99BigLad99

Ok on the way to Pattaya last Tuesday the wife and i set off in the three month old Toyota Truck I like it a lot drives well comfortable the lot the only alterations I have had done to it is the boot lid cover that Toyota don't do and the screen tints that the garage don't do apart from that all is standard on the truck. Going along the road I know I have gone over a bit of steel work that was thrown by a car from one side of the road to the other and I went over it I thought at the time oops and when the car started to pull to the left i thought flat tyre and it was. I found a place to stop a bit safer than just on the hard shoulder a bit more off the road as I was on the toll road round Bangkok. Any way nothing for it but start to change the wheel at 2 pm in the heat of the day, why is it either pouring with rain or boiling hot when you get a flat? Get the instruction book where do I put this silly little jack that i think will lift the beast, while still reading the book and the tools laying on the floor a truck pulls up motorway assistance with four little Thai guys in it now this is a god sent gift from heaven, yes. Do they want to give a hand Oh yes they do and I take it easy, They have big jacks and things also in their truck but being only little they could not undo the dam nuts no matter how hard they tried, let the big falang in to do a man's job, eventually off comes the front wheel with a bit of effort the bloody thing was tight even for me at 19 stones and standing on the wrench.

Spare wheel I have already got down from its position under the boot and they are about to line the holes up BUT they all have a puzzled look on their faces I look and you could have thought that the ground was shaking once we told my wife that the spare wheel did not fit. That's right the spare wheel does not fit the hub because the brake calliper had at some stage been altered I would think with a change of model spec and this prevents the spare wheel from going onto the wheel hub. She went ballistic the telephone came out and I did not recognise all the words but after about ten minutes she said that the Toyota Garage manager is coming to see us at home when we get back to our village. Still back at the road side this did not help but the four guys explained that they could not fix the puncture but they would take the punctured wheel and spare away and swap the covers for me to get me mobile again, off they go.

About an hour or so later they turn up and duly fit the now pumped up wheel with spare tyre put on it polish all their hand marks off the body work and put the spare away in the boot. I ask them how much do I owe them and they say 80baht for the garage that did the swap. I gave them 500baht and told them to keep the change. Now that is what I call bloody good service and it is given freely because I was on a toll road these guys travel the toll road 24/7 looking for people to help. So if you ever do break down on a toll way look out for these guys they are the best thing since sliced bread and so polite you wouldn't believe it when I gave them the 500baht they all came to say thank you and all in their best English they could muster.

Below are a few snaps I took at the time not the wife NOT happy as the sun was too bright for her, it will be interesting tomorrow though as that is when the Toyota Manager is due here, just hope I am out of bed to see it happen.

Full of repect for the Highway Rescue Guys

I would be interested if anybody else has come against this problem or do all owners have a spare wheel that does fit ?

Congrat's Mac on making it to the big 1K, I am right behind you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with only 950 to go!!. Now that I have my IPStar up and running at home I may hopefully just do that one day(currently in Dubai office ).

We still await the positive news with baited breath of the family addition....

Ray I phone every day to find out the news about the addition but it must have a good root plus of course ask Mac about getting the dates wrong

Congratulations MrB on getting to the higher echelons of postings, I am so pleased to see that your spelling has improved also all the best m8

SOMTHAM:

The Lemon tree we bought January last year on our way back from Chang-Mai, only water it never given any Fertilizer, but the fact that its planted in the shade may have something do with it,and this area is damp during the wet season

only other thing is he has a dog that fertalises the tree and after Mac has a drink or three he waters the tree because that where the dog got the idea from

have a look at the Thai consulate web site in Hull you can even down load the forms from there it is easy to obtain the one year visa I have done it many times now

Yes dont you forget to tell us when the family splits into three you old bugger

that's pretty screwed up how they just decided to close 20 minutes early while there were people in line, how RUDE

The British Embassy BKK did that to me about three weeks ago closed ten minutes before published lunch time

Just as a quick reply

the 60 day visa can be extended by 30 days at immigration thus turning it into a 90 day visa. then there comes the 3x30 day visa runs.

note no more than 90 days out of 180 days may be stayed within the Kingdom on visa on arrival 30day visas.

Nice wall calendar Cheers

My experience is that Thai farmers are good at doing the (usually) very narrow range of things they know how to do and they are very reluctant to learn new things. If you influence them to try something new and then expect them to either learn on their own or learn from one simple explanation then I think you are riding for a fall.

Chownah

Just to echo these thoughts to teach Thai farmers to grow some thing new is more than your sanity is worth, suggest improving the methods by all means like using the right fertiliser or an automatic watering system instead of doing it all by hand and missing sections fine, but learning to look after a new crop rather you than me and that's after living in a farming community for the last five years here in Thailand

Apparently mydaughters head is going to be shved when she is born not to happy about that

Surely Mac it is just another way to make the child look like its father

Nice report Mac just hope you behaved yourself in Nana - I doubt it

Ray &Thad

you wrongly accuse me of leading mac astray at least mac is back now to support my innocence

hope you guys are keeping well I will get down to see you some time but just seems like there is no spare time at the moment I don't know where all the days go to. I have been laid up a couple of days with a badly bruised foot and twisted hip as I fell in the bathroom getting out of the shower not a pretty sight. Nid is busy with the new shop and Earl (a friend from UK) is still staying up here. Plus of course not having a car at the moment (31st should be ready) time seems to fly by with little being done.

Any way keep well you and all Mac, as if I could even think about leading you astray, Mac is the master of debauchery, Thad and Christmas day his gnome impressions, and ray I will meet you some time I am sure, Cheers for now Mervyn

Thanks for the info guys I will try and sort something out re the sausages

I am sure you can turn your hand to anything these days MrB just wait till January then you will know just what you can and can't do

The easiest way is get a notarized letter of income from your Embassy. If you have bonds, dividends, rental income this should qualify.

oes the letter have to come from the Ebassy or could I get one from a Notary Public in UK ?

I have tried to read the entire thread but must admit skipped some posts that did not relate to me so my question is this :- I am 55 receiving a consultancy fee in UK well in excess of 40,000baht I have lived with a girl for the past four years and we are toying with the idea of being married on paper, I do want to go back to UK however each 15 months so I have been getting the annual 90 day non imm "O" visa could you tell me my options that I will have will I still be able to carry on as I do now ?

Yep I remember Merv

Hello Merv....... been a while

Why it's that little laddie on the settee = keeping well I hope Thad

Oh you are awake then Mac

This may be an interesting link for you to have a look at as it explains just about everything to do with sausages

Mac

I no where i would rather be rain or no rain.Its 06:00 and just starting work .It may be raining in Huairat but i bet its still warm enough for a couple of beers

Best of it is even the rian is warm in Thailand

And the look on your face one one of these photos Mac was classic if I remember

The reason that I make patty sausage is because I not sure of just how to get the sausage stuffed into a casing or skin

Now that bit I do know it is an attachment to the mincer (that holds the skin open) and the meat goes into the skin as it comes out of the mincer, that's the bit I cant find in Thailand hence the mincer from abroad, I even know how to string the sausage as a cousin was a butcher

icqodber

Cheers for that I have a friend that is bringing me a mincer and some skins when he comes next to Thailand if he remembers ! the one thing I can't find here are the skins.

Phetchabun city if you want specific map let me know as I have the prog SmartMap which is from mappointasia.com and I use it for GPS on my laptop computer in the car.