WaiWai

Easy to pop a slice of lime or orange into your glass.

Mix up some of the readily-available sliced fruits in a blender and add a dash to your plain/soda water. Certain other herbs, like mint, work well, too. Also, ginger.

(I am not really familiar with the drinks you are looking for.)

I believe I saw this promoted somewhere, too, in one of the many free local tourist-oriented magazines. Sorry, but I forget which.

Perhaps try calling the hotel?

A charity event or just a birthday celebration?

If you are considering taking on a cat or a dog, I hope you are secure in Thailand and have no plans to leave the country for at least the next 15 years.

Yes, a very important consideration. You can move some pets to some other nearby countries without too much trauma to the animal, but you need to investigate the options. This research can be part of the learning process for your kid/s.

TRAZ57, are you able to tell us much about how the woman's pain management was handled?

I think that is something of much concern to all of us; for ourselves as well as for others.

That is totally unalike the Thai language where even a slight change in sound can not be interpreted by many Thais.

I very much suspect that this "issue" is the result of some Thais' inability/reluctance to tune in to foreigners' use of their language rather than the tonal/phonic structure of Thai (not an "issue" confined to Thailand, of course). In context, gross misinterpretations are highly unlikely. By far the greatest part of communication is believed to be non-verbal and Thai is a high-context culture.

Thank you very much, TRAZ57, for your informative and helpful post.

Agreed, thank you TRAZ57.

Mods, can TRAZ57's post be pinned, I'm sure it will be useful to others in the future.

JxP

Absolutely.

Thank you for taking the trouble to post this.

Any recommendations for air-conditioners? (Brands, where to buy, good service etc.)?

I struggle to call any particular region/class' pronunciation more correct than the other. In Lao (and Northern Thai) there's no R at all, and people use 'L' or 'H' in words where central or Southern Thais would put a Thai R.

I'd answer the same to Thais who tell me they're ashamed because they can't speak accent-less English. There is no such thing. Even within the British Isles there isn't a single correct way to pronounce just about any English word. So it's OKAY to speak with an accent, be it a Thai, German, French, Ozzie or Cockney one.

Spot on.

Sorry to say, it's usually the self-appointed English teachers one observes in shops and restaurants who most like to act as accent-Nazis, particularly with focus on single sounds which do vary widely with dialect and rarely affect meaning as much as stress & intonation, say.

That's not love of language, Lanna or farang .

While you might be rescuing one of these creatures from the markets, you'd also be supporting the existence of such businesses.

For that reason, I'd look at the pets available from the rescue centres, such as "Care for Dogs" (just google).

Rimping stock "Jo's Best Gewuerzgurken" from Jo's Bakery in Hang Dong - 85 baht for a decent-sized jar..... excellent flavour/texture and I get through a jar a week. "Jo's Best" pickled onions also not bad for the price (also 85 baht if I remember right) - but lack some of the flavour of what Brits know from back home (Haywards etc). All in all, I'd take just about all their pickled stuff (inc. sauerkraut) over any of the competition - until you start paying 300+ % more for imported British/German/American brands.

Agree that Jo's pickles are usually very good (despite the odd limp one, which is probably unavoidable ) and good value.

Mind you, it's not difficult to make your own:

- Polskie Ogorki recipe -

Cuisine: Polish

· Ingredients

3 quarts Water

Fresh Dill

1 quart white vinegar

Garlic Cloves

Table Salt

Small Cucumbers (basket)

*Note: If some of the units or abbreviations look unfamiliar to you, click here.

· Method

Your cucumbers have to be firm and crisp. Scrub cucumbers with vegetable brush, removing all sand and dirt. Combine water and vinegar and bring to a boil. If more water is required make certain you use the same ratio 3/1 water and vinegar.

Place a sprig of dill and 2-3 cloves of garlic into each quart jar. Pack cucumbers in jar and top with dill and garlic. To get as many as possible in the space, put them in upright, in circles following the lines of the glass. Don't squeeze them so tight that you break the skins. Bruised cucumbers are no good.

Add 1 tablespoon salt to each jar. Pour hot water and vinegar over cucumbers. Seal immediately. Place into hot water bath for approximately 15 minutes.

Delicious and guaranteed to remain firm.

I think some countries would have a problem due to agricultural pests/food restrictions.

Yes, exactly. Australia is very strict, for example (and rightly so).

Other countries are less vigilant.

I know that some people use popcorn (popped, obviously) for packaging.

Much more environmentally friendly.

You might need to check regulations of countries to which you are sending.

... snip ... That's why the chorus of "who cares what anyone else thinks of my relationship" is so commonly piped here.

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun WaiWai,

I hear Thai men pronouncing it as Khrap or even more simple Kap

You did not get past the second word of that post? I am still pondering it -- I find it difficult to decipher how much sarcasm K. orang is deploying (but certainly appreciate his missives & missiles).

Also, be warned -- the thread can be closed for use of languages other than English!

I'd say that "not being stoned to death" for minor social infractions would qualify has having far more rights! Overall Thai women have the exact same rights under Thai law that Thai men have.

Punishments for men are pretty harsh in some countries, too -- but point taken.

Rights for Thai women (or Thai/non-ethnic Thai girls/boys who are poor) may be equal under the law but I doubt you would argue that they are so in reality.

(That's why the chorus of "who cares what anyone else thinks of my relationship" is so commonly piped here. Here -- where what others think may almost define you!

[ Winnie:] Um, that would still be other people's definition wouldn't it? So people may or may not care about that.

Yes, of course. It's just interesting that foreigners seem to need to voice this idea so frequently here. (1. It suggests that they sense something is amiss and that they do care. 2. It's a little funny to hear this in Thailand, as it's such a very collectivist culture, where others' opinions do define a person to an extent to which many foreigners are unaccustomed.)

I'm afraid this is not possible to employ people legally without work permits if they are not Thai. Normal Thai laws apply. If they are Thai you can employ them directly and pay cash.

Walen School

Thanks, macwalen.

That is true. There will ALWAYS be people who exploit others for their own gain, and it's more evident in third world countries than in the western cultures.

Yep. Precisely why our actions as individuals here matter ...

All I'm saying is SOME of those third world countries are slowly changing and providing more opportunities for more people. As a whole, women in western cultures have far more rights than women in Asian cultures. And, women in most Asian cultures have far more rights than in many Moslem countries and certain countries in Africa.

That might be true on the whole ... but the particularities are debatable. I am not at all sure I'd say Thai girls/women(poor people/folk of certain ethnicities, etc.) are amongst those with "far more rights" in Asia.

(That's why the chorus of "who cares what anyone else thinks of my relationship" is so commonly piped here. Here -- where what others think may almost define you!).

This touches on something I have been wondering about lately. Walen may know the answer.

For foreigners, are there restrictions on employing Thais/non-Thais for labour/construction etc.? If we rent property, are we free to be the direct employer of Thais/non-Thais as gardeners, etc?

P.S. Does visa status affect this?

It's not a vacant wish list, gatorhead. It's the truth if you would actually spend a little time helping others. No, you can't save the world, but if you can make just one tiny part of the world a better place for a few people then you've done more than most people. I've done that with a few Thai families I've helped and I've seen the progress.

Agreed. The "realities of life" line of argument is often no more than a rationalization.

In Thailand, though, so many aspects of the culture mitigate against positive change (perhaps most evidently in the "relationships" zone -- relationships of all kinds, I mean). Some foreigners exploit this, or at least are willing to go along with these circumstances.

At the root of the question, "Is love possible in Chiang Mai?" may be the issue of freedom and choice, neither of which could be said to be available as freely or widely here as in other parts of the world.

I used to buy 1 gallon plastic casks of the real deal Kalamata Greek olives in Cali for about $5 from Middle Eastern shops. Really. I gallon, about $5.

Mmmm ... salt cravings.

What's happened to the Pickle King pickles?

"The greater the social and cultural distances between people, the more magical the light that can spring from their contact."

Does that "light" also cast "deeper" shadows ?

Undoubtedly, I think ... and the light tends to dim and the shadows to deepen with the passing of time, more so than when the distances are not so great.

While it may be true that love "can be found" anywhere, there's no question that being in a very different culture with very different norms & expectations about relationships (amongst many other aspects of & attitudes to life) can have quite a dislocating effect.

Similarly, local attitudes to & expectations about foreigners come in to play.

This is an interesting factor to consider while pondering the probability of "finding love in Chiang Mai".

(I suspect the OP may have had such considerations in mind.)

Anyone willing to define regularity in men/women/relationships (esp. inter-cultural relationships)?

IanForbes does come up with some good posts now and then. I agree, very true.

Indeed, he does ... and is one of the least judgemental & most open posters, too. (I find those two qualities often go hand in hand).

No, such stories are by no means exceptional in Thailand.

Poor kid.

Am I alone in thinking there's a great deal of family manipulation happening here? Media connections?

If so, doubly poor kid .

Mmm, yes ... pickled onions ... used to be alarge jar on the counter of all the fish & chips shops in Oz.

Green olives are not too hard to locate here but where to get lovely big black non-tinned Kalamata olives?

Can those of you with these pools please post or p.m. details of companies, costs etc?