klikster

The one I never want another run-in with is a Rove Beetle. I determined that's what happened to me much later after the incident -- had never heard of the critters.

I spent weeks recovering from the equivalent of 3rd degree burns. Mine were really severe, several inches in diameter on several places on my foot and leg. I must have gotten one / some of them in my "Plastic / fake Wellies" while I was cutting the lawn. Probably squashed one .. or more.

Apparently they like to live in grass.

http://www.environme...rovebeetles.htm

When I first actually met my wife for the first time we had been communicating by email for 4-5 months. I drove to her city and checked into a hotel. A few days later she suggested I move to her room in brother's very nice home. Stayed for days, spent no money on anyone except my lady friend. Actually, I did sponsor a basket of flowers and modest gift of food (from the wife) for MIL at Christmas.

After we decided to marry, I moved back to the city and stayed in brother's house for several weeks while looking for a rental. I don't actually remember spending any money on them -- actually felt a bit guilty.

But I did recently lend the BIL my Honda weed whacker -- but he has to buy his own gasoline.

Been living together for 4 years (married for 3). No sinsot. No wedding ceremony. No party.

Please don't attempt to stigmatize all Issan women because of the unfortunate attitudes of a few.

Oh, sure. Her "brother"...

Sorry, couldn't resist. Just kidding.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap

I think this post may be the last time I write about personal experiences. You should have resisted ..

Seriously? You took offense at that?

With all due respect I think you're being way too sensitive: it was meant 100% as a joke (I actually thought it was a pretty good one precisely because it wasn't true and meant as an ironic comment on the classic case of the "brother" but also the people who always assume the worst).

Nonetheless I sincerely apologize. Not only did I not genuinely not meant to imply anything about your family, I didn't even think it. (As I said earlier, I believed your story and enjoyed it)

I seldom take offense at innuendo coming in my direction. After all, I'm the one posting.

But innuendo concerning the character of my wife is extremely offensive to me.

It seems that making a joke on TV is all important to you. You even doubled down with another zinger, using a description about the house that I hadn't used in my post.

As far as your enjoyment and belief of my post, I don't give a d_mn!

When I first actually met my wife for the first time we had been communicating by email for 4-5 months. I drove to her city and checked into a hotel. A few days later she suggested I move to her room in brother's very nice home. Stayed for days, spent no money on anyone except my lady friend. Actually, I did sponsor a basket of flowers and modest gift of food (from the wife) for MIL at Christmas.

After we decided to marry, I moved back to the city and stayed in brother's house for several weeks while looking for a rental. I don't actually remember spending any money on them -- actually felt a bit guilty.

But I did recently lend the BIL my Honda weed whacker -- but he has to buy his own gasoline.

Been living together for 4 years (married for 3). No sinsot. No wedding ceremony. No party.

Please don't attempt to stigmatize all Issan women because of the unfortunate attitudes of a few.

Oh, sure. Her "brother"...

Sorry, couldn't resist. Just kidding.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap

I think this post may be the last time I write about personal experiences. You should have resisted ..

When I first actually met my wife for the first time we had been communicating by email for 4-5 months. I drove to her city and checked into a hotel. A few days later she suggested I move to her room in brother's very nice home. Stayed for days, spent no money on anyone except my lady friend. Actually, I did sponsor a basket of flowers and modest gift of food (from the wife) for MIL at Christmas.

After we decided to marry, I moved back to the city and stayed in brother's house for several weeks while looking for a rental. I don't actually remember spending any money on them -- actually felt a bit guilty.

But I did recently lend the BIL my Honda weed whacker -- but he has to buy his own gasoline.

Been living together for 4 years (married for 3). No sinsot. No wedding ceremony. No party.

Please don't attempt to stigmatize all Issan women because of the unfortunate attitudes of a few.

Thinking about putting up a chain link fence,it will keep every thing out except the snakes.

To me, this with the bougainvillea makes a great fence .. maybe a course or two of the thin concrete block to deter snakes.

Actually, I wonder if there is any reasonable fence that will keep snakes out. Some snakes live in holes. Ever seen one of those skinny green snakes climb a concrete wall? I had a devil of a time keeping a very determined one out of our attic.

Also, most concrete fences have openings to let water out after heavy rains. If you don't have those, you stand a good chance of erosion or a swamp.

Then there is the gate.

I don't ever recall seeing a gate that a cat cannot squirm under, wriggle through or climb over.

Then there are the rats ....

I've always been led to believe all of Phi Phi is a national park.

In reading the parks info on the Thai government website I also thought that to be that to be the case .. but are all the commercial establishments leased .. and legal?

I see than in other national parks, only portions of island are included as national park (Ang Thong) and some portions of an island are private. But also, Ko Chang is a NP.

All SW is pirated of course and will cause trouble sooner or later.

Recently bought the wife a desktop from banana IT it Tuk Com. They have OEM disks and software for purchase -- I bought W7. Great install, great service.

Many of the notebooks sold in Thailand have OEM english language software. I have an old Asus that had licenses OEM Vista preinstalled. If you ask, they will install pirated. If you are willing to pay, the reputable shops have legit W7.

I'm not sure if this is more a Krabi question or national parks question. I'm trying to figure out what portion (especially Phi Phi) is national park and what portion is private land.

I assume that the park jurisdiction applies to the beach areas, corals, maybe Ko Phi Phi Ley. But what portion of of Phi Phi Don (if any) is considered national park?

Thanks

The guys building in KK worked directly for Maphant/Shera. I thumbed through the plans -- a 1 cm+ thick bound set. Very professional.

They guy told us that they leave certain features showing, i.e., screw heads, so people can see how the houses are are put together. These may be geared to resorts.

Had occasion to stop by Thai Wasadu in KK yesterday. Maphant Group is building a demonstration house that appears to be 100% Shera + Maphant shingle roof screwed to a steel frame. It gives the impression of a stick-built house. They had some interesting materials and the design was really nice.

Anyone in the neighborhood, it's worth a look. Place is just north of the northern ring-road bypass -- opposite Do Home.

I have finished plans in hand for 160 sqm single-level house to be built on our 40 m wide x 20 m deep land in U. Muang, Khon Kaen. Have building permit already.

Electricity & muni water paid, arranged and waiting for our start date (don't want someone stealing 200+ m of 35mm aluminum cable -- or a water meter)

I need a good building crew. Prefer labor only. Either my wife or I will be on site daily -- like less than 1 km away.

Either post contact info here or send me a PM.

Note: Please, don't litter this thread with rants against Thai builders.

Regards

Klikster

you say you built tailpipes without a certified welder in your shop?

I am assuming these tailpipes were going on a thai aircraft is that correct?

beibg a certified aircraft welder myself i no you would not be able to fit these pipes to an Aircraft in australia

without the correct paperwork and it being signed off by a certified current aircraft welder, i am sure the same goes

for the U.S

As for the galley equipment that i think would be ok as not being a structural part of the aircraft or a critical component.

As for what you say about the welders i tend to agree to a certain extent if they are good welders can do the job

then great as long as you are happy with there work?

Are you a qualified welder?

just wondering

My shop was in Anaheim, California, the aircraft retrofitter was in Carlsbad, California. That work was done in late '70's. If you want to know the name of the company doing the retrofit, send me a PM.

" .. i am sure the same goes for the U.S"

Either you are wrong about requirements in the U. S. in the '70's or the retrofitter fudged. Or maybe because it was retrofit rather than OEM certification was not required.

As an aside, we had to have special Marman flange rings machined .. the small quantities in 321 alloy made meeting realistic schedules impossibe if ordering from Marman.

I am not a welder .. have never claimed to be a welder .. although I have done a little bit of MIG welding in my own shop. I owned a precision sheet metal facility. So, in short, I was "in the business" rather than being "in the trade/profession."

In previous years I worked for firms associated with suppiers of equipment for refinereries, i.e., air-cooled and shell & tube heat exchangers. I spent enough time in and around fab shops and in refineries troubleshooting equipment failures to pick up a bit of the lingo.

Someone laughed about my "climbing on piperacks" comment, but I recall climbing about 4 stories up a ladder to inspect a fan failure. Than was the Hess Oil refinery on St. Croix.

A coded welder is a common term and means a welder who has been practically tested and assessed in accordance with the governing specification / relevant codes of construction and the corrosponding WPS.

Common to whom?

Maybe it's a Brit thing .. or a yuppie welder thing. I have climbed around on more refinery pipe racks that I care to remember -- and sold shell & tube heat exchangers built to TEMA codes, I never heard a welder say he was "coded".

"ASME VIII, or ANSI 31.3, ANSI 31.8 "

These are all codes. I think most U S. welders would say they are qualified or certified to/under a specific code. The reason is, a 'coded' welder for ASME may not be 'coded' for nuclear vessel work -- dontcha think!

Maybe if you didn't toss around so many initials --

"I have not mixed the term certifed/coded, as under most of the common construction standards there is no "certifed" welder defintion per se"

Maybe not 'per se' -- but 'per code'.

"In your example not using a "certifed" welder, I am not up to speed on aircraft maintenance specification .."

Then why comment on something you don't know about? I know it's your style, but your style can be very off-putting.

Better read up on what is an airframe, what is a powerplant, etc -- or would you have 'coded' welders doing the stainless galley equipment. In our case, the power-plant mfg made the design, we fabricated it, they inspected them -- and none dropped from the sky.

There are loads of very good coded welders in Thailand, the ones welding roof trusses in these examples are not welders, they are rod burners.

Okay, what's a "coded" welder. I have never heard that term used outside these threads of yours. I have heard "code" welder .. but "coded"? Are you perhaps mixing "code" and "certified"?

And while I'm on a rant ..

Just because a welder is not certified doesn't necessarily mean s/he cannot do precision quality welding. In my shop we built several sets of tailpipes for piston engine to turbo-prop conversion on twin engine private aircraft. 321 stainless, .032", transitions from 12" diameter to 10 " diameter going through 2 offsets. All butt welds.

And all without a "coded" welder in the shop.

This is a good thread because it runs counter to the conventional wisdom on this forum (at least among Americans) that private hospitals are best.

Why do you want to 'nationalize' this thread? Please feel free not to speak for me. I'm a U.S. American and one who touted Srinakarin.

This is becoming a worse thread with the type of comments you made,

Should read . then she met an " old fool " on an internet dating site. They both lived happy until his money ran out.

Why do you advance cliches like that? Everyone who met his wife on the internet is an "old fool"? Maybe better an "old fool" than a "old/young tool" with 10 posts.

NKP is a great place. Everything you need there and pretty laid back.

thanks for response so far.

let you know the result.

Please do. Threads like these are important to all us old-timers.

Probably best in Isan is Srinakarin in Khon Kaen. It is associated with KKU, has the Queen Sirikit Heart Center, which happens to be a Government Hospital

......you make your own luck!

+2

Suggest that you have a trusted Thai contact the Orbator/Tessaban-Tumbon for you. We just got a design done by the engineer working at the Orbator. We (wife, actually) picked the guy because;

• He is an engineer and the plans get an "engineers" stamp
  
• Does preliminary work for the Architect at Orbator
  
• Issues house numbers
  
• Offered to do a prelim, changes, then final plans for about Bt13,000
  

He also completed 2 rounds of modest changes and did so within days.

If requested, and for a modest extra fee, the architect will look the plans over and give an 'architect's' stamp. If the house needs to be financed by the bank, that part of the process is required and is more expensive.

Those folks have lots of free stock designs as well. You will normally need permission to build, and a house number, before you can get electricity and water.

As far as builder, I'm sure they can recommend someone .. but look at houses in your area that you like and find out who built them.

As for one 'farang' builder I emailed, "lump-sum including architect". I didn't get a pleasant feeling from the exchange.

It's probably 90% that we will be using CPAC, likely the Monier series, maybe gray.

Will you have a ceiling or an open roof space? If an open space, adequate height is important for temperature control without A/C.

The angle of the roof is also a crucial factor for the lasting of the roof cladding. Generally, the steeper the roof, the longer your tiles or shingles will last.

More than an aesthetic issue, I'd say.

Will have a ceiling.

My reason for posting with the word 'Asthetic' was to try and find the most visually appealing roof / wall relationship.

After a run-in with one of these critters, I am very careful about walking barefoot in gass.

One can ruin your month and scar you for life. Think 2nd and 3rd degree burns!

Roughly translated as แมลงน้ำกรด

What the heck is that thing, and did just one of them do that damage, and did it happen to you?

And how big is it?

The thing is called something to the effect of 'acid insect'. They are actually pretty small, about 3-4 cm long. I'm not sure if it was one or more, and I think it got inside my boots when I was cutting my lawn. Apparently they like to live in grass.

That photo is not me, but my leg was just as severe.

I had never heard about those insects when it happened. At first I though it was a gout attack as my toes started hurting. I hadn't felt any stings. That night I got chills and next day my leg was pink from toe to just above my knee. It took several days to blister.

The thing got my foot and leg. My blisters were mainly on 4 areas. The worst were on top of my feet, behind the toes. Another cluster on my heel and another severe spot on my calf.

The blisters burst and the skin sort of died. About 30% of the area of my lower leg was raw -- down to the flesh. It took almost a month to recover, daily rituals of hydrogen peroxide followed by boiled water followed by medicated gauze then wrapped from toe to knee.

All the time I'm sleeping with my leg on a towel on a plastic sheet because of the ooze. Now my leg is scarred like it had been burned. Well, it actually -- apparently -- is an acid burn.

Months later we saw some folks on TV with similar problems and an entomologist explained about the insect.

You don't want these thing anywhere around you. All the have to do is crawl around on you. If you see one on an arm or leg, flick it off quickly with -- something. Whatever you do, don't squash it. Maybe that what I did inadvertently when it was inside my boot.

It that isn't enough, the entomologist had one in a jar and it had wings.