KBTexas

Hmmm...ok, so I will ask, since I do not know, and this thread did not fully answer the question.

I am going to retire in Thailand in 3 years, and I own a SS smithed Ruger .357, a Kimber .45 and a Benelli SuperNova. I had hoped there would be a way for me to bring these with me to Thailand, either by importing them directly with my personal belongings, or by importing them from a local firearms dealer after arriving in Thailand. None of these are for hunting, but the shotgun could be used to dispatch dangerous snakes or the like. Basically, the primary purpose is home defense, and yes, being American I feel pretty damned naked without them. I am an old Marine, and have had a permit to carry in many states in the US for quite some time. I have had to show the weapon exactly twice to stop situations. I have never had to fire the weapon in anger, but someone would have gotten VERY hurt in the two instances where it was needed, and they stopped the situation immediately. While we do not plan to live in the boonies, neither will we live in town, and will probably find or build a place on the outskirts of NNE Udon Thani.

So, realistically, what are my options? I have a clean criminal record, do not drink a lot (and never in excess), and am not known as a trouble-maker. Most people consider me fairly easy going and fair. Should I just sell the guns here and purchase when I get there (if I can)? (I particularly want the Benelli) Is it realistic to expect to be able to import the guns? Someone in the thread was talking about a Benelli (albeit a more expensive model) costing 100000 baht in Thailand. That is just crazy talk. I bought mine for under $500 US (~16000 baht).

Has anyone here actually gone through this process, or is all the knowledge espoused here basically hearsay? I would be very interested in any factual insight, even in PM if you are not comfortable discussing it openly. Thanks to any who take the time to give me the straight skinny...

Best Regards,

Just remember that not all hand crank grinders are the same, and burr grinders, even hand cranked, are the best for uniformity of grind. I've seen ceramic burr hand cranked grinders in the states for less than $30 (~940 baht). Hario makes a good one for around $40 (~1300 baht), or you can get a Zassenhaus, which will last you a lifetime, but costs a bit more, starting at around $70 (~2200 baht). A good grinder is the second most important thing (next to good beans) in making good coffee.

Enjoy!

KB, I had been meaning to ask if there was a place to get a burr grinder in CM. Did you have to import the Zassenhaus or can you get it locally? It will be one less thing to have to bring when I come if I can get it or a similar quality one there.

I agree with you about the grinder being the second most important thing.

David

p.s. What part of Texas are you from? I'm in Austin, at the moment.

Hi David,

I got the Zass from Sweet Marias in California, where I get my beans from. (you can Google it)

I am still in the US, in Dallas, as I will not be moving to Thailand for 3 more years. 3 years, 1 month and 16 days to be exact. So I have no idea of whether you can get a Zass in CM, but assume that there is some way to get one if you want it. I plan to bring most of my coffee equipment with me, even if I leave most of the other stuff behind...roaster, different brewers, and different grinders. Retiring without (good) coffee would be no fun at all!

Best Regards,

I will have to look up Agung and tell her she must give the bean a rest....

No, can't say that I remember the white rice mixed in, David. Although it might have been there.

Going to Hillkoff shortly to price a hand crank coffee mill.

The high speed blade grinder works, but has a most irritating noise issue.

The sound of a dental drill screaming, before I have had my coffee, just doesn't work for me.

Just remember that not all hand crank grinders are the same, and burr grinders, even hand cranked, are the best for uniformity of grind. I've seen ceramic burr hand cranked grinders in the states for less than $30 (~940 baht). Hario makes a good one for around $40 (~1300 baht), or you can get a Zassenhaus, which will last you a lifetime, but costs a bit more, starting at around $70 (~2200 baht). A good grinder is the second most important thing (next to good beans) in making good coffee.

Enjoy!

hmmmm everything I had in the 70s tasted better too.

THere are mixed feelings about leaving coffee to gas. I was basing my comments on a Perth coffee place ( Five Senses) that allways made a special roast of a different blend of their top beans on Tuesday so that ir would be drunk at perfection over the weekend. I do know at least these blends did not taste as good on Wednesday.

Good coffee is still good though as long as it is ground when made.

Harry...you are absolutely correct. Beans should rest a minimum of 2 days from when they are roasted for the lighter roasts, and up to a week for the darker roasts. I assumed that the roaster would rest the beans before grinding for a customer. For City to Full City roasts, I usually rest for 2-3 days and for Full City+ up for 5-6 days. And it really is better to grind just before brewing, but I have had coffee ground up to a week before brewing that has not lost much of it's flavor. It depends on how you store it after grinding. Airtight containers with little air space is the best way to go if you must store ground coffee.

Best Regards,

Winnie, the blade grinder in my understanding "works" the bean a bit too much- releases lots of volatile flavour elements.

A proper coffee mill (that can be adjusted to any level of grind from course to ultra fine) doesn't beat the bean up so much...it just passes through one time.

A proper coffee mill is a rather expensive piece of machinery however. I'll stick with the blender attachment blade grinder- still better than buying pre-ground IMO.

Yes, but you would be surprised if you did a side by side taste test of the results. Burr grinders allow more uniform particle size, and hence more even extraction. You do not get the over-extraction bitterness or the under-extraction weakness that you tend to get with blade grinders. Better than pre-ground? Probably, unless you have a shop nearby that roasts their own, and grinds them fresh for you. Just buy enough for a day or two at a time and you're all set. A decent beginning burr grinder is about $100 US in the US...no idea in Thailand. It will be one of the pieces of equipment I bring when I move there...along with my roaster, scale, and coffee makers. (French Press, Vac Pot, Clever Coffee Dripper and Aeropress, among others)

If you coffee lovers dont know Thailand has the worlds best coffee, not many people know that

I don't know about the world's best, but Thailand definitely produces excellent coffee, and few people outside of the coffee lovers in north Thailand seem to know this. Don't waste your money on Starbucks, try the local coffee.

--disclaimer: I do not live in CM, or even Thailand (yet) but I have been roasting my own coffee for over 3 years.--

As a home roaster, I would disagree that it is the worlds best, but some of it is certainly good. If you want REALLY good coffee, roast your own. Green beans keep up to a year stored properly, but roasted coffee is really only good for about 2 weeks, and most places do not move stock enough for you to get fresh roasted.

If you like Starbucks, then you will probably like a darker roasted coffee, FC or better, since they are called Charbucks for a reason. However, many beans are actually much more flavorful at lighter roasts. I certainly look forward to roasting some of the hill coffee when I move to Thailand! Maybe I will change my mind about 'the worlds best', since many of those coffees run 240-320 baht a pound (in the US) for green beans, and some are higher...much higher.

In any event, enjoy the coffee.

Stayed there. You can see reviews at Agoda. I booked based on the many glowing reviews, but here's mine:

Room: River Breeze Room was advertised as a River Breeze room, but little breeze could get to it due to the surrounding (old) buildings. Also advertised as suitable for honeymoon couples. Maybe if they are on a tight budget, but not really a romantic place or room...your basic hotel room with decent tub and fixtures. To be fair, it is Bangkok, and the location is not bad. It is very near the pier and river taxi's, which is a good and bad thing. We could hear the control whistles from the taxi's starting early in the morning through the evening until the taxi's stopped running. The staff were friendly and helpful, which I expect in Thailand. Many of them spoke excellent English. The restaurant was good if not spectacular for paid meals. The breakfast buffet was about the worse for any hotel I have stayed at in Thailand. All pre-cooked, no variety in a week, and even the fruit, such as it was, was not ripe at times. (and if you visit Thailand much, you will know that this is really abnormal) I've read what others here have written, and chose this hotel based on those reviews. Maybe I am more picky, but this was a decent plain old hotel room, and was certainly not anything spectacular. Shopping is a taxi away except for the street markets a block over. The hotel can get noisy at times. Our room was on the second floor, and was near the walkway and the restaurant. We knew people were about constantly, and when the construction downstairs started up, the saws sounded like they were right outside the door. It was an interesting week. Would I stay there again? No. Would I recommend it? No.

It really depends on how picky you are. I am picky. I hope it helps.

If you need a good driver and car in Chiang Mai, I can highly recommend Joe. He speaks excellent English, is knowledgeable about the area, seems to be a safe driver, and is courteous and punctual. His number is 081-883-8915 Taxi #18. We used him 3 times in the week we spent there. A full day was 1000 baht IIRC, and he was always helpful and courteous.

I'm sure that someone in Bangkok will have your umbraellas but if not come up to Chiang Mai and go to the Bo Sang just out side of town where they make most of the umbrellas in Thailand.

Yep, bought some for the ladies in the office here at the umbrella center Bosang while I was visiting, and had them shipped to Texas. They arrived last weekend, and the ladies in the office love them. Not sure what the OP means by 'cheap', but the silk, hand-made ones were definitely not expensive and the paper ones cost less.

An update...

Just got back from dinner at The House on Moon Muang. I have to say, by far, it was the best meal I have had in Thailand this trip. My wife enjoyed the Thai food, and the Western dishes were done to perfection. I had the NZ Lamb chops, perfectly cooked, tender and very, very good. My wife had the Sea Bass in green peppercorn sauce and the Larb Moo, and commented that both were very good. Heh, the Larb Moo was spicy even for her, so to me it bordered on nuclear.

Not inexpensive by Thai standards, but good food, attentive staff and fair prices for the quality I think. Certainly not an everyday restaurant, but for special occasions or the like, well worth the trip.

The only real downside was that they had 0 single malt scotches...not one. In fact, the ONLY scotch they had was JW Black!

Thanks for getting back to us with information from your trip. Too often people ask for information and get it, but never reply.

I always enjoy a walk along the trails near the creek that comes down off the mountain on the road to Doi Suthep. The access point is off the same road but only about 2 or 3 switch-backs up the hill.

Although it looks quite rugged in these photos there is really a good trail along the stream.

I try to provide feedback, not only for those offering suggestions, but for those who may follow behind and find the information useful.

We went up the mountain and visited the Winter Palace. An interesting visit, but a bit early in the season. Most of the flowers had not started blooming yet, but the clouds laying on the mountain produced some interesting photos. (see below)

Also, found the Hill Tribe Village and did get a few pictures in just before the skies opened up and the rain poured down. Joe found it funny when I commented that the road was excellent to the Palace, but was not so excellent when you went past it.

If you need a good driver and car in Chiang Mai, I can highly recommend Joe. He speaks excellent English, is knowledgeable about the area, seems to be a safe driver, and is courteous and punctual. His number is 081-883-8915 Taxi #18.

Heh, I think Riverside may have too much business. The first time, we arrived at 7:15 and were told we were too early for the boat. Tonight we arrived at 7:40 or so and were told we were too late to get food on the boat as it sailed in 15 minutes. We went for the sail with drinks and an appetizer tray. When we got back, no tables were available for food and they have no wait staff on the boat. Really strange way to run a business, but their loss. We went elsewhere and had dinner, and while it was a bit more expensive and not quite as good, at least there was a place to sit and wait staff to serve you. It might be an anomaly, but you could not tell it from the attitude of the staff of the Riverside. I am not sure we would go back there after tonight's experience. Just a heads up. Hopefully it was a one off experience since everyone here seems to speak highly of the place.

My wife and I are very fussy about our coffee too, and so far the Wawee Coffee place by the Ping River is one of the better ones. Their blueberry cheesecake is very nice too.

If you wanted some really good coffee, then you have to try the one inside the Rimping supermarket opposite Airport Plaza. That is our favorite by far. The bakery next to it has some cakes, but they aren't too good.

Matt

Thanks for the info Matt, but based on some of the things I read before, I went ahead and brought a lot of my homeroast by packing them in the 'void' areas of my suitcase. Heh, I thought I might have a problem with customs, but everything seemed smooth.

I am sitting here enjoying a cup of El Salvador Siberia Pacamara at a nice City+, and my wife is enjoying a cup of Costa Rica Genesis Miel at a City roast while we look out the window at Doi Suthrep and the Ping river. A very nice way to start the day.

And while I am not usually fond of foo-foo coffee drinks, I must say that the Black Canyon Cappuccino frappe is an excellent way to cool down the core temperature in the heat and humidity. The coffee is not horrible and the cooling effect of the 'coffee shake' is better than an air conditioning outlet.

I'm not sure if it was mentioned earlier, but the Royal Palace past Doi Suthep off the road to the hill tribe village is well worth seeing. You may not want to trip up there again though. It's a while back now, and I don't remember the details, but I think it may be called the summer palace.

The day I was there it was under a heavy fog, and rather eerie as the beautiful architecture materialized out of the mist.

Thanks for the suggestion Corsair. (great plane BTW) I was looking for something to do during the day tomorrow, so I think this sounds like an excellent idea. Perhaps we can also find the Dao tribe. (Meo, not Dao. Heh, no wonder people look at me funny when I asked)

So tomorrow we will go to the Winter Palace, the Meo Hill tribe and Wat Chedi Luang, then do dinner on the Riverside boat and go to the House on Moon Muang. Again, thanks for all the good suggestions from everyone.

Hello to all the folks who replied here. I just wanted to drop a note and let you know we are indeed enjoying Chiang Mai. We have been to Riverside, and your recommendations where right on. We arrived a bit before 7 PM on Thursday, and since the boat did not leave until 8, we enjoyed the balcony overlooking the river. We plan to go back on Monday and try dinner on the boat. BTW... the fried crab in black pepper sauce was excellent! I have decided I need to learn how to make this myself.

The hill tribe village was disappointing. Perhaps because it was the Karen village and not the recommended Dao tribe. Basically, it was a place to sell trinkets to tourists, have them brought to you and have them pay a 500 baht (each) entry fee for the privilege of buying those trinkets. Good work for Thailand, if you can get it. It reminded me of Indian reservations in the US, without the glitz, glamor and showmanship...very much geared to separating tourists from their dollars.

We visited the night market and had a good seafood dinner of charcoal grilled king prawns at one of the restaurants there, chosen more because they had air conditioning than the menu. I was surprised that so many Thai's were inside the a/c area.

We spent the day that we visited the hill tribe doing other things too...visiting the Insect Zoo, which was more like a lab in Biology or Entomology, but interesting if you like bugs; went to a couple of the jewelry factories (times are tough...they bargained); visited 2 umbrella factories (and bought some for folks back home); and basically just enjoyed driving around and seeing the sights. Our driver was excellent, and spoke very good English. The prices for a car and driver in Thailand still amaze me...we paid 1000 baht+200 baht tip, for 8 hours. To me, excellent value.

Heh, we decided to pass on Hot Shots after my wife asked about it at the hotel concierge. The look on the concierge's face told me all I needed to know about whether my wife would be comfortable there, and after a discussion in Thai that I missed most of, my wife opted out.

So, we're still headed to the House after dinner Monday. Will do the 'Walking Street' today (if it stops raining), and go back to the mall to get more Thai money. The mall seems to have the best exchange rates around from those I have seen, and my wife has definitely helped the local economy visiting there.

Just thought I would give you all an update...we are enjoying Chiang Mai, and thanks to all the suggestions, are finding things we enjoy doing.

The missus didn't take you to task last week when you arrived home late from getting the young lass and her baby settled in the guest house.

What I am actually saying is "she didn't hit you over the head with your Oxford Dictionary did she?".

Now I will have to review each of my posts several times before clicking on 'add reply' won't I?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

(not one of those, really.)

Yes, that was a funny story. I have heard similar ones when mentioning Thailand and Taiwan. And, that is from people who were supposedly educated. I live in Canada where many Americans still believe we live in igloos in the frozen north.

What, all Canadians are not Eskimos? Sheesh!!!! The lies they teach in school. But you DO all go to work on skis and dog sleds, right?

When I was in London, I had a Kiwi I met at a club and chatted with for a while accuse me of lying about being American. I was speechless when he said 'You're just too open minded and educated to be American. You must be Canadian.' He said it with a straight face. After a few moments of confusion in how to respond, I simply said 'Thank you.'

From an Austrian friend of mine:

Thai: Where you come from?

My friend: I'm from Austria.

Thai: Aaah, Australia - good country

My friend: No, not Australia, AUSTRIA in Europe, I'm from Vienna in Austria

Thai: Yes, I know..Australia - biiig country

My friend: NOOO, not Australia! AUSTRIA in Europe, Vienna...you know - Mozart?

Thai: Yeah i know - and Kanguruhs...

Sad to say, but if you substituted American: for each instance of Thai: it would be a very common conversation here too.

Works just fine in IE8 and FireFox 3.5

From where, and with what settings? I do not allow unfettered access to my computer, for any site. IE8 and FF3.5 did not work from Texas with either private settings or allowing the site's javascript only. Safari worked fine on default settings.

I have found this to be the case on a number of Thai (and other Asian countries) business websites. If you open the browser to allow cross-scripting and the like, yes it works, at the risk of being hijacked into a harmful site. This is a risk I am not prepared to take, and simple programming techniques would alleviate the problem. Business websites in particular should pay attention to this.

Best Regards,

http://www.superrich1965.com/eng/our_rates.aspx

Try This - it will work:-

Username: memberspr

Password: superrich

Heh, evidently SuperRich is one of those (Thai) websites that do not realize that the browsers have changed. This does not work in either IE8 or FireFox 3.5. All it does is send me to the Thai login page. It does, however, work with Safari 4.0.1. Thanks for the link. Heh, maybe they will catch up next year.

http://www.superrich1965.com/eng/our_rates.aspx

I have a new friend.

Gaggle?

Gargle?

Gurgle?

Arriving Sunday

Heh: Sorry, you need to be logged in to view this section... from your link. And after trying 5 times to register, with no clue as to why it is refusing to make the account, I give up. I swear I think I could make a fortune writing business websites in Thailand!

Enjoy your visit. I know I will enjoy mine!

Not personally super rich, but how and where does one get their rate?

I have the same question. I assume Super Rich is a Thai bank? Where are they located? They certainly seem to have the best exchange rates, unless there is a gotcha in there somewhere, like an exchange fee or somesuch.

Also, last year when I visited, Travelers Checks (USD) had a better exchange rate than notes for some reason. If the Cheque option on this site is for Travelers Checks, it would appear that is not the case this year. I might change the mix I carry if someone can confirm this?

Thanks for any info...boots on ground in Bangkok in 10 days. ( 11 Oct 2009) :-)

Or even use the link at the top right hand side of the forum: Baht Rates

Heh, I have been on here for 2 years and never noticed that until you pointed it out.

I always used: http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converte...SD;to=THB;amt=1 (USD to THB) but will now have a different way to check. Thanks for the post sbk!

Yeah, on a recent Saturday evening eating near the waterfall at the Riverside we saw young, smartly dressed Thais drinking bottles of scotch that cost more than our monthly rent!

Heh, I would not be too impressed. I used to work with a guy who had an empty bottle of The Macallan 30 year old he would fill with well brand scotch and leave at the club. Sad indeed. I love The Macallan 18 year old, but their older offerings are getting way too pricey!

Hey slapout...yes, I am an early riser, though the wife enjoys sleeping in. Not sure how far the city center is from where we are staying (on the Ping River) but if it is not too far, maybe I will wander down there to people watch. And if Libernard is not too far away, perhaps a nice espresso while I sit and watch. :-)

Again, thanks to all for the suggestions. I think we will enjoy our stay in Chiang Mai, and do a few things many tourists might miss.

Actually, you could do two evenings at the Riverside. One, definitely for the river cruise, but another to come back and experience the portion of the restaurant that's across the street. Hubby and I found the back part of that restaurant very nice. You dine outdoors and enjoy a pretty waterfall while listening to the band that's blaring inside the actual "across the road" restaurant. The outside dining is just perfect to enjoy the band and still be able to talk. We went on a Saturday night and we're very impressed in the size, dress and liquor spending habits of the mostly-Thai crowd.

Thanks for the heads up Nancy. If we enjoy the first time on the river, perhaps we will try it a second. Heh, liquor spending habits???

And again, thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I think we will have a nice vacation in Chiang Mai and I am looking forward to it.

Best Regards to All,