pete_r

FormasianPaul > Thanks, that's a pretty clear set of directions. I've actually found a shop selling hoses for the same prices yesterday in my area (Ramintra / Minburi), but am still thinking which one to buy.

Giving directions to taxis has become easier since I've learnt "lieu sai", "lieu qua" and "tong pai", but most of the time I still ask the taxi to stop at the entrance of my soi and walk the 100m back home...

Bizz > Good idea, although I'm actually more concerned about leaks at the connections than damage to the hose, so I'd prefer to limit the number of connections I use.

Chownah > I've observed algae too in clear plastic hoses and indeed I will prefer an opaque one. Although the clear plastic is cheaper!

lannarebirth > That's an interesting alternative. Do you know if there is any difference in longevity between these irrigation tubings and usual garden hoses?

Thanks again for the replies,

Pete

FormasianPaul > I wrote "small project" with half of my tongue in my cheek!

I will try the mom and pop shops near my place, but failing that, could you give directions to the shop you mention near Don Muang? That's close enough to my place, and 200m would be good already.

If I may, what was the price of the hose you bought?

Donnyboy > I'm thinking of a heat exchanger. I want a hose in one piece to reduce the number of connections and the risk of leaks. Once in place, the hose wouldn't move much, so I hope to avoid the kinks problem too.

Thanks all for the replies so far,

Pete

For a small project... I'd be happy to find a garden hose or similar flexible pipe, 200 to 300m in length (I want to avoid connecting shorter pieces together).

Does anyone know of a supplier in Bangkok area?

Thanks,

Pete

Thanks Soju, you are a star!

I will need to exchange a relatively large amount of Bahts into Korean Wons soon and would like to know what's the best way to go about it: Bring THB to Korea, or buy KRW in Thailand? Or buy USD or EUR in Thailand and change them to KRW in Korea?

Thanks for any advice,

Indeed, I still don't see a reason for the strange angle of the back window.

How about this one:

Citroen Ami 6. Very common in France in the 60s.

I saw one on the J check-in row this morning. It was hidden by the long queue, so one has to know it's there or ask an attendant.

What the National News Bureau doesn't say here is that Mr. Totrakul affirmed during the same press conference that he has been subjected to pressures from "someone" to "use Suvarnabhumi problems to discredit Thaksin", when he wrote his report on the assessment of the damage to the runways and taxiways in January-February 2007.

Mr. Totrakul's own opinion, backed by the airlines of Star Alliance, is that the cracks were minor and fixable without compromising safety.

He chose to do his job as an engineer rather than yielding to the pressure, and is now under further pressure from admiral Bannawit and general Saprang to resign. Hence his tears and his reading of the Engineering Declaration (ethics of the engineer).

The news was broadcasted by Channel 7 on 15/06/2007:

http://www.ch7.com/news/sbnews.aspx?NwType...No=980&Hw=N

http://www.dailymotion.com/bantarok/video/3827177

Seen it happen one time to a friend in early May. It seems to be something new with Suvarnabhumi.

My wife "interviewed" a taxi driver, he said some passengers (newcomers I assume) ask for it because they are afraid of being taken the long way around with the meter, and the taxis are happy to oblige because the fixed fare is higher than the meter fare.

But if the staff at the taxi queue start giving fixed fares receipts without asking the customer, that's over-doing the whole thing a bit.

He asks for fair justice for him (= right to defend himself) and fair elections, meaning elections where TRT can also participate.

Talk finished already!

// Edit: Spelling

Says he doesn't want to come back to politics [comment: so what is he doing right now?]

...

Shouting against General Sonthi now: You say I did wrong to the country, but have you done better than me?

He says, when he was PM, people complained about his work, but is it better now?

Mentions the worse situation in the South.

Talk about unfair treatment regarding the dissolution of TRT.

Very strong talk going on...

On the front of my computer there seems to be slots to fit fans and blow air on the hard disks.

I'm just wondering if it's for decoration, or if putting a fan there would work to some extent, given that (1) the holes look rather small for much air to be sucked in and (2) there is no opening in the plastic cover in the front anyway.

Any suggestions?

A page with details on using Thai lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) as mosquito repellent.

http://journeytoforever.org/edu_homer.html

I've seen a Nissan Tiida and a Isuzu Mu-7 as taxis, but not yet a Honda Civic!

You're very welcome. My work is with cassava, but sugar cane is not far off when it comes to bioethanol.

One hurdle in developing the sector has been to find a good price balance so every player (farmers, ethanol factories, petrol companies) had enough incentive to join the party. Among others, it took some time for investors to be convinced that building ethanol factories would be worthwhile, considering the price of raw materials, the production cost of ethanol, and the price of ethanol set by the government.

The two crops are for two distinct uses: Sugar cane (as well as cassava) is to produce ethanol to blend with gasoline, for use in gasoline motors, while palm oil is to produce biodiesel to blend with diesel, for use in diesel motors.

Blends of ethanol and gasoline are now widely sold as gasohol (10% ethanol + 90% gasoline). On the other hand blends of biodiesel and diesel are being introduced as Biodiesel, but it's not as widespread as gasohol yet. I'm not sure about the proportions, but it could be 10% biodiesel + 90% diesel.

Sugar cane seems a safe investment, as far as investments can be safe, considering that there are currently 15 factories being built to process sugar cane or molasses into ethanol, mostly in the North & North-East (Korat, Khon Kaen, Chayapum, Petchaboon), plus 4 already in operation. Some of these factories will also be able to use cassava to produce ethanol, and 7 more factories using only cassava are also under construction. When these factories become operational in the next 2 to 3 years, the demand and prices for sugar cane and cassava should increase, but that will also depend on the supply and how many farmers switch to these crops, which is difficult to estimate.

Typically, migrants work 12-hour days, get one day off a month and are paid around half the province's 147 baht (HK$34.68) daily minimum wage.

[...]

Many workers said dormitory conditions were so cramped they could hardly sleep and the food was inedible.

"Our employer used to give us dirty water to drink and the rice was so poor we couldn't eat it," said Yin Ma, 32, who has been working in Mae Sot for four years and sending money back to her family in central Burma.

[...]

Despite the privations, many workers appear happy, saying they are better off than being in Burma, where four decades of military rule, economic mismanagement and Western sanctions have left the economy in ruins.

The conditions of work and accommodation/food described in the article are abusive, and the salary quoted (73 Bahts/day) is illegal in Thailand, unfortunately it is in line with wages in the region. In Hanoi the minimum salary is currently about 50 Bahts/day with two days off per month. I think the wages in China are not much higher than that.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Typically, migrants work 12-hour days, get one day off a month and are paid around half the province's 147 baht (HK$34.68) daily minimum wage.

REUTERS

Sorry, I'm a little confused; so is the report saying that these people are earning ฿73.50 per 12 hour day or that the province's daily minimum wage is ฿294?

In Bangkok the minimum wage is around 180 Bahts/day, so it may well be 147 Bahts/day in Mae Sot.

That may be a good idea to stimulate the economy a little bit.

daily I'm astounded at the apathy for this topic .

So am i.

And sadly, when this topic achieves some attention, it is mostly from the kill'em all folks. Very sad. People seem to ignore that there is an extremely brutal war going on there, a war that most likely is going to escalate soon.

I do follow the events, just don't know what to say or do to improve the situation.

But ok, let's talk a bit: I have this text below that has been doing the rounds by email a few weeks ago, with the comment "Thais wake up!". Supposedly it is a document leaked from the insurgents, giving a 10-year strategy to destabilize Thailand and indicating the involvement of foreign muslim extremists in the South. Fake or not, I don't know, but it is out there and able to give bad ideas to the insurgents. Can anyone who can read Thai comment, and possibly even make a full English translation?

Mods: If this is not appropriate for any reason (dubious source for example), please remove at will. Thanks.

I met my wife-to-be while studying in the UK. She was a PhD student with a grant from the Thai government, which she had to repay by working as a lecturer in Thailand for 8 years after completing her studies. So it was clear from the beginning that to be with her meant relocating to Thailand, and when the time came I happily did.

Before the big move we did come for holidays, and used that time to knock on doors and find a job for me. That helped a lot with the settling down.

How much is the charge at toll booth on the expressway?

Are you supposed to give the taxi drivers some coin for this or did I get rolled last time?

Where do you go to get the meter taxi's, level 4?

Thanks guys.

I usually give the driver a 100 Baht note, he pays the toll booth and gives me the change right away (there's only one toll booth for 30 Bahts on my way home).