jcgodber

Ants are a problem! I have tried to store some food items in plastic zip lock bags but if the little bugger really wants to get in and eat the food they will chew thru to plastic bag.

Some items I keep in the refrigerator just to keep the ants away sugar etc.

In the southwest and south of the U.S. there is a very real problem with what are called “fire ant”. One day I was watching a television program dealing with fire ants. It seems that outdoor workers that simply can’t avoid the little critters have resorted to wearing fur leggings wrapped around each foot. It was discovered that the ants are extremely reluctant to “climb “ over the fur thus offering protection to the wearer.

Employing this principal I reasoned that ants would also avoid trekking across my medium knap area 5’ X 8’rug placed under my dining room table.

This has worked VERY well. Anytime now when I want to set some food item down “temporarily” like fresh baked cookie to cool, I know that the ants will stay away.

Jim

I will be traveling thru Khorat from my home in Sa Kaeo.

I have a shopping list of things that I need.

New REAL copy of Windows XP home

new hard drive

PC Bluetooth usb adapt.

Folding wireless keycoard for my Nokia N80

My first guess would be - go look in The Mall but i suspect there is a better place to look. Any ideas

Thanks ,

Jim

For what its worth, I have been told that the prices will drop substantially after the first of the year. I am looking to buy a 50 to 55 inch flat screen.

Jim

Perhaps with hard work and perseverance Thailand can become #1

This is very shameful.

I am looking to buy a virtual laser keyboard for use with my Nokia N80 Smartphone. Does anyone know just where to find it in the Bangkok area? The obvious answer would be the Pantip Plaza,

But has anyone actually seen it there or elsewhere?

Jim

When I retired I shipped everything I owned to Thailand in a container. I lived in the Los Angeles area and use a shipping company named Rama Shipping. They have offices both in L.A. and BKK. The container was deliveries straight to my front door way out, 170 kilometers east from Bangkok. The container was NEVER opened. I had a complete list of absolutely everything the container contents that I had supplied to Rama Shipping. I took just about to the day 30 days.

Jim

I have and I recommend Dynasat,

http://www.dynasat.com/

I got very

Tired of paying the exorbanate prices of somewhere around 20,000 baht per year to UBC

I had my dealer here in Sa Kaeo come out to my house to install a Dynasat move. The man had to call the people from Bangkok (Dynasat) to come to my home to help him with the install. The system now works perfectly. As I recall I spent around 20,000 baht for everything. I now get most of the same channels as UBC , from the Philippines.

Jim

I have and I recommend Dynasat,

http://www.dynasat.com/

I got very

Tired of paying the exorbanate prices of somewhere around 20,000 baht per year to UBC

I had my dealer here in Sa Kaeo come out to my house to install a Dynasat move. The man had to call the people from Bangkok (Dynasat) to come to my home to help him with the install. The system now works perfectly. As I recall I spent around 20,000 baht for everything. I now get most of the same channels as UBC , from the Philippines.

Jim

Merlin if you like to experiment try this -

1 cup water

2/3 cup sourdough starter

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cups whole wheat bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons

Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

Select Whole Wheat bread cycle and start machine.

Makes one (2 pound) loaf.

This is some of the best whole wheat bread I have ever had.

Jim from Sa Kaeo

Here ya go ! It is my understanding that-

Siam Motors ( Siam Housecars ?) in Bangkok is building and selling motor homes that are made here in Thailand

In a land where the Toyota Camry is 1.5 million baht , God only know just how expencive this would be.

A Google seach will find it

Jim

I live in a small village and used to have that problem. The letter carrier used to drop all of my mail into a large basket at the very small store in the village instead of going to the trouble of leaving my mail in my well-marked letterbox. Everyone in the village had the opportunity to sort through all the mail and quite often I would find my mail opened.

I stopped all of this by opening a Post Office box and that was the end of most problems.

Jim

I never use any kind of a mix. You can just toss the ingredients into the bake pan and it will turn out great.

One small problem with the whole-wheat flour would be possible weevils.

To avoid that problem store your flour in the freezer.

You can buy whole wheat flour at most Top's mkts and some Tesco Lotus Mkts I think

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

2/3 tsp. salt

1 1/3 tsp. brown sugar

2 c. whole-wheat flour

2 c. bread flour

1 1/3 c. water

2 1/2 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. Yeast

Jim From Sa Kaeo

I too am concerned about mosquito control. I want to clear the little buggers off my 2 rai of land. I am now looking to buy what some of the government people are using-

a hand carried thermal foggers, pulse jet-

Anyone know where to find here in Thailand??? I know there here, I just have to find it.

A while back, about 2 years ago, my wife and I joined up with a touring caravan sponsored by Tri- Petch Isuzu in Bangkok. We made the trip starting from Surin and then made our entry into Cambodia at Chong Chom. Isuzu organized everything. We had a Cambodian military liaison that lead the convoy and made everything smooth. Speaking of smooth, nothing else was. The road to Siem Reip is one of the worse I have ever seen. At first we tried to avoid the bumps but soon understood that the entire road is all a big bump. The best plan was to adjust your speed so that you would “fly” over most of the bumps. I kid you not, I know people that placed a pillow on top of their head to soften the blow with the roof.

We have traveled just about everywhere in Thailand and even into Laos with Isuzu. Isuzu “Tri Petch” is very, very good. They took care of all the permits, insurance and supplied the caravan with an Ambulance and medics and a complete break down truck with an expert mechanic. The trip is a full day and we arrived at out hotel before dark. I should mention that we all had 4-wheel drives. I would like to go again. After the first of the year we will be driving into and around Viet Nam.

Jim

I have seen the trucks roaming around Sa Kaeo in the past. It is my understanding that the dogs are sold in vietnam for about 1000 baht.

Jim

If I’m not mistaking the casings for sausage are made from sterilized pigs intestine OR I have seen some kind of plastic that must removed.

Jim

icqodber

Cheers for that I have a friend that is bringing me a mincer and some skins when he comes next to Thailand if he remembers ! the one thing I can't find here are the skins.

If your friend "forgets to bring you a mincer "grinder" not to worry as they can be found everywhere here in Thailand and are very cheap , or, as I said just have any meat seller mince it for you.

The one thing that you really MUST have would be the spice sauSAGE "SAGE" I know that that can be bought at any of the big stores like Tesco or Big C.

Good luck,

Jim

The reason that I make patty sausage is because I not sure of just how to get the sausage stuffed into a casing or skin

'mgc'

I can't help you very much as I live about 170 K east from BKK

But you could do the same as I do for sausage, make your own and it is dead easy.

In the market place where you shop get 1 kilo good pork and get 1/2 kilo pork fat.

Have the people there in the market mix both and pass thru the grinder 2 times. after the spices and ground pork blend over night in the fridge I then put individual servings in zip lock bags and form a patty then freeze.

Jim

Hot Country Style Sausage

2 1/2 lbs boneless pork butt or shoulder

pork fat

2 1/2 tsp rubbed sage

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground white or black pepper

1 1/2 tsp marjoram

1 tsp crushed red chile

1/2 tsp savory

1/2 tsp ground cayenne chile

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Cut the meat (and fat, if necessary) into chunks. Spread out on a pie

pan or cookie sheet and place in the freezer to chill (not long enough

to freeze, just long enough to become firm). Grind the meat and fat

together twice, using a coarse blade. Add the spices to the meat and

fat mixture and knead it in thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at

least a couple of hours or overnight. The sausage can be stuffed into

prepared casings or formed into patties or appropriate bulk portions

and refrigerated for up to 3 days before use after which any remaining

should be frozen.

Andy-

I use a Solomon USB GPRS modem I think just about any Telewiz has them I have used one with both my desktop and my laptop . They will work anywhere in Thailand if there is a cell phone signil.

I think that the prices have come down also.

<link removed>

Quick! get a tetanus Shot

And don't bleed on the olives if someone else is going to be eatting them

I have heard all of the ideas for tranfering cash into Thailand.

The very best that I have so far found, that REALLY works is to simply write a personal check and deposit it into my Thai bank account at Siam City Bank, The charge for this is 220 baht .There is no charge from Bank of America

There is no other charges anywhere. The one down side is that the whole operation takes 37 days this last time.

But hay! so what. Just how much money did I lose for the 37 day on $5000.00 not much.

Plus I have all the documentation up on the Bank of America website with a picture of my check both front and back. I also have the proof of all my funds that I have brought into the country.

I will continue to use this plan until I hear some other plan that is bullitproof.

BLACK THUMB

Orchids-

I have many orchids that we have bought in the past. The orchids are in hanging planters made using a coconut shells as a planter.

Question! How to I get the orchids to start growing on the side of a tree?

I have removed ½ the coconut shell and using some black plastic mesh simply wired the orchid to a tree in my front yard.

Will this work? I have seen similar plants around Thailand in the past.

Thanks for any input,

Jim

I am a non UBC user and am getting all of 900 + channels in whatever languages they are speaking. The problem is probably not solar flares

When you and your wife return to Thailand you want your wife to enter using her Thai Passport, don’t even mention that she is also an American citizen. My Thai wife is also an American BUT in Thailand we never mention that fact. When she enters Thailand she will not have to worry about visas and such things. Your wife as a Thai citizen will be able to buy land.

Whenever we travel back to the U.S. my wife carries both passports. Here in Thailand at the airline counter she shows her American Passport and then puts it away. At the Immigration checkpoint she then show her Thai Passport.

Returning to Thailand she simply shows her Thai Passport.

One very important thing that no one here has mentioned—

Your wife as a Thai citizen can take advantage of the Thai Customs laws. “ Once in a Thai’s life when returning from abroad may ship all of ones household and personal goods duty free.

In addition to all of my wife furniture and stuff she also brought her “ Drill press, Table saw, a garage full of tools, bicycles and absolutely everything else we owned including a Honda power mower. I very strongly considered bringing my golf cart and was going to attach a reel mower and claim the whole rig was a riding lawn mower but my shipping company talked me out of it. My fully packed container was shipped from the U.S. to my front door here in Sa Kaeo without the container ever being opened.

Good luck, Jim

I used my Siam City Bank ATM card this morning with no probem.

There seems to be a lot of bogus information out there from people who are not even here.

Jim