chang35baht

My apologies to Khun Maestro and thanks to Khun Lopburi for setting us straight.

sounds like all i need to know iat this point is that after 3-months in country, i make a visa run. i'm sure that it will all make sense eventually. 

It will begin to make sense to you after your first entry into Thailand.

All you have in your passport at the moment is your brand new multiple-entry tourist visa with the indication that “this visa must be utilized before March 26, 2006”. This date means that your entry – or your last entry of several entries – must be made not later than 26 March 2006.

When you arrive in Thailand using your visa for the first time, say on 5 October 2005, your passport will, using this example, get a stamp saying “…permitted to stay until 03 DEC 2005”. This date, 3 December 2005, is the last date by which you must go to the Immigration Office, any Immigration Office in Thailand, to apply for your 30-day extension. You may download the form for it here. Go and apply, in person, any time during the last 30 days of your permitted period to stay. Best not to leave it until the last moment.

Enjoy your extended stay in Thailand!

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It is my understanding that when you receive your visa you have 6 months to utilize it. Hence: Leezer you must make your first entry before March 26 and not your last as the Maestako pointed out. I mean it`s less than 9 months from now till then so it would be impossible for you to get the 9 months that you can take from the 3x2month entries + 3x1 month extensions.

If I`m wrong I`m sure the guys will point this out

anybody can provide me with some information about the situation there ? have to go there again next weekend and would like to know if there is any problem of getting to CM or Mae Sai from Chiang Rai at the moment

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Hi Wolfie. Any flooding that we had has already subsided so you shouldn`t have any problems getting to those destinations, although you failed to mention where you are planning to travel from. I would imagine though that if we have any more heavy rain then the waters may rise again.

Oh and BTW, "LIGHTEN UP"

In reply to Up Country Sincere: No I,ve never bought a pick up in Chang Mai.

And Sinkorswim is right. I`ve been running my pick up on olive oil for some years now without any additives and I`ve had great fuel efficiency to boot.

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This idoes not deserve further comment.....

I have bought several second-hand cars in the last ten years or so. Furthermore, I have never failed to get my money back when seling them. The only @new@ car I might consider would be the new Isuzu commonrail 2.5 Litre diesel, because of the superlative fuel efficiency.

I am probably cutting my own throat here, but the dealer I have found who provides the best service is an Indian guy who's dealership is directly beside the Isuzu garage on the right hand side of the road just before you get to Sanpatong on the CM-Hod road. He has never failed to give good advice regarding which of his cars is worth purchasing, and which has problems. The only dealer ever to say "Don't buy that car!"

I also presume he speaks English, although I have only ever spoken Thai with him. If he doesn't, his son does.

Over the years, I have sent several non-Thai speakers to him and all have been happy with his service.

Why buy second hand? I find I can get a better car, for less money by doing so. You only need to take great care during the purchase and never allow yourself to be taken in by the sales pitch, or the desire to own a particular make or model. BI always shop with an open mind and buy a good car that will fulfill the purpose I have in mind. When I got my current car, I needed something to carry a load. A pickup would seem to be ideal, however I ended up purchasing a 1962 Wilys station wagon with a trailer. It does the job far better and is far more versatile than any pickup could ever be.

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The cheque will be whizzing its way to you in the post if you can: and I quote;" Why buy second hand? I find I can get a better car for less money by doing so.

What? Better than a new car for less money. Second hand car sales men don`t die. They retire to Thailand

Yes Joel I did hear about that today from his best friend Kevin. I told him to try and get proper confirmation as he heard it from some Thais at Ban Bua. Sometimes mistake can be made. also Kevin`s thai isn`t that clever.

I didn`t realise how lucky I was until I started reading this thread. My GF goes back and forth to Phuket/Pattaya for 6 months every year and she sends me money on a monthly basis. This covers all the bills and any operations that need paying for for her relatives, which is normally 1 per person per year. I`m proud of her and hope she can continue to take care of me and her family for many years to come.

Obviously I know that she cannot work in this industry for ever, so the time may come when I may have to go with a girl who makes me a better offer. This is Thailand and the sooner you people realise this and stop knocking it for what it is the better. I`m happy and I`m sure she is. So there.

Ok Chiang Rai. Otherwise known as Heaven

In reply to Up Country Sincere: No I,ve never bought a pick up in Chang Mai.

And Sinkorswim is right. I`ve been running my pick up on olive oil for some years now without any additives and I`ve had great fuel efficiency to boot.

You,ve obviously been to the Rimkok. Have you recommended this hotel to your friend, or didn,t you enjoy your stay there. Only the cheap brunch was it?

By the way your reply to Dear Rinrada who took time to try and help you was very rude.

I hear the Red Rose is very pleasant for short term stays.

1. What is an inventation?

2. Is he looking for 4 friends?

It appears that some points have been slightly overlooked.

Firstly, before anyone thinks that they need an RCD, which is a band-aid, the real problem must be addressed.

Earthing & general electrical safety in Thailand is, at best, attrocious & potentially lethal.

Firstly, for the earthing system to work effectively, the "star point" of the distribution transformer (usually the transformer on a pole near your house that also supplies many other residences) must be effectively earthed at its location.

Secondly, your home must have a main earth. This is usually a copper sheathed steel pole about 1-1.5m long, which is driven into the ground until about 200-300mm is still above ground. A pure copper rod is not ideal as it may bend if you are driving into hard ground. Also, it is NOT true that you must "reach the water table" in order for the earthing system to be effective. Soil has quite a high moisture content at about +600mm below the surface, which is sufficient to maintain an acceptably low earth loop impedance. The earth cable attached to the earth rod must be electrically bonded to the rod by way of a metallic clamp specifically designed for such a purpose. The earth cable must be the same size as the main neutral conductor (about half size of any phase conductor). Eg, if the supply phase conductors are 10mm squared, the acceptable earth cable size is minimum 4mm squared. This clamp must then be painted with acrylic paint to minimise the effect of oxidisation.

Thirdly, you must only have ONE (1) main distribution board (DB) in your home, from which sub boards are supplied with electricity. At this main DB, an MEN link must be made. This is achieved by connecting the main earth bar, which has now been effectively earthed by the earth stake, to the main neutral bar with appropriately sized cable.

Please note that this form of earth protection is not very effective unless the distribution transformers' "star point" is effectively earthed as well as the residence being effectively earthed, as previously described.

This system of earthing is called the "MEN System of Earthing". THE INSTALLATION OF THE MEN LINK IS CRUCIAL TO THE SAFETY OF AN ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION.

The MEN System is the best form of earth protection. RCD's are electronic devices that can fail at any given time, can be adjusted incorrectly & most do not detect earth faults of non-sinusoidal waveforms, for example, a hair dryer in a bathroom, which uses diode rectification to reduce fan speed & heat output. Many people die from hair dryers for exactly this reason.

RCD's should be treated as "secondary" earth protection (MEN is "primary"). Ideally, they should be set at about 30mA, which is adequate for personal protection. It has been previously stated that setting these devices at 30mA will not save your life because all it takes is 10 mA through the heart to kill you. NOT TRUE. Most dry human skin has high resistance, which therefore reduces the current to well below 10mA. Also, the "tripping speed" of the circuit breaker in the RCD also plays a big part of saving your life. RCD's should not be installed on such power circuits supplying devices that use electric motors (refrigerators), electronic speed control, switch mode power supplies (computers). Electric motors have a "standing residual leakage current", which increases as the device gets older. Electronic speed controllers & computer power supplies produce harmonic wave forms, which can render the RCD's inoperable (this scenario is very rare).

Last but not least, before power is applied to the complete installation, it should be "insulation tested" or "Megger tested". That is, the insulation resistance of the wiring is tested whilst in open circuit condition. Ideally, this resistance should be very close to infinity. If any device, excluding heating elements & the like, are below 2 megohms resistance, the device is deemed as dangerous & should be repaired or discarded.

SUMMARY.

Make sure an MEN Earthing System is installed into your house & all non-"double insulated" devices are earthed effectively through a 3 pin wall plug & socket.

Use RCD's only as a secondary measure as they are less reliable than the MEN system.

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Firstly: I would like to ask you Envangelisto If I am using my diodically rectified hair drier in my sitting room am I putting my self at risk sinusoidally?

Secondly: my electric shower hs an earth wire coming from the shower, going out thru the mesh screen in the bathroom, trailing down from upstairs and stops short by about 1 inch(2.54CM) from the large concrete jar in which my wife keeps her lovely angel fish and some guppies discreetely concealed under some rather attractive lillypads. Am I right in thinking that I have an excellent earth because I can see the electricity arcing from the cable to the water in the jar? Much like lightning bolts!

Thirdly: Is this good for the Guppies?

I live in BKK and I just put this poll to find out the %age of people living in BKK or other place.

EDIT: I am sorry, there is a typo, Chiagmai should have been Chiangmai

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forget the typo error. you should be sorry that you contained your poll to so few provinces. Unforgiveable, that`s what you are. Unforgiveable.

Gives me a headache in the morning and causes memory loss. Drank it for 5 years but had to stop.

Can`t stop laffin

For me the best Lek En Sot Nam Sy(kwit teeaow) is sampled at the shop heading from police station to the traffic lights before the Meng Rai statue. Immediately where the central reservation starts, on the left. delicious. sy prick ye yuht, aroy dee.

I thought that Khun Limbo V was the first foreigner in Chiang Rai.

My Thai is fairly good but after I learnt the alphabet and learnt how the thai language was structured I became somewhat lazy. I can hold serious conversations but some times get caught out by my lack of vocab. This to me is one of the is the most important thing for people to do try and increase your vocab. Thai`s say to me that when I talk I sound like a native, from africa(joke). This makes me feel good but I should really try to add to my vocab.

Personally I don`t feel the need to practice writing thai. well done to those who an and do.

Hey tornado Buying all that stuff for your freezers must be costly and as for the polystyrene sandwiches YUKK!!

I tend to think that they are talking about hash, hence the higher value they put on the 1.5 kilos of the stuff. 1.5 kilos of grass compressed or not is nowhere near that value

Well put Khun Lop. And as for the guy with the warm cables he should seek advice from a decent spark and make sure that the breaker on the end of that circuit has a current rating lower than that of the cable being used for that circuit. Thus ensuring that if the cable is being overloaded the breaker will trip before the cable starts to overheat/burn.

The trouble with the wiring in most peopls houses is that they are on the wrong side of 1 large fuse instead of being split in to various circuits with their own circuit breaker which will trip a lot faster than a fuse in the event of overloading. which is possibly the cause of most electrical fires. I would advise anyone who is interested to upgrade their old double pole lever switch that that isolates their supply to a small circuit breaker box. you can probably do this for 1200-1500 baht inc. labour

The Krankies. Fan dabbie dozy. A classic

Max is an unlucky name for Germans. The last one I met used to sit in the Blue Lotus bar in Chiang Rai. Paet`s old place in Jetyod Rd. A quiet unassuming old guy. Sat and drank coffee only, no alchohol. Next thing we know he`s caught at CR airport with, if I remember correctly, 15,000 yaba(methamphetamie) tabs.

Sorry, just tuned in.

John101: Absolutely superb.

tywais: Get a grip!

Dear Limbo. Still being somewhat a Newbie. I would like to know under what criteria can a topic be removed from the forum. because this topic( to which I have subscribed I,m embarassed to say) is really getting passed it,s sell by date and is distracting well meaning and intelligent members from passing on to fellow "Forumites" the benefits of their knowledge on all things Thai.

Dear Moderator. You are the Jeddi Knight for this Jungwat. Please produce youf light saber and eradicate this menace once and for all for the good of forums universally.

p.s. and the same goes for that other topic started by the venerable Homealone