wadsy

In another post about Absynthe I mentioned that a spirit 'essence' was available to emulate commercial absynthe. Same deal with Bundy Rum, there are a number of essences companies that have a Queensland style or Aussie Style rum essence that you add to vodka or base spirit that isnt too bad. Drop me a PM if you would like more info.....

Dunno if you are interested or not but there is a spirit 'essence' that you can buy to add to a base spirit that I sell in Oz (I own a home brew shop), that makes Absinthe. I have tasted it against commercially bought product and its pretty close. It has the characteristic green colour and slightly peppery aftertaste from the wormword. PM me if you want any more info..

My deepest condolences to the family.

In any auto accident in Thailand, where a larger vehicle strikes a smaller vehicle or a pedestrian & someone is killed - the driver is guilty - even if it was an accident totally beyond his control.

I found that hard to believe Soundman and according to a senior Thai Police Officer my g/f spoke to today, that does not automatically occur. Being a 'smaller vehicle' doesn't automatically exempt you from disobeying the traffic reg's or driving/riding without due regard to other road users. We were informed that if you were at fault in a serious/fatal crash, IRRESPECTIVE of whether you were a 'smaller vehicle' or not, then you wore it.

Maybe you are referring to the standard Thai attitude of 'smaller gives way to bigger' mentality that the majority of drivers/riders seem to have on these roads but it certainly isnt written in statutes nor a legal right, according to him.

I came to Thailand in September 06 for two weeks to meet a wonderful lady and suss out my urge to live in asia and was totally addicted. Came back around six weeks later for a month then went back, sorted out my house sale etc in Australia and 'semi retired' in February this year and I have been here ever since but still have a business in Oz generating income. I absolutely love it here and have no desire to return back home. I am 48 and glad I made the decision to live here.

Legality aside (this is a theoretical question), is there anything about the climate and seasons here that would either help or hinder home brewing?

Ales need to be kept cool during fermentation, I would say no more than 20 C, and 15 would be better. In the U.S. I used to keep my fermenter in a big tub of water that I kept cool with twice daily additions of ice. Pilsners/lagers need to be kept around 5 degrees, so you'd need a refrigerator big enough to hold the fermenter. The supplies are not complicated; brewers yeast, hops, malt extract or cracked barley ready to be made into wort, very good water, the containers for boiling and fermenting, bottles and a bottle capper. However I have no idea where you would find them in Thailand, and keeping the fermentation cool would be a big challenge here.

In summary, this is definitely a hypothetical topic. Someone would have to be really obsessed with the idea to try homebrewing in Thailand. Too bad, because it's not difficult to make beers that are much better than the mass produced stuff.

Trying not to be a purist, you are on the right track about temperature control but slightly off with your recommended temperatures. Ale yeast works down to approximately 18 degrees C. Any lower than this then it just hibernates. Lager yeasts work at an optimum temperature range of 10-12 degrees C. Same deal about hibernation at lower temps.

The 5 degrees you talk about that pilners/lagers beers are made with is the process of 'lagering' which in german means 'to store'. This temperature is used to condition the beer AFTER primary fermentation. An attempt to primary ferment at such a low temperature will result in little or no fermentation with the high probability of airborne bacterial or wild yeast contamination.

Without adequate temperature control, beer brewing in a hot climate is difficult. Higher temperatures produce some strange flavours - phenols, esters and higher alcohols which, although in small quantities (PPM in some instances) alter the beer/ferment dramatically. There are yeasts that have been developed nowdays that are temperature tolerant in that they produce substantially lower 'off flavours' at higher tempertures but these have primarily been used for spirit wash fermentation, not beer. In saying that though I have utilised temp tolerant yeast to make a pretty good alcoholic ginger beer.I hope this info is useful......... Cheers.

I own a retail home brew shop in Oz so if there is anything you would like to know (hypothetically of course as brewing without a licence in Thailand is illegal apparently) drop me a PM. Do miss brewing good beers here myself, especially the wort packs from ESB which were as close the full mash brewing without doing all the work yourself.......................Cheers.

quote name='teacup' date='2007-07-03 13:55:58' post='1396818']

To the OP

Why would you be laughing at someome or making fun of him just because he’s choosing to integrate by paying heed to the local culture, traditions and values, and making the effort to get to know them? It’s a personal choice and benefits…. and just because you, yourself, choose not to do so, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong for someone else to do so.

Cultural integration means different things to different people. I've met people from different nationalities but I think it's self-selection, personal choice after weighed benefits. I see most farang expats(not tourists, or those in transition) here are not interested in living a cultural life. They have social life revolving around their own partying and clubs. The lack of interests in integration by many farangs (expats, not tourists) here bothered me more than the opposite.

For example many white westerners, in particular, do not make the effort to get to know Thailand culturally. They are white and think they know it all! They look down on us-thais, close themselves in their own little imagination community, and take us for granted and think we, the local thais are mostly dumb, however they soon jump and put on an act as soon as they see locals. When they first come here they are friendly and easy going. But over the years they have realized that they get all the attentions because they're white and starting to act like the untouchable god to be worshipped upon, or overestimated their self value and worth.

Please give me a break! It’s you and the same like kind, that the silent majority of the thai is laughing upon!

Teacup, how about you go back and REREAD the OP. Where does Luckdog say that he is laughing at him????? He was referring to other thai villagers. You might like to apologise for your unwarranted critisism.

I visited an old friend up country where he lives in a little village with his Wife, her Kids and extended Family the other day, and frankly I was shocked!

He has gone completely Native......Dressing Thai, speaking Thai, eating Thai, waiing all over the place etc.

I asked my GF what the locals think of him. She told me that they laughed behind his back.

Now ain't that sad? There he is integrating himself to death, and they think it's funny.

And this got me thinking. At a time when Thailand is becoming more and more Westernized, what possible reason is there for us Farangs to go the other way?

By all means respect Thai customs, Religion etc, but keep your own for Gawd's sake!

I know, I know most of you do. But there are plenty of peeps who are losing their identity.

And I think it's a shame. Agreed?

49% of units in a condominium project (and it must have a specific "condominium" title) may be 100% owned by a foreigner, in their own name, freehold. The other 51% must be Thai owned (i.e. owned by a Thai or a Thai company). So, if you want to be 100% sure, get a decent lawyer to make sure the purchase contract specifies that you get one of the 49%.

Maintenance rates very much vary - obviously check out as many as you can and compare.

If you want to know about the market, check prices, then I should suggest you check 1Rai.com. We have many listings from many agents in Samui, Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai so you can look at what they're advertising and for how much.

The way I understand the rule (could be wrong) is that 49% of the usable area (non-common area) can be foreign owned and titled. It is square meters that count, not the actual units.

Right?

Correct. 49% of the total condominium area in square metres, not actual units. When I bought my condo I received a letter from the condo manangement which stated, in my instance, that the foreign ownership was 11%. This letter was required by the land titles office for put my name on the chanote. Oh and Dting Dtong, also dont forget you will need a Thor Tor Sam (foreign exchange transaction form) issued by your bank in Thailand to say that the funds used for the purchase of a condominium came from abroad.

He doesn't have to worry.

I would NEVER buy a Michael Moore or Abby Hoffman product if any of the profits went to them.

I whole heartily agree. I've seen his so-called 'documentaries' and I find his stuff nothing more than second class propagandist CRAP!!!!

Some people have said the ban ends 6:00 p.m. this evening (Sunday), some people say it extends to midnight. Anyone know when it ends?

At Tesco this afternoon at 6.12pm the checkout chick would'nt put six cans of Singha Light through with my groceries. Pain in a@#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the real question is, are you for real? You've behaved like a right selfish prick. If you can't see that, shame on you.

I'm with Bendix on this one, maybe the OP should stick with sheep................

Just trigger happy cops with a toy grenade just in case.

What a w@#$%er you are. The scumbags just did a hold-up, someone called the cops and they were confronted trying to make good their escape. The scrumbags threw what appeared to be a grenade at them and they got shot. Serves them right. Don't you think that if the cops were 'trigger happy' like you suggest that they would have something a little bit more incriminating than a toy grenade, drrrrrr like a hand gun? People like you complain about the police all the time. Even when they have done some good you turn it around and suggest otherwise. Get a life...........

You know I can't understand it. My g/f and all her family absolutely love Thaksin. (they are in Chiang Mai which is/was a TRT stronghold so I guess that explains it in some way) BUT I dunno how many times I have point out his indiscretions i.e. the war on drugs, Shincorp shares tax avoidance, breach of political/criminal laws, amassing personal fortune through his abuse of power whilst in office and I get the same response time and time again, We need Thaksin back, things were never this bad, business was never this bad, financially or politically while he was in power! Can you believe that? You try and explain that the scum was buying votes with meagre handouts with one hand whilst the other one was skimming as much as he could get away with for his own person gain with the other but it falls on deaf ears. Dunno what you can do about that.........

Many years ago an American called Pelman wrote a short book in which he suggested that to achieve your goal in life, you say to yourself over and over "I can and I will".

It worked for Pelman. He made a fortune out of what he dubbed 'Pelmanism'.

Try it. Good Luck.

Ive got Pelman"s booklets 1-3 on Memory Training but I can't remember where I put them!!! lol Honest!......

Sure the extra cab is tiny but it does us atm as the kids are only 5 and 11 but I guess as they get older we will upgrade.

Yeah, and also it lacks seatbelts in the back so you also can't fit child safety seats.. So I don't think they represent the ultimate in family transportation, they make a lot more sense if you're single / a couple on a budget.

Not the ultimate in family transportation by any stretch of the imagination but a lot safer than having three on a motor sai, especially around town. And its not very often that we are all the family in the car, but TO ME its just the thing for picking up the daughter from school, or as I said, shopping etc.......

Ive got a Nissan NV Extra cab, its a great little car. Nippy little motor, handles great, we even took it camping with the kids at Doi Inthanon which has some steeps climes and it handled that with ease. Sure the extra cab is tiny but it does us atm as the kids are only 5 and 11 but I guess as they get older we will upgrade. We paid 150k for it, had 114,000 on the clock, done about another15,000 and had no problems whatsoever other than the usual things like belts, CV boots etc. Handy having the cab back for shopping and buying stuff to haul home. And I reckon when we upgrade we will get good resale as they tend to hold their value well. Worth looking at getting one IMHO..........

You know, when you do a visa run, you can always count on there being one f#*^wit amongst the group. Case in point, my g/f and I went to Mae Sai recently and there was one older farang guy on the bus that just knew it all. We ignored the <deleted> that was spounting from his mouth for the most part, you know the sorta guy I mean, been there, done that, blah blah blah. Even at lunch, when he was corrected about the minimum financial requirements for a retirement visa extension, to negate the visa runs (his view was that if can show immigration that you can support yourself thats it, that is all you need and that there is no minimum finances required to be shown in any way) I thought to myself, life is too short to have to put up with these oxygen thieves................................

According to www.thai-language.com to make out is:

jap meuu theuu khaaen - verb - to make out; make love; to touch each other; to snuggle.

You can also listen to a media file for the correct pronunciation on that site. Hope this helps. Cheers.

I have a VT SS Commodore 5.7 6 speed. Slight problem. Its in OZ and I am in Chiang Mai. Driving that is one of the things I miss the most here. But I digress......... If you have a question and I can help fire away.

Would like to dust this one off in light of the article in the news yesterday about Thailand being in line for a 18 Billion windfall in the tourism sector....

When does this windfall start ??? Does anybody know ??

I would like to hear from UG and some of the others in business here in CM...... have you seen any increase in your year to year levels in the past 6 - 8 weeks since we were first discussing the topis?

My year on year //month on month numbers have shown this to be one of the worst periods since I have been keeping records...

Some of the others in business have reported the same.... the tourist numbers are surely down.... so where and when does this windfall start

Any input :

Gonzo

This year, the last four weeks since song kran particularly, have been terrible business wise and I don't see it getting any better considering the low season is starting. My girlfriend's business has dropped by about 40% and we are really worried about the lack of tourists compared to this time last year. The guest house across the road is just about empty, the bar owner just down the road says his business has dropped by 80%!!! My girlfriend was speaking to some Thai neighbours this afternoon and they told her that another guest house they know of has closed down permanently and everywhere is quiet. We are hoping it doesn't get worse.....

I do not think extra-judicial killings outside of due process of the law can every be justified - we are not animals but civilised human beings.

I have to admit I am totally against capital punishment too and see it as a mark of a failed society who still practices it - one innocent death is too much and there have been mistakes made.

Jail people and throw away the key I can go with though!

So basically you think that some lowlife murderer's life should be spared and the state should pay for his incarceration until he/she dies of natural causes just because 'mistakes have been made' and no-one, including the state, has the right to take another life? No doubt you have never lost someone close to you because some predator decided that a totally innocent and undeserving human being would be his/her next victim. As far as I am concerned, anyone relinquishes their right to live in society and be treated in a civilised manner when they commit barbaric, violent, vicious crimes and the consequences of their actions should have been thought about before the fact. And as far as mistakes being made, don't you think that with the certainty of DNA testing these days, that the 'error rate' would be zero now? You are right though, we are not animals so if you behave like one my view is you are treated like one.

Anyway, back to the point, ex-judicial killings are not justified I agree, as I don't think that it achieved anything long term and even if it did, they still did not operate with the sanction of the judicial system and of societies rules, just apparently Thaksin and company's orders and that is wrong. Also, as far as I am aware, the drug dealers are still around, the users are still using, albeit, maybe more discreetly......

Yesterday, for the first time I was given the quoted form when applying for a Residence Certificate at Immigration. Previously, a simple form was all that was required.

Quote: Verbatim

" RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE

REMARKS: Acceptable for only one year visa:

(Extension in Thailand)

Required Documents:

1. 2 color photos (1.5" x 2")

2. Copy of Passport:

-picture page

-visa extension limit

-arrival/departure card (TM card).

3. A copy of the house registration or a copy of the rental contract.

4. A copy ID card of the owner and write certified of residence and signed by the owner.

(The ID card of the same person who signed in rental contract)"

Close verbatim quote

I was fortunate that I was able to obtain my Cert despite the new regulation as I had the owner of my house with me and tambien ban and ID card at the ready.

I can see why this new regulation might be problematic if you rent from a large apartment house and ID card of the owner and his signature are required.

Anyone do this and if so what did they accept from the large apartment house management???

At least you were able to get one. I went to Chiang Mai Immigration office in February this year to get a residence certificate as the Motor Vehicles Department told me to do this because they required the certificate to register a vehicle that i had bought in my name. I have a non O visa valid until next year but do you know, they didnt even get as far as looking at my passport. The Immigration guy said that they do NOT issue the certifcate! Tried to explain that: 1. I was sent there to get it from them by another government agency. and 2. I had even printed out the 'application for residence certificate' application form from the thai Immmigration's website and showed him that. To no avail, they do not do that he insisted. Anyway, I ended up making an appointment with the Australian Embassy and got one, free of charge as well. The consular, Michael Walther, is a very helpful guy. Even he said they can do it but just couldnt be bothered. I did have to get his letter translated from english to thai but thankfully my g/f could do that.

Edit: Typo's

??? You cannot farm ocean fish.

As a matter of fact you can farm ocean fish. They manufacture a large 'pen' for want of a better word, that floats in the ocean and every day the fish, that they 'farm' inside it are fed. The pen is secured to the ocean floor with weights so it does not drift away. I have seen tuna, salmon and other pelagics grown in this manner................

A power cable around 30cm off the ground and connected to a power socket and making sure the current switched on in the vicinity of the offending beast would certainly stop the problem, albeit maybe permanently. I do think if I had a dog that was like you describe I would get rid of the pr*&k!!.

We have a builder my g/f knows in CM who has just put a new gyprock ceiling and re-tiling in a condo we own. He also painted the ceiling and is re-painting the walls as we speak. So far, his work, including the painting, has been pretty good, and reassonable price. PM if you want his phone number. Also have a look at TOA paints from Thailand website. They have a good selection of both interior and exterior products including a weathershield paint for outside. Their colour selector chart online is pretty good. As stated, its well work paying the extra for quality product especially for outside............ Hope this heaps. Cheers............