sibeymai

seems this could remain unsolved if the police haven't found a Thai to pin it on yet and they're looking for a Japanese tourist. They'll find the Japanese if he's still in Thailand, even if it's at the airport on departure. I wonder if a Thai hasn't been arrested yet because the police think there's a reasonable chance he's the culprit. A Japanese girl travelling alone is more likely to have a drink with a fellow countryman than a stranger, is she not ? We may never know if he's out of Thailand already.

our 3 week old girl sleeps in a cot in the same room. If she falls asleep on the bed then she gets put back in the cot. I am assuming that at some future point she will be moved to her own room but have not discussed this with the wife so don't know when this will be. When she stops feeding and waking during the night seems like the right time. How old is that then ? 18 months ?

My wife's sister upcountry has 3 daughters, 14, 11 and 7 and all sleep with ma and pa in the same bed and have always done so.

good to see there were falangs walking around holding the hands of little Thai damsels back in those days. The more things change, the more thay stay the same.

Please, please, please bring this law in, the sooner the better. The world hasn't had a laugh at Thailand's expense for a while.

This can go with the laws banning the sale of alcohol in the afternoons and after midnight and the closing of bars during elections and the red license plates just to name a few.

Just give them the 150,000 baht and forget abput it. It'll be lost in no time anyway.

Safest bet would be to buy some land in your wife's name. You can probably get around 5 rai and either farm rice or start a higher value crop, maybe fish. At least your 150,000 is protected then. You might not be able to realise the cash quickly, but it's not lost either.

Might I suggest the first border you cross through the jungle is the Thai-Cambodian border somewhere to the east of Aranyaprathet. I know it seems a bit like going out of your way but you'll probably finish up your journey a lot faster than you expected.

Just trying to help.

yes, it's not small bickies. reliable data on timberland investments (the value of timber and the land it is grown on) goes back over a hunded years and shows an average yearly return of 3% above inflation. this includes a large proportion of "industrial" forestry (eg. low value woodchip and pulp) as well as natural forest sources which were also considered low cost, usually being granted by government concession. With the cost of timber constantly increasing in real terms you can expect the low value timber products to be increasingly replaced by non-timber alternatives. That leaves a greater percentage of forestry in the high value timber product category which is not so easily replaced by alternative materials. Consequently, you can expect the average return to significantly increase above the 3% per annum in line with the increased value of the timber commodity.

A 12% compound rate is a medium rate of return. It's possible to achieve compound rates of over 20% on some forest products, especially when the whole timberland investment is considered.

I wonder if the scientists who carried out this study have some spare time to change a few light bulbs at my place.

What do you expect from a company which comes from a country which thinks it's ok to explode nuclear bombs in someone else's back yard and then murders innocent people who bother to protest about it. Haven't bought a French product since then, despite how much I like those little convertible Peugeots.

The USD1,500 per cubic metre price I quoted earlier is for "fine furniture" grade timber. This usually means a DBH of at least 1 metre, if not 1.5m. Threes with this DBH are 35-50 metres tall. These are by necessity old trees, often from native forest as few farmers are willing to wait the 40+ years it takes to grow this size. 15 year old trees are worth much less and the figure of USD150 mentioned earlier is about right. The price increases with timber quality (the best run plantations mimic nature with the dry spell every year to produce the best timber at the expense of extra growth achieved by constant watering which decreases the timber quality) and also with DBHs above 1 metre as these trees are well suited to large (and therefore expensive) pieces of furniture. How do you make a dining table out of a tree with 50cm DBH ? Also, the large DBH trees have the potential to produce huge, and I mean enormous, quantities of veneer so they are just far more useful all round, hence their significant extra value.

If you want to do short rotations you're better off doing something other than teak.

...the only other thing everyone seems to agree upon is that under no circumstances should the Farang be allowed anywhere near the reptile for his own safety.

God forbid the demise of the meal ticket....I mean falang..... by snake bite. So preventable (just keep him away from it), not like a traffic accident at all which are totally unpreventable acts of fate and bad karma.

been stopped numerous times for red plates both in Prachin Buri province and BKK. Usual excuse from the BIB....."no can drive night time" is very popular. One instance the BIB had both sides of the highway stopped. Got through one side ok, did a u-turn 100 metres up the road and had to run the gauntlet again. Not so successful the second time and the BIB who let me go the irst time was only 3 metres away the second time around, recognised me but didn't say anything.

Had one BIB stop me around lunchtime as I entered the tollway from Sukhumvit soi 0 heading upcountry with some office furniture in the tray. He sprinted/vaulted onto his motorcycle to get to me before I disappeared up the ramp..."Have red plate...no can drive tollway with cargo in back. Pay fine now or write ticket, go police station far away to pay fine."

"No problem, write ticket" I say as I was certain this was extortion.

"Take too long to write ticket and very hot here. You go now."

CLAIM if you have time to wait, I didn't claim once and it went quick, but then again when I claimed I told the insurance company that I wanted to take it to my friends garage... I DID A LOT ON THE CAR THEN, never a call or increase in the premium.. They over charge you and they want you to claim... I would rather claim and not get the bonus... Claim 7900B bonus 3600 B do the math... besides, if you let your GF drive your car, hehe its a bad thing, like an accident waiting to happen...

PS, The person that keyed your car, he should be BELTED and WHIPPED!!!

But the problem is that I don't know the bonus scheme nor do I know the increased premium if I move companies (very likely) so the effect of any claims are unknown. I suspect I'd be better claiming but at the moment I need the truck and I cannot leave it for a week.

Our insurance came with the car when we bought it new from the dealer. When it needs a respray under the insurance policy the dealer handles it all when the car goes for its regular service. Takes an extra 1-2 days.

anyone know a satelite installer in the area bordered by Chacheongsao / Prachin Buri / Kabin Buri who can do this ? Any idea of cost for the dish and decoder and installation. Only interested in Oz TV and whatever else comes on PAS 8.

Is it possible to buy the bits and DIY ?

according to my wife who is a first year driver there is no penalty on our policy for claims. In fact, we don't even pay anything for repairs. In the first 6 months of driving the wife has had at least 4 "touches" in the car park which have required resprays. Total cost each time: 0Bt. First time I said never mind because I figured it would cost more in higher premium or loss of discount but apparently there's no cost on our policy as it is the highest level of insurance. I was surprised and a bit disbelieving but the new year's premuim seems to back up the wife's claim.

Could it be that Thailand's insurance industry practices are actually better than western countries ?

edit: for posting before finished

my understanding is that the rotation for Paulownia is about 12 years.

Maybe it's an expressway from soi 13 to soi 11 (or 15) ?

this guy must have pissed off some other powerful people to have seen a day in court.

If I recall correctly he wasn't particularly well liked as Deputy Speaker. Also, he tried to use his position as a Senator to excape prosecution which was deemed to bring the Senate into disrepute. Basically he thought his "mates" (the other Senators) would back him up so if the dirt was ever spilled on them they could also claim Senate immunity. Unfortunaltely his fellow Senators threw him to the lions.

I sometimes wonder at what point in the future I will be posting here regularly. Good to know there is a wealth of knowledge, experience, understanding, support and good advice here. I might need it one day.

Best wishes to all those who have started on their journeys already.

I agree it seems like a pretty good deal.

These are 14 (100cm) and 12 (85 cm) years old from a plantation. My use is for columns to support various roof structures. I'll use the narrower ends for smaller shade structures on farm land.

I've never heard of a 14 year old teak tree with 100cm diameter at breast height (DBH). Usually a 14 year old tree will be 30-40cm only, even with optimum growing conditions. Good forestry practices NEVER result in accelerating the growth of trees more than 100%. Usually 25-30% max, and sometimes it's not even that much but more a case of preventing substandard growth rates by good forest practices.

Sorry, but I very much doubt the figures you're quoting.

Well, the price and the size are accurate, and i thought thats what the man told me as far as age goes but maybe I misheard. Anyway I'm getting a load tomorrow. I'm not sure what forestry practices he practices. I know he's got 200 rai of teak trees, along a river bed, of various sizes and ages and after he plants I believe he lets nature take care of the rest. I have to say I think your trees grow really slow.

I'm using scientifically accepted growth rates. There might be some species which grow faster, and that may be possible if they are planted alongside a river and have water all year round.

However, teak which does not experience a dormancy period during a dry period (around 4 months a year) produces poor quality timber which might explain the low price.

These are 14 (100cm) and 12 (85 cm) years old from a plantation. My use is for columns to support various roof structures. I'll use the narrower ends for smaller shade structures on farm land.

I've never heard of a 14 year old teak tree with 100cm diameter at breast height (DBH). Usually a 14 year old tree will be 30-40cm only, even with optimum growing conditions. Good forestry practices NEVER result in accelerating the growth of trees more than 100%. Usually 25-30% max, and sometimes it's not even that much but more a case of preventing substandard growth rates by good forest practices.

Sorry, but I very much doubt the figures you're quoting.

make sure the windows are fixed....drivers can open the door to pay tolls.

Any of you know if these are good prices?

I can buy 100cm circumference (measured 1.5 meters from ground) teak logs for 3,000 baht. 85cm circumference for 1,500 baht. The 100 cm ones are about 7 meters and the 85cm about 6 meters. What do you think?

Seems awfully cheap to me. Wonder what the quality and source is.

Last I heard good quality teak (grade suitable for making fine furniture) was selling for as much as USD1,500 per cubic metre, sometimes more.

For plantation timber the rotation is anywhere between 25 and 40-50 years. The longer you leave it the more valuable it becomes, and the more chance there is it will go "missing".

Why all of a sudden so many problems with Hilux vigo? I've the 4x4 dualcab with the 16" rim, similar to one tested and fail, from now on I'm worry everytime I drive. Do you think I need to change my suspension, if so which is suitable or how I really don't know and I've got issue as to how many psi for the tires. I been told many times that the rear ones should have five psi more than the 2 fronts. My truck is usually passenger going only seldom use the load bed. I felt it's bumpy or maybe it's just me? Any advice, thanks.

Just drive sensibly and you should have no problems. No need to modify anything. Stick to the manufacturer's specs for tyre pressure, laden and unladen.