skhull

How long has this been going on for? How long does this take to fix?

If this person gets sent back to mainland China then they will become a political prisoner. Some of these political prisoners undergo LIVE forced organ harvesting in prison for organ transplants at low cost for more compliant members of Chinese society. If this person is sent back to mainland

.. that is what Thailand supports.

I will repeat. Organs are removed from these people while they are still alive. Livers kidneys etc. Check our China Uncensored. 

I am looking to build a vertical aquaponics system running off my balcony, I've read a few books on it and kept up with the aquaponics on reddit for a few months and I think I know what's involved in getting it to run.

Now, the problem is getting supplies in Thailand, or Phuket. Any ol' garden store a good idea? Or should I be checking out a specific shop? I checked out Aquaponics Thailand website on facebook but they don't seem to have anything for sale, am I looking in the wrong spot?

Also, are there any brands that I should stay away from or specifically buy instead of something imported in regards to pumps/tubes/hydroton etc? Any plants/fish that would be easier to grow for my first cycle? Any Thailand-specific pitfalls I might want to avoid?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks for the replies and the information.

@Old Croc : I understand that 'change is the essence of life' and I should be creative and imaginative with establishing a social life here. I lived in Washington DC for quite some time and had a pretty nice group of international friends, but it had a more political, and less nomad-ish feeling. I'm sure there's something like that here but it may not be 100 people, I just am trying to find a more stable group of people. Maybe around late 20s-30s that are just starting to have kids and get together to do something other than get blasted all the time.

Also, this island is MUCH bigger than my old one in China so that makes quite a difference. You could bicycle across it in less than an hour.

I'll check out FB a bit. Also, I understand how usually content/satisfied social groups typically don't advertise on forums for 'new people' as was the case for other places I've been. In fact, when I tried meetup back in the States it was pretty much a disappointment.

Actually, the last time I 'built a group of friends' was just by starting up a rock band. I'm highly considering doing that again just to meet like-minded people. Any recommendations for places to find a drummer? haha... it's always the drummer that's tough to find......

@steelepulse : Any good spots for boarding? I've done Naiharn to Bangtao so far, and now that the rainy season is over (finally) I'm hoping to check out the NW of the island more. I have an inflatable board that is pretty solid and can be used for halfday trips. I've seen some REALLY cool stuff just paddlin' round the Western shoreline so far!

Thanks, I will check it out.

Ok. So I have to preface this with an explanation of my last 'community' that I surrounded myself with in China.

Before I moved to Thailand I lived on a small island in China that had a vibrant expat community mixed with local Chinese interested in broadening their horizons. It was quite an eclectic mix of people that were more than 'expats' and more than simple tourists (or so I'd like to believe nostalgically, maybe I'm wrong). We had a pretty tight-knit community  of people who would have craft-fairs, home-made rock shows, cultural nights, rafting trips, group surfing trips, beach parties (not like the full-moon parties, think more like family-friendly bbq), karaoke nights, Chinese cultural trips etc and the group of people ranged from about 200 to 2000 over the years but mostly the core group was around a few hundred and we all knew each-other and had varying circles of friends but if something bad happened (for example, one person drowned) the community would come together and help him out. It was like an extended family of people that would slowly shift as some groups moved in and out of the city, but there was usually a core leadership that would run events. I always made little rock shows with my band, we would shift the theme and do a Czech rock party, then a Chinese, then a Spanish, etc and try to learn the appropriate songs.

Now, I've been in Phuket for about a year and have mostly focused on moving in, getting set up with my job, and figured that meeting new friends would come of its own accord, but haven't really found anything yet. I go to central shopping on the weekends, do trips to the beach  if the weather is nice, and go biking by myself and exploring. Is there a similar community of people in Phuket or a few groups? I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, but I was hoping that it would be remotely similar to where I spent the last 5 years of my life in China. I have a job, I have a nice comfortable place to live in a quiet part of the city, I have a steady and happy relationship with my wife, but we both noticed the other day that all of our friends are mostly work buddies that keep their distance. I was hoping on meeting some people (read: non-tourist, long-term, non-party-fiend, expats) who are like-minded balanced people that I could become friends with. I do cool things! (Paddleboard, cycling, weight-lifting, painting, play guitar, sing in several languages, video-editing, computer gaming in the rainy season, hiking, etc)  and would like to find a group of people who are around NOT just for the high-season that are like-minded. I'm trying to stay away from the bar-girl, party-tourist, clubbing scene, but I wouldn't mind finding a place conducive to this rosey-tinted mindset that I am missing.

Anyways, thanks for reading this TLDR, and if you know of anything like this, please reply or help me out.