sunspun

We are going into hat yai today, might see if we can find something. We don't put corn in. I'll suggest that. They are fed with banana stalk, some particular kind of grass, rice bran, something for calcium  (not sure what it is - a powder that comes in a big rice bag) and oil. Beans or seeds should go in there too i think? And some oil. And some pellets of something. 

Can anyone point me to where I might be able to purchase (or make?) a grinder for turkey feed? I am in the south not far from Hat Yai. My husband has about 50 or 60 birds and is chopping up the feed by hand every day. He tells me these are not easy to come by around here and a bit expensive. They can't be that hard to find.

Also, what do you put in your feed? We've just arrived back in Thailand and the birds aren't doing well. Hubby thinks it's their diet. He thinks he knows what needs to change but we are pretty new to this so I welcome some advice. Thanks.

Can you find bottles with disposable inserts in thailand? Hat Yai in particular? Thanks

yes, of course I am! I've been working with a neurologist for several years. Neither of us know what is causing these problems so on his encouragement, I'm exploring all options that seem relevant. Unfortunately I am currently in Thailand and he is not otherwise i'd be going to him for tests.

on a side note, I have a few friends who are doctors and they do indeed treat their families and themselves.

thanks for the replies. I have some health issues that I've yet to find out what the cause is. The reason I want to be tested is because a lot of the symptoms I have can be caused by this infection. 'Most' healthy people have no problems, but not all. And there is research that shows this may not in fact be true. In any case, I'm not saying this is the reason, but i'd like to officially rule it out (or in) so as to move on to the next possible cause.

where can I get tested for toxoplasmosis? will the local hospital be able to do it or do I need to go to a private clinic?

For myself, I would never have twins given the choice. I had always wanted them, but after having my son I realised how much work just one baby is and I have no idea how I would have dealt with 2! Definitely think long and hard about it. As for gender, I did hope for a girl, but now that I met this little boy I can't imagine wanting anyone else I don't think it really matters which you have first, you'll definitely never wonder if you made the wrong choice

My husband (thai) is always on me to feed our son water after his milk. My pediatrician (here in Canada) said definitely not to give him water - even if we are in Thailand where it's (much!) hotter.

No, the Thai nationality act is very clear. When one of the parent is Thai the child is Thai, regardles of whether the child is born in Thailand or abroad.

According to this if the parents aren't married and the mother is farang, the child is not thai.

http://www.thaicongenvancouver.org/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=111

I would think a child born abroad to a Canadian would be entitled to citizenship, but the above makes me wonder. Call the embassy they will give a much clearer answer than here

Also, fyi, dual Canadian/Thai citizenship is perfectly acceptable

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/thailand-thailande/consular_services_consulaires/citizenship-citoyennete.aspx?lang=eng&view=d

this applies if you are married. i'm not sure the situation if you are not. my child was born in Canada (his dad is thai) and if we were not married he wouldn't be able to claim thai citizenship. perhaps the same sort of thing applies in your situation?

A TRV can be quite difficult to get. As said above, the most important thing is that immigration believes she will come back to Thailand at the end. If she has land titles in her name, a job to come back to, etc that should be sufficient. As for PR status, it's only 730 days (2 years) out of 5 she needs to be in Canada and there is no maximum time limit to be outside Canada. If you are going back and forth every 6 months then it's not a problem. The only advantage really to applying for citizenship is the Canadian passport making it easier for her to travel, or if you are planning to be outside the country for more than 3 years (there are exceptions to this rule, but I don't know what they would be). I'd say apply for a PRV as soon as you can because it may take a while (or not, my husband's only took 3 months, but that was several years ago) and in the short term apply for the TRV, but make sure they know there is a PRV application being processed. Good luck!

I'm not there now but I lived in Krabi for several years...perhaps I can help?!

my husband applied through singapore and it took 3 months. the wait time said 6-8 months. this was 4 years ago mind you, before harper screwed up the country, so it may be longer now. it is much faster through singapore than inside canada, and she won't need a TRV which may be very difficult to get, depending on her financial situation.

i had a problem with this before. i needed 4 stamps and there was enough room on other pages, but they wouldn't do it. they stamped me out of thailand but not into malaysia. i was sent into the office to see 'the big boss' and he just kept saying they couldn't stamp on top of another stamp and what was i going to do. i said ' i don't know, you are the one that won't let me in - what would you like me to do' and he would answer again with 'i don't know. what are you going to do?' i'm not sure if he was looking for a bribe or just trying to scare me. eventually he stamped me and let me go. maybe cambodia will be different, but i can see you might have problems.

thanks for the info. why didn't the officer at the embassy send me the link to the consulate where the info was in english?! there is less info and requirements on the english page, so maybe i'll go through the vancouver consulate instead

bkk_mike no i am quite far from any of the consulates unfortunately, but the thai page says you can apply in the mail

yes! ive totally done that before - he's not big on romantic surprises and he got me some jewelry as a christmas present and was so excited he came straight home (1 month b4 christmas) and gave it to me, so i had to explain how nice it is to have a surprise on christmas day... these days when he says "i have a surprise for you!" i have to repeatedly remind him not to tell me what it is lol.

haha i read this to my husband and he thought it was hilarious because he does exactly the same thing! he doesn't understand birthday and christmas presents lol

you are certainly not alone. my husband and i have been together for 8 years and it took a long time for us to understand each other. i was only focused on him not meeting my needs, until i realized i wasn't meeting his. i spent a lot of time telling him exactly what i was feeling and what i needed, right down to saying things like 'when i am sad, you need to put your arm around me and ask what is wrong'! i also asked him what he needed from me, which helped get communication rolling (my need) and let him know i respected his feelings as well (his need).

and i didn't talk out every single detail or issue - like i wanted to. i let him have his peace on some subjects, unless it was something really important to me or really bothering me. it takes time. moving to my country helped a lot too. his english vastly improved and he understood my culture a lot better. we speak both in thai and english, but when it comes to serious stuff it's always english. we too have a newborn so i understand really what you are going through. i think the best advice i can give you now is to give him his space with some things, and he'll be less likely to push away for the important things.

also, if you want to talk baby stuff, i'm not in thaland at the moment, but feel free to pm me

Can anyone tell me what I have to do to obtain a thai b.c. for my son who was born in Canada? The embassy here has given me info only in Thai and my husband isn't sure of all the translations, and he isn't very good at doing official sort of stuff so it's up to me.

Particularly, I'd like to know if all english papers need to be translated to thai, and what exactly does the Notary Public need to sign? How do they know what they are signing if it's in thai?

Thanks.

As mentioned several times, the trash washes up because of the monsoons. If you visit the area in high season, the beaches are beautiful. A lot of what you see is not man-made garbage, but natural debris (wood, seaweed, dead marine life, etc) but it's hard to distinguish unless you are looking closely. The sand itself is different (more girtty, more rocks/shells) and the water is not very clear. The reason it is not done every days is because there is just too much of it, and just after you've cleaned everything, the tide comes up again and brings a fresh batch. Also, it's raining, windy, etc much of the time in this season. A lot of businesses do clean up (in front of their property) everyday, and I can tell you from personal experience that it takes a lot of effort and a long time, and after you got it what do you do with it? Pile it behind your shop because it's too wet to burn (we can leave the burning issue to another debate). The reason for the 'once a year' clean up is that it's the end of the season, so time to get rid of the trash once and for all. Tourism is going to pick up soon and the winds will stop bringing it in, so this is when the big clean up is going to make a difference.

That being said, I agree 100% that there is waaaaaay too much garbage in Thailand, and something really needs to be done. It is an issue Thai's are aware of, and many ARE trying to do something. They are starting to teach the importance of recycling in schools, and many villages are setting up recycling programs. I think education is the most important thing that can be done at this point. Once people realise the importance of keeping their country clean, and the damage that happens when you don't, they will start to change. Our countries were not so different 20 years ago.

I live in Phattalung, and spend a lot of time in Hat Yai. Too be honest, I find both places very dull and wouldn't recommend either for a holiday destination. But, it depends what you are interested in, I suppose. They are very 'authentically Thai'. Thale Noi is a wetland reserve, if you go early in the morning you can see some nice water flowers and birds, and they sell some cute knick knacks, but otherwise it's nothing. Songkhla city is quaint and there are some neat places to visit (museum, etc) I wouldn't recommend swimming at Samila Beach as the current is very strong and it's quite dangerous. Some great fresh seafood restaurants though. Hat Yai's mainly good for shopping. More western tourists than the others, but mostly people in transit. There is a big night market on the weekends, and a lot of good markets in general - just ask the tuk tuk driver where to go because they move around. For nightlife in Hat Yai there are 2 pubs I'd recommend - Post Laser Disc (near Lee Gardens) more western style with a good band singing both thai and english songs, and Baroy, which is definatley a Thai bar. Really good live music and good food.

Unless you know some locals to show you around, you might not find much to do.

I am so sorry for this tremendous loss..

In Islam (we are muslim) you are not supposed to mourn the passing of a loved one -easier said than done, though. It is said it will hold them back from moving into the after life, so you should focus on the good memories and the happy times. As well, you should be so happy they have finally made it to paradise. And that is where he is. There is no place he'd rather be, I'm sure, than where he is now - in your heart, and in your daughter's heart.

(Take what you wish from that, but the idea has helped me through the loss of loved ones in the past)

<3

SUNSPUN

I am almost certain marriage does not give you Thai citizenship, am I correct?

FYI, they are not as poor as you might think.

you are correct. it does not give you citizenship. as mentioned above, it entitles you to apply, but nothing more.

are you implying I think my family is poor? or thais in general? my family certainly isn't, and in my experience most thais aren't either. unlike the seeming majority of people on here, i am not independantly wealthy and do actually need to work for a living. the only thing i see as shameful is that i am not allowed to work to support my family in this country. when my husband is in my country, he has all the same rights i do, and can work freely in whatever way he wants. I can only wish one day I'll be given equal status in his.