Brigante7

A few days ago I got a new car, the Ford Focus TDCi, here are my experience so far with the car:

I got the car in Bangkok last friday and went to Jomtien that afternoon. Before I left Bangkok I filled the diesel tank and after that I reset the fuel gauge display. I drove towards Chon Buri under the elevated highway, and for the first approx. 70 km ( until I came to a place where there was a lot of road construction going on) the fuel gauge displayed 4,2 litre per 100 km, which is the same as 23,81 km/l. Driving speed was at that time mostly around 80 km/h, but varied between 60-90 km/h.

It is very pleasant to drive, comfortable seats, road handling is excellent ( as GaryA already has pointed out) and this diesel engine has a lot of torque, which means that even you have a 6-speed manual gearbox you don´t have to change gears a lot, - if you don´t want !

The noise level in the cabin is pleasant and moderate, in some driving conditions you can hear, that it has a diesel engine and not a petrol ( typically during acceleration) but most of the time I really do not notice the sound of the engine.

Overtaking other cars is easy, always abundant power when needed. ( and I will point out that I am not speeding)

Last sunday we went back to Khon Kaen, we were driving from Rayong towards Klaeng, and shortly before Klaeng I filled the tank and reset the fuel gauge meter.

Sunday evening we drove from Klaeng on road 344 towards Chon Buri, turned right at the intersection 344/331 and continued on 331 and later 304 towards Kabin Buri, through Kabin Buri still on 304 towards Nakhon Ratchasima (NR), on the way we passed an area with mountains ( some 40-50 km distance).

From NR. we took highway no. 2 towards Khon Kaen.

Arrived in Khon Kaen the distance was 538 km. the fuel gauge meter indicated 5,7 l/ 100 km ( 17.54 km/l. ). I filled the tank again, 27.04 litre diesel which equals 19.9 km/l or 5.03 l/ 100 km. I am quite happy with that result, since this trip included mountain areas, and on the road from Klaeng towards Chon Buri you have a lot of small hills, which will take more fuel. Furthermore we drove in the evening, I don´t know how much the lights on the car influences the fuel consumption, but they consume energy and therefore the fuel consumption must be higher. The driving speed was mostly 80- 90 km./h. occasionally lower( in the mountains) and higher when overtaking cars driving slowly.

Well, I can surely write a lot more about this car, and I feel sure most of my comments will be positive.

North

Hi North, glad you are enjoying your Focus TDCi, can you tell me please, do you have an AUX input on your stereo to connect an MP3 player?

Many thanks

Brigante7

I married my wife 1 year ago today and we have a 4 month old son

How is this possible? Did she give birth prematurely?

2 weeks late actualy.

They had sex before they got married? It happens now.

Shocking! I'll need to find a tamer website.

LMFAO

The late great Robert Heinlein once observed, that an eager young bride can often achieve in seven months, that which takes a duchess nine months.

Contratulations to Mum & Dad & Rug-Rat. Are you sleeping through the night yet ?

Thanks Ricardo, yeah we are, life is great.

I married my wife 1 year ago today and we have a 4 month old son

How is this possible? Did she give birth prematurely?

2 weeks late actualy.

They had sex before they got married? It happens now.

Shocking! I'll need to find a tamer website.

LMFAO

Wifes family live in small village about 15K from Nakhon Phanom town, we live in Scotland, and we are going over in October for 6 months to see if I can hack it and if I can then we will move ther permanent. Town is an OK size, has 3 7-11's, Tesco-Lotus. We are going to LOS in 11 days for 1 month to look at houses to buy near village so that even if we don't relocate we will have somewhere to stay when we visit.

I married my wife 1 year ago today and we have a 4 month old son

How is this possible? Did she give birth prematurely?

2 weeks late actualy.

Like my dad always says 50% of nothing is still nothing. If you have nothing then she can't get anything or am I just being cynical?

Ok i'll start off by quoting a post from a while back then i'll work my way through the questions i have:

to marry a Thai Lady you need a "freedom to marry" (in whatever form it takes) from your embassy, which needs translation to Thai, then you head to the Amphur and get the job done.

I used a translation service which was a lot easier than doing the job myself.

What documents from you do the embassy require for this? I mean, surely they don't know if you are married or not? Or is that information on their computer? Do you need to bring some document from your country to prove you arn't married already and give this to the embassy? I am in the UK and will be marrying in July and so i need all the info i can get to prepare it and take it with me when i go in July,

Also i have been reading conflicting post regarding what documents i need to bring.... Can someone who is a uk citizen and who has recently married a Thai lady please tell me all the documents i need to bring, So far i found i need:

1) Affirmation of freedom to marry,

2) Passport,

3) wage slip (Latest one),

Should i also bring a bank statement to prove my address?

Also on the affirmation it asks for 2 references and some places i read up on say it can't be a family member, But other places i read say it can be a family member? So does anyone know if i can actually use someone like my mother and father as a reference or should i just use 2 friends names and addresses?

Thanks.

You'll need

Passport, every page photocopied and signed

Bank statement, signed

Utility bills, signed

Council tax statement, signed

Letter from you inviting your G/F to come and marry you

A letter written by you to the embassy explaining how and where you met your G/F

Proof that you have visited and met your G/F

Photo's of you with your G/F

Photo's of your house/flat

Proof that you can support your G/F for 6 months

And anything else that they will ask for after you have submitted all this

And then they will ask for everything again so make 2 copies of everything

Hope that helps.

Posted documents, for my wifes visa, to BKK last year and used DHL, picked up from home on the Friday and arrived in BKK on the Monday, £54, expensive but worth it, also she had to aign for them so I knew nobody else would get them. I sent a jiffy envelope of photos of our 2 month old son to wifes family in Nakhon Phanom 2 months ago, never to be seen again.

I wasn't saying we would run out, more that we've reached peak supply. Are you saying we haven't reached peak supply? If we haven't reached peak, then you would expect oil prices to drop. I can't see this happening.

I'll bet a pound to a penny that when oil does finaly run out, car mnanufacturers will amazingy come up with an alternative way to power a car. I truly believe that they already have an alternative way to power a car but with car manufacturers and oil producing companies in bed together it isn't in either of their interest to promote it in a massive way, but then what do I know, I'm just a cynical member of the public who doesn't belive anything any goverment tells us.

if you do . please keep bashing to something i said or wrote.

Blizzard, I hope you find your daughter and get har back safely.

Sorry justaphase, it's still early in the morning here and I'm still half asleep, I hope you get your daughter back safely.

if you do . please keep bashing to something i said or wrote.

Blizzard, I hope you find your daughter and get har back safely.

I posted my experience to this thread so that maybe more information would be of some help to the next poor bast**d that gets it in the neck. There are many factors that affect a divorce and the cost can be broken down in to different areas of payment.

1) 1. Court costs (including the Divorce doc itself)

2) 2. Solicitors' fee (usually £3000) for the complete case if arguing with the other solicitor then much more would incur.

3) 3.Settlement fee (which includes the legal aid bill the spouse has created).

4) 4. Maintenance for children if any.

On the whole according to some web sites in the UK an average divorce is £13000. But that depends on the geography. Some solicitors charge £175 an hour (small towns) while some charge £450 an hour (London). Also the court charge is different for different parts of the country. So I would say one can average between £13,000 to £20,000. On the other hand if your flat broke on income support living in rented accommodation then it won't cost you a penny.

England is the most compensation mad payout country in the world. Many European women who marry wealthy men purchase property in the UK just so that when the end of the relationship is near they move to the UK for the final show down as they get more dosh.

Divorce settlement has become a national sport for solicitors in the UK and the courts are lapping it all up.

160000 divorce a year that's 3077 a week, which is 615 a day in the UK. I am not looking for any sympathy I am just sharing my experience. I now loads of guys who have lost a fortune to English wives but they were married for a fairly long time with kids and they were having a genuine relationship.

In my case the woman who I married, married me so she can divorce me, these things are called 'marriage fraud' and unfortunately are not deemed illegal, or taken into account which is f**king stupid as far as the law is concerned.

I think the world is now waiting to see the final show down with Macca and Heather as they are near the final show down

I married my wife 1 year ago today and we have a 4 month old son, before we got married I bought a new house and I also have 4 other small properties which I rent out and get an income from, before she arrived here (Scotland) i spoke to a lawyer who told me that if we divorced she couldn't touch my investment properties but she could get a share of the family home. I had £50,000 deposit and a mortgage of £95,000, solution my lawyer told me, lend the £50,000 to my brother who then lends £50,000 to my dad who then lends £50,000 to me and in the event of a divorce all my wife would get would be half of the house after everything had been paid off, I.E. mortgage and loan which would be whatever value the house increased by. Don't know if it would stand up in court though.

Did you have to pay the 2% Transfer fee?

Yes, on every transfer, i.e. change of name of beneficiary, 2% transfer fee shall apply. Not only that, 3.3% on land value shall also apply if the seller's period of ownership is less than 5 years. In addition, personal income tax calculated on a formula is also applicable. The land department can calculate for you prior to the "sale".

What about if you put the land in your kids name first and not the wife's, or is that just wishful thinking?

Blondie - Maria

Forgot to add, flying with Etihad and recieved an e-mail from them tell me that they have provided an infant cot for us which means we'll get the bulkhead seat (middle row front), didn't ask for the cot but it seems it's standard policy with Etihad if you book far enough in advance and are available.

The medical case for babies being squashed when sleeping in their parents bed was totally retracted, and infact more babies die in their own beds.

I had a baby 8 months ago & was constantly warned about suffocation risk of baby being in bed with us by midwives & my peaditrician (in the UK) so I don't think the medical case for sleeping with parents has been totally retracted. It is advised against if you have any medical condition that reuqires medication, drink alcohol or smoke as these can affect your sleeping &/or judgement also being diabetic (as I am) it is advised not to have your baby in bed with you. Ignoring the emotional & practical reasons there are very valid medical reasons that have to be looked at before thinking about having a baby in bed with you but if you have/do none of the things listed then it is agreed that there is no reason why babies can't sleep with parents.

As to whether you would want to well thats a personal choice & one that both my thai husband & I agreed before he was born ( & discounting a valid medical reason not to) that he would be in his own crib in our room for the first 4 months & then in his own room once he was no longer requireing night feeds, which actually happened at 10 weeks but as we were in los for a month & staying with the in laws he was still in our room but he went straight to his own room the first night we got back home.

I'm not worried about hurting him, I just don't think that it's the right thing to do but try telling the wife that.

but too many times I've seen parents just make a half hearted attempt in the belief that because their baby is crying or having a tantrum

agreed, on our way back from LOS in september my lo made not a peep for 13hrs except for when he was awake, making a giggle & coo but a couple seated alongside us had no control over their 14 month old & she threw toys & food, screamed, squealed & generally played up the whole flight with mum & dad making halfhearted attempts at keeping her amused, at one point they were both asleep & the child was sitting in the skycot, she could have fallen or anything but they just didn't seem to care.

The older couple behind us actually came up to us at the baggage claim & commended us on such a well behaved baby Like I had much control over that but neither me or hubby got any sleep cause a baby or toddler needs to be watched & kept occupied in close quarters, something this other couple didn't seem to think about!!!

But if he had been distressed (not naughty) then I maintain that I would have to focus on him alone & screw everyone else.

Fair point, I'll find out in 19 days how easy it is to take a baby on a plane but it's like another poster said, "It all depends on the baby" and that is so true.

My wifes sister has a daughter and when they travelled up for our wedding 1 year ago, London to Edinburgh, their daughter who was 1 year old at the time, screamed and through a tantrum the whole hour, her husband said it was the worst hour of his life and that is the one thing I dread.

I think you misread or misunderstood my post, I said

As for being worried about other people, well sorry, but your baby should always be your only concern, forget the other people on the plane & do what you need to to sooth your baby.

I meant by this that if you are getting stressed over what others are thinking your baby will also get more stressed, you should do what you need to sooth your baby. That is the main priority, when a child is distressed then it is the duty as their parent to do what you can to calm them & make them feel safe, if this so happens on a plane then IMO what others are thinking of you means nothing & should not be a concern. Nowhere have i said that having a baby means the world revolves around me but it certainly doesn't revolve anywhere near strangers on a plane (or anywhere else for that matter) if my child is upset

Boo, maybe I misunderstood what you meant and if I did then I am sorry, what I meant was that as a parent you have to sooth and calm your baby but too many times I've seen parents just make a half hearted attempt in the belief that because their baby is crying or having a tantrum then people around them should just accept it and put up with it. I've seen both sides of the coin, I've been on a plane close to a screaming baby and I was on a plane with my nephew who had a bad reaction to flying for the first time and while my sister did her best to sooth my nephew, including walking up and down the plane for 2 hours, she was also aware of people getting annoyed because of the baby crying.

Babys full of wind , for some reason Thai woman dont wind there babys or dont wind them properly .

No ghost , shes not laughing shes full of wind .

JB

Hear hear, my wife can't or won't wind our baby boy, it's my job. She has never ever mentioned superstitions or birth marks or any of that other rubbish and when it came to naming our baby she told me that in Thai culture it's up to the father to name the babies, which was music to my ears, we named our son Vincenzo.

Garro, You should def give your baby a bottle on take off & landing, either a bottle of milk or water or else a dummy. I wouldn't worry too much though about the crying, unless he is one that cries for many hours in a day then to him, life should be no different on the plane. Babies are very basic creature & IMO if you keep the normal routine for feeding & sleeping whilst travelling then your baby shouldn't know that anything is different. We kept the exact feeding & sleeping schedule for my son & he was none the wiser. As for being worried about other people, well sorry, but your baby should always be your only concern, forget the other people on the plane & do what you need to to sooth your baby.

Seonai, things have changed quite a bit from when your son was a baby, the toilets have changing tables that drop down over the toilet seat but I changed the boy in his sky cot.

Just make sure you book the skycot & pack everything you think you might need for the flight & then a bit more. Being prepared wil save you any tricky situations.

I'm sorry Boo but I have to disagree with you, as a father of a baby I would always put my baby first but being stuck on a plane with a screaming baby is no fun and you shouldn't just dismiss it and tell people to accept it, why should they? Before I became a dad I had all these opinions that everybody told me would change when I had kids, I'm happy to say that they haven't changed. Just because you have a baby doesn't mean the world revolves around you.

Moss a couple more tips for inside LOS.

Cheers Boo.

Muslin squares.

We use these all the time, so will take these.

Pushchair!!!!

We have a very good one, but would be a little impracticable, so we just bought a good but rather large stroller, I wish we had seen your advice earlier.

All other times he was in his sling & when he went to sleep we just turned him around & he slept in it with his head against my chest.

Although we have one, the wife doesn't think he will use one at this stage.

Samsonite bubble

Never heard of this, but sounds invaluable, I will check it out.

Sterlising bottles - I bought from www.travellingwithchildren.co.uk I had a plastic cold water sterliser bought locally but took my own milton tablets as they aren't readily available.

I will check these out too

I took far too many clothes for him, Everything else staying in the suitcase wasting space!!!!

I will mention this, but I feel i may as well talk to the mountains

Have a great time in Italy & LOS,

Cheers

I was dreading travelling with him but being well organised meant that nothing happened that I couldn't deal with

I have a feeling you might get on with my wife, she thinks about every eventuality, I travel on a wing and a prayer, a little different now I have a family.

Thanks for all the good advice

Moss

Traveling to LOS on 2nd Feb with wife and 5 month old son, totaly confident and no worries, the secret, according to my mum who has flown with her kids from all ages and her grandkids from 2 weeks old, is to be prepared so we will be, will let everybody know howwe get on. One thing I am very worried about is how he will react to the flight, he's is such a contented baby, never cry's just laughs all the time and mumbles away to himself so I praying that continues.

Ever since he was born our son has slept in our bed. I have tried several times to persuade my (Thai) wife to put him in a cot in our bedroom to no avail. I even dedicated a bedroom in the house for him with murals, toys, kids bed and furniture, etc but that just gets used to play in during the day. My wife thinks it is ridiculous of me to even consider having our son sleep anywhere but in our bed. For any of you who have been through this.......does it last forever? I worry so much about squashing him that i dont sleep very well until they wake up around 7am.......and what about sex? sneaking a quick one every now and then when he's fast asleep hardly seems right....

Please share your experiences..

My wife is Thai and I am Scottish and we have a 4 month old son and from day one I told my wife that our son will not be sleeping in our bed and that was that, she moaned for about 2 days but she accepted it, now our son sleeps in a cot in our room but in 2 months he will be moving in to his own room, that I am not looking forward to, but then again a few days of silence, lol.

i love happy babies. my youngest smiles all the time .. LOVELY!

Same here, have a 4 month old boy, has only ever cried 3 times, just lays in his pram and laughs and talks to himself all day.

My wife is Thai and I am Scottish, we live in Edinburgh and have a 4 month old son. My wife wants our son to sleep in our bed but I said no and she isn't happy, it seems that in Thailnd it is normal for the baby to sleep with the parents. I compromised and told her the cot can stay in our room until he is 6 months old then he will be in his own room, I wanted the cot in the nursery straight away, I don't think it's healthy for a baby to sleep in the same room never mind the same bed as the parents.

Am I being selfish and unfair?

I've heard other couples make a deal that the native English speaker will be the one to speak English to the child, and the native speaker of Thai speaks only in Thai. That seems to be a good deal because the child gains two languages as a native speaker.

Hi all, my wife who is Thai speaks to our son in Thai about 95% of the time and I speak english to him so even though he is only 5 months old, he will be fluent in both languages.