated and I have a dry sore throat with no fever.

Could there be a link btwn air quality and this?

I'm with Steve on this one.

Who cares? I would've ignored the guy to the point of not even hearing his comments.

And you are a grumpy old man! My! My! My! Will wonders never cease.

Sorry repeat post.

I am coming to BKK on the 2nd for a few days from Chiang Mai where I live. I want to get professional quality art supplies on my trip and also make contacts so I can hopefully order via online or phone in the future. I am hoping the art supplies situation is better than CM which is kind of sparse. I would hate to order from Dick Blick what I can find locally.

Any suggestions or names of shops/stores and their location would be highly appreciated.

Thx.

No your UK state pension would not be enough to qualify for a retirement visa in Thailand. At this time you must prove an income of 65,000 baht/month. In 10 years - who knows ? Or you could keep 800,000 baht in a Thai bank, say in a mutual fund paying something like 3.5%.

Not true.

just evidencing receipt of the state pension for 3 months will get you a visa.

The problem comes with applying for an extension where you will need 800k/400k in the bank (retirement/marriage extension) or income of 40k/65k per month.

Brilliant. This means the OP has at least 3 months in Thailand before he`s out begging in the streets. He could be the shortest term migrant in history.

My advice to the OP is; save up your pension and if and when you can afford it, come over to Thailand for a holiday. These days living long term in Thailand requires money and lots of it, or in other words, it appears to be more funds than you have at your disposal or would qualify for long stay under the imposed terms of the Immigration department.

Also considering at 65 plus, it is not going to be easy to find employment here and your state pension will not be index linked once you leave the EEC, unless you plan to work until you are in your 90s to support yourself?

Sorry to sound so harsh, but these are the facts.

And beetle juice knows the facts.

Uk state pension is more like 140 a week but don;t get you happy face on as you will NOT get any increments and the government will stop 60 pound per week because you have chosen to live in Thailand

Forget Thailand as there are lots of other nice places where you will get your full pension and increments

just look out

Just look about

Can you suggest a few?

It would seem. But good luck with that. Unless your Thai is good and the upholsterer can think out of the box and you are willing to look over his shoulder during construction...... Like i said..... Good luck with that.

I went the compressed foam route. queen; 5750 same day delivery 6'. 10 year guarantee. They will give you a free three day trial if you don't take the plastic off. Not as hard as the rubber, which is 5000, but firmer than the springs, and probably too firm for many falang. I've heard too many complaints from farang over the years on rock hard mattresses....so it's up to you. Never seen or heard of any indication that the Thais are prone to back trouble, and I doubt they're shellin' out 25K at HomePro for a Western Style. www.chiangmaimattress.com. They are made locally, which is a good thing.

I went to their website... It is a bit sketchy... They have a map location but do not say if there is an actual store with operating hours?... It's a bit out of the way so I would like to know that before I drive out there?...

From the time I called them, and spoke to Aom; my new mattress was professionally delivered in less than four hours. After two nights on it; I will never buy a spring mattress again.

Does it have a chemical smell. I am sensitive to chemical smells.

The mattress mentioned for THB 5750 will be exactly that. It may last for a few months. In Thailand I have found that most mattresses under 18-25K are basically junk. We've bought 2 mattresses here for 15K (top name brands marked down on promotions) and they were absolute junk that lasted about 2 years. And yes, many Thais are spending big money on their mattresses. I see them buying in Home Pro and Central all the time.

I also agree with the recommendation of buying a mattress from IKEA. I owned 2 IKEA mattresses when I lived in Europe and never slept better in my life; more comfortable even than the Simmons and Sealy brands I owned in the USA. IKEA is a top notch company and they make great products. When I left Europe I sold my IKEA mattresses, pillows, and duvet's for almost as much as I paid for them new as they were in such demand. In 5 years they didn't show any wear at all. They are that well-made.I've decided to buy another mattress from IKEA in Thailand. And...they are guaranteed for 25 years... When we tried to claim the 5 or 10 year guarantee (after only 2 years) on our Thai brand mattresses we were told by the seller that it is impossible to get a Thai company to replace a mattresses. He said he has tried numerous times over the years without success and that the "guarantee" means nothing. I'll take a Swedish product any day over a Thai made product.

Some of the people advertising here and in Phuket for latex mattresses are asking way too much for what they are.

The more pockets the better and accordingly more expensive. My latest purchase (4000 pocket springs) was 40,000 baht from airport Central. The department head knows his springs.

18-25k is better than 40k on my walket. It's fine if you have the baht.

To the OP; Dunlopillo is natural latex. The chiangmaimattress only sells rubber and compressed foam, which, is made 100% from petrochemicals.same as car tires. Petro chemical rubber is vastly different from natural latex, and not in a good way. I think that besides being a potential health hazard to have ones face pushed into a mat full of chemicals for hours on end, there is also a fire hazard one would assume. Check out all the different types of synthetic rubber:

Table of common synthetic rubbers[edit]

ISO 1629 Code Technical Name Common Names ACM Polyacrylate Rubber AEM Ethylene-acrylate Rubber AU Polyester Urethane BIIR Bromo Isobutylene Isoprene Bromobutyl BR Polybutadiene Buna CB CIIR Chloro Isobutylene Isoprene Chlorobutyl, Butyl CR Polychloroprene Chloroprene, Neoprene CSM Chlorosulphonated Polyethylene Hypalon ECO Epichlorohydrin ECO, Epichlorohydrin, Epichlore, Epichloridrine, Herclor, Hydrin EP Ethylene Propylene EPDM Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer EPDM, Nordel EU Polyether Urethane FFKM Perfluorocarbon Rubber FKM Fluoronated Hydrocarbon Viton, Kalrez, Fluorel, Chemraz FMQ Fluoro Silicone FMQ, Silicone Rubber FPM Fluorocarbon Rubber HNBR Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene HNBR IR Polyisoprene (Synthetic) Natural Rubber IIR Isobutylene Isoprene Butyl Butyl NBR Acrylonitrile Butadiene NBR, Nitrile rubber, Perbunan, Buna-N PU Polyurethane PU, Polyurethane SBR Styrene Butadiene SBR, Buna-S, GRS, Buna VSL, Buna SE SEBS Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene Copolymer SEBS Rubber SI Polysiloxane Silicone Rubber VMQ Vinyl Methyl Silicone Silicone Rubber XNBR Acrylonitrile Butadiene Carboxy Monomer XNBR, Carboxylated Nitrile XSBR Styrene Butadiene Carboxy Monomer YBPO Thermoplastic Polyether-ester YSBR Styrene Butadiene Block Copolymer YXSBR Styrene Butadiene Carboxy Block Copolymer

If I can not pronounce it, I tend to try to stay away from it. Thats just me.

The mattresses at www.latexinnovations.com are certified by a 3rd party to contain ONLY 100% natural latex. I tend to worry a bit about carcinogens as I get older, and its nice knowing that my mattress is not a potential source of them.

Good point!

I went the compressed foam route. queen; 5750 same day delivery 6'. 10 year guarantee. They will give you a free three day trial if you don't take the plastic off. Not as hard as the rubber, which is 5000, but firmer than the springs, and probably too firm for many falang. I've heard too many complaints from farang over the years on rock hard mattresses....so it's up to you. Never seen or heard of any indication that the Thais are prone to back trouble, and I doubt they're shellin' out 25K at HomePro for a Western Style. www.chiangmaimattress.com. They are made locally, which is a good thing.

I am going to give them a try. Thx thighlander.

Does anyone out there know where it is possible to buy a reasonable mattress for a sensible price in CM?

I am looking for something simliar to that which is made by a company called 'dunlopillo' and it's made from foam and I'm guessing will last quite a while as the springs won't give out and the edges collapse (this is the problem I am having.)

Also a futon like matteress will do. But I had little luck in a previous post about that.

Any help greatly appreciated

Hi,

Apologies as you are asking about a futon in CM but may I suggest you research natural latex mattresses? My wife sells them to many people with back issues and it seems to help. Her company is a sponsor here so you can click on the ad banner in the Chiang Mai and events forum to go to her website, or use www.latexinnovations.com. She can custom cut the mattress to any size for no additional charge so it could fit on your existing frame.

This might work. I am not locked into a Futon. But regular mattresses are not working so for.

I do better on a futon mattress. If seems the firmness favors my back. I am wondering where I can get the mattress at as I already have a suitable frame. Thx.

Mischief managed. Qued up at 7:30 was finished by 10:30. Was 12th in line line over all. And 7th in line for Visas grouped with my type. Needed only to bring money, passport, and (in my case) proof of +65,000 BHT monthy income letter from my consulate. Everything else can be gotten there. Thx for the great info!

I am sorry. I qued up at 6:30. (I want to be accurate just in case someone wants to follow my bad example.)

Oh... And by the way. Wear mosquitoes repellant. Near the door where the chairs are. They were awful.

There was a curly hair Thai lady there at Immigration that was really "no nonsense." She read me the riot act for no reason.

Not really surprising (to me at any rate) that you were read the Riot Act, bearing in mind that you left your extension of stay application until the 59th second of the 59th minute of the 11th hour! As I intimated in post #13, you could (& IMHO should) have got it sorted a lot sooner.

Ha! Ha! Ha! All is well that ends well, mate. Chill. What did the doctor say about all that needless stress of yours? Do you believe in signs? Probably not. But I had some really good conversations with a few nice people while I was there. One said that it was "serendipity" that we had met. It could turn out to be a really good connection. We will see. That would not had happened if I had had "all my ducks in the row" and everything "squared away" weeks ahead of time. You seem to be stressing about my problem more than I am. That's not good for your health.

Now about the Curly Haired Dragon Lady. Her reading me the Riot Act had nothing to do with my last tick 'til midnight waiting and escape. I got the impression she gives people a hard time all the time.

I like her. She has a certain charm.

And yes I am known to have amazing luck. I never gamble though. Just being at the right place at the right time mostly. Drives some people CRAZY because their altar god of common sense is a little rattled by my antics. (I am messing with you a bit. But I am being totally honest.) Thx for your input. If this will make you happy I plan on not shaving it so close next year. Ok?

But you know what they say about the plans of mice and of men.

There was a curly hair Thai lady there at Immigration that was really "no nonsense." She read me the riot act for no reason.

Mischief managed. Qued up at 7:30 was finished by 10:30. Was 12th in line line over all. And 7th in line for Visas grouped with my type. Needed only to bring money, passport, and (in my case) proof of +65,000 BHT monthy income letter from my consulate. Everything else can be gotten there. Thx for the great info!