MikeN

On 8/17/2018 at 3:59 PM, mogandave said:

 

For 5m footings for a temporary office? Yikes!

 

Well one of the contractors put their storage container straight on the ground...one end has sunk into the mud and it is at a noticeable angle ! Luckily it was the back end, not the doors end so they can still get inside.

Well I only read the story about two weeks ago, it was still subject to discussion by a committee to lay down the rules, then it would have to be passed by the govt, then published in the royal gazette, and then it would come into force 60 days later.....so I think all those people are jumping the gun !

There was a story in the “unquotable and unlinkable ” paper recently about this, I believe that at the moment it is only proposed that some of the red tape be lifted regarding the harvest of timber such as teak and rosewood from private land. It has not come into force yet.

For the site office containers on the building site opposite my condo in BKK they just pushed in 6 precast piles, probably 5 meters long, using the bucket of a digger and left about 20 cms above ground. Put a rebar cage over that, some formwork approx 50cms square and hand mixed concrete poured into that. Containers placed in position the next morning, job done.

On 8/5/2018 at 12:31 PM, Classic Ray said:

In my soi near Udom Suk BTS, the BMA (I presume) has painted white boundary lines on the footpath, leaving adequate pedestrian room, where food stalls can set up six days a week, Monday being a day off for the traders and an opportunity for thorough cleaning by the BMA. There is no road obstruction and a useful service is provided. Can’t a similar system be set up everywhere?

They did that years ago on the odd soi side of Sukhumwit near Nana, the lines are still vaguely visible there. It worked ok for a while then they started creeping over the lines into the pedestrian area, or put their stools in the way and then people started setting up tables outside the shops too, reducing the walkway to almost nothing. Especially when a couple of “larger” people stop to look ! 

So the traders are their own worst enemy, give them an inch and they take the whole damm footpath ! And then complain loudly when the BMA wants it back......

 I guess it is typical of the scofflaw mentality around here though.

The best way is with a mechanical compactor (the lawn mower like machine), hand tamping is ok for small jobs but not 100 sq.m. Where you would hire one I do not know but I imagine there must be somewhere in Bangkok. Or if you have clear vehicle access do as a friend of mine did.....lay a thin layer, drive your car over it many times, lay another thin layer, repeat as necessary. Not really the recommended way but it worked.

A quick search gives me http://Www.rent.co.th for equipment hire (look under road construction) but no prices given.

2 hours ago, Mantadive said:

See the 3D image I created below 

 

I know there are no dimensions shown, but depending on where you are, and the local attitude to building regulations and their enforcement, but you might have a problem with the setback requirements. Have you checked on that, as those walls look to be too close to the boundary.

 My GF’s new neighbour wanted to build about 1.5meter from the property line but was told NO. He complained “but her house is closer” (it’s about half a meter!) but was told times have changed and he has to be 2 meters back.

Machinery, Excavator, bobcats, trucks, post hole borers etc

Bobcats ? Posthole borers ? Burmese labourers, shovels and a wheelbarrow are cheaper !

More seriously, talk to your local builders supply merchant, not global house/Thai watsadu etc but a local store and they should be able to suggest some competent tradesmen . And check out some of their current/previous work of course.

14 minutes ago, Time Traveller said:

Are you saying that the standard of living and the freedom to travel for the people of North Korea and Myanmar is the same as countries that are not isolated and without sanctions?

Here's a tip: Stop listening to all that anti-western socialist garbage you've been fed....use some commonsense 

Here is a tip for you...go back and read it again. I was saying that isolation and sanctions has NOT worked. Engagement and dialogue will work eventually.

2 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Somebody forgot that Prayut has used his absolute power under Article 44 to violate the Australian-Thailand Free Trade Agreement by unilaterally shutting down an Australian mining enterprise and demanding compensation before allowing resumption of an operating license.

One must question whether the unelected, undemocratic Prayut government can be trusted to adhere to the terms of free trade agreements or continue protectionism (and possibly government corruption) despite free trade agreements.

If you mean the Chatree mine, that was shut down for environmental reasons as it was poisoning the local population and environment with arsenic and manganese. So that’s a pretty good reason for closing it down in my opinion, nothing to do with free trade agreements.

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Australia building trade relations with Thailand, currently run by the military, so much for "democracy", shame on you Australia, shame, the $ always before people oy !

Well complete isolation and sanctions do not work, just look at the “Democratic” Peoples Republic of Korea, aka North Korea. Or Myanmar when it was run by their generals.

I've started looking for a late model second hand pickup lately, and I've noticed that the ones I've been interested in have widely varying mileages on the clock. With the old mechanical odometers I might suspect some of them have had the clock wound back, but I don't think that is possible with digital speedos ? Anyway, I was wondering what would be an average annual mileage for a Bangkok registered vehicle ? Driving to and from work in the city, and maybe a trip upcountry for New Year and Songkran ? Back in Australia I did 25000-30000kms/year but that was more than average due to living out in the sticks, 15-20K would probably be an average for a city vehicle.

Whatever happened to the plan announced nearly a year ago to speed up the registration process ? DLT said there should be no need for temporary plates under their proposed changes. Guess they had set up yet another committee to consider it.

22 minutes ago, theonetrueaussie said:

It is also common knowledge that "Reusable “bags for life” can spread deadly food poisoning bacteria if they are used to carry raw foods such as fish and meat" 

 

Seeing most thai's buy fish and meat at the local market I wonder how many will have to get terribly ill or die before this nonsense to ban plastic bags ends. 

True, but you can put the raw food into a plastic bag, then put that bag into a reusable one …..not, as I just saw 15 minutes ago at the local market, put the 1st bag into another plastic bag, then go to the next stall and repeat, so using twice as many bags as needed.

PS What did Thais use to wrap their meat and fish in 50 years ago before plastic bags ? Obviously they survived, just as people of my era survived when the butcher wrapped meat in paper not plastic and styrofoam.....

6 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

The negativity stems from the ridiculous attitude many members have towards their adopted home and Thais.  

 

Saw this sign outside a 7/11 recently.  Some Thais are just as concerned about the use of plastic bags as we are.

If I'm reading that right, you get 10 points on your 7/11 card for refusing a plastic bag ? I guess that's a start but charging 5 baht or so for each bag would be better, not everybody has a 7/11 card.

5 hours ago, superal said:

 

My point is that android boxes are supposedly unavailable and illegal to sell in Thai shops  for the last month or so. Now we all know that " Advice " is a large retailer of IT etc so I have to believe them  ( not too concerned if the enforcer is NBTC or not ) .

You say plenty available on Lazada which is correct but I did notice that none were resourced from Thailand , so what is the point in a partial ban .  Sorry , I am applying western logic again .

"Thai Nexus Man" still has NVIDIA Shields for sale on Lazada, and he is in Bangkok. In fact, a quick look at "media players" for sale on Lazada has at least 15 sellers on the first page that are located in Thailand.

I suspect that there is no profit in it for most bricks and mortar shops so they just say "mai dai"

2 hours ago, tropo said:

That's OK for people walking home with just one or perhaps two bags, or using a car for shopping, but I was wondering how I would get a trolley load of shopping home from Big-C on my motorcycle with paper bags?

 

 

well, I did once see a guy in the village riding a motorbike with his missus sitting backwards and holding on to an old shopping trolley full of stuff. probably would not want to do that on Sukhumwit road though ?

3 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Traditional 'wet markets' are the worst possible place to start this so-called war on plastics. 

How about ordering to cease putting single pre-packaged items in plastic bags which are invariably discarded the moment the purchaser has left the shop. That might help just a bit.

Wet markets on the other hand need some sort of clean container for the buyer to transport the food to their home.

but fruit and veg markets, as in the OP photo, do not need each vegetable to be put into their own plastic bags, they can all go into one reusable cloth bag.

as for the soups, curries. etc, in the plastic bags ….taking your own tiffin container would eliminate the need for many of those bags (and the pesky rubber bands !)

18 hours ago, duanebigsby said:

You also need far more money than a used car is worth. Everything in Thailand sold used is at ridiculous prices.

We've all seen ads like " used 4 year old Samsung fridge, paid 8,600 baht, sell for 8,100."

15 year old Toyotas being advertised for 250,000 baht.

 

I was looking for a pickup the other day, guy in the car tent near Bang Chak BTS thought a 2016 Hilux Smart cab with 42000kms was worth 600,000 baht …..you can get a brand new, but 2017 model, for less than that from Toyota.

On ‎7‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 3:28 PM, watcharacters said:

 

I pretty much gave up on  member cards in Thailand.

 

I've no interest in prizes and I don't know of any card in the Kingdom that offers a cash back kind of reward.

 

Are there any cash back reward cards in the Kingdom?

 

 

The " 1 Card" from TOPS, Central, Robinsons,B2S, Powerbuy, etc gets you a discount coupon but not cash.

On ‎7‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 3:18 PM, KhunBENQ said:

Seems like the whole concept of physical cards is phased out.

BigC recently didn't give me a card anymore.

All bound to the mobile nr. that you show/tell at the cash point.

Same for TOPS.

 

You can get a real "1 Card" for TOPS/Robinsons/Central/Thai Watsadu etc if you join at one of their customer service desks in-store, but if you apply online you only get a "virtual membership".

All queue numbers are issued at the same counter, just inside the entry door to the main room. how early ? …..very early ! I've found it is better to arrive around 11.30am, get your queue number then while Immigration is closed for lunch go get any bank letters or photocopies you need, have something to eat, and then come back. The queue seems to move a lot faster after lunch, many numbers called do not seem to get answered.