superal

Have you tried " Velveting " ? A method used by Chinese chefs to tenderise cheaper cuts of meat

Speaking from experience ?

A couple of days ago I had reason to get up early in the morning . I switched on the TV to BBC channel 4 . To my delight a documentary was just about to start . It is called " Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise . You can view it on BBC I Player . The first episode features Khao Yai National Park and its range of animals and the protection given . Then to Bangkok and surrounding districts , showing some of the Thai cultures etc . The filming is of high quality ( especially in Khao Yai ) . Next week features the north of Thailand . The programme is well worth a view .

"The one up the hill" is what I said and you get there in a free pickup mini bus . Sure is a hill or or incline . Been there many times pre covid but now the Thai immigration want 1500 baht to allow you to go to the casinos and not stamp your passport . Before covid it was 500 baht to Thai immigration and 300 to Cambodian . Cannot see many takers for that , unless you know otherwise ? Talk about greed and shoot yourself in the foot . BTW did you ever win ?

Both my sister and mother had terminal cancer and were treated with increased doses of morphine and as you say they were in a coma state and not suffering pain which is a concern for the poster . Also to take care of bodily functions of your mother must be a difficult task for both involved . A local nurse to " live in " may be the answer . My sympathies to Seajae

You are not totally correct , as follows . In my ladies restaurant I have sen Thai guys going out to the car park and trees etc to urinate , come back and carry on eating . All this despite the fact that we have a western standard customer toilet that is cleaned every day ( no cobwebs or filthy basins / toilet , plenty of tissues & kitchen roll to dry your hands ) , outside is another sink / basin for hand washing because some Thais are concerned about washing their hands inside the toilet and then having to touch the door handle to leave the toilet . So in summary some Thais have good hygiene habits and some do not

Salads are a favourite of mine but in Thailand you are taking a chance that there is good hygiene practised in the restaurant kitchen . At best the veg are cleaned with tap water which could be compounding the problem . Thai folk definitely have a stronger constitution than westerners and suffer a lot less .

Thanks Brit Tim . I was wondering if any of our readers still use the casinos at O-smach ? Also I think a levy is imposed by the Cambodian immigration if you do not stay in Cambodia for at least 1 day .

I used to take ice with my beer to keep it cool until I got a parasite infection that I still had on returning to the UK where the doctor took a stool sample . Back from the laboratory it showed a water borne parasite which survives in ice . I was using the toilet 12 times a day and stinking the house out . Finally after 1 month it was over after taking anti bio tics . I visited an ice factory in Thailand to pick up some ice but the ice chute was blocked . The worker took a piece of dirty , rusty metal rod and cleared it . Low hygiene and no unannounced health/hygiene inspections . Needless to say I no longer have ice in Thailand . However I used a hotel in Udon Thani where the ice was made in house . It was as clear as glass . Apparently the water is boiled twice to remove impurities before freezing . I would assume that ice to be safe . Also I do not drink beer from a glass , only straight from the bottle . Unclean glasses are another hazard .

Really ? Yet there are check points about 50 meters after the Thai immigration . Next to the Cambodian immigration offices . I thought that was the entry into Cambodia .

The casino up the hill offers slots with jackpots up to 4 million baht . Also there are table games such as poker , roulette etc and some weird Asian games . The one at the lower level has mostly slots , not sure if there are games rooms . Your unlikely to win money but I have on the odd occasion . MIL won 400,000 baht 5 years ago. Think she has given it all back by now . I use to go for the entertainment and never took more than I could afford to lose . Stopped going there because of the 1500 baht

Agents were Thai side , waiting like vultures . I reckon the casino bosses do not know the I.O. are trying to pocket 1500 baht from farangs iust to go to no mans land casino . Greedy xxxxxs

I have used this crossing many times when on a tourist visa and I seem to remember a cost of 1900 BAHT if in & out of Cambodia the same day . When approaching the Thai immigration there are often visa agents . They typically charge 100 BAHT + for their service which is well worth it . They will fill in the forms and also get you to the front of the queue . Making it an easy event . I also used to go to the casinos every couple of months but with the covid everything stopped . When all back to normal we went again to the casinos and my Thai family paid 50 BAHT each to cross into Cambodia . But for me 1500 BAHT . Never again will I go . Pre covid it cost me about 800 BAHT to go to the casino . Be prepared , your passport will be hit with a full page Cambodia visa ( not a small stamp )

Interesting . Could you expand on the "edibles" I.e. what you do and amounts per recipe etc?

Why do Thais and others wear masks ? under a misconception that they are getting protection from air borne pathogens , nonsense , why ? because the vast majority of masks being worn are medical masks with gaps all around the facial area . The masks are often old , grubby and pulled out of a trouser pocket . They are supposed to be changed every day . The starting point for pathogens or smoke is the N95 mask . This mask is not comfortable to wear for lengthy periods because breathing in through a valve requires effort . Any oil workers in this forum will tell you that for good protection you need a graded cartridge mask that have a short life span and are changed regularly . BTW I have often seen people pulling down their mask to sneeze or cough . Ask yourself this question , did all the people who caught covid wear a mask ? of course they did . Digressing but the Thai motor cyclists who wear a crash helmet , put on their helmets and rarely fasten the chin strap . Some wear a mask and no helmet . Amazing Thailand .

Ironically , this morning I was talking to a pal on the telephone , who I have not seen for a few years . He has lost 20 kilos by exercising and has 1 joint a day . He says the same as you , that the toke gets him motivated to hit the road on his bicycle . I am also in my 70s and suffer with spinal stenosis which limits my mobility . I feel that I must try the weed to get me moving and away from my sedentary life style . Problem is , what weed to buy ( is it a good grade ) , do you mix it with ordinary tobacco or smoke it straight ?

You are correct and the same type of system works around the world ,i.e. A cab company or consortium will put in a bid to the facility to allow and licence only their taxis to park and ploy their trade . A non member taxi can drop off at the premises but cannot pick up . In this particular case , why did the woman not use the authorised taxis ?

Sorry to disagree with you , when you say the majority of cheap Charlies are Thai people . The majority of Thai people have no choice other than to buy in the cheapest shops and restaurants . Because they are mostly low paid and every satang counts ,leaving them with one choice only i.e. markets , the cheapest restaurant / Chinese kitchen and street food . Western guys are mostly capable of living a reasonable life style in Thailand but there are some ( I know a few who are financially well off ) who will go out of their way to save small money and they are cheap Charlies .

So true and many cheap Charlies think that paying 80 baht for a large Leo/Chang is too much and the price should be the same as Mama & Papa shops or 7-11 . Then they are the places to go for them and sit on the pavment to eat their microwaved food and drink their cans . If a bar/restaurant is of decent decor , serves decent food and drink using employed staff , then I expect to pay for the service . As an example , last month my ladys restaurant electric bill was 10700 baht + gas , ice & smaller day to day overheads, finally last but not lease are the excellent staff . So you are sooo right , Businesses can’t keep operational unless they make a profit.

I am all for opening the market to small producers / craft beer businesses but it must be regulated and licenced with an onus on production methods / hygiene . No back street , uncontrolled brewers . There has been no mention of reducing import taxes on alcohol , especially real wine , not fruit wine .

That reminds me of a guy who was talking to his mates and told them that his wife was divorcing him . Why ? asked his pals , the guy said because she said I never listen to what she has to say , or something like that .

My lady is the same . Shopping to some ladies is a hobby to be enjoyed . I can shop with a shopping list for a weeks supplies and be in and out of Mako in 30 minutes . My lady over 1 hour and often the reason is a distraction or being too laid back . Here is another example . Not long ago we were in the car at a small town that we were not familiar with looking for a shop . I told my lady to ask a woman on the pavement for directions . My lady got out of the car , walked over to the woman and talked for over 5 minutes to her and then came back to the car . OK darling I said , so where is the shop ? My lady replied , oh the woman did not know . So wtf were you talking about for 5 minutes ? She said " we were talking about shopping at Big C " . I had a similar feeling that John Cleese had with Manuel in Faulty Towers .

That was me sending the ha ha emoji to Torturedsole

It's been a while now since the introduction of posting anonymous emojis on this forum . I for one think it was much better in the previous format where the identity of the emoji poster was revealed and that made the debate/discussion more interesting plus meaningful . What we have now are emojis from faceless sources . Used to be much more fun . Just wondering if others feel the same way ?

Did you have both eyes operated on at the same time ?