In the jungle

I have done this trip quite a few times. I travel to Mukdahan the day before and stay at a hotel with great views over the Mekong. I take the first bus in the morning and I am usually at the Consulate before they open. There is already a queue in place when I arrive and I assume those people must have stayed in Savannakhet the night before. Invariably my application has been made the day I arrive in Laos.

So Tesla cannot produce an EV truck despite, apparently, wanting to do so but this Thai guy claims they have done "successful tests" and are all ready to go. OK.

The obvious question left unanswered by this news report is did this poor man die with his pecker in his hand.

Note to self: Don't sit in the back seat of a Vios.

On the subject of underground tanks: 1. I clean and sterilise the tank every two years. In fact I sterilise the entire water system including all pipework downstream of the pump. 2. The water pickup pipe in the tank is a flexible pipe with the pick up point suspended on a float. The flexible pipe is armoured. This way the water is taken from approximately 20cm below the water level and the pick up moves up and down depending on the season. This minimises the possibility of picking up sediment. Water source is ground water from a 6 metre deep well that was dug by hand approximately 40 years ago. A deeper well would be nice but I am not about dig it.

I don't doubt the dealer are correct in saying it was rats. No doubt they have seen this sort of thing numerous times in the past.

If it is rats you will also see teeth marks on insulation and other plastic. These are distinguishable from dogs teeth marks which look quite different.

No Suzuki Swift in Thailand has a turbo. All 1.2 normally aspirated.

"I also find it rather difficult in conversing" Finally. Self awareness.

So anyway. How is Brexit going?

I don't know what coolant Kawasaki specify but long life coolant is generally pink. I use Toyota long life coolant, which is pink, in pretty much everything. Cars, bikes and the tractor. Never seen a purple automotive fluid in nearly fifty years working on cars or bikes.

You could end up going round and round in circles on this one. Dealer overfills the coolant system. Engine gets properly hot and blows out the excess coolant all over your foot. You go back to the dealer. They overfill the coolant system again. And so forth. Once the coolant system has blown out any excess coolant it is at the correct level. My guess is there is nothing wrong with the coolant system.

Rear suspension performance and ride quality on a Forza is never going to be that good. On a conventional motorcycle the engine and transmission are sprung mass whereas on a Forza the engine and transmission are also the swing arm. Given that the Forza is a 350 that is a big heavy lump of metal moving up and down every time the suspension moves which presents the dampers and springs with a much greater challenge than a conventional motorcycle.

It wasn't my truck. As a Hilux owner this sort of thing is ridiculous.

Yes.

I am British by birth but my heritage is from outside the UK. Nobody in the UK asks me about my heritage. Take a guess as to why that is.

I used to quite like the look of the Ford Ranger until I took a drive in one. When I tried to open the door the door handle came away in my hand. It is made of plastic and had broken. That was a Ranger maybe two or three years old.

I have never liked greens since I was a child but still eat them. Yummy, broccoli again ????

Try eating things that are green.

Better off with a Suzuki Swift IMO. You could get them with a manual gearbox until 2018. Or even a Nissan March if you don't like driving and just want a tin box to keep the rain off your head. The Ford Powershift transmission tends to be a money pit.

In China I watched a guy weld with an A4 piece of paper taped to his forehead for a mask with two finger holes poked in it for his eyes.

Chumphon has blue plates!

Yes. I argued exactly that point with Santander early this year. My only recent experience with UK banks is with Santander who are remarkably sloppy and imprecise in their use of such terms.

The reason why I have not moved from Santander to another UK bank is because such banks invariably require that when opening an account you confirm that you are a UK resident. I cannot honestly make such a declaration and I am not prepared to perjure myself by making a false declaration.

If you want to make a profit buy in another country.