LM405

Alan the builder is highly recommended, lots of good feedback on him. I believe he can be contacted at [email protected]

I am having similar incidents. Happens mostly at 7-11's and now when I order my coffee at coffee shops where they know me well. 

Thanks for posting and for sharing the photos, I really enjoyed reading your post. Something positive for a change.

Have you tried InfightStyle? Reasonable prices and quality gear. I might be able to help you with that.

We moved to Ubon Ratchathani 3 years ago from Bangkok. I must say, when we (me, wife and daughter) first moved to Ubon Ratchathani, we fell in love with it. I must say, in just the 3 years that we lived here, Ubon has changed a lot. Numerous of businesses have closed down and many friends (Thai and expats) have moved out. All I keep hearing from the locals is that Ubon was more lively years ago but unfortunately has died down. 

Before my wife and I got married, I brought this sin sod question up. Her parents did not ask for any money and neither did my wife, "it's just not right," they said and it doesn't make them look good as Thais coming from the Isaan region. All the parents asked for was that I treat my wife good and that we live happy. Although my wife is educated, her parents come from very poor backgrounds and I've never had any money issues with them.

On the other hand, I see numerous of guys moving to Isaan specifically the province I live in and having to go through the whole sin sod deal. I guess it depends on the wife and the family members.

Good question. It seems not all expats are open to Thai dishes for whatever reasons. When I first moved here, I was eating only Thai food. After several months, I started to get bored of Thai food. Every now and then I would have some western food but western food here is overly priced and not the same as back home. When I got bored of Thai food, I would change it around a bit from Isaan, southern, chinese and later Vietnamese dishes.

It can also be sanitary reasons and previous negative experiences with Thai dishes. 

Try that Ruangsangthai store in Buriram, one of the expats who works there has helped me and some other friends with lawnmowers in the past. I believe they sell from reel cylinder, electric, self propelled and even riding lawnmowers not only in Buriram but also outside as well. 

Try Ruangsangthai out in Buriram, they have 2 native English speaking expats working there. They were able to ship out a few spare HONDA HRJ216 lawnmower blades out to a friend in Khon Kaen.

After living in Bangkok for a few years, it was time to get out. I lived for years in the big city back in the states, living in Bangkok was similar. We took the approach to move to the countryside (Isaan) although many Bangkok locals strongly disagreed and said negative things about Isaan. It's been 2 years now and we are very happy. Now, I cannot live anywhere in Isaan as there have been a few provinces that I really disliked but we are very happy in the province we live in now.

I would agree with dampness, they love damp places. We are in rainy season so I would assume that is why many of them are more present. I see a lot of them near our garden hose where the water leaks a bit into the soil from the valve. They can be quite fast too.

A few months ago I purchased a pair of new running shoes. I usually alternate my days with running and jump roping. A week after using my new shoes,  I was jump roping and I felt a sharp pain behind my left achilles tendon. I couldn't walk properly after that day for almost a week. Icing several times a day and anti-inflammatory medications helped but not fully. I had to buy a pair of new shoes (for work) as the old ones were not giving me any support with the new injury. Limiting my distance (running) and avoiding jump roping also helped but most of all, the stationary bicycle was what really helped.

Basically you just need to stop doing anything that aggravates the achilles tendon and that can take weeks or months. My achilles tendon doesn't bother me much anymore but I do have a thick swollen nodule to where the injury was. I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to injuries but this was one injury that really scared and worried me.

Boastful poacher? More like a piece of sh** to me.

I would definitely agree it is a bird of prey, it appears to be a Sparrowhawk.

Speedo: I was thinking the same, I don't see them around too much around winter season.

Over the past months, I've noticed there has been a large population of Common Myna birds and Great Myna birds that have started to hinder in our village, usually in large groups. As a bird lover, I have no problems with birds visiting my house or garden but Myna birds can be quite a nuisance. Early in the mornings, they perch around the whole village where I live, calling loudly and being a great disturbance. I have no intentions of harming these birds but I can't get them to go away. Hawks are not doing their job as I see more and more of these Mynas daily.

Anyone have any advice on how to get rid of these birds without harming them? Trapping them and releasing them elsewhere has been an idea but there are too many of them.

Sadly, I've seen trash dumped into clean beautiful forests and just about any random place filled with greenery. It's going to take a long time to teach the locals how to clean up after themselves. 

When I first moved here, the first couple of months I seemed to get sick all the time. Mostly fevers and sore throats. I've noticed that the humidity (especially around rainy season) makes my joints hurt. Dry heat has not caused any problems at all and besides the humidity, everything else is fine. I would say I have adapted to the weather and environment but it hasn't been easy. What still gets me at times is the AC in the cars that results in a sore throat.

Can anyone recommend a good Optic shop in Ubon Ratchathani? Time for a new pair of glasses, was recommended a few times to try Top Charoen but they were quite overpriced with low quality glasses. 

Common sense seems to be the biggest problem about living here. 

A few months ago I was given a papaya that was grown in Songkhla bordering Malaysia. After eating the papaya, the seeds were saved and sun dried several days before planting them. There has been a success growing the plant but a second plant has grown as well. Is there an explanation for this? Is the plant healthy as it is or should I remove one?

One photo is of the papaya as a fruit before it was given to me. The second photo is the papaya plant that is currently growing along an additional plant.

Thanks speedo, I'll definitely search for this book.

I have been living in Ubon Ratchathani along with my wife and our 1 year old daughter for about 9 months now. I must admit, even though I really love Ubon, it has it's disadvantages.  Food variety and work can be difficult to find and not to mention, attractions. As some have said, Ubon is quite distant from everything else which I strongly agree. Now I find myself working in Buriram in the week, only going home on the weekends. 

Does anyone know if they offer sustainable living courses in Essan? Perhaps in Ubon Ratchathani or neighboring provinces? I am aware that the majority of these courses can be found in the North of Thailand. Pun Pun and Saihanan are just a few to name. My time is limited to so taking a trip up North is impossible.

Organic as in only using animal and plant based sources Speedo, excluding processed industrial minerals as you perfectly described. I noticed I wasn't too specific in my post. 

In the past I have learned from my own mistakes as to how much water banana plants need, a few of my plants contributed root rot from over-watering and died. Rainy season didn't help with that problem. I find watering the plants every 2-3 days most suitable.

I will definitely give egg shells, coffee grinds and banana peels a try. Thank you for your advice.