rchapstick

Does anyone know if I can offer my household employees SS?  Can I do this as an individual, or only as a company?

I have a housekeeper, and I am happy to pay the monthly fee if it means she can have Thai SS benefits.

I'm wasn't sure where to put this, so kods are free to move to a better location.

I employ a Thai person as a household assistant, and I would like to be able to pay into the Thai Social security system for them (better health coverage, and some retirement money).  Is this possible as a private citizen?  As a foreigner on a non-immigrant visa.

Thoughts, anyone?

14 hours ago, wasabi said:

It won't work because:

1) Low education and lack of ambition of the population

2) Lack of quality natural resources

3) Lack of quality engineering

4) Rampant air and water pollution.

 

Most cities today are not if you build it they will come. It is we are already rich and getting richer. That said they certainly can improve it some.

Yes, but it was a nice word salad!

I'm looking to get new irons, and I'm amazed that, here in the Pattaya area, there doesn't seem to be an option to try out clubs on a driving range before you buy them.  The best I found is a couple 9f places that you can hit into anet.

I'm willing to travel to Bangkok, if neccesary, if I can find a place to really try out different demo clubs.

Thoughts?

I'm planning to move in July, and I have some stuff that I would like to bring, but I have really no idea how much it should cost and who I should ask for quotes.  There are a ton of companies that advertise this on the internet, but they all seem a bit dodgy.  Obviously, if it gets too expensive or too burdensome, I could just sell or give away everything, but I want to at least be informed on the cost/process/taxes before making that decision.

Anyone else go down this route?  Any recommendations for companies to use?

Thx

Nice word salad!

I was commenting on the McWilliam's product. Perhaps you can point me to where I made a comment about Chateau D'Yquem.

That's a port, not a wine. Fortified wine means extra alcohol added to kill fermentation and leave residual sugar. OK as a dessert wine with cheese; however, you'd have to be an alcoholic to have it with a steak.

There are two wines that I recall as being superb although many others have been drunk.
One was Domaine de la Romanee-Conti which was over 40 years ago and the other was Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon also some 40 years ago. Still remember the taste. For those who disclaim  wine, perhaps because you have never had a good bottle. [emoji485]

1947 Lafite

1997 Opus One

GPS system arrival times work off of a set of assumptions about average speeds based on the type of road being traveled on. Some systems allow you to change those assumptions. Go into your settings menu and see if there is an option to change the assumptions.

Seems a huge stretch to go from a farang getting stiffed on his paycheck to a full0on government default.

But if the OP is that convinced that the end is nigh, perhaps he should go out and buy some credit default swaps on Thai bonds?

Never looked before, but 21.3 KPL city and highway combined looks rather poor ? The new 1.2 engine in cars that cost a lot lot less to buy do this or better..!!

​The Jazz Diesel [not here] claim to do 25 to 26 KPL...

Not long ago Honda claimed the Civic Hybrid did 21.26 kilometers per liter, if this was so makes the Jazz Hybrid look poor.

Non hybrids do well in highway driving, but not nearly as well in stop and go traffic, which is where a hybird shines.

So if most of your driving is highway, then the eco-cars are indeed a better value. If most is city driving, then a hybrid might be the better choice.

I'm going to stand corrected on my statement about the Jazz Hybrid. Seems the tech changed in July:

http://world.honda.com/news/2012/4120726Jazz-Hybrid-Thai/index.html

The Jazz Hybrid now has, apparently, the same tech as Toyota's Hybrids, and claims to get 21.3 KPL city and highway combined. With this type of hybrid, the KPL figures are about the same for City and Highway driving.

There really is an amazing amount of misinformation in this thread, as well as a lack of response to the OP's question.

While both Honda and Toyota have "hybrids", they are no the same technology. Honda utilizes what is called a "series" hybrid, which means that the car cannot run on electric power alone. Conversely, Toyota's hybirds can run on electric power alone for short distances below ~ 60kph. It is rumored that the next gen Jazz hybrid will employ the same tech as Toyota. Both technologies "assist" the conventional engine, giving you greater horsepower and acceleration. This is why a 2.5 liter Hybrid Camry has better acceleration than a standard 2.5 liter Camry, and at the same time gives better fuel economy.

Both cars use regnerative braking and coasting to capture kinetic energy. This is how the battery recharges. You do NOT plug them in. There are so-called plug-in hybirds, but they are not sold in Thailand. The battery chemistry on both Honda and Toyota is Nickel Metal Hydride, not Lithium.

Both cars turn off the engine when coasting and stopped, and use electricity gained thru regeneration to run the AC. If you stand idle for a long period of time .... say 3-5 minutes .... then the engine will kick in to run the AC. A hotter climate will use the AC more than a cooler climate, and this will affect energy consumption in both hybrids and in conventional cars. But unless you spend a lot of time idling relative to moving, then the hybird gives a huge advantage, especially in city driving.

Both technologies give better gas mileage than conventional gasoline engines. Toyota's tech gives better fuel economy, than Honda's. Both technologies have proven to be exceptionally reliable. Batteries typically last 600,000 km or more. Probably longer than the engine.

At present, I think the Prius is very overpriced for what you get, relative to, say, an Altis. I think the Jazz and Civic Hybrids are good values relative to their conventional siblings.

Wierd that Model discussed in the link is the Roadster, that Tesla no longer makes.

The new Model S is, in the US, significantly less expensive. Great car too.

Here's a gimicky Tesla demo. Kinda cool too. http://vimeo.com/68832891

Getting back to the topic of "why wait" ....

A major contributing factor to the waiting game is that Thai new car dealers rarely carry stock.

In the US, it is considered normal ... in fact, "ideal", for dealers to carry 60 days or more of inventory. Obviously the US market is much much more competitive, and US dealers need to have stock on hand to make a sale, or risk losing the sale to another dealer/brand.

In Thailand, it seems that OEM's and their agents have all gotten together and decided that not carrying stock is cheaper, and thus, better for everyone (except, of course, consumers). Thai consumers have gotten used to the idea of putting in an order and waiting in the queue.

Pardon my "newb-ness" here ....

Missus and I are in the market for a new car. Is there any real advantage to buying at the show versus shopping dealerships? Do they come up with show-specific promos that are really worthwhile (beyond the usual throw-ins of some crap plastic extras)?

Obviously it is nice to compare and contrast several competing models at once, but do others have experience buying at the show?

Also, changing gears, any word if Nissan is showing the new Teana? I've seen the US version of the redesign and it is definately a step up over the 2012 version.

We're just started looking for a new car, and are focusing on either the Teana or the Camry. Anyone may feel free to chime in over that part of the decision.

I am most interested in other's perceptions on engine choice. Nissan dealers don't seem to have any Teanas to test drive, let alone compare the two engines. We found one Toyota dealer that will let us do a test drive, but they only have the hybrid.

There is a bout a 200k baht price differential, so i am curious of others have found the 2.0L to be either adequete or grossly underpowered. I'm no lead foot, but at the same time I don't want to feel like I need to get out and push every time I merge on the motorway. Also, any thoughts on real workd fuel economy between the two engine displacements?

thoughts? Comments?

Just wanted to get this to the top of the list because I've added more added request and info in Post #9 above. Maybe I should start another post - asking about the miles awarded and credit card.

Earning miles: http://united.com/CMS/en-US/Marketing/CustComm/Promotions/Pages/united.aspx

These flights are so long they needed to have a special place (mini-morgue) built into the -500 to store a body in case someone died in flight.

Only SQ has fitted the A345 with the mini-morgue. Not TG.

How do i know this? Because the last time I flew on the route, someone did die on route (over the pacific), and they put the body in one of the two empty biz-class seats in front of me. Lovely...

The Prius became a success not because it was a particularly good car or that saved you loads of money. It was bought by people who could well afford it and simply used to show how green and as such so great and nothing more.

I do not own one and don't like the Prius very much, but this is a pretty bad mis-characterization.

In the US, a base Prius sells for about $23K sticker, but you can get them for around $21K. It gets good mileage, and like most Toyota's it is a basic, dull, but reliable car.

In CA, it allows you as a solo driver to ride in the HOV lanes. At rush hour, this can be a HUGE benefit. It is simply too popular a car at this point to be defined as narrowly as is being written here.

WRT the comment about stop & go traffic being bad for a hybrid, it si quite the opposite. Stop & go is where a hybrid shines (as opposed to the silly MPG comparison with the BMW in the video above).

All that said, 1.2 million baht is absurd. It should be priced competitive with a Corolla or a Civic, but for now Toyota is targeting the weathly greenie segment only. Remains to be seen if they or Honda will choose to sell a mass-market hybrid.

Just wondering if these are available in Bangkok. Had one in a house in the US, and it was great for cooling down a house at night.

Anyone know of a dealer/installer?