Teak

Akha, the Thais call them 'Eeekaw'' or something similar sounding.  A greeting is 'Akha eelay' sounding. A head dress with the silver board denotes a married woman. Not having the back board means not married.  The bamboo houses are raised and the men sleep on one side of a bamboo wall and the women and children on the other side. Normally two fire pits in the same house.  separate 'bungalows' for married couples to temporarily cohabitate in. Generally, open teenage sexual relations until a couple wants to settle down. There are benches near the village where the teenagers go at evening and sing to attract each other. When twins are born they will kill one as the 'spirit' is believed to be split. They like white coloured dogs and treat them special. Black dogs are usually eaten.  Of all the hill tribes the Akha are the most resistant to change and if staying in a traditional village you must be acutely aware of their traditions. We tried to remove a woman from the village we were staying in for a month who had a leg that appeared 'quite rotten'. Even though we had fixed many infections etc. and were accepted they would not let us take her to a Thai hospital as she contained the bad spirits and if she was fixed the spirits would take others from that village.....we left her there to die.   Back to the head dresses....the better ones had silver Indian rupee coins as adornments. Possibly, just unique to the group I knew a bit.

22 hours ago, possum1931 said:

You certainly gave that impression in your post,  two hundred bt is a bit different from, in your words, a few hundred bt. Yes, if it was two hundred bt I would just give it to them, but only if they threatened to take me to the station.

I have been stopped many times on M/C ....then just held up my Cards and waved through. One time they stopped me and wanted my drivers license, which I had left at the hotel. I was in the wrong. The cop then showed me a card in English that said "Pay the police officer B500". I said no in Thai and told him to get on the back of my motorbike and we will go to the police station together. A bit more discussion and then he says B 100?  Okay, I replied. A fair deal when I was in the wrong.

Chiang Mai Province                29         Amphoe Chiang Dao
CM9√                    ♨ Ping Khong Hot Spring
                               บ่อน้ำร้อนปิงโค้ง

GB4-"in bed of Mae Ping River"; Hwy 107 N 82 km at Ban Ping Khong,
    Batheable at river's edge

                         68-70˚ C (156-158˚ F) seeps into Ping River

I am pleased you found this one. Not much there. In winter we would dig out the gravel and find a hot spot to lay in.

  ...Ken

On 7/27/2020 at 3:57 AM, BritManToo said:

Expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed.

That is actually my own default position. It is not being pessimistic, as we always hope to be proved wrong ????  Actually the woman, who only wanted 500 baht (who I seldom know) just threatened to "kill herself" if she did not receive the 500 baht. ;-).   Yes, of course, I have now 'blocked' her. She is fat, not attractive and has 3 kids. Yes, I broke my own rule and thought I could just do something  'nice' with these two 500 baht notes that I probably won't get to spend for a few years.

I am just more used to prettier hustlers ????

15 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Fold the notes up between piece tin foil*,and post

it off to her,you will have done your good deed,and i

hope she and the kids will get it.* i believe letter's are

xrayed here,that way metallic strip won,t show up.

regards worgeordie

 

Thanks, I will do that.

I remember a second hand story where supposedly two young boys cut a handgun shape out of tin foil and slipped it into their uncles favourite book on his flight to Australia. 

Yes....I did neglect to post that the women in question did not have a bank account. I was thinking about it when I posted though ????

                  ....Ken

There was a time when all young 20/30 year old Farrang died of 'heart attack'.  It was so much easier to explain to the family..... 

The stick.....Thai dogs know the stick.  In Nong Khai I make a short cut through a temple. The fat , useless monks would watch the dozen temple soi dogs circle me aggressively and laugh. I hid a stick at every Wat entrance.....never a problem again.  Dogs know what dogs know. Be aggressive with your stick and be prepared to crack heads. They began to recognize me and backed off. 

7 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Oh my Sunday morning and the 500 Baht dilemma.

 

Mail the two 500S plus one 100 Canadian $ note.  

You must still be a good man ????   I barely know her, but I can be sympathetic. (at times). I have met her children.  We all know people in this situation, but 1,000 baht that I can't spend. I am good for that. A hundred Canuck bucks on beer.....that is more difficult to spare. ????

The point was ....does registered mail offer a better chance of getting through to Lao?

Really....take two 500 baht notes to a Western bank ? 

7 hours ago, Susco said:

What he pays 800K for?

 

Is it for his retirement extension, while running a business?

No...he was the sole provider for his daughter. The extended Thai family ran the G.H. The daughter owned it. The daughter just came of age. It was his retirement goal. He now must apply for a retirement visa with no income and no value in his property. He spent 20 years supporting a Thai family and expecting to eventually 'cash in' on his 20 year investment.  My own 1/2 Thai daughter is now 25 and wants to buy me a house (farm) in Thailand. She can own the land, but my body may not be able to stay there.... The bloom is no longer there as the original poster posed the question. 

I know this woman in Nong Khai,  who is now forced back to her home in Lao. Not my type, not interested , however we have mutual friends. She has 3 kids and asked if I could send her 500 baht. It turns out I have two 500 baht notes in Canada that I don't expect to spend soon. By conventional means it will cost me almost more to send 1,000 baht then 1,000 baht. 

This woman is not important to me, but she does have 3 kids and she is not asking for Baht 20,000....but B.500. Any suggestions ? Mail, of course....losing it , of course. Registered mail ? Does that work in Lao ?  I have probably answered my own question....send by post and hope for the best....

Tough decision... My friend has a guest house out in Hang Dong. His own large house, filled with antiques and his (Canadian) mothers inherited 'stuff'. A half dozen teak cottages he rents out. A single Dad with a Thai daughter, just past dependent years, so his yearly visa goes up. No clients. His guest house has been working for 20 years. A year ago his value was substantial. Now impossible to sell. No where to go, but back to a home country with no connections and past working age. If he leaves his possessions until the tourists return  (?) they will be looted. He pays B. 800,00 to simply stay and guard his possessions. 

Stuck between a rock and a hard place.  

On 6/25/2020 at 7:31 PM, WHIER said:

 

Back in the 80's there was an absence of songbirds as 24D had been used for a decade previously for mosquito eradication. Slowly, the songbirds came back over the next two decades. Be happy you have these noise makers. Despite the smog....they would leave if it wasn't habitable.

On 7/3/2020 at 8:21 PM, joseph88 said:

yes these are not bad. but where to get them?

Simply go to some tribal villages. The walls are standard, but the roofs are different. Some are quite intricate, others less so. You do not want a bamboo floor...use wood or cement. Lisu and Hmong are set on the ground , Akha and Lahu are raised up. My first house on the farm was raised and bamboo with teak posts, the floor was simply too bouncy for Farrang weight. However, nice and cool in the hot. We used an Akha style fire pit and was warm and toasty in the winter. No chimney as the smoke helped preserve the roof.  Quite nice. However, 3 years is about the lifespan of a bamboo house, unless you spray it down with chemicals to kill the bamboo eating insects. This was 30 years ago, before the teak house. Transporting and cutting bamboo can be against the law in some locations. I suggest dealing with the Lisu and let them just build it and stand back. They only have one style. Accept it. Concrete/tiled floor first.

You do know that bamboo does not last long

I think we have to be realistic about bars. In Nong Khai for example, there are 'family friendly' bars.....family in these situations are bars where 'White' guys go with their wives and hang out with other foreigners, where wives eat and drink with their female frends. Also, there are the bars where some may go later to enchant a Lass with their elderly charm (wallet). I believe there are far more of the latter than the former. Regarding bars .... it may be more to do with after bar activity than 'in the bar' activity. I won't return for a few years and I do have extended family there. Cambodia is almost worse than Thailand with their new rules. The new 'no tourists on the bus'....was a deal breaker in Thailand. I hear that in Vietnam they also have 'no tourists allowed signs' at hotels, restaurants etc. We White folk blame the Chinese/Asians for the 'virus', They (SE Asians) blame 'White Folk' for the virus. It is almost fair ? It just may not end well......maybe eventually ? I am old enough to know when the AIDS epidemic was rife. I was cutting  'prickle brush' on the farm and then rode into Chieng Dao for a beer and food....I had many cuts and my regular waitresses were afraid of me.  I understood that...Skin colour is a definer of fears. 

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Thai version,

Usually a cloth bag full of 'stuff' hidden in your pillow slip or under the mattress where you sleep.

The one I like least is the Bar girls (et al) adding menstrual blood to your drink to keep you coming back.

(finger themselves then dip finger in your drink when you're not looking, that belief is quite widespread) 

This one is quite common in many cultures. Menstral blood, a bit of Monk Magic and a drop in your beer glass. Thirty odd years ago my Thai wife, after 3 years, says "I want you to know I did not use any magic"  "Huh?" I replied. Then she explained. Years later I was living in East Java and related that story to a woman and she said " Yes, what is the problem? , she did not use the magic?" . They have a similar practice. I 'believe' this is common in 3rd world countries the world over. I am amazed at most Westerners with long time Thai wives who do not know the name of the family  'pee' ghost. Each 'pee' tells a lot about the family. Do they want power, happiness etc.. Of course it is similar to christians....quite fascinating. Hold your opinions to yourself....but nuttier than a fruitcake ????

. 

A Farrang friend returning from Vietnam and Cambodia (to Thailand) sent photos to me...."No Foreigners allowed" in restaurants , hotels etc. The 'Chinese virus' is now the 'Farrang virus'. It is comfortabe to blame the 'others'. Only the foolish remain where they are not wanted.  In North America, it is the Chinese (Asian appearing) virus. My ex Thai wife, (and friend) living in Canada, for nearly 20 years (in a small town) says people cross the street when she approaches. Thais avoid Caucasions, due to the 'virus'. Caucasions avoid Asians due to the virus. We simply ignore that we are all simply humans and are ultimately the same. I would not want to be in Thailand and request a visa extension.  Good luck to you all. 

It is time that Thailand invests in 'water bombers' not helicopters with bags of water. 

I am certainly not a conspiracy theorist, but google   event 201   

Event 201

Quote: "The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY. The exercise illustrated areas where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a severe pandemic in order to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences."

It just seems odd or simply a coincidence that several months later....it happened. It is also the elderly and genetically useless who die....

It certainly caused a worldwide focus on the next pandemic. There will now be worldwide warehouses of masks, gloves, test kits and ventilators. 

I do not believe it was intentially man made.....just interesting.

I always have a store of amoxicillin (a general antibiotic) and  ciprofloxacin (a far stronger antibiotic). Yes, ineffective against a virus, but most general 'flue like'  illnesses are a combination of the two. Eliminating the bacterial infection is the first and easiest approach, and then simply keep hydrated. A Thai hospital will do the same and expose you to new comminicable contacts.

Interesting that Trump tweeted/implied this virus was a Democrat 'hoax' in an election year. He has now stopped all incoming access to America from Europe. There is a degree of poitical hysteria....simply because we do not know what may happen next. Sars/Mers....we got that figured out. This one....it is not knowing, which is evoking the fear. As Frank Zappa once lyriced "It can't happen here."  Yes my troll ...I am a Boomer...the last , somewhat, free generation, which thought it was 'normal' to live free. 

I am sure the OP is not interested, but, I wonder how the virus is effecting the sex trade ? Rolling about with a woman who has rolled about with numerous others is sounding less appealing. A lot of income from that trade is redistributed throughout the country. 

The White Bufaloes are great. Their life is great..with a young  Phuket  (Respectfully capital W) Whore wife and a new set of golph clubs.

They do not want their lives to be interferred with. Sorry boys, maybe not this virus....maybe the next. Why do Thais call stupid people 'buffaloes'?  Yes, you want to keep what you have. Life is changing .....Take your pension and run. ....quickly.

17 hours ago, Logosone said:

That's really interesting about the Bugis. I would think Bali is the obvious choice for Indonesia.

 

I have to say having come to live in Thailand for the first time for a few months now I'm having second thoughts. I'm not worried about the China virus. What concerns me is the poor air quality and that the driving here is worse than in Uganda. Added to that highly antisocial behaviour among the neighbours, such as burning garbage, constant noise from megaphone village criers, howling packs of dogs lose in the street at night. 

 

Yes, the massages, food and shopping are better than in Europe, no doubt about it. I hope that is enough to convince me to stay. But then no place is perfect, not even Italy or Spain.

 

 

I must say I have always avoided Bali....an urban snob, I suppose. However, the Thais have a system that you need to learn. Get along with the 'Pu yai ban' of your area. Buy a bottle of foreign whisky...have dinner with him. Yes, it takes some effort. That megaphone will be turned down or off. Dogs....have them come to you at 7 pm and give them some food. They willl wait until 7 pm the next night, and no noise. Roosters....they crow a little at midnight to say 'all is okay".....at 3 am , a little. to say yes, still okay...... At 5 Am louder, it is to tell the women to get up and start cooking the rice.. At 7 AM (louder still) it is to tell the men to get up, eat the rice and get ready for work. It is a system that works. Adapt or leave.

If you have lived in Uganda... Ciangmai is a toilet ....look toward Nong Khai if you like small towns. 

On 1/20/2020 at 12:29 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

I thought Indonesia gives 10-15 year visa after 2 years married... Sounds even better to me.

I would go to check out Indonesia and Vietnam if I was the OP, leave TH for what it is. Not worth it compared to those options.

Hi, I lived in Indonesia for several years, mostly in Surabaya and East Kalimantan. I liked the Java women and some of the Java men...as they were no threat.  However, the Bugis men on Sulawesia...if you are connected, or not, can be great allies....or deadly enemies. The word 'Boogey Man'  came from the first Dutch colonizers who could not conrol the Buguis......when they returned to Europe they would say to their chidren "be good or the Buguis will get you." Eventually that became bastardized from Buguis to Boogey.  The term running 'amok' is also from Indonesia. The Buguis are similar to some groups of Vietnamese. Small, but bloody tough.