Kimera

What is an IDP? I wonder if the problems both of you had were from the visa type? Do both of you have work permits as well? Maybe that was why it was easier for me. Or, it could just be the randomness of LOS!

As to the original license, Is the UK license computer-scanable? She scanned mine in while processing the transfer, I wonder if they have a way of verifying over the net or something.

The only thing I wish is that I was able to get a 5 year license, but I think they do the 1 year thing with foreigners. Does anyone have a 5 year license here?

With the third anual renewal you will get a 5 year licence.

I thought the five year one came after the first one year one. see pinned post Re. driving licence

I may soon need some cosmetic dentistry possible inplants, I have loose crowns that I'm told cannot be replaced, anyone have any personal recomendations here on Phuket

I have been here for a few years now, and I have read almost everything there is about housing, land what I have to do to own it, and so on. I have come to the conclusion that in my best interest, it would be better to get a 30+30+30 year lease on some way out of the way property and build my house on it.

I know some of you will say that this is very foolish, but I plan on building a home here someday, and I have yet to find an out of the way plot of land that wasn't either too small, to congested, or way to expensive. I have been all over the island, and I have seen plenty of places that would suit my needs, but no one ever seems to be selling what I have interest in, or there is no sign and no one to be found to speak to.

What I would really like is to find a Thai family that owns a Rubber plantation, large useless plot, or similar, and lease a block of say 4 Rai from them, and build on it. I am not a big fan of building next to, or even near neighbors. I grew up in a Lake House in Texas. I would like to live in an isolated spot, with no fear of someone building something 10' from my house. If it takes me a 1/2 hour to drive there from the market, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC. At the Heroin Monument heading North, turn right and go east. The road curves around and there is SO much beautiful property back there, with trees, and isolation. At work, there is no isolation, NO PRIVACY and I like to have peace and quiet when I get home. Until I turn up my Stereo that is....

What I would like to know is this:

1.) Is there a Thai/Farang service that can assist me in finding such a deal or space?

2.) Are there restrictions that exist that would prevent me from doing this?

3.) The "Real Estate Firms" on the Island really have been of no help what-so-ever, and I would really like to know how to go about finding out who owns the property, and let my Thai Wife do the talking.

The spots I have found either have no one around, or have a family living there, but they do not own it, and are not very helpful.

I see that Phuket is busting at the seams with housing developments, and the closer and smaller they are, the more Closter phobic I get.

My Father is an Architect, and the designs here just do not suit me. Space...Space...Space. The houses I have rented here were designed for Thai's and I am a rather big lad, and love tall ceilings, and huge rooms.

Adolf Hitler (I, in no way, condone what he did) had ideas of big tall rooms, and I liked his designs and refer to them only for clarity purposes.

I have also seen listings on some of the little islands near Phuket Island…Khao Yai Yao, or something… I can’t seem to find this on Google Earth. Help!

Thanks in advance for the help.

Always remember !!! only invest in Thailand that which you are prepared to loose

The bulgogi at Mugunwa is excellent. Gently spiced, ginger, etc etc. Nice beef. Unlimited servings of the little dishes, if over 200B per dish.

I buy my kilo of kimchi at a local Korean grocery shop. To die for! 170 baht.

Sorry to jump in, could you give me location of your local Korean shop

[quote name='SweatySock' date='2007-11-20 04:16:07' post='1660854'

Just ordered my new model on Saturday, 86k including insurance. Delivery is next month so I'll see if they can find me an English manual.

BTW, I ordered it in Nong Bua Lam Phu.

Good I really enjoy the phantom smallest big bike I have owned and Its great fun, tell them the manual is available for copy and you have to have it! however I have to say that the Thai manual you can understand due to the tables pictures etc cant really say it told me much that you could not see from the thai one

bought a new phantom from main honda dealer in phuket 4 weeks ago, asked if they had a english manual 2 days after! YES please call in! was given a copy of english manual well copied and presented, best try you local main dealer if you bought or are buying the bike new they are available

Well yesterday I painted the outside wall and no rain here in Thalang, Buda was with me, but today back to the rain, so I sat in the rain and cleaned the motor bike, really sad eh

Try not to buy a solid wood one (we paid 1200B for it). You will find a foldable chair is more practical.

Thanks but where in Phuket do I find one ?

My Wife and I donated our Baby HighChair to the Thaitanics charity here in Phuket.

They're running a 2nd hand shop and I'm sure there are bargans to be found. The chair might still be there unless it's been picked up

Contact Tony (yaimar) for more information on the Thaitanics charity shop.

Thanks I will contact them tomorrow

May need to buy a baby chair, high or low the type with the table, any suggestions before I drive around Tesco etc etc

Thanks

Yes good post However. 2 points. Thai. drivers are on the whole useless most have no skills no sense of danger many have no licence and at weekends and after school many are under age. 2 Thai girls want to be white why would you think they want to sunbathe they are brown already Bless em....

Ok back the the original question.

Phantom is absolutely my bike of choice when in BKK. Its a great bike and you can have serious fun on it too. Cheap to run and v cheap service. Thats if anything goes wrong at all, in 4 years of owning mine it has had 0 problems. When it finally claps out i'll be getting another for sure. ( unless I can pick up a Virago 535 ) slim chance.

The only complaint I have is the lack of power 2 up and long rides out upcountry. It does become tireing and has difficulty keeping up with the bigger machines.

Now that said, in the UK I have a few bikes and among them is a 91 Harley sportser 1200 it's a great cruiser and does the job just fine. No shiny bits is fine with me and cost no more than double the price of the Phantom. Would I have it in Thailand ? absolutely. Although not in Bangers as a daily use but definately for long runs.

Ive owned about 25 bikes over the years and HD do have a special "feel" about them, when it comes to cruising for me HD do it best.

My other bikes are a Triton cafe racer. A Kwak GPZ 900 and a Triumph speed triple.

Yesterday I bought a new Phantom, Ive rode them in Thailand before, mind some time ago. I drove away from the agents and within a kilometer I had a big smile on my face, It felt light, pointable and easy to use and I felt safe. Thats Not taking the Thai traffic into account of course !!!!!!!! Rode it for 100 k today still feel the same. Ok only 200cc smallest BIG bike ive ever owned but I feel its just the thing for the Thailand. Downside... Its noisey,, engine and transmission and my bum hurt after 20k. But so it all did on a harley I owned. And before you comment I have owned all kinds of bikes from Harleys to 1200 Suzuki sports bikes, Mind I am getting older

Thank you all for your information. If we eat at all of your recommendations We will be seriously ( pumpoy )

Steak 50 in Phuket Town, Samkong area, midway between Vichara Hospital and Phuket Bangkok Hospital (same side of road). The cheapest steak dinner in town, only 50 baht for steak, fries, and salad. Have beef, pork, or fish steaks. Water jug, no extra charge. Not a huge portion, but good enough for lunch. Open all day. Clean, fresh, and friendly staff.

Went there today took a friends wife to the hospital called there on the way back, it was as you say enjoyable and cheap

Recommendations please! the wife wants to eat a good steak, we live in Thalang anywhere on the Island would be fine, would be good if open during the day we have the family Thanks

someone once said to me 'thailand is a country of adolescants' when it came to humour (and other things) and i tend to agree with this.

Yes adolescants and a good proportion are still children

What I actually think goes on in most Old Farang Guy/Young Thai Woman relationships is:

The old guy is looking for companionship and someone to take care of him, the woman is looking for companionship and someone to take care of her (and often her child-ren from an earlier relationship)

This is not some unthought primeval instinct but something they have both thought about, perhaps even discussed together.

So they get together and stay together.

I know many such relationships and contrary to your 'theories' the women in these relationships are almost without exception faithful to the old guy they are marrried to/living with.

Sadly I don't think the same can be said of many of the guys in such relationships, my observation is that if there is cheating going on it is usually the western guy cheating on his Thai wife - I know and have known far too many guys married to Thai women who are only too happy to 'butterfly' when the woman who loves them is not looking.

Well posted

why are thai women so popular though the western world?

Why are PH women so popular thoughout the western world

Hi, my wife and I are taking a vacation in Thailand next year and while we are in Bangkok, we intend to visit Patpong, which was used in the filming location of The Deer Hunter starring Robert De Niro.

One of my hobbies is finding the filming locations of some of my favourite films which include The Deer Hunter. I

Ohh aren't you a brainy one. Be far this has to be the cleverest excuse I have heard so far

Come now ! Ive done research in Patpong many times never needed an excuse, mind now. never did take the wife

Complaining about the UK being full of foreigners and then going to live in some other country - You are having a laugh aren't you?!

Maybe we should ask why these people really leave the uk. not why THEY think they left

Well said

If you stick around long enough you can hear him say it again and again, in fact any thread that has anything to do with the UK will undoubtedly have a post or two from GH extolling the virtues of the UK and demeaning the opinions of those that don't agree with his view that the UK is a chaste utopia that we should all be grateful for. It is and forever will be a ThaiVisa cliche.

Seems like if we stick around long enough we will hear you say your bit again and again

It says your from Saudi so maybe you don't appreciate how difficult life in the UK has become, unfortunately we aren't entiltled to be given a house free of charge by the state as is this case in some arab countries, we have to work ###### hard for everthing we get!

If you'd looked last week I was in the UK a few weeks before that I was in Italy (While I am an expat, my base is the UK) - Yes I know how hard it is to make a living in the UK.

Free House!

I don't want free anything (I know its a lie)

Contrary to popular believe the UK is not a wealthy nation anymore

The facts are against you, the UK is one of the richest nations in the world.

,we have a health system which at best is second rate, MRSA is a major issue in 99% of hosipitals and the majority of health trusts are in financial crisis.

The education system has been stripped to the bone, my son can no longer play football at his school because the goverment sold off the playing field !!

99% !!! Are you sure?!

The department of health and social security is at breaking point because we have a country full of immagrants and asylum seekers living in plush houses provided by the goverment, and ultimately the tax payer, me !!!!

If you took the foreigners out of the NHS it would collapse..... I pay taxes in the UK too.

The United Kingdom is a ghost of its former self, the quality of life for your average person is a liitle bit over poor. People who do have money normally work bloody hard for it, they don't have it as a birth-right.

Spend a bit of time there and see what you think !

Well I was living there, working and paying taxes just two years ago - Have things changed that quickly?

I was back there before I came here, things looked pretty good to me, friends and family seemed to be doing very well (and happy to tell me so). Lots of money about, my local medical practice was much improved with two more doctors and a staff nurse added these past two years.

Maybe my eyes and ears deceived me.

Oh and my brother, who employs 60+ staff in in his company was singing the praises of the three Polish lads he had recently taken on (The ecconomy and consequently his business is doing well) - 'Well educated, hard working and proactive' was his comment.

Strangely no British people applied for the jobs - and no he's not paying 'desperate immigrant rates.

Well GuestHouse for the seccond time well posted. The UK is as it was and I am SURE it will always be, a great country for those who are willing to give it their best

Perhaps these British Expats who bleat on about the UK should be invited to recind their citizenship and rights to ever go back.

(Sadly they can't do that)

I for one am sick of hearing them droan on about the UK and what ever their particular gripe is - OK they have a right to say what they want. but I'd appreciate if they at least tried to come up with something they thought up for themselves.

I guess it never occurs to them that if they had been born in Thailand they'd like as not be sitting on a street corner trying to make a living as a Motorbike taxi driver.

As it is the UK gave them education, health care, the oportunities and work while the boom in the UK ecconomy (and property market) has given them a chance to live where they like.

Well said

The word farang is very old and has done the rounds of the world.

If anyone is really interested in the origin, note the following.

It was originally Germanic and described the Franks who were so heavy handed in the crusades they earned all Europeans the name Ferenghi.

The French may not like this but their country is named after the Franks too (German = Frankreich)

Even our own word foreigner is a corruption of the same.

And the pronunciation is entirely depend on region and folk.

Hope this helps.

Many years ago I asked the origin of the word, I was told that it developed from the Thai inability to pronounce the words French and foreigner

From the UK point of view we have a Savings & Loan called Nationwide that issues ATM cards with no charges which gives the onshore rate and seems to do it live as well. Two drawings on one of my Nationwide cards 1 minute apart this week gave differing exchange rates of 68.662 & 68.657.

If your from the UKThe Nationwide is the card to use, no charge for overseas use, the rates are good and the swift transfer is excellent