turnpike

TBWG, just wondering if yours have flowered yet, and if so at what age?

thnx,

tp

meandwi, i think i agree with TBWG, but thanks anyway.

i got my wife to google it (in thai).i guess i should have done that first. known by the name Ivory Coast almond, the scientific name is Terminalia ivorensis Chev.

here are 2 links pertaining to the pictures in my opening post. one site is in thai and has a picture, the other is in english and describes the tree.

http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/produ...?SpID=1621#Uses

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AB%E0%...%B8%88%E0%B8%87

TBWG, is that your tree also?

thanks for that, meandwi.

i'm off to google land now...

just curious.....how did you know that?

i'd like to know the name of this tree so's i can find out how big it gets, how long it lives and whether i've planted it too close to my wall.

we put it in about 2 years ago, it's likely 6m high now, and a very nice looking tree.

thanks in advance for any help/replies. i've also added a picture of the same type of tree, but much younger.

tp

I'm curious which seeds from home will grow in Thailand? I am a beginner horticulturalist and am interested in growing some of my fav. flowers from home in Thailand. Is this an exercise in futility?

i can tell you for a fact that sunflowers grow very well here. i brought seeds from Canada and they all grew very well. i never knew it, but there are dozens of varieties of sunflowers, all different sizes and colours. so next time you're home, load up on sunflowers. once you plant them, you're guaranteed seeds for life unless a cow eats them or something.

Roger,

You can buy the Peacock Bass fingerlings at the weekend market in Bangkok, they run from 100 to 150 baht each. Some aquarium shops have them from time to time, but expect to pay dearly for any PB of size, I have seen them in some shops at prices in excess of 4,000 bht each (15-25cm length). PB will readily spawn in a pond.

Another 'foreign' fish that I have in the pond are Pacu, caught one last weekend that weighed 9.5 kilo., Pacu have not spawned in the pond.

The land that the pond was built on had a pre-existing small pond that had flooded with the local creek several times. Originally I had a lot of the native Mekong flood plain fishes, however their numbers have dwindled as the pond no longer floods and most of the species need flowing water and distance to successfully spawn. I do catch some of the sheath fishes (pla thong) that were native from time to time and a few catfishes and pla chong still.

For forage fish to feed the predator, talapia are the main source. No other fish seems to be capable of keeping pace. I do restock about 8-10,000 talapia a year in 7-12cm range. I catch a lot of talapia on hook and line in the pond, mostly in the one kilo range, they are a blast on light tackle and make a delicious meal fresh. I have a second pond that is app. 20m X 20m that I specifically grow talapia in for consumption, I use a few peacock bass in this pond to keep the talipia from multiplying by adding the PB 2-3 months after stocking the talapia.

Hope this helps you, if you need any more specific info feel free to email me at [email protected]

Cheers,

Don

bassman,

i've never caught a peacock bass before but a guy i used to work with has a fishing lodge in has a fishing lodge in venezuela and he's told me all about them.

how big do your peacocks get?

i've got pacu as well but the biggest i've caught is maybe a kilo and a half. visions of a nine point fiver gets my palms sweating.

i'm up here in isaan between khon kaen and udon thani, does anyone know if peacock bass fingerlings are available up this way? and does anyone know the thai work for peacock bass?

all this talk about fishing makes me want to buy some more land and dig another pond......swore i was done...

thanks to all who've replied so far, keep them coming.

tp

Took a pla chon out of a neighbours pond last year on a rod . They,re a predatory fish that sit amongst snags or in holes waiting to ambush their prey so I used a lure rod with a small spinner . It only weighed just under a kilo but made for good eating . (English name : striped snakehead)

jandtaa,

thanks for the reply. i've got a few lures at home, but never thought of using them, but thinking about it now it makes perfect sense. i'll give it a try when i get back there.

we just put in 3000 fry, mostly pladuk, and there's a large population of very small fish (not sure what kind) which must have been bred from previous stock, of which there is still plenty.

anyways, i'll give it a go when i get home.

thanks again for the reply.

tp

anyone ever catch plachon on a rod and reel? i'm usually at work the few times a net has been thrown in our pond, but the wife said they almost had 2 huge plachon's that ended up falling thru the net. a fish that size is crying out to be caught on a rod and reel. any ideas? i would think a big chunk of meat on a big hook either sitting on bottom or close to the edge. the pond is about 4-5 meters deep, 20mX20m.

one more question. anyone ever put "sawai" in their ponds. i may have butchered the spelling, they're real big catfish. we put a couple hundred in and was wondering if anyone has any experience with these fish.

any good fishing stories from your (or any) pond?

thanks all,

tp

Of the top 79 countries there's not one I'd rather be living in than Thailand.

(slapping hand loudly on tabletop)

HERE,HERE!

woops,

that should've been "HEAR,HEAR"

Of the top 79 countries there's not one I'd rather be living in than Thailand.

(slapping hand loudly on tabletop)

HERE,HERE!

what's the difference between mick jagger and a scottish farmer?

mick jagger says "hey you, get offa' my cloud"

a scottish farmer says "hey, mcleod, get offa' my ewe"

HI

With 8 dogs to cope with I take my hat off to you, I keep 3 Gsds and thats a full time job!LOL

I keep mine in the house and the noise they make would awaken amyone.

Its an obvious solution but why not keep a few of the dogs that you already have in the house at night?

All dogs are usually territorial and one will start the others barking for sure.

I know closing the door after the horse has bolted isnt much good but bringing some of the dogs inside at night might give you peace of mind and a good nights sleep.

If you are serious about another dog oyu need to consider how it will respond to the other dogs, a Malinois is a great defensive dog but it needs a great deal of training and control is vital.

Roy Gsd

Roy,

i'm fortunate enough to live on 6 rai which is totally walled in (at least when people decide to close the gate behind them. ) so the dogs have room to run. we've got a line on fila brasileiro breeder in Phrae, about a 6 hour drive from where i live. me and the missus will take a drive up there when i'm home next time and take a look at the breed. the pups aren't due 'til the end of the year but i'm curious to see the parents and speak to the owner.

does anyone have experience with this breed? i've learned an awful lot from google but first hand knowledge is always the best.

thanks to all who've replied.

tp

Haven't heard of any boerboel in Thailand.

Although not impossible, strange that all your 8 dogs slept through the event. Can it be they knew the intruder and therefore didn't bark?

Other guard dog breeds that are bred in Thailand are the Rottweiler, Fila Brasiliero, German Shepherd, Malinois. Just to name a few. Oh, the Thai breed, Ban Kaew, also can be a pretty good guard dog.

Nienke

Nienke,

i don't think it was someone i knew. a german guy and a business in the market also got hit that night in our village.

funny you should mention Ban Kaew, i've got 2 of them actually but all dogs were sleeping at the front of the house and the intruder jumped my fence and broke into a kitchen window at the opposite side. stole all the wife's gold, wedding ring, jewellry, watches and pinched my wallet from our bedroom, all while we were "blissfully" sleeping as well.

the rest of my security consists of a pug, shitzhu,french bulldog, labrador, a lab/? cross pup and a toy poodle, the latter being the most vigilant one of the bunch.

help is on the way, tho. my wife says she's got a line on a free rottweiler so we'll see if that improves. with that and the 2500$ alarm system we should be okay.

thanks for the reply, and thanks for the list of dogs. i was going to post a question about other watchdog breeds bred in thailand, you've saved me some work.

all the best,

tp

pictures?? i thought i knew most unusual breeds... what is this breed??

bina

israel

bina,

i have to admit i'd never heard of that breed either until recently. my friend from s. africa showed me a picture of his, they're a nice looking animal. he says if his wife jumps in the pool and fakes she's in distress, the dog jumps right in and tries to help. i've read at other sights of the dog's intuition. here's an excerpt from wikipedia about the breed. you can google the rest if you'd like.

by the way, bina, the advice you give on this forum is top notch. i don't usually post much here but thought i'd take the opportunity to say thanks.

tp

TEMPERMANT

Boerboels are a very dominant but intelligent breed, with a strong watchdog instinct. They are self-assured and fearless, but responsive to the needs of the family displaying an intuitive ability to sense if the family is in danger. Like other large dogs with a strong guard instinct, the Boerboel needs to be watched around strangers always, and introduced to friends and other dogs early on to avoid aggression, and like all dogs should never be left with young children unattended. They are a dog that thrives on love and attention and need constant companionship from their owners and cannot be left alone for long extended periods without becoming destructive, reckless and dangerous

The Boerboel, the only breed of dog solely and specifically bred to defend the homestead, it has a long history of breeding in many far flung and different regions of South Africa. After this long history of breeding, the breed’s refinement continues to date, however regional differences though slight, are considered part of the entire makeup of the breed.

While there is ample literature on the Boerboel’s descent, there is still uncertainty as to how many and which dogs it is bred from.

ORIGIN

A two-year-old male BoerboelThe most likely origins are claimed to date back to Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival to the Cape in 1652. Dutch, French and British settlers have all brought with them certain breeds of dog, these were used with indigenous breeds of domestic African dog to create the Boerboel.

It has been confirmed the Jan van Riebeeck brought a “bullenbijter” with him, and others with him had large strong dogs. Over many years, natural selection would determine that the fittest among them would survive and breed.

A likely breeding partner brought in by the British settlers would have been the long legged Bulldog.

De Beers, a diamond mining company imported Bullmastiffs to guard the mines.

In protest to British rule, the Dutch scattered in hundreds of kilometres from their original homes, in what is historically recorded as the Great Trek. During this period they continued breeding powerful, protective dogs on their journeys. The tradition of breeding with large dogs continued during the Second Boer War.

Studying further literature, more dogs have been suggested to be included in the breed and much more recently, but none of these are substantiated, however the Rhodesian Ridgeback and its decendants is known to have played a significant part, though no sign of a ridge is any longer present.

Today, Boerboel breeding is both a hobby and industry in South Africa. Only a few of the best studs are kept to breed with females. These dogs are now exported from South Africa to other parts of the world.

APPEARANCE

The Boerboel should be well balanced, substantial and strong in appearance, with a primitive robustness and an overall solid tight musculature. Though a heavily built mastiff breed, it is not loose limbed or jointed and has a strong topline leading to a powerful and massive neck, it should move with purpose and control with ample agility. The head is one of the defining characteristic of the breed and should be large but in proportion to the body, with a strong and not too short muzzle and jaws, broad between the ears. The tail is normally docked short but this is not a requirement of the breed. Males are very masculine and imposing, with females being somewhat more feminine but by no means lacking in substance. The dog should give the overall impression of immense substance, strength, power, and physical ability, and should be able to more than amply demonstrate this in his day to day work

Since my house was broke into and robbed 3 weeks ago and the eight dogs (all outdoors) I have now slept blissfully through the event, I've been looking for a bona fide watchdog just to bark when someone jumps my wall onto our property. I'm not looking for a maneater, just a noisemaker.

A friend of mine from South Africa has one of these and says they're excellent watchdogs and excellent all around dogs.

I think it's a longshot, but does anyone know of any breeders here in Thailand?

Thanks for any help.

Gary A: I am actually hoping for a total loss because maybe this farang knows how to plant soybeans. She may know how to grow rice but soybeans are a different story.

actually, i'm not sure how i hope this turns out.

you know, you're buggered anyways. if nothing grows, you tilled 'em too deep.

keep us informed, gary.

i can't look at it anymore without seeing what it really is, but it catches people off guard all the time.

it's got me a few times and still gets me.

hel_l, i find myself staring at even knowing what it is (or isn't)

close escape...

i was just wondering what people's opinions are here about which is the best dry dog food to buy. by best, i mean which brand gives you the most bang for your buck. i always figured pedigree would be right up there, but i remember a poster here said pedigree in thailand wasn't that good.

i've got 7 dogs that are costing me a lot to feed. i'm not a cheapskate, i don't mind spending money but i hate wasting it.

so, what's the best quality mid range price dog food out there?

currently, our dogs get alpo with either sardines mixed up with it, or those 10 baht bags of animal organ soup (a broth with bits of offal nobody else will eat).

thanks in advance,

tp

Sullen and miserable lot, most of them look like they just come from a bloody funeral. I've seen the same in Turkey - just not an overall happy/go lucky sort of people.

okay, britmaverick, i admit i' haven't seen many russians where i live, none in fact (smallville, issan) but i can't help but think you're itching for a fight with nihilnisibene (sic?) and it could be said this person is up for a fight as well. i realy think you're generalizing the russian race a bit here.

okay, let me generalize a bit here myself. i lived in lithuania for 3 years with a great gal, she was born in the ukraine and the family moved to lithuania when she was a kid. they spoke russian, all her friends spoke russian and i can say with confidence that although not born in russia, they had the same characteristcs as russians. (expect to hear the wrath of lithuanians, russians, ukrainians)

anyhow, upon meeting her friends for the first time, especially her or her family's male friends or relatives, i felt like an outsider for an hour or 3, but after a few beers/vodkas and they realized i wasn't a complete a/hole and was okay with my girlfriend and her family, i swear, they would've given me the shirt off my back if i'd have asked.

we lived in an apartment she owned, it was funny, she didn't know her neighbors, was a bit leery of them, i don't know why, but friends were friends bigtime, and family was number one. once you were in you had it made, her mother lydia would have force fed me if she could have caught me, according to her i must have been always hungry, and the food was so good.

i guess the point i would like to make is not paint all russians with the same brush. i know i haven't seen the bad side of them, but there's bad sides to every countries citizens, british,canadian,russian,thai........i just think this forum tends to generalize too much, i catch myself doing it too....

i'm quite surprised that nobody has mentioned MYST. easy to play and great music. for me it was difficult to get thru it, but not quite so difficult so's you'd want to quit. (although i had to peek in a game solving book just once 'cause i was stuck.) if you've enver played it, pick up a copy, it will have been in the bargain bins for years now, i think it first came out in the early nineties.

all in all, a brilliant game.

honourable mention to "return to castle wolfenstein" and "duke nukem'"

i don't miss much, but watching hockey at the rink or on TV would be the top thing. BBQ's (with a really good steak) is the only other thing that comes to mind.

(go blackhawks!)

whats not to like?

one group of posters here are torturing a nutter daily at the emporium, another group seem unable to cope with the complexities of an elastic band, and for others shaving is a high risk endeavor?

shake my head? nah.

my sentiments exactly

good post

If they put out a warning sign to look out,that would not be normal.

Hehe, yes, that seems unusual. I have even seen the whole road blocked off for 3 days due to a funeral/wedding party

Totster

funeral/wedding

same same, no?

I could NEVER return to so called PROPER eating habits nor could I return to wearing PROPER clothing. My uniform of the day is shorts, T shirts and sandals. I used to wear long pants and a button shirt to immigration but I have given up on that too. I hate fancy hotels and hate fancy restaurants even more.

My wife keeps throwing my favorite clothes away just when they get good and comfortable. I embarrass her because I drink beer right out of a big bottle. She thinks I should use a glass. I LIKE to drink out of the bottle.

amen, brother