gobs

On Chiang Mai area, for a new house standard type on the base of 100 sqm (not VERY-VERY good, but averagedly (?) good), all inclusive (so materials and workers), keys in hand, a "technician of the art" told me about 9000 Bahts per sqm.

For a boundry wall 2m high, all inclusive, 2000 to 2500 Bahts (depend of some details about filling...) the linear meter.

Just some rough prices before building one's sweet home...

Surrealist story!..

And (over, if can be) surrealist picture!..

It sounds, and looks, like a bad joke TV-movie in Farangland...

Incredible Thailand...

I agree with Naklang:

In Europe (UE), tourism for family in Thailand begins to be a "has been" destination.

Many more attractive and cheaper places, manytimes nearer, are becoming "en vogue"...

Maybe Thailand AND airways companies have to worry about this...

Note, just to be clear: I'm settled in LOS, and nothing seems "has been" to me here

2,5 years... So a newbie!

In november 2005 I came for the first time in LOS. It was a "one or two weeks" holiday...

Since I settled in Chiang Mai; never went back to my homeland, and don't want to go back or go somewhere else.

Hi all,

For my part I play a string guitar Yamaha, and an electric one Ibanez Hollow body (jazzy sound...).

With these two toys I'm very pleased.

I agree: Yamaha is a good and cheap brand...

But... As I'm not a native english speaker, what are saddle, nuts and bones? Modifying my guitars may improve their sounds as well... But I don't "understand" in doing what

Thanks to all

Gobs

I saw, here in CM in a dealer shop, a Honda XR 250 2002 "original" (but no papers, no plate: so unreg) which seems in good condition for the announced price of 65000 Bahts...

I don't notice the mileage...

If can help to price yours...

Cheers

* I just bought one 3 weeks ago. One XR 250 Baja (registered, so papers and plate: frame number, engine number and color OK) from 1995 for 40000 Bahts... Ok, not so pretty at the first look, but nothing misses and runs OK. Just some cosmetic work, and maybe a good rear tyre.

IMHO: never be in a hurry. Check, compare and have a look EVERYWHERE. Sometimes, in a yard, behind some junk bins, you can find a dirty jewel...

I'm not a manager from GT-rider, but I just come now from it, and had no problem...

What it can be is that "they" deeply modified "their" site one or two months ago, and I remember I had to do something a little special to log in when the new site re-open... But I don't even remember what it was in this time...

Try it again, or change your ID and PW...

Cheers

Hi Annabel,

If your maid and her daughter are thai persons, don't forget in your search to get a keyboard that fit the thai language! Outside Thailand, keyboards are not print with thai letters... So about Farangs laptops, maybe it's not a good choice... IMHO

Pantip Plaza 3rd or 4th floor, near the food center, a shop sells some laptops...

Good luck

Thanks Richard,

Sure, can be interesting!.. I use to fix and do the servicing by myself: I do adore and I do know what I do!

So is it a garage manual exclusively for the Honda XR 250 or all XR models? And written in what language (because Japanese, for me, you know )? Is this copy in good condition? Eventualy, at what price?

I got both, owner manual and garage manual for my Honda CB1, for free by a spanish CB1 club on the internet , only by downloading it from their site... But I find nothing about the XR 250 when I google. Only some classifieds and some spare parts... I'm a little surprised for such a well known bike.

Thanks Richard, I'm waiting your answer...

Cheers

Yes Annabel,

Ambassy or consulate must certify your monthly income level...

It can go for a combination bank deposit/monthly income...

Ask to immigration office (near the airport) for confirmation and more. Officers are very friendly and helpful... Well for me it always happent!

Good luck!

Maybe now I understand why a crew from TT&T drived some new lines in my area, around Chiang Mai, one or two weeks ago... I asked a thai neighbour, and he told me nobody had asked for new lines/phones by here... Maybe they add some "tubes" (?..)

For my part I used the "56K" OK it's sometimes very low, but I don't want to pay for a crappy service with ADSL, whatever the company... IMHO, after reading here and there, I think it's a BIG LOTERIE... Some are happy, but too many complaints. There is no grant anyway...

Wait and see... Maybe better a next tomorrow!

Cheers

Thanks for the link, JSixpack!

Very interesting and answers to many questions...

And thanks to all, maybe I tell my friend to avoid PRINCO... Or a next time I give him some SONY or TDK CD-Rs...

Cheers,

Gobs

Hi friends!

A thai friend of mine made me two CD-R of thai songs from his computer... Very friendly and interesting...

Unfortunately, after some 6 or 10 playings, there are scratches, lacks and "jumps" on these CDs! And more I listen to them, more it seems it's worse...

These CD-Rs are from a "first-price" brand: PRINCO.

For my part I use, on my computer, to burn CDs from "real" brands like TDK or SONY... And after many, many playings, I never had a problem...

Are there such differences between CD-Rs brands? The standards of manufacturing are they identical?

Can it be the quality of the "burner"? Brand, reliability?..

Further more, can someone (in brief I guess ) explain to me the principle of the burning of a CD-R, and "how" is built the disc itself...

Thanks

Gobs

HONDA XR 250! And definitely...

High (you have a good sight on the traffic), light (easy to corner), slim (you can ride between cars) and "powerful enough" at the green light...

I own too a HONDA CB1 400, but no matter, not so easy to "manage" in the traffic...

OK, say same-same (but different!) for all trailers SUZUKAWAYAHM.

DRZ 400 not so "easy" IMO...

Cheers

Hi all,

I'm looking for a (good) copy of the owner manual for a Honda XR 250 (Baja) 1995...

I'm settled in Chiang Mai...

Someone can help me about this?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Gobs

Maybe you know, but never change your foreign money vs Bahts in your home country.

Send foreign money to your thay bank that changes it vs Baths at a best rate.

I did the mistake ONE time (and ONLY ONE time! for sure...) at the begining of my settlement here in LOS. In this time I lost something like 3 or 4 Bahts for each Euro... Fortunately it was not very big money. There is a strong difference between onshore and offshore rates (so-called if I remember well... and correct me if I'm wrong ).

Imagine if you are speaking of 10,000 or 100,000 Euros! Or more... GBP!..

Cheers

Hi Cromarty,

Just an idea...

There is a fair of furnitures coming soon, nothing about INDEX or so. If I remember well it begins on the 23rd of May and closed something like the 6th of June.

This fair is settled behind the TESCO-LOTUS at the north of CM, a big area in the hudge flower market.

You can find many many different styles of solid wood furnitures... and more, like solid wood sala(s), these "little houses" you can see here and there in some thay gardens.

In this fair you have also furnitures of prisonners workshops: solid wood furnitures, "thay classic style", at good prices.

For example, last year, I was interested in a dining set from this workshop: one square table, 1,20 m x 1,20 m and 4 chairs (all varnished solid wood). Good building, nice hand made (so sometimes some little differences in details between the 4 chairs... but for my part I do like hand works: hands are not machines!), heavy solid wood, for the price of 7,000 Bahts...

Unfortunately, when I came back on the tomorrow to buy this set, it was already sold! But may pen ray: 2 months later, from a prisonners workshop too, I found a larger table in solid big-big wood and classic thay style with 6 chairs for 10,000 Bahts...

Hope can help...

Cheers,

Gobs

Hi Awakened,

I'm not a doctor and furthemore not a specialist, but first, don't worry too much. It can happens we ingest a bad bacteria that makes us feeling bad... It happens to me 2 or 3 times since I'm settled in LOS... and nothing special occured then.

If I was in your case, I should try this: eating boiled potatoes or boiled western noodles (spaghetti, etc) or boiled/steamed white rice... No sauce, just maybe a little bit of butter (for the taste ). Bread can be good too... I should add some pieces of ham or BBQ chiken (not the skin) or BBQ pork (no fat)... I trully should avoid fresh vegetables or fruits or drinking from these ones during some days, and eat one or two real yoghurts per day... And for sure, no coffee, nor beer, nor wine, nor lao . Only Water...

So: soft food and soft drinking.

Let your "metabolism" curing itself during some days... When you feel better, then gently add progresivly some cooked fruits and vegetables (not too much at one time at the beginning). Later, OK, up to you...

Hope this can help you,

but one more time: I'm not a specialist. This is part of my own medication, specially when I have some stomach troubles... and it works for me!

Good luck,

Gobs

Very, very good and interesting thread!

It seems at least that everybody can now understand why it's not so easy to start up a business in LOS.

I personnaly live in Chiang Mai (retired status, no business!). OK, it's not so busy than Samui I suppose, but yet all here can be fund. And what more is needed?..

Tourists are happy with this, and settled farangs and locals too...

Thanks to all.

I think that thread could be pinned! So, so many questions about starting a business in LOS. And I suppose so, so many disapointed guys!..

Cheers

1000 $?

Nope! It's about what I need monthly for my cigars directly coming from Cuba...

And then...

Without my private jet, ready to take off at CNX airport, to jump to my sea-side villa in Samui, closeby the ones of Jacky Chan and Madonna, I would feel boring a lot! You know, taking the queue for a "silly" airplane full of smellish tourists, it's not a part of pleasure...

And forget these SUVs and the rest (Toyota Ruiner or others!..). I do like better to choose, for a little tour here around Chiang Mai, between a little good german sport car (my Porsche Carrera GT, that I love to drive by myself) or a pretty cosy british saloon (my spouse's Jaguar, only driven by a discret and consciencious chinese "chauffeur"). OK, in my garage, there are also a couple of bikes, for the fun... One brand new Bimota for the knee-burning and a custom-made Harley Davidson when It's too hot. And you know, I don't trust the dealers "here". So official technicians came specially to flush these vehicles or even change a bulb... I prefer. I feel more quiet... I let under silent what cars and bikes wait me in Samui... Even if some guards care my land 24/24, many robbers could be interested through such a thread... Just imagine...

A simple house? Oh sure, but beware: under 500 sqm in a little land of 150 Rai with river and mountain-view, you cannot feel good... That's the minimum... I hear here and there speaking of 200 or 300 sqm under roof like a "paradise". Let me laugh! For the gardeners, waiters, room-maids that's OK: they can find their places in such surfaces... But for you, please see wide and peaceful! And as advice, don't by a condo or a house by this or that... Only set a strong society with plenty of money, and let it go! Your property will come like "alone"... I cannot explain this longer on this page, sorry... But a good "adviser" will help you...

For other part food and clothes "here" are of a very doubtful quality! Even international brands: just good to garden a little bit in your roses... When dirty, don't wash, better throw to the bin when coming back the library for a drink (only rare whisky directly coming from Scotland and custom-brewed, be aware!)...No, nowadays, some european or american "grandes maisons" can ship directly and very quickly to your door: beef, lamb, goose, salmon, shark, oysters, caviar, champagne...

And let work at your custom sized Dior, Cerruti, Weston and the others... You'll feel better.

OK you pay a little more, and then?.. Better to feel comfortable through ones life, no?

And what about horsing, yachting, golfing, jumping to Tokyo just for a real good sushi?.. What do you want to do for your free-times?.. Please, consider...

To end this post, just between you and I: about sex (my wife is attending "her" spa now, so...), let fall Chiang Mai, Bangkok,Pattaya and the rest. Prefer Samui or Pukhet (easy with your jet ready hey!..), and for quality, healthy and knowledge, don't hesitate about price! For one good and perfect night at your convenience count 30 KBahts... Under this amount, you'll only get the mud of the streets, a quick factory service or a MacDo sex-party... Well, IMO...

No, obviously sure! Up! Up much more!.. Under something like, say, 30000 $ or 1000000 Bahts monthly, you are out... Sorry, but it's the truth. Trust me: no way "here" under this amount!

Reading this thread, I'm really surprised that some farangs can live "here" with less than that. I cannot imagine what they are living... Have they at least a roof of banana leaves over their head at night?..

Well, after all, what I say, you know...

Hi Mark!

Well, why don't you bring your car to a Suzuki agent or dealer? For sure they know their cars...

I too own a Suzuki Sporty here in Chiang May. These cars are reliable, not complicated at all and cheap and easy to fix...

OK I (like to) do a lot of things by myself on my cars and bikes, but when I'm lazy or not sure of my diagnostic, or don't have the good tools, no problem, I rush to the Suzuki dealer here...

They work great, and their prices maybe (no, surely ) are up a garage X, but no matter, at the end, the cost is really lower than in the West!

And for other part, better than to worry all day long about something right or wrong... I, I can't support a pop, a kling, a klong or a pschhh when driving! So 500 or 1,000 Bahts more or less, may pen ray!..

For my part (OK, maybe I know a little about mechanic, I can explain and understand what happens with "my" Thai, and like to turn around when fixing...) I never had a problem and I can say I trust them. By the way, I think they have to "respect" their "brand" through their customers, even if you are not ready to buy a brand new car of their ones... Eh, maybe one day you go through! Who knows?

So don't worry more Mark, be cool and have a jump to your nearest Suzuki workshop!*

Cheers

* Well I've no interest in Suzuki brand, hey!?

** Just to say: the day you trust a workshop, never change!

I, too, DO love mashed potatoes!

It's my cooking speciality

So I will go nowhere for this! Just eat it at home!

Yum-yum

Uh...

No butter with the jam I spread on my buttered croissants at the breakfast.

Maybe...

Hey Chanchao, my friend!

Why the Night Bazaar? I think only because everybody coming visiting me here have heard about it, and want to go back home with his lot of stuff from there!.. Many little gifts, cheap and easy to put somewhere in the suitcase... And in one evening, thank's God, you've done the whole tour of the Night Bazaar: no need to go elsewhere for more stuff

And well, tourists are tourists, no? So in one week of stay, OK: let's go to Night Bazaar... but only one time, please!

But for my part, I never go by myself... I do appreciate better to meet my thai neighbours and friends, and for sure the country life style!

But no problem for me to go to muang and its tourists areas if I need to go to look for something I know I can find there... Tourists have their lives, I have mine

Further more, if I travel to Laos or Japan or Nepal for a few days, am I not a tourist then? Sure I am!

So welcome to the tourists in CNX!.. But as a resident, I like to have a quiet life... in this so nice and so peace place Chiang Mai is...

Cheers

As an addict of the espresso coffe, it has been the true first "thing" I bought when I setteled in CM...

Find it in Home Pro (opposite Carrefour entrance, same floor, just up right hand the elevator) a pretty good Electolux espresso-machine. Not professional of course, but very efficient for a home use. Very strong pump; stainless steel body with plastic tank behind... Makes a nice light brown thick "foam" over the coffee... And the perfume! Yum, yum!

Better taste in my opinion if you ground the coffee very, very fine (like a powder).

Price about 7,000 Bahts or so... Same price in Europe.

For the coffee, Rimping (michok/Maprao road) have a very tasteful coffee "espresso" for sale at 39 Bahts/100 gr. Grinding free on site...

Good luck and... good taste!