ThaiFelix

Both the clips I have seen this week feature the child bouncing up and chasing the van. I can't recall being so committed to making it to school. Does anyone else recall the practice of children riding on the roofs of song taews being made illegal? It wasn't that many years ago.

Still goes on in my area......and right past the police??

I built in the same village, seemed a great (and lucky ) idea at the time. 10 years on, even my wife will say "worst mistake we ever made".

If I(we) had my time over again I would be around 50 km away minimum.

Totally agree, and so does my wife. Its only two years for us but we both regret the move.......there just always seems to be something and its usually about money.

What could go wrong?? The OP could get it wrong. I'm here now in Yasothon on the 7th and am told its not till next week......thats what could go wrong!! Oh well it looks like a relaxing weekend!

We'll I guess that clears that up. I sent an email to TAT and they never responded. I planned for next weekend, so looks like I got lucky.

Well I hope you have accommodation already.......everything seems to be booked out (on internet). Going to try a couple of the resorts on the outskirts on our way home Monday. Shame I was looking forward to it.

What could go wrong?? The OP could get it wrong. I'm here now in Yasothon on the 7th and am told its not till next week......thats what could go wrong!! Oh well it looks like a relaxing weekend!

One thing that I often hear in our small Isaan village is parents bragging about how their daughter has a farang boyfriend/husband who is going to give them all gold, buy a car for the family, build a house, buy land etc etc. or all of the above. When these dreams are not forthcoming they panic through fear of losing face with their friends, neighbours, relations etc. They then put pressure on the daughter to get her partner to provide more. Sometimes the poor girl is innocent but caught in the middle. I have also heard a few times how the girl is constantly pressured to leave current partner to find a farang with more money! However there are also times I have heard this pressure being applied because the girl, mother or father cant cover their oh so often gambling losses!! Just my experience.

If there was some sort of quality control or the staff were willing to remove the stale bread then we wouldnt need to squeeze the bread rolls.

But I refuse to buy any more ( bricks of bread ) that are inedible when you get home...

try makro thick sandwich sliced and their bread rolls all packed and baked every day.

Yeah thanks....but can you squeeze them??

I just do it to see how long it takes for someone to comment about it on here. I think you should be more worried about what goes on before its put out in the open. I could tell you some stories about chickens in the back room if you are really worried

Having seen your frog palace I am thinking that perhaps EM is not the answer alone. You have a small amount of water which is changed regularly and a large population of frogs and their excretions. Could you filter most of the solids out of the water rather than change the whole volume?

Filter the solids? Not really, not without making some major modifications. 60mm is too shallow to have even a very small submersible pump. Maybe a sump in the floor to house a pump might work if I was to build another one. What some commercial operators have is water running continuously through their tanks. out of the question here. No the smell I am going to have to grin and bear with. As mentioned in the previous post, since I have reduced daily feed to once a day, the odour is not so bad. And it is only when the frogs are getting quite big so only about a month.

Something cropped up yesterday which I didn't foresee. We had some Thai friends around yesterday and decided to try out a few catfish and frogs on the BBQ for the first time. Hahaha! They tasted like EM! Everyone said they were good but tasted like my workshop smelled......of fish pellets and EM! I believe feeding the catfish with fruit (papaya) etc cleans out the pellet taste but not sure about the EM. Thinking I might just confine using the EM to the garden or only use it in the tanks while they are small, well before harvest time. You live and learn!!

Frog palace eh! They are, after all, hi-so frogs. They actually used to have a TV in their 'palace', but I took it away from them because they were naughty.....they wouldn't stay quiet come bed time!

Yup that gives me an idea. You can jam alot of frogs in a 7.5 SqM area. How many Pla Duk in the tank?

There is about 500 in same size tank.

Impressive frog pond there. What sort of dimentions is the frog tank?

Thank you green thumb. The whole structure is 6 mt x 2.5 mt x 1.2 mt high (wall height) with a centre dividing wall making each tank apprx 3 x 2.5 mt. One side for frogs the other for catfish. The frogs have an island in the middle apprx 1.4 mt x .90 at the base and apprx .10 high. The netting enclosure above the walls is .93 high because that was the width of the netting I used, it makes the whole enclosing job a lot easier, less cutting and joining. Hope that helps.

Shouldnt the poster be blurred??

If she had shot him there'd be 5 pages about how bad guns are by now.

RIP to the guy.

Trying to use this to score points for gun ownership? Really?

Have a word with yourself.

Shame you cant press the "like" button multiple times!

One impressive frog pond TF, wow. The frog "farms" I have seen have never been tiled and as clean as your aquarium. I was about comment of the need to feed them at all given the insects at this time of year until I notice the flyscreens. Looking at what appears to be feed pellets, I would think you may be overfeeding them. There is plenty of vegetative food which they would probably eat more of with a bit of a push.

It is hard to see an problems with what you have got there as It is so clean. Perhaps if you could find the source of the smell it might give some clue. Is it the plants, the frogs, spoilt feed or even the algae on the rocks? Can you describe the smell?

Thank you for your kind comments IA, I always strive to do a good job with everything I do, but as mentioned before I think sometimes I'm a bit too pedantic,my T. wife is the same. I believe keeping their environment clean aids the frogs health. The tiles make it easier to clean and also is less damaging to the frogs. Growing up as a kid in Oz I always kept lots of wild critters at home and soon realised that rough concrete tank walls caused injuries/abrasions, particularly to their noses. Flyscreens, no, its just 3/4" plastic mesh. Insects will/have entered, in fact I have lights above to attract them but we dont see them this time of the year except for mosquitos and the odd fly. Once the rains come its a totally different story, every light in the pace is swarming with bugs.

The tank in the picture had only just been cleaned and the frogs given their morning feed just before the photo was taken. In fact I had not yet even added the EM otherwise the water would be slightly brownish. Two hours later 99% of that food would be eaten. By the afternoon there would be poop everywhere in the water. Spoilt feed, I dont think so. I like to always spend a bit of time in the tank doorway before, during, and after feeding. The same when we are cleaning the tank. It gives us a chance to look over the stock to check their condition. Inspecting the tank also gives me an idea of how much to feed them as they are growing. If the food disappears too quickly I tend to increase the amount, if food is left over in the morning (rarely) I reduce. Normally they clear up all the food in the water and on the (dry) island within a couple of hours. Sometimes there is some food left over on the shelter roof (Qcon blocks) because there are only a few frogs that go up there, but it is dry so not rotten thus little smell. Dry food smells a bit like blood and bone. There may be a small amount of food that gets lost among the plants but I have never noticed any...unless it dissolves and looks the same as the frog faeces,

No the smell is definitely from the faeces (not sure if I can say shit here hahaha!). As mentioned in previous post, I have questions regarding how many times to feed a day. I have now changed to feeding them only once a day, so half the amount per day. Since this reduction, starting three days ago, the smell has actually reduced. I think it is now a more manageable amount for the EM. The frogs dont smell, the plants are ok, but the rocks have a slight algae or green water type smell. The main smell to me is definitely a poop smell.

I think your frog pond could be out of balance in terms of C:N ratio. If you have an ammonia like smell then you have way to much nitrogen and probably little carbon at all since you are exchanging the water. Micro-organisms need carbon to build their cells as does all life forms.

Perhaps you should try adding a carbon source to the water and see if the smell diminishes. Tie a handful of straw into a bundle and stand it in the pond.

Thanks IsaanAussie. We do have quite a few plants (water hyacinth) for shelter in the tank which I imagine would be consuming some of the nitrogen, especially considering the are a rich green in colour and flourishing. But carbon, yes that is a good idea. The water in the tank is only about 6 cm deep, do you consider this sufficient to stand the bundle?

I am attaching a photo of the frog tank (after cleaning haha) so you get a better idea. This was taken apprx 1 month ago so the frogs are bigger now. The other pic is of the frog and catfish tanks side by side.

Pla Duk (catfish) I have been noticing about 24 hours after each time I have dosed the tank with EM after a 50% water change, there have appeared floating on the surface quite a few spirals or coils of a kind of hard almost clear mucous. Hard to describe but looks to me like some sort of discharge....suggesting to me an affect on their digestive system?? Maybe a good thing, maybe bad. As the fish have been healthy, very active, growing, and eating well with no losses for months I have decided to fall back on the old Russian saying...."if somethings not broken- dont repair it". So I have stopped dosing with EM for the present. There are other reasons too and the main one is that at the moment were are suffering from a serious shortage of water. Both of my supplies have dwindled to only having water for a couple of hours each morning and afternoon and even then it is down to a mere trickle. We barely get enough to keep the gardens going apart from showering and laundary etc. So water changes have been out of the question. The pla duk however are very hardy and will survive in almost any water conditions. This leads me to IsaanAussies informative post re nutrients and oxygen. While I am sure the tank is very rich in nutrients considering the number of fish per litre plus the fact that water changes now are not happening, pla duk merely swim to the surface and gulp air normally. I believe they can also breathe air from the surface through their whiskers. I think if they were short of oxygen they would be spending a lot more time at the surface, which they are not.

Gop (bullfrogs) As the quantity of water in the frog tank is quite small (apprx 150 litres) I have been able to continue my twice a week water changes along with EM dosing. Each time I have increased the dosage with the last being apprx 600 ml of EMA to 150 lt of water. Still doesnt seem to have lessened the smell but I can live with that. Considering there are apprx 300+ bullfrogs of 3/4 full size pooping in 150 litres of water for 3 days, and in this heat, I think the EM is hard pressed to take over completely. My main reason for dosing them with EM, apart from their general health, is that they sometimes bite each other. Their sight is tuned to movement so when they are feeding they will sometimes strike at a nearby frog that happens to move, irregardless of their target's size. Mostly their is no problem with this but sometimes they break the skin, even slightly, and once that happens they seem to get sick, dont eat and slowly fade away. I was hoping the EM may be a benefit in their recovery in those cases. Our losses however are very small with about only 2 frogs being lost per month. Sometimes there are cases where EM could never help, such as today when we had to remove one of our largest frogs because it had been completely disemboweled! As the rest of the frogs are healthy, eating well, growing and noisy before feeding time haha I will continue with the EM.

Feeding catfish and bullfrogs I have a question re feeding which maybe Foreverford (or others) could help as I believe he has some expertise in this field. From day one I have been feeding the catfish and bullfrogs twice a day and increasing the amount as they grow. The catfish I have fed, mid morning and late afternoon, the amount they can eat in 10 minutes, which is usually when they lose interest in any case. The bullfrogs I feed at the same time and the quantity I judge by what is left over from the last feed. Last week my wife, who has no experience with either, apart from chatting with others in the village, informs me that I am overfeeding, that once a day now is sufficient. The frogs are 3/4 grown and the catfish average approx 20cm in length (I dont as yet have any scales to weigh). Anybody have any info here?

Ants I am very pleased to announce that my ant problems have abated at present. The borax, sometimes with sugar and water, sometimes with chicken soup, has cleared the verandah of 90% of the ants and the house is completely free.

I once made the mistake of "lending" some money to my first Thai gf..... Lesson learned - fortunately not a very expensive one, but bad enough. I had far more hassle with a loan to a farang ex-friend. Getting that money back cost me a friendship - but it was well worth it to be rid of the loser.

OP, tell your wife's "friend" that it's your money and the answer is no and that it's your decision, not your wife's. No money now, none tomorrow and none any day thereafter. It might cause a short blow-up, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Failing that, buy her a one-way bus ticket to Pattaya and let her earn it there.

Yep, I will second that. I have had more problems with farang "friends", one in particular. Found out too late he made a business of it owing everybody around town. Never got that money back and was reluctant to force it because the loser had a lovely wife and two brow beaten sons, and he used both of them to his selfish ends. If I had tried to force the issue I know they would have only suffered. He gets around calling himself ulra-positive haha...I guess you would have to rather than look in the mirror!

You know, growing up in Australia the heat isnt all that a big deal in Thailand

Others mentioned trying to escape to a supposed paradise as a quick fix for mental issues

But there have also been some pretty ridiculous temperatures in Thailand recently for winter

Or a couple things combined

Does just the heat alone send some that come from colder climates mad, or madder if already mad

Depends where you live in Australia....In Darwin it is often heard of where someone goes "troppo" with the heat and humidity and then run amuck.

let me specify

PHUKET will not issue u a rc on a tourist visa :-)

note those 2 year licenses are TEMP licenses and can not be used outside Thiand

a 5 year one is valid around the world

why would u get 3 temp licenses and not change them to a 5 year license? could it be cause ur not on a long term visa??

I have held a 5 year license since the early 90's

I have had two temp lic's because of my lic being due same time as my 1 yr visa extension renewal. When they look at my passport and see I only have a 30 day "under consideration" stamp they refuse to give me more than the temp. Next time I will go well before lic renewal date and see if that works. Main hurdle is I live in Kalasin, no Imm Office so we have to go to Sakon, a 3 hour 1 way trip. I would like to renew lic closer, say Udon, coz only 1 hour away but am told you have to go to original lic centre?

Believe me I would much prefer a 5 year lic, if they'd give me one, instead of all the running around!

http://tielandtothailand.com/certificate-residency/

"I believe I've heard" ... that's handy!

I searched the forums, obviously, before going through the trouble of posting a whole new thread. Because, other threads say, no residence paper without 90 day reporting in Bangkok.

Would be awesome to catch someone who happens across this thread, with actionable advice!

Mmmmm ok keep your shirt on. First Google search result was:

http://tielandtothailand.com/certificate-residency/

4th Google result was:

http://donslifeinthailand.com/Thai-Drivers-License-2.html

All I did was Google "residency certificate thailand with tourist visa" Not difficult at all. However one word of warning, some Immigration offices, licensing centres have different rules/requirements. I note that the first two results of my 5 second search saying a Tourist Visa was acceptable were from Chiang Mai.

Good luck.....again!

I believe I have heard of people getting a residency cert/drivers lic on a tourist visa. Think you just need a lease agreement or letter from hotel etc to confirm where you are staying. Try a google search or search this forum,there is plenty of up to date info. Good luck!

get yourself a yellow book from local ampur no need for embassy 2000 bht or immigration poss 600 bht

50 bht and finish

Many thanks will look at both options.

Can you tell me what is required in order to get a yellow book?? I enquired last year at our local amphur, they were very pleasant and helpful but told me that, among other things, I would have to get my passport translated into Thai and the translation certified?? Thats not so easy when you live in the sticks so I dropped the idea...but am still interested if you can shed some light??

Another reason is that the US is in so much debt to other countries. China wanted to bring in a new separate yuan reserved for international trade to compete with the US$. However they realised they would be hurting themselves more in doing so because the dollar would immediately fall and in turn China would lose heaps because the US owes them trillions of dollars.

,

Yes that must be it. Thanks for pointing that out...you are clearly on top of world economic affairs.

Sometimes it is better to think first than to write it down immediately. Open mind and critical thinking ...its not too late I hope for you.

Yes you are correct: "Open mind and critical thinking....." plus reading widely.

An old friend of mine went to renew his drivers lic in Bangkok today and was told he must have a letter from his embassy proving address?? He contacted the British Embassy who told him to make an appointment online, wait about a month and then pay nearly 5,000 baht for the letter?? Do they no longer accept cert of residency from Immigration or local police station??

From what I understand all trailers in Thailand must have brakes with hydraulic system connected to towing vehicle system.

Most of the world isn't American .... where money is all that counts.

In the rest of the world, class is based on,

Breeding, education and occupation.

Anyone who labours is automatically low class.

Those who use their minds for their work are middle class.

High class can only be gained from parentage.

...

Well, if you are happy with a system where your standing in society is based on an accident of birth, more power to you. Fortunately that is not true everywhere and the rest of the world knows where it's not true.

TH

"Breeding, education and occupation". Literacy is probably the most important part of education, followed by an open mind and tolerance.

...."where the money is all that counts"

Yes and that's why the world's reserve currency is the US Dollar and not the British pound...

The US dollar is the 'world's reserve currency' because the US murder anybody who tries to change it. Saddam tried to change it and he was murdered, Gaddafi tried to change it to gold and he was likewise murdered. The US has murdered more of their own leaders than any other country, do you think they would hesitate for one minute to murder others?

Another reason is that the US is in so much debt to other countries. China wanted to bring in a new separate yuan reserved for international trade to compete with the US$. However they realised they would be hurting themselves more in doing so because the dollar would immediately fall and in turn China would lose heaps because the US owes them trillions of dollars.

,