phuketsub

I got an email from Lins the other day and am glad to report he is doing okay. I have known him for many years and know for a fact that he does not have a bad temper. The old Piccadilly Bar is now a FamilyMart, not a 7-Eleven -- or at least that was the case last time I ventured over that way...

"Indian" and "British" are nationalities, not races. You don't want to be unnecessarily be branded as a racist, do you?

My take is that Phuket is devolving into a sort of entrepot for scumbags and cheats, from all over Thailand and the globe.

Even many Scandinavians get into trouble here; there is a truly cosmopolitan collection of riff-raff, but I don't think any single nationality or race stands out, at least in my own experience.

I wish Immigration would do away with the useless 90-day reporting and redirect the manpower towards investigation.

That won't happen, though, because the 'law-abiding' foreigners are a steady and easy source of revenue, while dealing with some 100,000 illegal Burmese is a major expenditure. It's a lot easier just to sit back and take kickbacks...

For the "if you don't like it here leave" brigade: don't bother, I am already planning my escape.

Yes I always use Thai run businesses. I find that they are more honest in their dealings as they cant run away to another country if they rip people off

I only use Farang companies when I have to. The worst offenders for rip off by race have always been Indians and Brits in my book

The Burmese I have dealt with have been nothing short of sensational, I was helping a friend with some repairs on a shopfront, their honesty is truly amazing, right down to the last brick

Maybe he missed the cabinetmeeting and the photosession because he was at an AA meeting.

That would put him one step ahead of me...

That just went in one ear and out the other.

Even after the last fish in the sea is caught, if there is still a single baht to be made somewhere they'll invent new ways to mess it all up even more.

When the last tree has died, and the last fish is gone, man will realise he cannot eat money................but don't just blame Thailand.... this is almost global. Or as they are now saying "This world has enough for every ones need; but not for their greed.

The real issue is not greed -- that has always been with us -- it is global overpopulation. I never understand why this issue is forever playing second fiddle to 'global warming' , 'environmental destruction' and all of the other overarching issues that it has largely created. It's true that here in Thailand we are terrible stewards of our natural heritage and have very little civic discipline. But it's the sheer numbers of us that are creating all of these problems. If we could get the numbers to go down instead of up you would see all of these problems begin to solve themselves overnight.

Well for one thing, when you start looking at who's most responsible, it becomes immediately clear that political correctness simply will not allow for an open discussion of the issue.You face being summarily branded a neo-Malthusian, which usually eliminates your chances of being taken seriously by others who are afraid of a similar associations and the word "racism" (as used by people who like to obviate criticism by disingenuously threatening to brand unorthodox thinkers [or just anyone who doesn't tow the party line] as racists). You've also taken on the full brunt of Evangelical Christianity, which preaches, literally, to be "fruitful and multiply". If you ever read the Nazi's theories on population, you know you're entering intellectual territory where emotion supersedes reason. And finally, its difficult to argue that population is at the heart of the world's resource problems when countries like the US consume many times what other countries (with far fewer resources) do. The US is a resource rich country. Even if there were global catastrophe, do you expect that Americans will share (this is not to get into the fine art of America-bashing, as that is hardly productive and China seems hell-bent on creating a consumer culture to match America's)?

I am not so worried about being labelled as such, and nobody seems to listen to my views on this issue anyway. If you have time listen to Adam Carolla's take:

The song is a classic;

I think Malthus would approve.

I am new to this forum, but plan to give 'farming' a go when I semi-retire to my wife's village in coastal Songkhla, where she has a small plot of what appears (to me anyway) to be arable land.

I have 25 years of experience of living and working in Thailand and am fluent in the language, but no background in gardening or farming whatsoever.

I really just want to keep busy and would like to grow the things I like and consume a lot of: coffee beans, durien, Thai pumpkin...I think it is probably too late/impractical for me to have any ambitions to produce cash crops -- I just want to be self-sufficient in crops that are the easiest to grow: I just don't know what they are.

A lot of people in her area also raise oxen, and I am kind of interested in doing that too...but that might be too much of a time commitment -- I simply don't know what it entails because, once again, this is another area I have no expertise in whatsoever.

Anyway, any advice to this greenhorn would be most appreciated.

Mate you'll be alright, you speak the language, you've been here a long time. But I personally am not a big fan of durian as it made me quite ill one rare night drinking a bit of whisky with it. But it will take a few years to grow trees and fruit. What do other farmers grow in the area. You'll have plenty of time while they are growing to research techniques. If you do it properly you will get more than enough fruit for yourself all at once so a bit of pocket cash anyway. I don't know about coffee but veggies will be OK, you may need water though if it doesn't rain, they will keep you busy while you wait for the king of fruit. PS up here in Chantaburi now there is durian coming out of our earholes but I don't grow it.

Thanks David...there seems to be a surfeit of durian here in Phuket too. I have to add for the record that I once won a bet by downing a huge monthong durien and a bottle of Black Label...and I actually felt fine the next day. I think that threat is overrated...

I am new to this forum, but plan to give 'farming' a go when I semi-retire to my wife's village in coastal Songkhla, where she has a small plot of what appears (to me anyway) to be arable land.

I have 25 years of experience of living and working in Thailand and am fluent in the language, but no background in gardening or farming whatsoever.

I really just want to keep busy and would like to grow the things I like and consume a lot of: coffee beans, durien, Thai pumpkin...I think it is probably too late/impractical for me to have any ambitions to produce cash crops -- I just want to be self-sufficient in crops that are the easiest to grow: I just don't know what they are.

A lot of people in her area also raise oxen, and I am kind of interested in doing that too...but that might be too much of a time commitment -- I simply don't know what it entails because, once again, this is another area I have no expertise in whatsoever.

Anyway, any advice to this greenhorn would be most appreciated.

It's way too big a cash cow to stop milking for a whole month.

Regarding number 4.

It is illegal to move any vehicle from it's final position after an accident until the investigating police officer says it can be moved. This applies to motorbikes, too.

I have heard that, but it is a retarded regulation that needs to changed for minor accidents, at least in Phuket. If there is a fender-bender on Mt Mayhem, for example, it can effectively cause tailbacks from Kathu all the way to Patong for well over an hour. Anyway, that probably won't be an issue after the road collapses, which appears inevitable.

Yes, local time management 'skills' can be annoying.

I have a few more to add:

1. The almost complete inability of most locals to read maps.

2. The Thai postal system method of assigning street addresses.

3. Double-parking on busy streets (this seems to be getting worse, especially in Phuket)

4. Failure of parties in minor vehicle accicents to clear their cars from the road so that other drivers can pass. (see Photo)

The whole coastline from Prachuap Kiri Kan to Hua Hin is a giant toilet. I personally think Phuket has it all, and I wouldnt dream of leaving, Ive been here a year now but my opinion might change after my 2nd year

The whole gulfs coastline is a toilet.

From the Cambodian border and all the way to Surat thani.

I have to agree with this, even though I am moving over there. The worst part is all the fluorescent bulbs that was ashore from the squid boats, but that is only one small part of the problems that develop when you view the sea as your own personal garbage dump -- as many people over there do. The jellyfish are bad over there too...

The best site to check is Ajarn.com.

I had a contract with a major hotel chain in Bangkok back in the 1990s and it was good, well-paid and fun work, with lots of perks.

However, there is so much oversupply of hotels here now and so much staff turnover that all but the biggest tend to shy away from hiring a full-time teacher...

"Can't adapt"? That's a very presumptuous comment. We are not lab rats. We vote with our feet -- and wallets.

@ phuketsub

No problem. Just make sure your insurance is in order for living down there, that's all.

I actually kind of enjoy the fact that the 'security issue' is so wantonly distorted, with even know-nothing bureaucratic hacks from a "Down Under" government helping to not blow the price curve...The best insurance of all is gettin' outta Dodge, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

Big Bill,

End of an era, my old friend.

The timing is surprising; I have also just decided 'enough is enough' and am planning to move back to Songkhla after 12 years here. I am happy to leave what's left of the island's natural charm to my friends from Russia and China, along with the tuk-tuk mafia and never-ending circus parade of useless bureaucrats who shuffle through here and do nothing to save the place from the never-ending gang rape they call "poorly regulated development". Hopefully the road to Patong will remain in place until I pull out.

Oops, that sounds pretty negative.

All the best to you and Flower.

Go Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox and Celts! (couldn't resist)

"Songkhla" - so, a war zone is now nicer than Phuket. That's really saying something.

Songkhla isn't a war zone by any stretch of the imagination.

Here's one Government that disagrees with you.

http://smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Thailand

Thanks for calling my attention to that. It is disgraceful for the Australian government to include Songkhla in that warning. Songkhla has 16 districts, only four of which were under the Internal Security Act at one point. There haven't been any 'incidents' in any of those districts in a long time, and certainly none in which a foreign tourist was harmed.

To be honest, I feel safer even in notorious Red Zones in Yala than I do here in Phuket. How many foreigners, I would like to know, have been killed or wounded in this conflict? As far as I know, and I have been following it closely for a long time, only one: a Chinese guy who was likely mistaken for someone else about six years ago. If they really wanted to target foreigners they could easily do a Bali-style bombing in Patong -- but they haven't and won't. It wouldn't help their cause any more than getting into bed with Al Qaida or JI.

I will let the Songkhla Chamber of Commerce be aware of this.

Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread, which should be reserved for saying 'bye' to the Big Bill, so I will end on that note.

Big Bill,

End of an era, my old friend.

The timing is surprising; I have also just decided 'enough is enough' and am planning to move back to Songkhla after 12 years here. I am happy to leave what's left of the island's natural charm to my friends from Russia and China, along with the tuk-tuk mafia and never-ending circus parade of useless bureaucrats who shuffle through here and do nothing to save the place from the never-ending gang rape they call "poorly regulated development". Hopefully the road to Patong will remain in place until I pull out.

Oops, that sounds pretty negative.

All the best to you and Flower.

Go Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox and Celts! (couldn't resist)

I'd like to see some similar attention regarding the inevitable collapse of Patong Hill road. It's like having gangrene and spending time contemplating liposuction surgery.

No major downpours in Rassada today, but very overcast and gusty.

Maybe they are would-be wombat smugglers...I wouldn't rule anything out in these here parts.

I am really worried about Mt Mayhem (Patong Hill Rd) collapsing; would not want to be on it when it does...Anyway, I can report that there were no major flooding problems in the parts of Phuket Town I drove through today.

This is actually a good idea if implemented and marketed correctly: big "ifs", though.

Just a reminder to y'all that Phuket will play PTT Rayong at 6:30pm today.

Quite a big game; worth checking out.

for a match preview check here:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuketsports/2013/Phuket-Football-Islanders-face-uphill-battle-21274.html

Agreed...it is called 'Roti Chao Fa'...I always take my Muslim friends from Yala and Pattani there 'cuz it's all Halal and they love it. We do too; there are better (and much cheaper) places in Haad Yai and the Deep South, but this is the best in Phuket Town as far as I know.

As for food prices in general, I have found a good strategy is to stop at Phuket Grocery produce section, where they have all the prices listed (in Thai) on a big board.(see pic) . Then I take a pic. From there it's off to the nearby Talaad Kaset (the hardcore wet market near Robinson), with an idea of what's going for what.

The Phuket Grocery prices are generally slightly higher, the quality generally not the best. So for me those prices are the 'ceiling' above which I know I am being overcharged.

You don't need a high level of Thai reading skill to do this.

As a farang I am hyper-vigilant in this regard. Some of the overcharging of tourists that goes on at the market is on par with the tuk-tuk mentality.

High comedy...Of course it will never happen, but still begs the question of where the best location for it in Phuket would be. I'd say Koh Sireh would be an interesting candidate...Saphan Hin has had small-scale races before, but is way too small for an F1 circuit. I don't know of a single Thai who has any real interest in F1, so I guess it's all about the parallel religion here: tourism promotion.

Best go to the official Phillips repair depot. I've used them a few times. Very good service. From BKK Phuket hospital going towards Lotus, the second road on the left (before the traffic lights) It's the about the 4th shop on the right side. Yaowarat 1 Rd

http://maps.google.com/?ll=7.905812,98.377614&spn=0.001554,0.001725&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=7.905855,98.37758&panoid=SWvmCw4Gau3M60VwSeoLPA&cbp=12,328.76,,0,9.57

I have used them with success too...It's in PhuketVilla 1 estate