Korat Correct

There is alot of virus mail around at the moment and even more spam mail which I never open.

ThaiVisa have all your personal details on file if you registered.They say the details are confidential and they never divulge personal details but the guys who set up this site say they don't even live in LOS.

They operate the site to attract advertising more than to provide a service which is fair enough but like all businesses,once you give them your personal details it is very hard to cancel them without changing your email address.

When I asked them how one deregisters they just ignored me.

Most people view without registering as you can see from the numbers.

Maybe they are more worldly wise?

Other Thai websites seem more personal and may be preferred.

Thanks Tosser.

I always knew the road to hel_l was paved with good intentions.

Re Issan posting

This unpublished (so far) letter to the English Thai Press is in part a previous submission to the Scottish Parliament .

"Now that Mr Thaksin has completed his Northeastern tour of farming communities,I wonder if he or the opposition parties would be able to say in their next election manifesto's that they acknowledge that :- 1. Most food comes from farms.2.They will appoint a Minister of Food.3.They should recognise that food production is an issue that should not be solely regarded as a rural affair.4. Their Ministry would look at other countries to find new ways of supporting Thailands farmers.5.The WTO has failed to prevent cheap imports ( and dumping) and that Thailands negotiating position needs reviewing."

A retired farmer.

Seems the "Nation" was not sufficently concerned so I'll try the Bangkok Post later.

Junglebreaker

Fine specimen your F1 Hybrid AAx photo. Can you tell me where I can see them please.

Chownah

Breed improvements in the UK by the MMB progeny tested bulls transformed the cattle industry and had an immediate response among the converted to improve pastures, permanent and short term leys. This was done to meet the needs of their more prolific animals

Remember small can be beautiful, hardy is paramount and quality always pays, which is why so many stayed with the Jersey Cow.

I am in favour of bringing back the lower input dual purpose animal too. The B&W Friesian was once considered dual purpose. The introduction of the Hereford and later the Simmental bulls to make the noted white faced beef cross was milked successfully and produced beef offspring when x'd with the terminal beef sire. This was the case in the UK up to the 70's when intensification streamlined the system, but old successes die hard and could well be the way forward in Thailand. ( The AA x would do just as well but is not so milk prolific or fast growing as the Hereford x)

Please see my post on the Thailand Travel Forum BEFORE you buy your next international flight ticket.

I tell Issan readers as I am in Issan but this post will be closed as inappropriate for the Issan forum by moderators, which may be why the forum is less used nowadays.

This is an KEC information directory notice to anyone still interested.

Airlines give agents prices of tickets they cannot offer themselves.Agents pass on discounts to customers.

Travel companies offer a flight ticket at one price, but if you say you have, say 600bht, cheaper with another company they will often match it or beat it.

Its an auction!

The are no scruples,there is no integrity among the travel companies.

For the price of an email or phone call, falang should remember that the first price offered is probably not the last for any given flight on any given date.

I can name names. I can give details. I have it in email print.

Take extreme caution before accepting a ticket price. You may well be paying over the odds.

Maizefarmer

I think I understood that you had Fresian type dairy heifer calves for sale?

Please email me with your details.

The Angus semen available in the NE, on your dairy heifers or even smaller cows is ideal for easy calving.

I also think it would do well on the Jersey/Guernsey type local Thai cow. A much preferred type to Brahman for the falang small holder. You can keep more smaller cows!

I used only Simmental bulls on my 75 dairy cross beef cows expecting calves to put on MORE than one kilo per day.

Angus cross rearers should aim to finish calves at 18 months weighing about 4-500kgs. Processing is very important and facilities need to be very good if selling on the open market.Marketting is even more important, but let me know if you have prime beef to sell near Korat.

It seems that my unpublished letter to the Nation is of interest so I will get round to sharing it if you cannot transpose it from the email I sent you.

Please help yourself

Maizefarmer

I hope you are not running to stand still.

I recognise that farming here is as precarious as it was in the UK where I sold 40000kg of meat a year from grass.

To avoid boring the masses I will post to you a letter on "Food for Thought or More support for Thailands Farmers" so far unpublished in the Nation.

What I wanted to ask you was what do you do with your calves? Do you sell on any males/ females at 6 weeks? You keep th replacements you need but do you finish any black and whites?

Holsteins are difficult to profit from but Friesian types, I might have a market for?

Interesting response from Maizefarmer but nothing to do with the original question.

Feeding Brahmans might be of interest.

Presumably you grow maize?

Do you feed it to your cattle and if so how and when?

Ruzi grass is grown for more intensive systems, and rice straw, supplemented by concentrates at £90 per ton, for the less intensive.

Brahman stock,unless prize animals, usually get the rubbish grass and live off a very poor diet.

There has been much talk of cruelty to animals in the press. Some Brahman cattle in the Issan countryside look half starved while waiting for the rains to improve their grazing.

I think they call the poor land and stock Heng Leng, which means barren.

"It all according to the weather" said my farming mentor 45 years ago and its still true to day!

Korat's rain seems to fall mainly in the afternoon.

My morning constitutional has only been interrupted once, but lightening comes often too.

Where are the weather stations in the region?

Do they publish year on year/month on month figures?

How accurate are they?

Are their any budding meterologists around keeping their own records.

Astronomy. There are some very bright stars in the early morning sky which would be interesting to map. Does anyone have a telescope and keen eye?

Being a smallholder is great fun if you don't weaken but its demanding.

Think self sufficency. Grow your own fruit, veg and nuts. Keep hens,ducks, pigs and and a cow if you want to be ambitious but only do what you might enjoy as you will have both success and failures to cope with.

Forget making a living from 4 rai and forget farming if you have no irrigation system in place.

Brahman cattle are the major local breed of cattle kept, presumably because they have the most disease resistant traits.

I cannot for the life of me think why though. There conformation is unsuitable for real beef production and their milking prolificacy is poor compared to the "black and whites".

Most male calves are killed off at six months for what stands for the small Thai beef market. Understandably as the Buddists prefer not eat the stuff. For the Caucasian market it has no flavour and is tough, mainly due to the processing system.

The high value females are prized as are prime breeding bulls and that seems to be the main reason for keeping them. The other being their lawnmowing ability and manure provision.

The peasant farmers I know keep them as status symbols and because they grow into money. Grazing is often hired out and stock taken in.

Buffalo were the powerhouse for the plough but have been replaced by the combustion engine.There market has mostly collapsed.

Keep Brahman cattle because they look nice and you like to have nice looking cattle on your holding but their economics look suspect,compared to developing a beef or dairy specialist or even dual purpose animal. The improvement should come from imported dairy or continental cattle semen.

The Issan forum covers all Issan and dividing it might kill it off completely.

I find some posts from other Issan cities and countryside residents very interesting and some posts can encourage a visit to the area.

Since the contraction of the KEC to a social club ( Korats Expats Club) and the introduction of the Koratforum.com has the Issan forum been used less?

Thaivisa with its news service could help by getting involved in reporting the local politics in the area prior to complete review of its service.

The Koratpost attempts to represent Korat but from its recorded feedback it gets few posts.

Jai Dee posts interesting news from the Thai authorities but this needs expanding on.

What the Thaivisa might address are the number of visits to threads compared to the number of contributions.

Why are people so reluctant to post? Is it the comedians, those who post insults and those who have little of real interest to say.

Food for thought?

Most who live in Korat, that want to do a 90 day visa run go by train to Non Khai.

Those who live in or near Korat and have to report every 90 days go to the Immigration Office in Korat. ( Almost Opposite Big C )

Those who live in or near Korat and want to extend a visa go to Kap Choeng on the Cambodian border. ( Near Prasat and Surin )

Renewing a one year multiple entry visa (£90) is probably best done in ones home country. The Hull Thai Consulate will do it in 5 minutes by appointment.

Of course what is needed is farang pressure on the Immigration Ministry,possibly by ?Expats Clubs, to change this ridiculous state of affairs and normalise the situation so reporting in ones "home" province and renewal becomes the most satisfactory way for both parties to feel secure here.

Is there a system for tracking all, or last 10 posts, one has made within the control box or elsewhere,within a set period ? I forget where I have posted and the post can disappear off the page before I can recall it.

A 4door 2.5 pickup is a low cost option, not only to get you from a to z relatively cheaply, but you are higher up than in a car and have an enormous boot.

Definitely value for money here as cars are so expensive in comparison to pickups.

If the companies could understand that many extras should be standard then the market could take off into the family car bracket.Fancy putting a cassette player in a vehicle today. Most want a CD player with all the trimmings,but to change it over from new to new seems a waste.Why can't you lift the back seat up? Only the Vigo does that.

More options please Pickup manufacturers

John45

She can't make much of that website.

Still looking for a discount price for a Triton 2.5l 4door 2WD below 553000bht for cash, plus extras.

Any one know of a good deal place in Bangkok.

Boo

Point taken but why should I play at being God?

"Thats no lady thats my wife"

This thread starts off about being Farangs being unfaithful to Thai Ladies and continues with gross language and the moderators ignore all that.

Does Thai Visa support Thai women being treated as second class citizens?

At least Farangs who do not marry their GF do not abuse any code.

Are double standards apply here?

So the moderators think these posts are suitable?

and everyone knows that women are a sometimes thing!

Loz

Nice to see you have other skills, your willing to share.

But a sedentary occupation?

Are you fighting the flab too?

Email me for further jogging details

Have you found a two legged catch yet. Or are you finding those difficult to "reel" in.

If you tell me your handicap, you could complete the only other sporting life here by a round of golf with the very amateurs.

The Thai GF knows when she is on to a good thing and hangs on for dear life, but what about getting what you want without marrying them?

Or how to stay single and fancy free?

www.saveflights.com

baboon

How much was your Aeroflot return business class flight and at what time of year?

Was it an open return or 3 month etc...

Who did you book it through.

Charma

Uzbekistan fly Bkk/LHR via Tashkent which must be nearest to half way!

I still have an open return with them.

They lost my luggage having sent it to India not BKK from LHR

Its a long story but I was not very happy.

No complaints about the flight and service otherwise

Business class is quiet and would suit children.

They use Boeing 767 wide jets.

Try Skytrax.com to get another opinion.

Sept and November are usually cheaper and quieter times to fly BKK/LHRor other UK airports.

Without meaning to promote<I contacted "Jane" at www.saveflights.com

Tel Bangkok 29327112 or 25396106

Good service should be noted and additional advice re booking the return flight in the UK was very helpful.

tartempion

I've done Qatar both to BKK and CMB (Colombo)

You may find Royal Jordanian less expensive.

With all these airlines its the promotion flights to search for,whether economy or business class.

Kuwait can be very cheap but "dry". Gulf Air are another possibility.Unless its direct flight and you are in a hurry there seems point in paying over the odds.

One point is always to check the flight/journey times whether its direct or indirect.

Etihad 5*stay overnight in Abu Dhabi is worth the experience too. You can include a visit into the city on the hotel bus.

I have to return to the UK in September so will post best offers or you can email me.

Its cheaper to buy in LOS than the UK if you shop around.

The least expensive open return BKK to LHR was 39000bht travelling Biman and before you say more, I found the service OK except for the delay at Dhaka on the return leg. Food was good and beer and wine flowed freely. The Dhaka Business class lounge is a disgrace but at BKK and LHR its very nice.Flight times were very convenient.

I haven't tried Egypt Air as they seem to be the next least expensive.

Travelling business class does take the strain out of the flight and particularly if you have a larger frame.

Departure and arrival times are very important to link in with travel to the airports in LOS and the UK.Its no use arriving in the UK after 20.00hrs if you want to travel into London and catch a train to the provinces.

Anyone have any other experiences?