Iolare

I have a small nursery as the tenant in a property I have in Chalong.  They seem nice.  You can PM me for details.

It would be much more informative if the article included a map showing the location and route of the proposed highway.

On December 10, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Bob12345 said:

Couldnt agree more.

 

With a flyover:

- north-south traffic can always flow

- traffic from the south going to airport can always flow (as is the case already)

- traffic from the airport to the north can always flow

- traffic from the airport to the south can always flow

- traffic from the north to the airport will have to do a u-turn, but there barely is any.

 

Simple and cheap solution without risks of flooding.

I concur that a flyover would have been a more practical idea, but there is quite a lot of traffic going north to the Phang Nga beaches and towns (I'm often part of it, living north of the Sarasin Bridge), so a u-turn for north bound traffic wouldn't be a good long term solution.  What would be needed is a major upgrade of the recently closed road that runs parallel to the runway from the terminal to the main highway.  That would provide another major access to the airport and would certainly help those in the north.

I appreciate the information so far guys.  I will add a second filter/water separator.  I'll look into aftermarket fuel additives, and a biocide.  I'm located on Phang Nga bay, so it's a salt water environment.  In my location the bay is shallow and I can only get to my boat ramp at high tide, so I will probably keep it out in the bay a little ways on a buoy.  At high tide I can get it into my dock so I can fuel it myself with diesel bought from a busy gas station, so it should be fresh.  Sounds like any brand of fuel will do if I add the additive.  Thanks again.

After about a year of working on my boat I am now about ready to re-launch it.  It's a 9 meter boat with a 6 cylinder Hino truck engine.  I had a stainless steel fuel tank fabricated and have new fuel lines and filter, and I want to get off on the right foot, so I am posting this for some advice.  

 I was told by a friend that the Shell V-tec fuel was the best choice for diesel engines due to an additive that cleans the injectors, so I went to the Shell station near me, but they didn't like my transport jugs so they wouldn't fill them.   So, I ended up buying a little CalTex fuel to restart the engine instead, and everything seems OK.  I would like to fill up the tank with whatever fuel would be the best for the boat.

I have been warned that some diesel sold here in Thailand doesn't hold up over a long time in the tank due to the addition of bio-fuel to the petroleum, I would like to avoid that if it is possible.  Is Shell any better than the others due to that additive?  I would like to hear from boaters who have experience and knowledge in selecting diesel fuel for trouble-free boating.

I remembered that there was a fellow advertising "Takien Teak" for sale in Bang Tao.  I saw the ad awhile back in Baht&Sold.  I looked it up and it's still there.  From his photos, it looks like the same lumber as I used in my place.

I used a wood that I think is called "taken tang" for a rebuilding project.  I have a little house on my property that is used for extra accommodation when friends or family visit, that had become insect and termite infested.  It needed a total rebuild from cement piers up and I noticed during the demolition that there were a few pieces of wood that seemed resistant to the insects and I was told that they were "takien tang." 

 I found a wholesale supplier of this wood in the Kao Lak area and bought joists, studs and floor boards from them.  They have since opened up a satellite lumber yard in the Thalang area.  It is just north of town on the main highway a little past the Shell station on the same side.  They stock lumber in the rough cut state but will plain it for you. 

This wood is very hard and we used a pneumatic hail hammer gun on it, or in the case of nailing the joists, we pre-drilled for spikes.  I think it has a nice grain pattern, and I'll attach a few photos so you can see what it looks like.

There's a steel warehouse in Phuket Town next to the big new Supercheap (main store) on the same side of the street just north of their most northerly driveway off Theprosatti(sp?) road.

Another possibility in the north is off the island a little bit.  It's a hardware store with a huge steel warehouse about 6 or 7 kilometers north of the Sarasin Bridge that connects Phuket island with Phang Nga.  It's acrosss the intersection from the Khok Kloi bus station right at the "Y" intersection where you have to choose whether to go north to Khok Kloi and eventually Khao Lak or to veer right and head on the road that goes to Phang Nga town and eventually Krabi.  Stay on the route to Khok Kloi and it will be on your left.  This is quite an amazing hardware store with be huge inventory, but bring along that picture of what you want as the clerks with one exception are limited in their English communication skill.

I've had good results from Muang Thong Watch on Bangkok Road in Phuket Town.  The proprietor is very experienced and looks to have been there quite awhile.  Feel free to PM me for contact details and more information.

There has been a "land for sale" sign posted at the entrance to the air park for awhile now. I heard a rumor a couple of months ago that the land might be a possible location for an amusement park that's been proposed for Phuket, since it seems that the original plan of selling plots of land to pilots for construction of houses with airplane hangars didn't work out. I'm a pilot so I'm curious if anyone knows what's going on there?

Modern PVC Co. on Maeluan Road in Phuket Town probably has the best selection of pipe and fittings around. I'm not familiar with the fitting that you're looking for, but if is made I think this company would have it.

I thought I'd ad another good word about doing your driver's license and related car licensing at the Phang Nga office. I was there today needing an annual auto license renewal and also a smog check. Smog station is next to the govt. motor vehicle office and there was no wait--in and out in 10 minutes. No que so no wait to pay the license/registration annual fee either, so in and out with the sticker in about 5 minutes. There didn't seem to be anyone taking the drivers test when we were there.

On this same trip I was able to do my annual visa extension and 90 day report at the Immigration office with no que and no wait--- took about 20 minutes. I also stopped at the regional hospital to see an ENT specialist about an ear infection. The cost was literally one tenth of the price at Bangkok Hospital with the equipment, procedure, and doctor compitence seemingly the same.

It's a scenic 40 minute drive on a 4-lane divided highway from my place near the bridge to Phang Nga Town, and whole atmosphere is relaxed and easy going compared to my former place in Chalong. I got all that done in an unhurried half day and that included a nice lunch up there.

Thanks to daguerreotype for the Andaman Clinic lead; that sounds promising and I’ll plan on stopping in there when the gentleman is released from the hospital. Also thanks to lopburi3 for his thoughts about finding a hospital employee for some side work. The maid is already looking for a care-giver for either full or part time, but so far no luck.

It does begin to seem like a business opportunity as Patong2 noted, but what ksamuiguy said about the difficulties sounded right on for Thailand.

I don't think the gentleman would be willing to leave his home and move to the north as he has owned the place for a long time, but thanks to abrahamzvi for that lead.

I am living between Sarasin bridge and Khok kloi, never seen so much rain in such a short time. At this moment finally the rain stopped but it looks like there will be more soon.

I'm in the same general neighborhood as you luk, and was also amazed (and depressed) with all the rain. Thankfully it's easing up a little now, but it seems that it's a temporary break according to the forecasts. I'm on a hill and I have drainage channels that divert the water from my house, and they were roaring like the flood channels in Los Angeles on the rare occasions of rain there. This weather has my wife campaigning for a move or at least an extended visit back to LA, and for the first time in years I'm coming around to her point of view.

I have a friend who will probably have to leave his home for a care center very soon. He fell and was taken to the hospital this morning, and as this has become a recurring problem, his maid doesn't want to continue in the job. She is frightened about the additional responsibility and burden of caring for him in addition to his house. I know he doesn't want to move back to Europe as he has no one there, but if there is no Phuket facility he can move to he might have no choice in the matter. He would prefer to remain in his home but hasn't been able to find a live-in care provider. Any leads or ideas would be appreciated.

I really miss the old Bluewave 90.5 radio. I used it as an reference, why Spotify does not have so good market prediction here, as we have a radio station without too much stupid DJ talk, and often very good music.

Hopefully it will come back to life again.

I agree with you O, I miss them too. I called the station one time after they had been off the air for awhile and spoke to a women who said that their business was only marginally profitable and then the govt. substantially raised their licensing fee and they decided not to renew. She said that there was a possibility that a reduction might be negotiated, but that was quite some time ago, so maybe not.

The guy who runs the restaurant near you "Monkey Pod" used to manage the station, so you could stop in for lunch and probably get the whole story with latest updates.

Well, they've decided to go ahead with this deal. I feel bad because they worked very hard for a long time in their business to accumulate these funds (the equivalent of over a half million US dollars including the contribution of their friend). I finally said that in my humble opinion it's more like a roll of the dice than a real estate investment. My wife thinks saying that was saying too much, so we'll not willingly discuss it with them again. Time will tell.

I agree with KB that buying completed, existing condos from sellers desperate to leave the island would be a better investment plan for these uncertain times. These buyers however, are comfortably retired and split their time between here and Europe, so investing in a string of condos and managing them would be difficult for them. In addition, they don't speak Thai, so arranging tradesmen and vendors would be a hassle that I don't think they would wish to undertake.

So buying from a developer who handles all the management and then guarantees a handsome return holds appeal to such a buyer. Also they are considering the possibility of selling when their units are completed and pocketing a profit (I'm pretty sure the salesman put that notion in their ears). Unfortunately, I fear that train left the station in 2004!

Thanks for the replies and especially to Steelpulse for the citation and the link concerning the escrow service law in Thailand. I haven't heard of any financial institutions offering an escrow service here, but I think it would be a useful and valuable one.

For the record, I agree with the general sentiment to run from the deal in this case. Anyone know what percentage of Phuket condo projects that sell off plan in advance of breaking ground fail and cost the purchasers their money? Is it over 25 percent?

An acquaintance of mine has decided to buy 3 condos off plan, and his friend another one, in a resort-type condo development in the south of the island. These are quite expensive for their size but the developer is guaranteeing an annual return for a number of years which makes the investment look viable. The developer who is a foreigner, suggested an attorney who is the same nationality to represent the buyers in the drawing of documents and closing the deal. The buyers suggested that their money be placed in escrow and paid out in increments. It turns out that the escrow account was actually the attorney's personal bank account, and now the buyers are trying to decide what to do.

Buying off plan in this economic environment would make me nervous, but that's my opinion and it wasn't asked for or given. I was asked if I knew if there was a secure escrow service here, and I don't know as I've paid cash for my few deals and taken title concurrently at the land office. Does anyone know if such a thing exists here?

I moved from Chalong to the southern part of Phang Nga province and have no regrets. Very pleasant up here.

My wife and I and another couple stopped in to try the Mexican food last night and we were favorably impressed. The rice and refried beans could have come from one of our favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, and the chorizo was nicely flavored. Good spicy salsas too. It's a pleasant surprise to fine this food here in Phuket and we'll be back. I wish the owners the best as I would like to see them survive and prosper so that we can continue to get that pleasant LA/Mexican food experience.

I'm also interested in seeing if they work their way down the beach. Some of those structures look pretty permanent. That road is almost impassable now due to development on both sides in the area near the Indigo Pearl. Wonder if any of that is legal? That's a beautiful little bay that's crying for a thorough cleanup. Go Army!

I agree with Falkan that the Phang Nga Immigration office experience is friendly and stress-free compared to Phuket. I would extend that to say that it applies to most aspects of living up here vs down there.

I can recommend a company called Lekstar that used to be on the Bypass road and is now relocated to a larger facility on the road to Cape Yamu. I think the main part of their business is doing reupholstery for the resort hotels in the area, but they're versatile and also do automotive and boat work.

I had them do some chase lounges and some seat cushions for patio furniture using Sunbrella fabric and liked the results, so I then had them do an interior sofa in leather, then a coupe of antique chairs in leather. A friend had his car interior redone including restoring the cracked padded dashboard. Excellent work, so any foam work you might need they can probably do.

I'm a satisfied repeat customer, and am going to have them do the cushions in a boat project that I've just started. This company is owned by a Thai guy who really likes nice things as evidenced by this cars and bikes, and he's a go-getter who caters to an upscale clientele, but still the prices are pretty good. One of his staff is an English speaking foreigner, so communication is no problem.