landtrout

I'm surprised by the British press. Talk about eating your young. Anyone can have a bad day. I think the English team is better than that. For whatever reason, I don't think the real English team showed up.

Like in 1980 when a motley group of US college kids and amateurs beat the Russian National Hockey Team at the Olympics. Russia had won 6 out of 7 Gold Medals in hockey in the prior 7 years. Not likely to happen twice in a row. It's still called "The Miracle on Ice."

I don't know what was wrong with England. They just didn't seem to be all there on that particular day.

For another (and perhaps more pertinent...) account of a ragtag group of American amateurs and part timers taking down an overwhelmingly favored opponent, you might want to Google the "Miracle on Grass".

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2009/05/27/the-miracle-on-grass-remembered/

That was sixty-four years ago a week from tomorrow, and also happened in Brazil, which was hosting its first World Cup.

Going into that match, the English had a post-war record of 24-4-3, and were 3-1 favorites to win the tournament.

The American "team" (comprised of mail carriers, high school teachers, dishwashers, etc) had lost its previous seven matches by a combined score of 45-2, and traveled to Brazil at odds of 500-1.

Sometimes, the ball just bounces your way!

I don't have any way of knowing how that afternoon's events were portrayed in the English press, but I would be very surprised to find that those reports included the word "idiots".

New office makes life easy... park outside door, walk in fill out form, hand over docs + 500Bt, out the door in under 10mins. Pick up letter 1pm tomorrow.

does anyone have a Google Earth address? Blowed if I can find it in street view.

or maybe it's easy to find.

Google map link

David

Thanks for the map!

Would that be the red or the yellow songtaew, and...... is 20 baht reasonable, or should I try to negotiate the fare?

Speaking as an American, and as an avid lifelong sports fan, all I can say is...........

...... we have a soccer team?

Yeah, as someone in the U.S. right now I can safely report that there's not alot of news reporting of America's effort in the world cup right now stateside. Stanley cup was big. NBA finals big. Soccer...ermmm...I mean footbal is barely a blip on the radar. Looking here is how I found out U.S.A. won over Ghana. (Ummm...congratulations and yay!!!! I guess).

To each his own.

When does the Rounders season start?

I don't believe that rounders has ever been played professionally in the US.

Come to think of it, I'm not aware of that game ever having been being played by professionals elsewhere in the world, either!

Having said that.... similarly to it's cousins (schlagball, town ball, cricket, lapta, cat ball, goal ball, round ball, baseball, etc...), the rules of rounders do apparently acknowledge the evolutionary fact that humans have developed opposable thumbs, so there is at least an outside chance that it could conceivably find an audience in the States!

Speaking as an American, and as an avid lifelong sports fan, all I can say is...........

...... we have a soccer team?

Ignorance is nothing to be ashamed of.

Also speaking as an American......

...... what and/or where is "Ghana"?

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure if the title of this thread ("Bigot or racist") refers to a question that you haven't quite managed to ask.... or not.

So, you're a 53 year old (presumably able bodied...) man who lives with his mom in a one bedroom flat, and is upset that his white skin apparently doesn't automatically entitle him to an apartment paid for by taxes collected from his multi-ethnic neighbors' wages?

Is that about right?

If the question was meant to be: "Am I a bigot or a racist"..... I'm guessing that those neighbors have got some thoughts on the subject!

Yes in several ways. The photo brings up the injection of the modern into the ancient, the idea that Buddha has us in his hands, that the Western invention airplane is tiny in significance to Buddhism, that photos are fun "trump loy" Anglicized from French term, and that the photo will cause people to think and even ask questions.

Is your avatar related to the topic ?

"Trump loy"?

Oy vey!

There's a great wood supply shop in Muang Chiang Mai. Wish I could remember the name of it, but no. And searching for "wood shop chiang mai" results in hundreds and hundreds of tourist shop hits. Ban Tawai, etc.

You want to go there and look and talk and so forth. All I can do is tell you about how to find it. Go north on the Superhighway, past Nawarat Bridge, and get off on the frontage road to the west of the superhighway when you're adjacent to Big-C. Look for a shop that sells plywood, etc., on the right side of the road. It's a not a big chain kind of shop, like HomePro or Global. It's a one-off.

Anyway, that's not the shop you want, but the folks inside can tell you how to get to the shop you DO want. From memory, you want a shop that's up a little soi to the right, but actually a bit BEFORE the plywood shop. Problem is, there are tons of little sois in Chiang Mai, so I can't tell you if it's one, or two, or three sois before. And for that matter, it might be the next one after the plywood shop. There are signs, too, as I recall. I read Thai a bit slowly, myself. But take a Thai friend with you. Surely be of great assistance.

Regardless, go up that soi maybe half a kilometer, and you can't miss it. Big operation, on both sides of the soi. Lots of wood. Lots of doors. All generally unpainted/unvarnished, etc. Lots of "Thai looking stuff." They know wood. If you want a non-teak door for export, I'm sure they can fix you right up. Maybe redwood. Maybe something softer and lighter, but that still looks Thai and is known not to be teak.

Sorry I can't provide a name or better directions, but I think worth your time.

This is quite possibly the most entertaining attempt at providing directions that I've yet seen on this subforum, and.... that's saying something!

Good on ya, RedQualia!

An absolute classic of the genre!

Remember....life is cheap here.

Its commonplace to notice the lack of health and safety here, as it is easy to be overburdened by our over the top western rules.

Whoever located the seating in that area could do with watching a reconstruction of their child climbing on the chair to look over, then perhaps the penny will drop.

In the uk balustrades are set at 1100mm high,ten year ago it was 950mm.

if the drop exceeds 4m then you are simply not allowed to have any horizontal bar or anything adjacent to step on from 150 to 750 from the floor..

Did you ever go the cinema foyer in central and look over that one....now that's a scary scary drop.

Yesterday I was walking around the landing over the warorot indoor market, that railing didn't reach my waist and I too was thinking a leap of faith from here wouldn't turn out too well.

"Remember....life is cheap here."

Oh for heaven's sake, give it a rest. Your pomposity is appalling.

Life is apparently cheap in places like Afghanistan and Iraq where hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians are killed by the armies of people who consider themselves the righteous arbiters of who lives or dies and labels its victims as "collateral damage."

Do you ever see 5 foreigners on a motor bike. From the time they are children they have been subjected to the need for balance and it is second nature to them where as we have to think about it in many of those situations.

t

As you can see from this afternoons snapshot, westerners are too big.....but they want to try

1402230542180.jpg

And the chinese, well...I can only assume there is another baby in a paint bucket t`other side to balance

1402230696258.jpg

That "Chinese" shot is transparently photoshopped, but...... I like it!

Well, I don't give a hoot! but Bernard wrote some useful comedy. Can anyone speculate on why there are lots of soldiers around Chiang Mai Gate and other tourist areas, but I live by the back entrance to CMU and there are none up here. Closest bivouac would be the same group close to Warm-Up. So is it a big show for the farang, or the media? I left Nimman at about 11:45, and just had to get my 49 thb sub at Subway, and four Tiger Yai at Lotus, so I was about 8 minutes past curfew, when I got home. There were still some people out, but mostly vendors finishing packing up. Unfortunately, they might be getting the worst end of the curfew. A few of my favorite ones, haven't been out in more than a week. Nothing like a nice 30 thb pad see ew and a 20 thb flesh flute shake to cap off a few promos around Nimman. They've got a good staff at that Subway, though.

Hmmmmm..... looks like someone's been kickin' up their star spangled heels again!

You don't say whether your "flesh flute shake" was downed before or after your fortuitous encounter with the "good staff" at Subway, but I hope that you remembered to check the "born on" date of the former.

Because there's froth, and then..... there's froth.

Be careful out there!

Regarding the Clippers: It appears your news sources at michaelmoore.com and msnbc.com didn't tell you that the Clippers were one of the very few, if not only, major sports franchises to have a black GM, and black head coach, at the same time. So yeah, they're beating up on an 80 something rich white guy....this week it's Phil Mickelson...how dare he complain about high taxes in California..time to sick the law on him....how Obama like.

I think that the word you're looking for there is "sic", and certainly not "sick [sic]".

Lol.

"Sic"... as in: "The mixed race Afro-Muslim Obama administration has sic'd the law on me, not because of credible allegations that I've conspired with a connected, high stakes Vegas gambler and a notoriously predatory "junk bond king" in a scheme to illegally game the securities market for personal gain, but because I've expressed reservations as to the levels of taxation agreed upon by the duly elected representatives of a neighboring state, in which I do not reside."

"Sick"..... as in: "Overt and unapologetic racists are sick individuals whose time and imagined influence have long since passed, and whose identification and rightful ostracization is to be applauded in any just society, regardless of the color of their skin or the size of their bank account."

Anything else I can help you with?

A) name one major sports team that's had a black GM and a black head coach (besides the Clippers).

switch to Bloomberg from MichaelMoore and you will realize that buying stock in a company based on knowledge that someone else is going to purchase some of it, is NOT a crime.

C) Congratulations on seemingly being well prepared to earn 4 USD per hour teaching English in Chiang Mai....

I'm mystified as to your reasons for repeatedly asserting that the Los Angeles Clippers are "one of the very few, if not only, major sports franchises to have a black GM, and black head coach, at the same time", and am confused as to why you'd think that (if true...) this would be relevant to the discussion at hand.

In the end, I guess it really doesn't matter, since a few minutes with Google would indicate that you're once again either woefully misinformed, or purposely misrepresenting the facts in order to support yet another one of your fanciful contentions.

Since you asked.... here's a partial listing of some of the GM/head coach combinations that you seem to have "overlooked":

Arizona Cardinals (NFL) Rod Graves/Denny Green

Detroit Lions (NFL) Martin Mayhew/Jim Caldwell

Chicago White Sox (MLB) Kenny Williams/Jerry Manuel

Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) Bernie Bickerstaff/Bernie Bickerstaff

Detroit Pistons (NBA) Joe Dumars/Michael Curry

Detroit Pistons (NBA) Joe Dumars/Maurice Cheeks

Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) Wayne Embry/Lenny Wilkins

Toronto Raptors (NBA) Wayne Embry/Sam Mitchell

Toronto Raptors (NBA) Masai Ujiri/ Dwayne Casey

Charlotte Hornets (NBA) Rod Higgins/Sam Vincent

Charlotte Hornets (NBA) Rod Higgins/Paul Silas

Atlanta Hawks (NBA) Billy Knight/Mike Woodson

Orlando Magic (NBA) Otis Smith/Johnny Davis

New York Knicks (NBA) Isaiah Thomas/Don Chaney

New York Knicks (NBA) Isaiah Thomas/Herb Williams

Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Billy King/Maurice Cheeks

New Jersey (or Brooklyn) Nets (NBA) Willis Reed/Butch Beard

New Jersey (or Brooklyn) Nets (NBA) Billy King/Avery Johnson

New Jersey (or Brooklyn) Nets (NBA) Billy King/Jason Kidd

Washington Bullets (or Wizards) (NBA) Wes Unseld/Bernie Bickerstaff

Washington Bullets (or Wizards) (NBA) Wes Unseld/Gar Heard

Washington Bullets (or Wizards) (NBA) Wes Unseld/Darrell Walker

That's not a comprehensive list, and includes only African-American executives and coaches. If you were to include African-Caribbean or African-Latin Americans, the list would of course be correspondingly longer.

Whatever the point is that you're trying to make............maybe you'd like to try again?

I have a friend soon to return to his homeland who has a humidor to sell.If any of you cigar lovers are interested pm me and I will get more info

PM sent, and I'd be interested to hear from any of you as to how you deal with the storage issue here.

I first came to Thailand with a stash of Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan sticks several years ago, and fully intended to transfer them to a properly maintained humidor just as soon as I could find one.

In all of that time, I've yet to see one for sale anywhere, and have (more or less...) given up on the prospect.

Having said that... I've still got several dozen of those original cigars, and although they are only being kept in either a non-humidified Spanish cedar box or a zippered leather pouch (in unsealed plastic wrappers), they all seem to be just fine. No signs of either over or under humidification.

Maybe the ambient humidity in these parts is sufficient?

Thanks for the tip! Personally, I'd like to see Lebron in tears.

Don't doubt for a moment that that is true.

Unfortunately, you're up against the 13th and 15th amendments to the United States Constitution.

Not to mention Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and on and on and on and on and on........

Let me guess, Angry One...... you're a Clippers fan?

Since at any given moment, there is not going to be more than three white people on the court (including the referees), my statement doesn't have a thing to do with race. Better check your prescription(s); they ain't workin' right.

Regarding the Clippers: It appears your news sources at michaelmoore.com and msnbc.com didn't tell you that the Clippers were one of the very few, if not only, major sports franchises to have a black GM, and black head coach, at the same time. So yeah, they're beating up on an 80 something rich white guy....this week it's Phil Mickelson...how dare he complain about high taxes in California..time to sick the law on him....how Obama like.

I think that the word you're looking for there is "sic", and certainly not "sick [sic]".

Lol.

"Sic"... as in: "The mixed race Afro-Muslim Obama administration has sic'd the law on me, not because of credible allegations that I've conspired with a connected, high stakes Vegas gambler and a notoriously predatory "junk bond king" in a scheme to illegally game the securities market for personal gain, but because I've expressed reservations as to the levels of taxation agreed upon by the duly elected representatives of a neighboring state, in which I do not reside."

"Sick"..... as in: "Overt and unapologetic racists are sick individuals whose time and imagined influence have long since passed, and whose identification and rightful ostracization is to be applauded in any just society, regardless of the color of their skin or the size of their bank account."

Anything else I can help you with?

Thanks for the tip! Personally, I'd like to see Lebron in tears.

Don't doubt for a moment that that is true.

Unfortunately, you're up against the 13th and 15th amendments to the United States Constitution.

Not to mention Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and on and on and on and on and on........

Let me guess, Angry One...... you're a Clippers fan?

If you're referring to "The Chedi Chiang Mai" that used to be located on Charoen Prathet at the foot of Sridonchai (where it meets the river.....), it no longer exists, and hasn't for quite some time.

I do feel your pain, however!

There's nothing quite like a well aged Montecristo Robustos Millenium to follow up a 17 baht double egg omelette (from way back in the alley... ), a 12 baht shopping mall ice cream cone and a 22 baht jug of PepsiMax gleaned from the bargain bins at Tesco.

Are we living the dream?

Or....what?

The support on here for a military coupe is amazing.

Truly amazing.

And horrifying.

Well I have mixed feelings about it.

But objectively it's good for me and expats/tourists in general. Especially if the underlying effort by the upper establishment in Thailand is successful, it'll be very good for most of us.

Being de-facto at an upper-middle class income level and lifestyle in Thailand, I benefit from having a large pool of people to draw upon to clean the house, work in the garden, massage my feet, laugh at my jokes in bars and so on. The ex government had a track record of increasing minimum wage, universal healthcare, guaranteed farm produce pricing and other populist handouts to the uneducated. One bar girl I know was even able to buy a car under the government tax rebate program! That's insane.

Tourists and expats alike want to be pampered; the neo-sahib lifestyle is so much better with a solid pool of people to facilitate things at a reasonable/affordable spend .

There, I said it.

Can anyone here tell me how to go about changing my username?

"Neo-Sahib" appears to be available, and is veritably imbued with that certain, ineffable, rumpled linen "je ne sais quoi" that can make all the difference in uncertain times such as these.

Large pools? Foot massage? Obsequious hangers on?

Sign me up, Sevaki!

Well little old me would rather pay Assist Thai Visa then visit the ZOO.

And I am not a well off person, I have enough and my sanity is more important then the B6,500 I fork out for renewal and 90 day.

john

So if I am understanding you correctly; the 6500 covers the annual extension interview and the three 90 day check -ins? And then don't you pay 1900 extra for the extension annually? Did you just give bank account info to agent or did you go to your bank and get the letter OR did you go to the consulate and swear you make 65000 thb per month and paid them 1500 Thb? Details, details, details............

A lot of us aren't averse to "paying for it"....(lol), but we would like to know exactly what they extra costs are. Some say "I pay an agent 10,000 per year, and never step foot in immigration is a bit misleading...because the visas and the letters aren't free to begin with, and I've heard of people getting the run-around on the medical certificate, as well as the bank letter.....including someone, who went to RAM for the medical certificate....meanwhile many on here have stated they can go in about any clinic and get the letter for 50-100 thb.

If you've been in the habit of supplying a medical certificate in support of either your annual applications for the extension of your "permission to stay" in the Kingdom or your quarterly ninety day reports to Thai Immigration, then I'm afraid that it's you who's been given "the run-around".

Seeing as how you're not "averse to 'paying for it'.....(lol)", you might be one of those who would be well advised to seek professional assistance.

I stated earlier that I had just made my fist 90 day report, and I obtained my visa from DC. If you're unable to read two pages of English before jumping to conclusions; you should take your own advice. And what do you know, somebody else noticed that getting there at 6 am with all the other invalids that go to bed at 8:30pm maybe isn't the best strategy.

Ha!

Calm thyself, O Angry Alien!

I'll admit to being somewhat surprised to hear that you've only been here for ninety days, simply because it would seem to be impossible to have learned everything about well..... everything.... in that modest span of time.

If anyone had asked, I'd have guessed that you've been here for a freaking eternity!

I'm quite pleased to hear that your "fist" 90 day report went so well. I expect that when you handed over that troublesome medical certificate to the immigration officer, everyone in the room was up to their elbows in mirth and frivolity!

As I and others have advised......professional help is available. It may not be too late!

Well little old me would rather pay Assist Thai Visa then visit the ZOO.

And I am not a well off person, I have enough and my sanity is more important then the B6,500 I fork out for renewal and 90 day.

john

So if I am understanding you correctly; the 6500 covers the annual extension interview and the three 90 day check -ins? And then don't you pay 1900 extra for the extension annually? Did you just give bank account info to agent or did you go to your bank and get the letter OR did you go to the consulate and swear you make 65000 thb per month and paid them 1500 Thb? Details, details, details............

A lot of us aren't averse to "paying for it"....(lol), but we would like to know exactly what they extra costs are. Some say "I pay an agent 10,000 per year, and never step foot in immigration is a bit misleading...because the visas and the letters aren't free to begin with, and I've heard of people getting the run-around on the medical certificate, as well as the bank letter.....including someone, who went to RAM for the medical certificate....meanwhile many on here have stated they can go in about any clinic and get the letter for 50-100 thb.

If you've been in the habit of supplying a medical certificate in support of either your annual applications for the extension of your "permission to stay" in the Kingdom or your quarterly ninety day reports to Thai Immigration, then I'm afraid that it's you who's been given "the run-around".

Seeing as how you're not "averse to 'paying for it'.....(lol)", you might be one of those who would be well advised to seek professional assistance.

Don't take the advice of using kerosene, for heavens sake or you will have a homemade grenade.

I used to get mine from borsang ,the market area there, only 80bt for ones standing a metre high.

For fuel, simply use the cooking oil, straight from the bottle, the wick soaks it up lovely and gives a strong flame. When the wick is used up, just replace with a few threads of string plaited together.

Citronella is common, and I can't stand the sweet smell.....neither can the mossies so I guess that's why you want it outside.

You can buy the essential oil at spana and herb basics (ratviti and ratchamanka) will cost you around 250bt for 100ml OR for outside use go for the chemical copy for around 35bt for 60ml

Can get at world chemical and another both on mahidol rd just city side of the river, or union science on suthep rd.

If you get stuck pm me.

Thanks for that!

So I can just mix some essential oil (or a synthetic substitute) with what.... palm oil? I will certainly give that a go.

By the way, you can buy a kerosene lantern at Big C, if you have a use for one. It's just a metal canister sprouting a wick, which is surrounded by a glass globe.

Fill the canister with kerosene, light the wick and Robert is your mother's brother!

palm oil works just fine. we have little lamps on the tables in the garden. we use palm oil. burns nicely. we bought a length of wick material about 9 years ago and still have some left. so the wick seems to last forever before you need to replace it and the spare materials seems that it doesn't rot. very cheap way to have outdoor light.

Excellent!

You don't happen to recall where you found your "wick material", do you?

The wick that comes with the tiki torches I'm familiar with looks to be tightly braided cotton. Is that what I should be looking for?

Don't take the advice of using kerosene, for heavens sake or you will have a homemade grenade.

I used to get mine from borsang ,the market area there, only 80bt for ones standing a metre high.

For fuel, simply use the cooking oil, straight from the bottle, the wick soaks it up lovely and gives a strong flame. When the wick is used up, just replace with a few threads of string plaited together.

Citronella is common, and I can't stand the sweet smell.....neither can the mossies so I guess that's why you want it outside.

You can buy the essential oil at spana and herb basics (ratviti and ratchamanka) will cost you around 250bt for 100ml OR for outside use go for the chemical copy for around 35bt for 60ml

Can get at world chemical and another both on mahidol rd just city side of the river, or union science on suthep rd.

If you get stuck pm me.

Thanks for that!

So I can just mix some essential oil (or a synthetic substitute) with what.... palm oil? I will certainly give that a go.

By the way, you can buy a kerosene lantern at Big C, if you have a use for one. It's just a metal canister sprouting a wick, which is surrounded by a glass globe.

Fill the canister with kerosene, light the wick and Robert is your mother's brother!

I've seen a few shops around town that sell tiki torches (including one on the lower level of Kad Suan Kaew, and several out on Hang Dong Rd.), but I've never seen citronella oil for sale anywhere.

All of the torches that I've seen are sold with empty metal canisters to hold the fuel, and when I've asked as to what type of fuel they are meant to contain, I've heard replies ranging from diesel fuel (!) to gasohol (!) to kerosene.

I haven't yet been able to work up the nerve required to verify whether any of those options would be advisable!

Has anyone come across citronella oil (or really.... any kind of lamp oil) around the city?

He came here loking for sympathy and understanding and while I'm writing this Ian Dury's singing "what a waste!". Coincidence?

And as I'm writing this, Lord Kitchener is singing "Gimme D T'ing".

I've memorized this tune, just in case I ever find myself in a situation identical to the OP's.

In my experience, bursting into song is almost always the correct response when faced with these occasional, inevitable moments of cross-cultural confusion.

"Gimme d' t'ing wa' d' doctah ordah me, gimme d' t'ing!"

430million? and it will all just wash away within a short period. What a farce... Thailand I mean, not just this particular idea.

Before you go over the top

come to reality

The Gold Coast in Australia paid 3 times than amount to do there beaches last year

and what about Hawaii

this island was just ash and rock

all the sand there, comes from Sydney Australia and California

we take our beaches for granted so the need sand not just Pattaya

Hawai'i has over 1,200 kilometers of coastline, which is liberally appointed with more than 400 beaches.

Polihale Beach alone is more than 27 kilometers long and nearly 275 meters wide.

I've been searching, but am unable to find a link to corroborate your assertion that the countless metric tons of sand that covers those hundreds of beaches has all been been imported from elsewhere.

Maybe you can post a link?

I think all Thais brandishing nazi regalia should be identified and banned from entering Europe.

He's Dutch!

Yup.

Mr. Harry Von Walnutwhip.

Or with his full middle names included - Mr. Harry Strawbelly-Cheetcake Von Walnutwhip.

I think the Dutch newspapers should be contacted.

You've been flogging this weak attempt at misguided humour for days now, even though nobody is giggling except for you.

Are you simply trying to divert attention from the topic being discussed, or is this a cry for help?

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There is still a compound of bars next to the dirt parking lot. At least one of them proudly displays the square rainbow. I looked at buying at the Nightbazaar Condotel a few months ago, which is right behind the Foxy Lady building, alongside those bars. The deal breaker for me was 1) the close proximity to a mosque and 2) the shack across the street from FL, next to the public toilets charges 60 thb for Pad Thai...glad I asked because he mysteriously doesn't have his prices posted. Just verified for me what a raunchy, tourist' area it is. Decided to buy up by CMU.

So I guess you decided to go "browntown" after all, eh?

Not that there's anything wrong with consenting adults actively pursuing "alternative" lifestyles, of course.

Mosques and public toilets or not........ just be careful out there!

Those ladyboys around the Amora, and an ever expanding area, are the only group in LOS more aggressive than the tablecloth salesmen at Hua Hin.

I asked you before what you meant when you used the term "browntown", but you declined to answer and left it to another member to enlighten me.

I'd ask you what you're referring to when you mention "tablecloth salesmen" but.... I'm frankly frightened to know the answer!