oceanrover

Are you saying that your laptop has an internal GPS and navigation software installed? Normally MapSource is used to load or edit mapping data to a Garmin device.

I have a GPS unit for my laptop. It outputs data that is parsed by navigation software, so I was just wondering if Mapsource was loaded would it display my current position.

Thanks

OR

Just wondering if I install MapSource and use the maps from Rotweiller on my laptop with GPS, can it actually be used like a Garmin unit? I like the idea of the LARGER screen and I am always navigating while the wife drives anyway. It would also give me an excuse to bring my lappy with me

Thanks.

OR

Please excuse my ignorance on bills in Thailand, but what is a unit of electricity there? Is it KWh as in the U.S.?

Thanks.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

All those things sound so true. Almost like I am back seeing them myself.

My wife convinced me to place elaborate security screens/bars on the windows of the family's new house. She explained that they would not otherwise open the windows which to me defeated the purpose of having windows that open. So on go the bars and everyone is happy. A month later while my wife was visiting she was complaining about the heat at night. I asked if there was an issue with the windows and she said NO, they are closed. It seems that with or without the bars the windows are shut. She said that her mother does not think steel bars will stop the criminals. I asked her to tell her mother that the windows themselves are only glass and have even less of an obstacle to criminals. Her mother stated that they were locked windows though I should have just put in Glass Bricks and saved all the money on the glazer and security screen installations.

Needless to say after a quick trip to Ubon, my wife was soon enjoying cool nights with a couple AC units installed.

Mother-in-law wanted a green lawn like what she sees on Television so my wife being the good daughter has a lawn installed so it looks like a golf course. I then hear a few weeks later about how much the neighbor's cow likes the new grass. Good thing turf is inexpensive in Ubon and easy to replace.

Gotta love them though for sure

Mike in Seattle

Hello RY12,

My wife's cousin runs a Internet Cafe in Trakan just north of Ubon and it is always packed with kids even in that small little town. There is a food cart outside that sells noodles and a small store next door. Both the store and the noodle cart add to the location for sure. There are a few programs that allow you to image a PC and then restore it to that image with the a simple power cycle. I used one of these when I worked for a college with 400 PCs in the labs and it was a god send. Kids could infect them, screw up the desktops and all I had to do was reboot the PC and viola it was back to original condition. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to do if you really want to protect your investment and firewalls, ect are not always user friendly or inexpensive.

The brother-in-law opened up a pharmacy further north towards Mukdahan and is doing well enough to open a second one a few km away for the sister-in-law to operate. Pharmacies are not simple either and there is a level of expertise needed I think. Luckily he is a pharmicist at a local hospital so he is able to use his existing skills. We have spoke to many others though that seem to have no formal training whatsoever and do just fine. I would not recommend anything beyond over the counter offerings without education. The initial stock and setup would be a large investment for most Thais, but you might want to consider it.

Good luck with whatever you do with the space.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

Coventry,

Not all women are the same. Not all women in Thailand have been in the BG scene. Women and Men the world over have needs of course. I for one refuse to live as such a pessimist. You may choose to live a paranoid life, but you will never be content or happy IMHO. Most of the forums and books you mention focus on women that come from poverty and are seeking security and love as quickly as possible. I can't fault them for making the decisions they make in order to find those things. It just seems that Western men fall for Thai women a little too easy since they appear so different than their Western sisters when actually what all women seek in the end is the same. There is often an age difference involved in most stories of woe that you read about on other forums and in books. This is not something that only happens with Thai women. Older men and younger women have been playing this game for thousands of years. The older men then get all bent when the younger women looks at another man. As you said, they have needs. IMO there will always be issues when there is a large age difference in a relationship. Luckily my wife is only a few years younger than me So when you read these stories and posts, ask yourself what the age difference is between the two and what each expected from the relationship. You will usually find I bet that the age difference is great and each party expected something totally different from the relationship.

"Any motivated behavior must be understood to be a channel through which many basic needs may be simultaneously expressed or satisfied. Typically an act has more than one motivation."

- Abraham Maslow (1943)

Take this as you will, but please try and be less of a nay-sayer, you may live a happier longer life.

Mike in Seattle

RY12 & aintraving,

Where are you guys located? I am in Seattle so feel free to drop me a line if you want to grab a beer or something. I am in a similar situation as the misses has been in Ubon for a few weeks and was only home for a few days prior to that. He father passed so she is taking care of business and I speak with her and my daughter on a daily basis. It is hard though and I am not much of a drinker so beer does not lessen the void. Waiting for VISAs is not something I have ran into luckily since I married my wife here and pushed everything through in less than 6 months. I hear from her friends all the time though so I understand the frustration at least. It will work out in the end.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

I understand exactly where you are coming from. I did not get the direct request from the family, but it was implied through other channels. I refused to pay SinSod when we got married, but I made it clear that their daughter would be taken care of and they would be assisted as well depending on the request. It has been almost three years now and we just finished building a new western style house for my mother-in-law outside Ubon, but it is in my daughter's name. Placing it in my daughter's name was my mother-in-laws idea so that makes me feel a little more at ease. It is a very nice house and the cost was not that much compared to other locations. It is a 3 bedrooms, 2 bath with a large living room and dining room. 1 million baht seems a little steep for rural Thailand IMHO. We spent around 700k including the fencing and carport. The family already owned the land and had it raised several years ago. I would do as others have suggested and wait to see what develops in the future. If you get married, then you can discuss the matter after that. I opted to wait until we had children to further solidify the situation, but not all families seem to be as patient as my wife's. I love my wife and she loves her family so....... accept it or find a western girl who has less than sought after values towards family.

Things turn out well more than they do not in my experience. I may be a little too optimistic, but it makes life easier to deal with when one is not pessimistic or suspicious. Each to their own though as we all have different life experiences that shape our decisions.

Mike in Seattle

I have also wondered how on earth so many people afford new/newer trucks in Isaan. My sister-in-law recently purchased a brand new Toyota Vigo Pre-runner 4 door like you see all over. It was like $20k USD. In the states that is a bargain, but there are still payments to be made regardless of purchase price. She works in a government office making less than 60% of the payment required to the bank. It seems to me that the banks in Thailand are headed down a path to failure. The banks in the U.S. are not the best at assessing one's ability to repay a loan, but debt to income ratio, ect are always considered. Just the fact that she makes less than her payment baffles me, let alone fuel and all the other requirements to live. All it took was a simple explanation when she applied for the loan that others would help her (while standing next to my wife and farang/Thai daughter of course.) At least I have a nice reliable vehicle to use when I am in country.

Mike in Seattle

Thanks for the links most of them I research already :

Really after some personal experiences or visits thanks again

Hey Mac,

I was up there last year and found it to be rather quiet compared to even Ubon. Noi's best friend is from there and her father is here now helping them with a start-up restaurant. I am sure that I can hook you with a tour guide or place to stay if you get up that way. We setup Noi's brother with a Pharmacy a few minutes south of town on the river as well this last year. Let me know if you need anything from this side of the pond as Noi is heading back over on 2 weeks to see her ill father.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

Hey Mac,

I spend a month in Manila and all hel_l breaks loose? Sorry to hear that you and Bee are on the rocks. My wife told me that she liked you and Bee when she visited a few months ago so it really pains me that you are going through this. I understand that you can't just walk away as some of the others have recommended. A little time out was wise though IMHO as I have also experienced the escalation of a Thai mother's frustration from time to time. Nothing to the extent that Bee showed, but I was not there so I can't judge as the circumstances may have seemed to match her actions. Post Natal Depression can be a factor and middle age mothers have it far more often than younger mothers and is not discussed in Thailand from what I understand. If you ever feel the need to get a little further away and need a change of scenario, we have a spare room for you and Gloria. Malisa needs a playmate anyway and it would give me a break from the "Mali needs a baby brother" rant that I hear daily from Noi.

Good luck my friend. Let me know if you need anything.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

Here in the North West of the U.S. we use a lot of Apple and Alder.

Alder is a weed IMHO based on the fact that it grows so fast and everywhere here. It may grow in the cooler area parts of Thailand, but it may not like the heat.

Mike in Seattle

My wife is actually back home north of Ubon visiting family so she was able to vote. She said that there were many men walking around the village explaining to the people “what they needed to know” about the new constitution. Of these they included the fact that if the constitution is voted down, Thaksin will be returned to his post as PM. She of course questioned the validity of this claim and was ignored by the “Vote No” lobbyists as they went on to spout another claim that new and improved programs that benefit the people of Isaan specifically have already been created and would not be implemented if the constitution was ratified. My wife and her very large family voted YES for the most part from what I gather as they decided that they needed to move forward and this was the first step towards an open election. She confirmed that those she spoke with that voted NO had not read the constitution and based their decision on the word of others or on the fact that they were not pleased with the method that it came about. So I asked my wife if she actually read the new constitution and she said NO. So maybe many of the YES voters are voting for other reasons as well.

Mike in Seattle

That does seem rather high. My wife purchased one rai for her parents in the village on the paved road with power and water for 200,000 BHT and that included 1.5 meters of fill to raise it up. Granted it is north of Ubon, but the prices seem to be similar to Buriram as long as you are well outside the city.

Mike in Seattle

Hey LoveDaBlues,

I was not suggesting that he finance a used vehicle, simply that he find one and purchase it outright or through the bank. The same issues that plague used car dealers in Thailand exist here in the US as well. Thanks for the advice.

Beware the Used Car Salesman.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

Hey Bicko,

I have asked my wife about the status of the banks in Thailand and how they can stay in business based on their seemingly disregard for basic accounting principals and economics. Example: my brother-in-law works at a local hospital a few hours north of Ubon and makes a decent wage from what I understand ($500 -$700 USD a month??). He has asked for several thousand USD dollars so he can purchase a new Toyota truck. This request left me baffled as even with a few thousand dollars down he was still looking at a $20k+ USD loan. There is no way that he can re-pay that loan on his current salary and live. His debt-to-income ratio will be well over 75% if it was approved. How does the bank expect him to do for rent, food, gas and insurance? Do they have loan officers that review the potential of each candidate to re-pay a loan? Is it a 20yr loan at 2% or something??? I explained to my wife that I was not going to be any part of setting him up for failure here and she after looking at the numbers kind of agrees. He is also in the process of getting a home loan so his debt-to-income will be even worse. I asked if maybe he can get a used truck and everyone scoffed. My wife says that no one buys used trucks as they are all broken. Well I explained that the same goes for used vehicles here in the US, but you purchase what you can afford and not what you want.

Gotta love Thailand.

Mike in Seattle

Living in the Northwest of the United States, we have lots of wildlife left to supplement our diet. My favorite by far is ELK. It is gamey and very very low in fat. The backstrap cut is prized here and oh so gooooood. I happen to have some that I was cooking up and my wife asked if she could have some since it smelled so good, not knowing what it was. I gave her a little steak which she devoured thinking it was some kind of prime beef. I then told her that it was ELK and she starting gagging. She liked it until she knew what it was. Eating DEER and ELK in the US is fairly standard outside of the large cities. I imagine if there was any large wildlife left in Thailand it would be the same there. Too bad for her and more for me.

Mike in Seattle

Hey SNGLIFE,

I do not live in Thailand yet as I have more than a few years before retirement, but I can agree with your assessment 100% based on what I have experienced thus far with construction in Isaan.

I have spent some time in other regions of the world where similar “Cultural Differences” were attributed to the level of workmanship or business practices. It is all hogwash. The children of some of those with “Cultural Differences” seem to do just fine when they move to another region and have the ability to change a little. I have some pictures somewhere of a 40 meter long 3 meter high wall built by local skilled tradesman in rural Mexico and the parallel wall built by a crew I hired from Mexico City. The difference was night and day upon completion. I can only imagine the disarray of the wall now ten years later that was built by the local skilled tradesman. It is funny that I often see TIT in the forums as an explanation for the way things are done or not done. It was always TIM in Mexico.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

The choice of where on this planet to call home and the term “coward” are as related as the type of automobile one chooses to own and what sport team one favors.

So based on the OP theory, Brits who choose to live in Thailand instead of the UK are selecting an easier life because they could not make it in the UK, right? What makes Thailand easier to survive in than the UK beside the obvious financial differences? Are there less homicides, bombings, fatal automobile accidents, muggings, ect in Thailand when compared to the UK?

So along the same lines, all the people in the US that retire to sunny Florida from New York and elsewhere are cowards as well since their dollar goes further. Could it be that they are simply smarter than the ones that opt to stay and endure the horrible winters while scrapping by on a retirement income.

I personally feel that if one needs to equate a level of bravery with their place of residence, I am sure that there is some prime real estate available in Baghdad or some other war torn area of the world.

I consider one to be fairly brave to move to a land where few speak your language, adopt a new usually larger family and support them in one way or another. This usually entails someone that is beyond the age of big moves it seems (retired) and then to add to the level of difficulty there is usually a younger wife involved which is no easy thing task to handle in any country. How can one consider any of these men cowards if even only basing it on the new wife portion?

What a silly topic. I am not even sure why I am posting as I am only adding to the silliness.

Mike in Seattle

You should try asking any Airline sometime what time a specific person is arriving and they will usually quote rules and regulations that prohibit providing that kind of information. Of course if it was a Thai lady asking another Thai lady then the regs go out the window.

My wife appears to be generally concerned for my safety in big bad BKK if I am all alone. I have realized that she does not see me as the big tough guy that I am and she thinks that the first Tuk Tuk driver I meet will rob me after hitting me on the head.

I see the entire production as a huge waste of money, but I am sure that Mac is right on point when he says that they get to go on a mini-vacation from the village on my dime. C'est La Vie, it is only money.

Mike in Seattle

That is what my wife's brother told her to do as well. Either she meets me or someone in the family, for my own safety of course they claim.

Mike in Seattle

I have been hearing about a drug called Modafinil, http://www.modafinil.com/, that was originally created to combat narcolepsy and then found its way into use for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. It has even been used to treat Alzheimer's. The military in the U.S. and other countries have been prescribing this to long range pilots and convoy drivers for a few years with great results. It is touted as increasing one's ability to focus on the task at hand and counter the effects of sleep deprivation without feeling wired. The beauty of this so far is that when it wears off, you can sleep and there is no dependency or side effect like with amphetamines, ect....

It is marketed in the U.S. under the name PROVIGIL, http://www.provigil.com/. They even have a little quiz that you can take to see if you could possibly benefit from it so you can then talk to your doctor.

I see drugs like these becoming more and more mainstream in the future much the same way the vitamins and OTC painkillers have.

Mike in Seattle

Hey Lickey,

Actually I have asked the meaning of this term before since my mother use to work at a Grocery Store called "The Boondocks" and I wanted to know what it referenced actually.

From Wikipedia:

Boondocks may refer to a remote, usually brushy rural area. The expression was introduced to English by American military personnel serving in the Philippines during the early years of the 20th century. It derives from the Tagalog word bundok, meaning "mountain". It also carries the implication that it is "backward" or "unsophisticated"; hence taga-bundok "people who live in the hinterland": i.e., people who are backward or unsophisticated.

Boondocks or diminutively "the boonies" has since evolved into a more general American slang term for "the country" or any rural/wilderness location in general, regardless of topography or vegetation that is isolated and away from "the action" or the comforts and variety of urban life.

So the last bold section there sums up most of Isaan if not most of Thailand.

Just more trivia for your mental rolledex

Mike in Seattle.

Keoki,

I know very little about importing vehicles into the LOS, but MarcoH was looking into the issue this last year so you may want to PM him and see what he found as he may have discovered a loophole. I do have a friend outside of Oslo that dismantle a Sportster and a Fatboy so that he could avoid import taxes from the US to Norway and it was a long process and he lost a few parts along the way. I wish you the best of luck of this is the path you decide to go. I wonder exactly what countries Thailand will accept vehicles from with a lower tax? This would be something good to find out in case I find it hard to live without my toys later in life.

Mike in Seattle

The OP's dogs were not running around sounds like as he has a walled compound so people have a reason to worry IMO.

I have heard of the same poisonings occurring as a precursor to robbery of farang houses in the outlying Ubon area as well. If caught here in the States, the offender(s) would more than likely get more jail time for the poisoning than the Breaking & Entering.

Extreme Option: My friend in Laos had several of his dogs poisoned over several years which led to him investing in an inner fence some distance from the main wall parallel to it. He said that the cost was easier to deal with than having another dog get poisoned. He lost some of his usable land, but the additional peace of mind is worth considering he told me when I retire to the LOS. I am not sure if I could go to this extreme as it would make the compound look like a prison. Each to their own I guess.

Mike in Seatle