DonaldBattles

CB:

It is not to cold to grow avacodas in CR. Even in Phuket there are trees growing. The problem is that the Thais do not eat them and there is no market value. There are a lot of trees growing in Samerng.

Don

I will keep looking for producing trees that I can graft as it seems like it may not be worth the effort to grow and take care if the production is low and quality is low.

Will pass the word when I find trees that I can get cuttings for grafting. These trees grow very large and the land they are on will have to be dedicated.

Doi Kham staff have promised help but so far none has come. Because I process and sell the pulp I have a lot of seeds that I have given them. Currently all of my fruit comes from a broker in Chiang Mai. Shipping to Bangkok and processing waste a lot of shipping cost. Would be better to process where the fruit is.

Thanks.

Don

I need information help in grafting young avocada trees with limbs from producting trees. I am told that if you plant from seeds and do not graft a limb from a producing tree that the production is poor and not dependable. If anyone has information on this it would be appreciated. I also need to acquire small limbs from producing trees. I have about 30 trees that are 1.5 years old.

Don

Basically, with the exception of Bangkok the people who sell broad band services are pretty much the same. What they sell they can never deliver. They know that they can never meet the specifications on an on going basis but they sell anyway. We buy because slow is better than dial up.

These systems are normally known as party lines which means that the more parties there are on the system the slower it gets. Woody Leonard in Phuket plotted the performance of most of the big suppliers and found them all the same. The speed drops off big time during the party line rush hours. If you check your speed at 01:00-04:00 most likely you will find a big difference than 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00.

TOT Board of Directors denied them money they need to improve the performance of IPSTAR which could have solved the slow party line problem. I have TOT IPSTAR 1 meg speed and during the rush hour it is slow like the others. I should have followed their advice and stayed with the 512/256 K speeds as my situtation did not improve during the rush hour just spending more money for nothing. I have had there technicians check the system several times. Don't know what they do but as long as they are they seem to be able to choke a little more out of the system. Later on it goes back to normal.

IPSTAR is the largest comminication satellite ever launched and is special for broad band. In 1959-62 I worked at Cape Canaveral launching early communication satellites in low earth orbits. I never dreamed that one day an IPSTAR would be built and in geo sync orbit. AMAZING!

There seems to be no money available for expansion of the TOT ADSL system and they have no idea when it might happen in Chiang Rai.

Now that the "Rice Provinces" have spoken and won in the last 3 elections there might be a chance that TOT and CAT can do something about this. Bangkok may have to go begging.

By the rules no commercial activity is permitted on the forum and I have been cautioned. If you can't find the place at Doi Hang. Call me at 081 894 6401.

So where?

Imported Holland Gouda and Edam are both available in Chiang Rai at 499 Baht per kg. Check with me if you would like to know where.

Don

I am sure some of your sharp shoppers in Chiang Rai can tell you where to get imported Holland Gouda and Edam for 499 Baht per kg. Look around and see what you find.

Don

A&P Bakery has a block of aged Dutch Gouda that is exceptional.

The girls will cut you a piece to suit.

110B a 100gms though, but it is Christmas.

At 1100 Baht per kg this is a big rip off like many other things in Chiang Rai. There are other choices. Like many other things in Chiang Rai there is not enough competition.

Don

I was once involved with two people in Phuket who refused to pay a restaurant bill based on not liking to smell the soap used when cleaning the kitchen after it closed. These two people were hunted down by the Chalong Police and hauled in the next day. One of the the culprits had left his passport in Hua Hin, the other had a small laminated copy in in wallet. Col. Satit stated that if you left the province of residence you are required to carry your passport with you. The culprit with small copy in his wallet resided in Phuket. The culprit without his passport was detained for several hours by the immigration police who were called in. In addition, immigration police could not find where this German National had entered the country.

On a positive note, Col Satit read a section of the Thai National Law which was also available in English that stated the seriousness of refusing to pay for goods or services at hotels and restrauants. In the end, the 2 culprits gladly paid the 1600 Baht bill they owed, otherwise they were headed to re-bar city. The bad mouth culprit number two called his lawyer to the scene and the lawyer told him that most likely he was going to be fined and could be deported for violation of the law and not having his passport with him. After several hours I left and and the culprit was in still in custody. Col. Satit promised them if they ever broke the law again in the his district they would be locked up for a significant period of time.

Hope that this is of some value. The reduced copy of your passport and visa laminated and carried in your wallet seems like a good idea and was satisfactory for culprit number one.

Don

Am interested in the manure and potting soil. Mail me at <snip> with details.

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eMail address removed as per Thai Visa rules - please send him a PM

CB

This is great stuff. I think we should pin this to the top of the forum page.

McG

Well done!

McG:

Peppers provide the spice of life to food. When Cortez landed in Mexico in 1502 he brought pepper plants with him from Central America. 300 years later the entire Mexican diet had totally changed. This is a quote from Rick Baylis book on the history of Mexican Food. Most people don't believe that there were no peppers in Thailand until 300 years ago. Mexican and Thai foods are the craze of the world now.

Don

That is correct - until the Portuguese introduced them to Thailand the spice of choice was native pepper - Prik Thai. I also wonder what Thais ate before the introduction of corn/maize, pepper, chilli, potato, tomato, okra, aubergine/eggplant and many other things that have become integral to the Thai way of cooking.

On a side note to a comment you mentioned above re the difficulties of growing peppers is it a humidity issue, soil or something else? This should really be in a farming forum but I am curious for a brief overview.

I used to grow 30+ varieties of chilli/pepper semi-commercially in Australia. It started out as a hobby and got carried away

CB

CB.

I would say the largest problem second to rain is bugs and worms. This probably holds true for other vegetables in Thailand. Insecticides is one of the big business in Thailand. We grow jalapenos and habaneros in both green houses and in the fields. The green houses are OK during cool weather but difficult during hot weather. The worms that eat the plants only come out at night and then go back into the soil and you can't see them during the day. April, May and June are impractical months to grow in the fields or the green houses. In my green houses I have started elevating the plants off the ground by 80 cm hoping that ground insects can't reach them. Spraying every week is necessary. Typically, the climate in Australia is arid and more suited than Thailand. Having said all of this we are growing and producing products at a rapid rate. This year I provided new farmers with free plants about 4 inches tall to get them started. I have 6 products that I produce and sell and the demand is good. The seminar last Sunday provided by the Royal Projects staff worked out good. In Chiang Rai the high value cool weather crops are good for the locals as well as the hill tribe people. As mentioned before, there is not much difference in growing standard Thai Peppers in the fields. They require water, spraying and fertilizing. My R&D work is associated with increased yeild, longer growing season and reduced time to maturity. As soon as I get a break I will put lights on a timer in my green houses to try to reduce the time to maturity.

Can you give me some of your experiences in growing in Australia and some of the problems you had to solve? This has been a slow learning process for me and my staff. If you are interested in some free seeds to try in Thailand I will be happy to give you some.

Best wishes.

Don

018 894 6401

A bit harsh there Sven, even though I agree 100% with you

These peppers are very difficult to grow, especially here so if you don´t devote yourself to it you´ll probably end up losing money and making excuses instead.

Growing jalapenos in the fields is the same as growing Thai peppers. One grower has stated that they are easier to grow. However, if they are not cared for your results will be poor. If you have never tried it might prove to be easy and interesting.

With the utmost respect there are many fine eating restaurants in Chiang Rai and I personally do not include your restaurant

amongst them.

Your posting seems to be an effort to get more business for your restaurant and though you are entitled to ''blow your own trumpet'', I would not rate your restaurant in the top 50 in Chiang Rai.

This is my personal opinion and good luck to your venture in Chiang Rai or elsewhere.

Surely an eating club should not be based in one specific restaurant but should sample the culinary delights of all restaurants in Chiang Rai.

This is the first time and probably the last time I have same opinion as you Tayto!!

When did you go and what did you have to eat? There has never been a report of dis-satisfaction. Did you report your complaints?

The idea of an "Eating Club" appears to be one whose time has come (actually well past) in the CR area. Cudos to the one who brought it forward.

SeeJo

SeeJo:

Chiang Rai is in need of responsible restaurant owner/managers who are willing to produce a good meal with consistant quality, quantity, good service and at a reasonable price. It seems that there are to many places like "New York Pizza" that turns out to be "Esan Pizza". I see the reports on fine eating places in Chiang Rai but so for have not been to one that meets my standards. However, I have not been to all of them and understand that the old airport Super Burger place is pretty reasonable. After having been in the food business for 10 years I know that people can do a good job if they wish to and not delegate it.

I believe that we can find at least 3 other places in Chiang Rai that would like to host the Eating Club once per month. Just think how great it would be if you could go out to eat each Saturday night and enjoy the meal, service and price.

Don

This is great stuff. I think we should pin this to the top of the forum page.

McG

Well done!

McG:

Peppers provide the spice of life to food. When Cortez landed in Mexico in 1502 he brought pepper plants with him from Central America. 300 years later the entire Mexican diet had totally changed. This is a quote from Rick Baylis book on the history of Mexican Food. Most people don't believe that there were no peppers in Thailand until 300 years ago. Mexican and Thai foods are the craze of the world now.

Don

Being somewhat of a pepper plant fanatic this seems pretty interesting. I hope I can go!

Goski:

Pepper growing is a good hobby as well as very interesting. Thailand presents some difficult issues for growing Central America type peppers. Look forward to meeting you.

Don

A seminar will be held at Don's in Doi Hang (on the road to the national park and past the prison turn off) on Sunday morning Oct. 7 for the purpose of learning the ins and outs of growing jalapeno and habernaro peppers. The presentation will be made by a representative of the Royal Projects from Chiang Saen. There will also be an open discussion on the subject. The Royal Projects Representative will speak in Thai and an effort will be made to translate to English. Free coffee, tea and donuts will be served. The seminar will start on Sunday Oct. 7 at 09:30 and finish at 11:30. Some free jalapeno pepper plants will be given to the novice who is interested in growing them with the understanding that they will report the results so others can share their experience.

RSVP 081 894 6401

Don's is located 6 km west of the city toward the hot springs and national park in Doi Hang on the left across from the new wat. Has seating capacity for 60 championship rib and steak eaters.

Hey, is your eating club going to do any of those eating contests like you see on TV......like how much somtam can you eat in five minutes?

Most likely won't have any TV shows but there could be based on the last time of how many ribs you can pile on a plate at one time and how fast you can eat them. I think that the rib eating experts are probably in Chiang Rai. If you can get the TV I can get the ribs.

Do you know any qualified places that would like to host us the other 3 Saturday nights in the month?

There is no reason why Thaivisa.com can not hold a meeting in Chiang Rai. For a change there is one great place to eat that has 10 years experience feeding ribs, steaks and Tex-Mex food to Thailand. A meeting venue is not difficult, it is the food that is difficult.

Good idea:

We will do nacho chips and salsa, potato salad and macaroni salad in addition to the other items.

Location from Rai Mae Fah Luang is straight toward the water falls and the national park. Do not turn right to go to the prison. As you are leaving Doi Hang proper you will see signs for Don's and it is across from the new wat. Doi Hang Nok.

Price will be 195 for adults, 100 for children and Thais as they are light on farang food. There will be sufficent Thai food which is less expensive.

Hoping that other restaurants will follow suit and do the same thing so that there is more than one good place to eat.

On another subject, we have two large fishing lakes. I would like to donate some of the fish to charity organizations that are not religon related if you know any let me know.

At the suggestion of several local Chiang Rai people, I have agreed to establish an eating club at Don's Cafe opposite the wat in Doi Hang on the road to the national park and past the prison. This is done in the interest of trying to locate places in Chiang Rai with good food at reasonable prices. We will go to some of these places as a group and as individuals. We will be asking other restaurants to give us group prices for meetings at their places.

Because of space limitations, the club will be limited to 45 people. The meeting will take place on the 1st Saturday night of each month. The next meeting will be on Sat. Oct. 6 at 19:00 at Don's Cafe, Doi Hang. During the meeting we will discuss places that people recommend the club eating at in Chiang Rai. A special American style charcoal barbecue buffet featuring steak, home made sausages, ribs and shrimp along with Thai dishes will be served at the next club meeting. The meeting will start at 19:00 sharp for the discussion and then eating.

If you are interested, please contact me, Don Battles, E-mail <snip> Mobile phone 081 894 6401.

Thanks.

Don Battles

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