tutsiwarrior

I'd even speculate that most places would use the local red curry paste dissolved in coconut milk as a base (like most other thai 'gaengs' that use the red paste) then toss in the lemon grass and galangal that both give the tom yum it's distinctive flavor and simmer a bit then add the shrimp and other ingredients like mushrooms, etc and simmer...toss in the garnishes at the end like cilantro, limes and a splash of fish sauce then serve...

gonna havta try that meself one ob dese days...tutsi's quick and easy falang tom yum goong...('hey, I never thought of that...' 'well, you know, them falangs have all been to college...'

thb400 including delivery for a 15kg bottle where I live in Suphanburi...dude humps it up the stairs to the family kitchen on the shop house 1st floor rear terrace...my kitchen is on the ground floor but I use a lot less cooking gas than them with fewer deliveries...

1 hour ago, seajae said:

we have them all around our house as we have a lake over flow area behind the house. We throw out our scraps etc and they come to our back fence to eat it, virtually eat everything we throw out to them and a couple are pretty big but most are just over a metre/4' long

yeah, we got the same arrangement but it's an overflowing klong behind our house...a huge nesting area for birds and etc and the lizards don't need any assistance keeping themselves fed having no predators themselves...there useta be a massive one over 2m from nose to tail, musta weighed over 200kgs...I useta call him/her 'big fella', he/she useta lay in repose nearby the house to see if he could grab one of the local feral cats...successful on occasion and if it was a tomcat would help keep the feral cat population down...a civically minded big lizard...

in the photo it doesn't have the usual distinctive markings, we got loads in the flooded undeveloped land behind our shop house...harmless and very timid but they can move very quickly when they want to, they usually eat birds and their eggs and cute furry little kitty cats gamboling and unaware...torn limb from limb by powerful prehistoric jaws, etc...

28 minutes ago, 80sboy said:

Cheers, I have surfed there plenty have fam in Makasar but just keen to learn about Thailand breaks. Ta 

from what I've heard there is rideable surf on the andaman coast north of Phuket but the conditions havta be right, swell and direction, etc...otherwise most places it's just glorified wind chop and not worth the effort of paddling out...

I useta travel between Jeddah in saudi and Doha in Qatar often and a security check was common before folks coming off the plane in Doha were allowed in the air side transit area, remove shoes, laptops, etc...a big PITA as the folks in Jeddah were very thorough...but we endured as the next stop was the airport business class lounge with their excellent bar and buffet, best I've seen anywhere...with free a la carte if desired and a nice wine selection...'and what can I get you today?' 'red Bordeaux, please' 'we have a selection of three today...'

lawd today...

On 5/20/2019 at 1:29 PM, Leondrea56 said:

Increases the building protein in hair strands to decrease hair breakage
castor oil Heals scalp damage and improves the natural growth cycle of hair
Locks moisture in dry hair and makes them soft and smooth.

helps ye to shit too...

don't know about Thailand but there's a nice right point break near Pelabuhanratu on the south coast of west Java and it's a bit of a chore to get there from Jakarta but the journey there is very scenic...but it's got nasty coral and I left a chunk off my left foot there about 25 years ago...surfers travel there for the break and stay in shacks by the beach but the accommodation in town is very nice...a sensational but cheap restaurant on a bluff overlooking the indian ocean with average food with cheap cabin accommodation available...

west coast Sumatra is nice from what I hear with many christian enclaves (batak places) not subjected to javanese muslim fundamentalist hooliganism that has been a problem recently...get yerself some pork BBQ and a bintang beer when ye get outta the water...('hey! let's go surfin'!!!' 'nah can't be bothered, anymore of that bintang left? where'd that girl last night say that she lived?')

16 hours ago, whitemouse said:

There are Circle K shops on every corner; every step in HCMC in Vietnam, they are exactly the same, small, cheap shops that carry everything 711 do. 

 

There are mom and pap shops everywhere in small towns, that carry everything 711 do. 

 

Also, you neglected to mention everything in Vietnam street shops is half price, compared to Thailand. If you need reasons to  argue against Vietnam, you need to do much better job. 

wasn't too impressed with the circle K shops, no spirits or wine, nothing stronger than beer...mostly good for snack foods, soft drinks and beer...and no ice!!! impossible to find ice anywhere in downtown Hanoi, havta to go around with a plastic bag and beg ice offa restaurants, a sad state of affairs...no one has an ice machine, not even the restaurants, everyone just buys big bags of ice and keeps them in a cooler...

vodka and mixers without ice is like a day without sunshine...

easier to just remember that VN is an authoritarian country run by the VN CP...they fought long and hard to maintain their territorial integrity and to expel imperialist powers (including the chinese in 1979) at great cost and don't tolerate no criticism...whether or not they are marxist is another argument...

2 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Still hoping some knowledgable person can give me some idea of what to expect arriving and going through customs with personal belongings (all used and obviously only for personal use) like 32 inch computer monitor, bicycle ($3,000 racing bike), laptop, etc.

from my understanding a few years ago all shipped personal belongings are taxed by customs 100% as if they were new and unused...most of the stuff that you bring in yer luggage should be OK...but as things continually change the 100% tax may not exist any longer...an associate wanted to ship a luxury motorbike (a big motoguzzi) from Malaysia in 2010 and was told that he'd havta pay the 100% tax...

they got shipping agents in VN like everywhere else, best to see what they say...

6 hours ago, gunderhill said:

your'e  truly  mad Tutsi????

always glad to entertain...

windows and doors closed with heavy black out curtains in the bedroom with AC at full blast...tutsi is under the covers with his kindle and any unwanted intrusion insect human or otherwise is met with a flame thrower...very low tech but effective...

the stepdaughter folds her arms and cocks her hip 'but tutsi I thought that yew liked them singin' 

birds on the terrace outside yer window' and then tutsi gets all Ralph Kramden and sez 'better get outta here or I'll set yer fat ass aflame!!!'...'falang baa! my ass is not fat just generously proportioned...and btw we're gonna need some extra dinero/kotang fer this and that'

arrgh...

8 hours ago, Mahseer said:

For those with an eye on Nha Trang and fancy some seafood stay away from the places on the beach amongst the hotels and head north and over the bridge. First soi on your left is Thap Ba where you'll get far better value and you can get your selection priced straight out of the tanks. There are several restaurants there so take your pick and if you are happy with prices take a seat. Don't recommend the mantis shrimp which are a pain to open (even with scissors) and flesh isn't the greatest anyway but each to their own.

 

If by chance you find yourself in Quy Nhon head 12kms north to Bai Xep where you can get decent sized live lobster for around 1,000baht. Wife devoured the lot and I got a sniff of the shell. Nice. Note Nha Trang has massive farmed lobster operations but we didn't try there so can't compare.

up in Ha Tinh we went for lunch at a new resort just north of Ky Anh town and got lobster, shrimp and the nicest squid I'd ever had...didn't cost much as the whole meal for 6 adults was about $15 per head...talked to the chef (via my local pal) and asked where he got his fish and he said the boats come up to the beach early am outside as they head in to port and he gets first pick of the catch then they carry on to the market dock where they sell the rest...he's the biggest purchaser so he gets the cream...a memorable meal except they didn't have any bier Ha Noi which is my fave...that watery Saigon Beer seems to have captured the market these days...

9 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

How about foodcourts concept in shopping Malls does that exist in Vietnam?

 

food courts in malls in Thailand are simply a collection of food stalls sorta like you useta find in the street and in traditional markets, etc...in my experience in VN there aren't many street food stalls and most prepared food outlets have a basic sit down premises, at the markets you may find a place where you can sit and get a bowl of noodles but that's about it...

hence no food courts in VN shopping malls, plenty of restaurants however...a few weeks ago down in Ha Tinh city at the new Vincom mall got a fantastic korean BBQ lunch (pork and seafood) for about $10 per head incl self serve salads and sushi, cheap VN beer and soft drinks extra ...

I have a niece that had brittle hair by her scalp and one day some years ago we were at Samitivej in BKK for her grandma to be looked at and I said for her to go and see the doctor about her hair problem...we got my MiL's business over with quickly but the niece with the hair problem stayed for awhile, seems like the docs couldn't figure out if it was a hair or a scalp problem...they prescribed a ton of stuff and wanted her to come back but we never bought the stuff and never went back...

I've seen her recently and I said lets have a look and now she has a healthy mane that delightfully sets off her other attributes (full flavored 20 something T&A) and then I wondered if the problem was a hormonal thing attached to her age that the docs at the hosp didn't pick up on at the time...

'nice hair, babe...' 'nice hair yerself, uncle tutsi...' unappreciative little vixen...

got an SMS today from BKK Bank to advise that they had received my US SSA payment...not surprised as I had called Ms Supatra at the main office in BKK to confirm the arrangement about 2 months ago...my account was enabled with IAT for transfers when I opened the account two years ago...

13 minutes ago, CaptainJack said:

Good grief! Need to go buy some breathing masks today just in case. Geez....

 

PS. I'm in a 2 story apartment building so I don't have as bad a risk of there is an earthquake. 

 

 

eeeyow! imagine living in Cuernavca 'Under the volcano'...Geoffry Firmin looks up from his glass of mezcal and 'mutters 'sheesh, what next?'

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Si, Colombia!

But a certain line in their national anthem might be a problem for me.????

 

 

 

Much better in Spanish.

"They" say that Colombian women are exceptionally beautiful, but hey. the men ain't chopped liver either.

 

the chilenas reckon that they got it all over other Latin american women as from the heavy western european heritage they are more light haired and light skinned...middle aged women in tight clothing fancying themselves as 'ninas'...gotta admit that I saw some nice talent in the main shopping precinct in Providencia in Santiago...I was just an itinerant engineer and a bum but I had lotsa money and pleasured myself with women from the escort services, USD100 a pop in 1996...even got friendly with one and we would hang around, I had a nice ground floor flat with a garden in Las Condes but sex was the usual price...she had a nice culo...

1 hour ago, CaptainJack said:

I know that I am paying a premium to buy myself time by renting an Airb&b.   Plus it is in the high dollar area of CDMX.  I won't have hard numbers for another two or three weeks regarding more affordable, unfurnished apartments, and it varies in other locations in Mexico.   My invalidated number is around 800 usd a month. It may even be lower elsewhere. 

 

Right now my focus is stabilize myself, work on gathering more in country knowing and make decisions in the next 3 months going forward. 

 

I'm very depleted now,  and need to build up my stamina.   I'll pay higher living cost for a few months to get that recovery time.  Oh, I'm having a bit more trouble adapting to the altitude this time around.  A far cry from what I have trekked at in the past, only 2500m.  Feels higher now.

indeed it's the altitude that causes fatigue...yer cardio - resp system will havta work harder until you acclimatize...I lived in andean Bolivia some years ago at around 8400ft, etc...athletes from different countries have complained about needing to perform in mex DF needing an acclimatization period...just take it easy and don't overdo the activity until things come to an equilibrium...

wish I had the pension income to live there, one of my favorite cities...

On 2/12/2019 at 6:48 AM, scotinsiam said:

Guys - just to let you know Vietnam now do an E visa. I have not used it yet but it is $25 for a month an easy I am told. I do not know if it can be extended in the country yet or not?

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

be aware that for the e visa there are restrictions on the file size and format of the photos that one is required to upload with their application (<2.0mB and .jpeg, .jpg, .jif no .pdf allowed)...to accommodate the restrictions I uploaded a photo from the laptop camera (most phone cameras are > 2.8mB with better resolution) that was a bit blurry and then was rejected after the 3 day processing time, went to a photography shop to get things right, resubmitted and the processing re started from day one...it was then too late to travel so I got a quick visa on arrival instead, just barely...they must still use windows xp for the processing...

so give yerself plenty of time for the e visa application...

the food in Nicaragua is typical of central america, street food 'gallo pinto' which is a mixture of beans and fried rice and maybe some fried cheese served on a banana leaf and in the restaurants some 'tacos al pastor' with a caldo if yer lucky...where I worked in Managua was across from the post office/communications center and I'd get a piece of cornbread and an orange gaseosa for brekkie from the vendor women out front...fried plantain and some tough meat fer lunch served with the ubiquitous gallo pinto...lost about 20lbs when I was there and got down to my high school weight...

down south in Bolivia and Chile a parrilla was considered to be haute cuisine, basically some beef gristle and organs grilled at the table, the chilenos had a predilection for avocados 'palta' and you could always get a nice sliced avocado salad dressed simply with oil and vinegar, nice with the local wine...

in Cochabamba indigenous women would sell anticucho (grilled marinated beef hearts) sandwiches on fresh bread to drunks in the middle of the night at the bridge to Cala Cala and they were quite nice...and I always liked the empanadas and saltenas (available only on Sunday mornings)