RealityCheck

With a downpayment of just Bt1, motorcycles could turn youths whom no one cared about or noticed into charming young men who attracted the attention of many girls, she said.

I've been riding around on motorbikes for years, and nobody finds me "charming".

So much talk - fascist, Pol Pot, Cultural revolution - bla bla bla.

What exactly is not reasonable in those demands? I said it on the first page, I'll say it again - ANY government shoul heed those "demands" without reminding.

It's because they are "DEMANDS".

If the author(s) had said - "We suggest...." - it would have been acceptable. Because they DEMAND, and hold the country to randsom if their demands are not met, it is unacceptable (at least to those wanting a democracy).

And in specific cases, compliance with their DEMANDS will doubtless cause, at the least, international incidents...if not war. Quote: "Announce the cancellation of the Thai-Cambodian joint communiqué ...."

Many of the sentiments expressed in the document are laudable, however.....

The problem is the dicatorial way the author(s) presume that they can impose these conditions/changes upon every citizen in the country - claiming to do so on the citezens behalf and for the citezens own good.

In publishing these dictates, threatening civil misconduct and law-breaking if their demands are not met, they are basically advocating a facist state overseen by the PAD rather than the democratic one they claim they want.

The PAD really do need to step back and let the democratic process take over now. They remind me of a spoilt child that insists on getting it's own way. Unfortunately, in this case, the child is holding a shot gun.

Personally, I would not consider flying from or to either airport for at least a month following the occupation.

There's no telling what hidden damage has been done and no guarantees that the security sweeps will be thorough, especially considering the pressure that the airport authorities will be under to get things rolling again.

Consider flying from KL instead.

Come January, when no incidents have occured as a result of the PADs incursion, I'll feel a lot more confident about flying to and from BKK.

Dear NHJ.

Your question is perfectly reasonable.

The pre-sales documentation provided by Thai Visa Insurance is woefully inadequate and most uninformative. In fact, it's so vague that it almost looks like something produced by a scam company rather than the reputable outfit that I'm sure they are.

Questions that I would expect to be clearly answered in any pre-sales information would include:

• (as you ask in your post), what would invalidate any payout? Eg: the non-wearing of a helmet? poor condition of tires at time of accident? more than one passenger?
  
• Is payout dependent on a police report? And what happens if that report in not countersigned by the driver because it is written in Thai?
  
• What is covered if the bike is unattended and involved in an accident? Eg when parked in the street.
  
• What is covered if the bike is stolen?
  

The information page that Thai Visa Insurance ask us to refer to, http://insurance.thaivisa.com/our-products...-insurance.html, is very confusing:

• There's no indication of what code 610 and 620 are. Where do these magic numbers come from and what's the difference?
  
• What does "Property Damage" refer to? The 3rd parties vehicle? Or the garden wall that was demolished during the accident?
  
• Does "motorcycleinsuranceinfo.doc.jpg" refer to what we in the UK would call "Fully Comprehensive" cover, which is designed to insure any 3rd party involved in the event of an accident AND you AND your passengers AND your vehicle AND it's contents?
  
• Why does the "motorcycleinsuranceinfo.doc.jpg" seem to offer (in many cases) less cover than the 3rd Party Only cover? For example no payment on death of 3rd Party, lower Injury payment to 3rd Party, no bail insurance.
  
• Regarding "motorcycleinsuranceinfo.doc.jpg", I assume that "Personal Accident" covers anything relating to the driver and his passenger(s) that is NOT "Injury (driver and passengers)" related, although this is only an inference.
  
• Regarding the same table, why is "Vehicle Damage" and "Injury (driver and passengers)" blank? Do we assume that these things are not covered with this policy?
  

I am also currently looking for insurance to cover both myself and my partner for our 125 Mio that we purchased 2 years ago via a finance company. The purchase deal included 2 years free insurance so we are now just waiting for the ownership papers at which point we'll need to get insurance.

If anyone can point me to an insurance company or a broker that can give clearly defined detail of what is being paid for (before payment is made and the policy document is issued) it would be greatly appreciated.

To Thai Visa Insurance I say: "Come on guys..... You have a captive audience here. Give us the basic information we need in an intelligible form and I'm sure you'll get many more clients - including myself".

Dear Chaichara,

Many thanks for your replies - the notes in your first post are appreciated and understood. However, I specificly need a filter with zero maintenance - no cleaning/replacement of filter mesh or sand, etc. Yes, our source has a very high concentration of suspended particles and the spec on the WestCo looks ideal to remove these before they hit the main filters.

I could bring one back from the UK next time I visit, but it's a big lump to process through the airport

I'll contact BLT and Siam Consulting as you suggest - hopefully they'll be able to help.

Again - many thanks.

Hi.

Can anyone tell me where in Thailand I can buy a WaterCo multi-cyclone pool water pre-filter?

I've emailed the company main offices (not in Thailand) but can not get a response - presumably an order for one unit is not worth the trouble.

Any help in pointing me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Thanx.

Thanks everyone - that clears it up nicely.

Yes - Sorry - I do suffer from finger trouble when typing - happens when I type English also

Thanks sigeena for that very clear explanation.

Thinking about it, I 'have' heard it mostly used whilst people are on the phone.

Cheers.

Could someone please explain the meaning of:

แด่นี้นะ

It 'seems' to be used as a conversation terminator, as we would use "Cheers" or "So-long" or "Catch you later" in English.

A definition and transcription (for pronounciation purposes) would be really useful as I'm hearing it multiple times each day, and can't get my head around it. Is it used only between certain groups of people, eg friends but not strangers, etc? Can it be broken down into smaller, meaningful words?

Many Thanks.

Many thanks for all your responses.

I've only recently acquired Tamsin (as a pup).

She seems to be a precocious, intelligent and very social dog.

I would never take any large dog into areas of distraction without 1) a leash and 2) full training.

There are no worries regarding her behaviour....

I just didn't want to run foul of the local constabulary in this matter.

Cheers.

Hi.

Apologies if this subject has been covered elsewhere. I've done a search and couldn't find any posts covering it.

Can anyone tell me if there is legislation in place in Thailand regarding the exercising of Rottweilers in public places? By which I mean: walking between home and our local shops, in the park, etc. We live in Isaan, in a village area and occasionally visit Khon Kaen city.

A Thai friend of mine said it was illegal to take a Rottweiler into any public areas, whether on a leash or not.

Any information would be gratefully accepted.

Thanx.

It really depends on where you live.....

We're in a village house in Isaan and the municipal supply in unreliable and often VERY dirty.

In our case, rain water is the best for "all things cleaning", including showering and washing dishes.

The municipal supply can be used for these purposes only when it comes thru cleanly - not very often.

Of course, city living provides better municipal supplies.

We use bottled water for all things related to cooking and cleaning teeth.

You (OP'er) certainly give the impression that your biggest concern is your relationship with the young man.

Your decission to send a gift can only strengthen that relationship, by letting him understand that you support his civil partnership.

As to the nature of your gift.... How about an invitation to him and his partner to visit you for a few days?

Hi Guys,

Apologies for the delayed response - I've been away for a while.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

rockyysdt - thanks for the links.

The Triumph certainly looks a good choice, but getting one in Thailand might be an issue (I would have thought).

And you're right, I should definitely consider the comfort factor.

I suppose, comfort for the passanger should also be considered ....

...do I want this to be a personal "escape" machine?

mmmm, no, I suppose it would be nice for both of us (me and partner) to hit the open road together, in which case passenger confort is also a priority.

The majority of people that I've talked with now, recommend not leaving the bike in someone elses hands. i.e. "get a manual and fix/maintain it yourself - Trust you're life to no-one but yourself", so I'm seriously considering becoming a DIY fanatic. I guess there's nothing stopping me considering the time I have on my hands these days.

.... so on with the bike search

Thanks again.

Hi bluemanna,

If you're staying in a good hotel, they're likely to have a whole variety of tours available for sale.

If not, pop in to the Landmark Hotel on Sukhumvit. There's a dedicated agent there (in a small office opposite the main elevators) that can help.

A good one is a trip from BKK (they pick you up in a mini bus from your hotel) take you to a coach around the corner... (very cumfy), from there you head North to Ayutthaya (the old Thai capitol). On the way you visit various temples, the floating market (arriving in a small canal boat), the summer palace, rose gardens, etc. And then returning via the river on a large boat where they feed you a buffet meal. Starts early (around 6am) and you get back to your hotel around 7pm (just in time to put on your glad-rags and hit the bars).

Hope this helps.

Why don't you buy a Kawasaki KRR? These are 150cc 2 stroke local sports bikes, parts are easy to get, and more importantly you should be able to get it fixed in the country? Otherwise stick to your original plan, but will need to 'truck' your bike somewhere to get it maintained if it breaks down. Sometimes you really have to 'localise' your needs to what is available where you live in Thailand.

I appreciate your point regarding the 150cc type sports bikes, however I am looking forward to doing longer journeys than small engined, small (physically) sized bikes allow. Doing trips like Khon Kaen to Pattaya or Khon Kaen to Chiang Mai would be very uncomfortable on small framed bikes. Sometimes I get bum-ache just on the 30Km trip from my village into Khon Kaen city whilst riding the mio.

The larger bikes are much more comfortable and much safer for such trips. I'd much prefer to hit an unseen pot-hole with a wide tire than a narrow one. And whilst many would say that you don't "need" the higher power that a 750+cc engine provides, I'd much rather have it available in those instances when I might need to "get out of the way (of trouble)".

Granted, there are disadvantages - availability of easy maintenance being a prime consideration (for me), inconvenience for parking in the typically "tight" inner city bike parks and the initial purchase cost when compared to small thai style bikes, being but three. However, the advantages in comfort, safety and the exhilaration that comes with a larger bike outweigh (for me) those disadvantages.

I've been kindly informed that there are two retailers of larger bikes in Khon Kaen who also might be able to service my bike for me. So I'll go see them and find out exactly what they can do.

Hi.

Can anyone tell me what airlines (apart for Thai Airlines) fly directly from the UK (any airport) to BKK?

My elderly mum wants to come over in October but doesn't want the bother of transfers.

Many Thanks.

Before you buy, try riding on the back as pillion passenger first.

Some, like the Mio, are incredibly uncomfortable.

This is a mistake that I made - we often ride 2-up on the Mio and it's agony for anything over 20Km's.

Auto v. Manual is a personal choice.

Personally, I feel the Auto for darting to the market is great.

For longer distances, I'd prefer a manual.

I Live the other side of Kalasin from Khon Kaen , and take mine up to Udon Thani at present when I need a service .

Hi Jim,

Where do you take yours to in Udon Thani?

It's not "that" far to there from Khon Kaen, and may be a reasonable solution.

Does the place where you take yours handle all makes of bike?

Many Thanks.

Thanks for your responses guys - greatly appreciated.

I suppose the other option is to become a DIY Mechanical Guru, but that's really not my scene. I'm much more interested in riding than fixing bikes.

I may pop in in to a few mainline dealers of little bikes (Yamaha, Kawasaki and the like) and enquire if they can help. I suspect the answer will be: "Yes, but you'll have to pay for us to transport it to Bangkok, each time".

Still - it's worth a try.

I'll post back here as I get closer to a solution.

Thanks and Take Care.

Hi.

I am currently (and for the foreseeable future) living 30km South-West(ish) of Khon Kaen and gearing up to buy a larger bike.

The final choice of make and model is something that I want to avoid making until taking advice from anyone that can help regarding getting larger bikes serviced in this area. But I'm leaning towards Kawasaki.... and something of the ZX10 ilk.... about 4(ish) years old.

I'm no petrol-head.... My mechanical maintenance skills are largely limited to things like changing the oil.

So annual servicing and fixing of problems that require replacement parts are, really, out my league.

In the UK, I'd always take my vehicles to the main dealers (or at least to a competent mechanic).

I get the impression that it would be a mistake to trust a nice bike to the small street mechanics that fix our Mio at the moment, so was wondering what your experiences are of getting larger bikes serviced/fixed. Can the main dealers, for example Yamaha, service and repair the larger engine bikes from their range (even tho' they don't seem to sell them in their showrooms)?

Reliability is essential, as the last thing I want is to be stuck half-way between Khon Kaen and Chang Mai with bit's of engine scattered over the road.

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Cheers.

Thanks submaniac - that's exactly what I was asking.

Can anyone tell me if there are different classes of Thai Bike Driving Licenses?

I.E. Is it the same license regardless of whether you ride a "Yamaha Mio Auto" or a "Suzuki GSXR 1000"?

Thanx.

Thanks everyone - some very helpful suggestions.

I'll be looking into all of them over the next day or so.

You may just have saved me from going crazy

Hi.

Can anyone recommend an online source for (preferably) second hand books.

I'm an avid reader, living in Khon Kaen, where obtaining English language novels, etc is very difficult.

I used to visit the second hand book stores in Pattaya, but now that I've moved to Issan, that's impractical, so an online source would be great.

I'm mostly interested in Science Fiction, Mystery, Classics (Dickens, etc), some non-fiction.

Many Thanks.