RY12

All I want is a site that has say hourly updates on the thb-usd rate, but I can't find any! A bunch of them post radically different rates and some are 2 days behind the others... any recommendations?

Forget bamboo if you are planting in a garden for personal shade, when the leaves drop of older sticks, its an absolute mess, an difficult to clean off grass,

Whatever you decide to plant, dont forget that ALL fruit trees are prone to insects, red biting ants love tamarind,red berry,kanoon,mango, the list goes on!!!

Not really possible to buy ready grown banana plants here, as they grow so quick, we sell culms at between 6/9bht, 6bht culm will fruit in 6 months ata height of 2mtrs, 9bht culm will fruit in 9/10 months at a height of 3/4 mtrs, and all the time replacement culms will grow round the mother plant.

Hope this helps, Lickey.

oi, I forgot about biting ants, are repellants effective/inexpensive? my land will be surrounded by perimeter wall, so they'd have to go over that or under its foundation.

9 baht for a banana culm?! that's really cheap- is it in a pot with soil? i could cover my land with those for like 300 baht and 6 months apparently?

Many of you are talking about the drawbacks of an electric fence in terms of the shock; but it is the alarm, as described by kalamabob, that seems the most advantageous part of it- something that goes off if anything touches or snips the wire. I don't think it even needs to have a shock-

If the alarm is really loud, like wakes up the neighborhood, it seems almost like an infallible defense while you're away from your house.... pending 1. the burglar isn't so stoned he just goes on stealing anyway, and 2. you have at least one neighboor you can trust to turn it off.

Even if it wasn't too loud, I think actually that the neighborhood would have a keen interest in investigating the alarm because anyone would worry about their own house if there's a burglary going on next door. hm, even better if the alarm was a voice shouting 'burglary on soi 8! burglary on soi 8!'

Have a look here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Red-Berry-Trees-t114037.html . Initially fast growing tree, does not get very high (maybe 3-4 meters) and is quite short-lived (ca 10 years).

A lot of people in Phuket have it to put shade on their Sala and you can see them virtually everywhere here. Very sweet fruits that grow year-round, making it a favorite with children (but it can create a mess). Muntingia calabura in latin, ตะขบ in Thai.

Agree 100% have 7 growing now ranging from 3 -5 meters within 2 months enough shade to chill out on a hot day for 2 .

6 months big enough shade for 6 people to be comfortable. 1 year huge lots of shade & awesome fruit..even my dog loves the Taw kobe berries. We got another 5 starts & more on the way. out of the 35 different type of trees this one has the hugest canopy & grows quickly. If you prune it , the mass will even thicken.

Wow, 2 months?! how big were they when you bought them and how much did they cost? I wonder too, how messy are those berries? I don't want it to stain or kill the lawn below the tree.

you guys that mention bamboo- my understanding is that yes it's fast growing, but it has to get established after several years before it can start shooting up those massive shoots... moreover the shade really isn't that good is it? cuz it's just a vertical spire unlike a tree's canopy.

If I want instant shade, do thai nurseries sell full grown bananas or other plants in pots? in the US, such potted large plants are really expensive, which i think is b-s considering the dude just put water in a bucket of dirt to get the product... maybe thais are more reasonable?

imho, people who read are dull.

Thats an interesting comment to me. To me reading is one of life's great adventures and if you choose the right books, stimulation that can be better than sex. But is is all internal.

To watch a person read is dull. The person is staring at some dead trees. Kind of like meditation. You just sit there. Its kind of a contradiction, the most still things can be the most mind blowing, if you are attuned to them.

I just don't have the patience for it, plus my back or neck will start hurting and there's always the problem of always having to hold the pages open. certainly some short pieces can be moving, i'm thinking of buddhist readings, but it's just hard for me to get excited about long stories, i'm more of a hands-on person.

It's interesting, working in the backwaters of SE Asia in places like Phnom Penh or Ho Chi Minh, I always felt like Bangkok had the image of a shining island of civilization, high-rises and development. After being in Phnom Penh for a while and then flying into Bangkok, you really feel like you're almost going back to the West. But I guess if you zoom out even farther, bkk might have the image of a sleezy metropilis between Hong kong and Singapore.

imho, people who read are dull. I can't stand it, I have to do enough of it at work and I just don't find it to be that compelling of a medium to convey human emotion. Sure, I read articles and such and can spend hours in an encyclopedia if I get excited about something (like Thai history or language), but reading 'novels' or paperbacks during my freetime has no appeal, it's just work. One reason Thais might not due it is that they're never taught how to do it very well- my gf is a slow reader and sometimes enunciates (though she's an Isaaner reading Thai), and the older members of her family can't read at all.

Thai markets open in about 3 hours from this post. Should I go to the bank now and wire my dollars to my Thai fiancee's account? We're developing some land and I was waiting to send her the money because the Thai baht has been steadily falling against the dollar for a while now. DOES ANYONE know the effect of a US crisis on the dollar-baht exchange rate?! I assume it makes the dollar weaker, but maybe it has the opposite side effect?

I chose not to tell a good farang friend, simply because he couldn't really legally do anything about his thai gf selling land bought with his money, and it was probably better for him just not to know about it. Mind you they had already broken up for quite a time and they lived apart, and no one had any control over her- yaa-baa, (if he had more interest in the land and was living in los, then I may have done something).

We used a small caterpiller tractor to compact and level, the weight of the vehicle, the vibration from it's engine and the blade makes a nice level hard pad. The small ones are no bigger than a tuk tuk.

How much did that caterpiller cost a day? I guess we'd only need it for one day. how exactly is the blade used, do they raise and lower it smashing the ground or just drag it?

Have a small lot that can only be accessed through a soi not wide enough for cars (tuk-tuk's can). Soil is bumpy and torn up, how do I compact it down? A hand-held tamper would take forever I think... but I don't want to rent any expensive piece of equipment from the highway department or anything...

(Keeping with the forum rules, I tried to find an answer in the archives, couldn't, so I apologize if this has been asked before.)

Anyway, what's the generally accepted quickest way to get GOOD shade on an undeveloped parcel? We're in Ubon on an urban plot that probably needs some fertilizer, but I'm willing to pay for the extra water in quenching the plant if it requires a lot (so long as it isn't too expensive).

My first thoughts are banana (I know it's not techinically a tree), I know they shoot up pretty fast and have big leaves. I'm not sure I want something like eucalyptus since the leaves are small and the structure is so airy...

thanks

No, i think only when it's intended to be comical, otherwise, it's embarassing for everyone.

the actor u discribe is 'mum', he's from Isaan (Lao), a people who are popular in thai comedies, often playing the part of hapless country yokels. I guess the conservative chinese-thais in bkk are easily impressed by creativity and looseness of isaan people, who are in general more good humoured than their urban kin.

I think thais are skilled when it comes to losing-face comedy, something the west really didn't start doing until recently, will ferrel movies being a good example (acting like ur cool but not being too good at it).

I dunno, i think this whole 'face' thing is a big downside to asian culture, it's like a totally irrational and misplaced pride in yourself that just perpetuates a primitive class heirarchy.

In the op's case where the mother is a drunk, and they (mother & stepfather) have no home, no nothing, but live with stepfather's parents - a basic shack is needed so they can be on their own!

10 concrete posts = 4000

1000 blocks = 4000

concrete/sand/stone/steel = 10000

windows = 4000

doors = 2000

grass roof = 8000

toilet/septik = 4000

outdoor kitchen = 0

extras = 4000

labour = 20000

Sum = 60000

This is just a rough estimate, but 100.000 baht should be more than enough, and as khunandy already has said - it will deteriorate from day one!

Yes, there are certainly cheaper structures available . But why does the one you list need to deteriorate from day one? I mean, what could happen to a thatched block house if it's built carefully? The thatch will get musty, the appliances might malfunction, but the block walls aren't going to start cracking or anything... but I guess if there aren't any tiles, filth will start accumulating in the cement floor, block wall...

Is this the place run by the buddhist society from Ratchathani Asoke, who also have a large veggie restaurant (big open wooden building) in the Chinesese part of Ubon - near the privat Ubonrak Thonburi hospital?

There's a chinese part of Ubon? I vomited all over the floor of Ubonrak hospital, I blame an errant laotian dim sum

I'm in a similar situation, I looked up the prices for the most substantive items in a 7 meter by 7 meter one-storey cinderblock house in the USA, just so I could get a rough idea of what it'd cost in Thailand. I made liberal estimates and choose the more expensive items from HomeDepot.com, just to err on the side of safety. Here's what I found (in USD):

Floor- poured concrete 20ftby20ft, 6'' deep- 3$ bag x 360 bags= $1000

Rebar- for floor and walls- 6$ per 20' length x 60 bars= $400

Mortar-3$x100 bags= $300

Tile- floors and 5' wainscoat- 2$sqft x 1000= $2000

Roof- corrugated $12 per 8' section- $450

Door- sliding glass double pane- $400 x 3 doors- $1200

Cinderblock-2$sqft= $1600

Paint- $200

Insulation- fiberglass 10$ per 40sqft= 220= $300

aircon- 100

toilet- 100

sinks-2= 250

Total= $8000- 270,000 Baht.

Obviously I didn't get all the items, but I assume the liberal estimates of the other materials make up for that. Labor isn't included.

Is this reasonable?

It's often stated that anyone can attain Enlightenment at any time in their life, which I assume is true on a certain level; but for the average human, don't we need to experience certain things in life before we have a mind mature enough to have the discipline to really give up our innermost sense of self?

Look at the Buddha himself, if we take a slightly more banal/historical interpretation of his life- as the wealthiest young man in his universe, he probably had the opportunity to experience all there was in terms of festivals, parties, drugs (soma), and probably sex. He even went on from that to become a father and husband. He had, I assume, literally seen all there was available in life in ancient India- if he even knew of travel, it was probably assumed that such places as Persia or the Zhou Dynasty weren't worth going to. If we assume he was 30 when he left the palace, he probably was beginning to age a little bit, and must have had a deep sense that his life couldn't go anywhere in that world of his. But look at the modern world- up until we can't walk anymore, there's always new activities, places to go, and the endless staircase of capitalism to climb; can we ever really give up such a sensous world up?

The thing I've noticed reading the stories of enlightenment of Zen masters is that each individual usually had some traumatic NEAR-DEATH experience happen to them before they finally attained enlightment- fatal illnesses, losing father and mother, poverty, etc... the Buddha himself had to STARVE HIMSELF to the brink of DEATH before he attained enlightenment.... sure I know He and everyone else say asceticism isn't necessary, but is that just post facto hindsight?

I know I'm too cynical, but I just have a hard time these 19 year old middle-class farangs ordaining in Thailand, or young Thai men themselves, MYSELF INCLUDED, will really progress that far on the Path, beyond just interludes of samadhi's....

I have a strong suspicion that most of the lengthy Theravada precepts, including celibacy, were written long after the Buddha's death by clerics trying to regulate and formalize the religion. Certainly the prose at least would substantiate that. If we truly believe that enlightenment is real, then we need to have a realistic view of it- it's not a magical hazy state where you walk around slowly and smile all the time, and it certainly isn't something that 'quells' sexual urges into a holy state of celibacy- it's a concrete experience. Zen monks often were married. my 2 cents.

Also, anybody know how much such a little bamboo bungalow would cost? I can't imagine the materials would be over 10,000?

The posts are what holds everything together and are the anchors that keep it standing upright.

I'm sorry, I'm still confused- if u poured the posts after the blocks, then only those blocks immediately adjoining the poured post would be supported by it, ...all the other blocks in the middle, if there's no rebar or anything coming out from the posts into the blocks, are just resting there unsupported aren't they? I don't see how the posts can 'anchor' them, especially the middle blocks midway from the posts- unless, this top cap you're refering too runs across the top row of blocks (and isn't just a cap for the column).

The reason I ask is because in the US I've never seen poured posts in cinderblock walls like I do in Thailand- in the US the walls appear to JUST be cinderblock with vertical rebar here and there... so I'm confused.

I'd like to build a wall and I'm still learning this process: so is there a rebar running horizontally from the formed posts across the top of each row of blocks? Is that a necessary thing to do for block walls and does it have to be done with every single row or can you alternate? I guess it just needs to be built strong enough for say a car accidently bumping into it without it crashing down. Also, what exactly are 'blocks'- are they they the equivalent of hollow cinderblocks (8'x8'x16'), and why don't people just use red bricks (are they too thin for a wall even if they have rebar reencforcement?

I don't know about brick. We use the hollow cinder blocks. We put the re bar in the foundation, the posts and the top cap. I'm of the opinion that re bar between the rows of blocks would do more harm than good. If something hits the wall without re bar it will break a hole through the wall and that can be repaired pretty easily. If there were re bar in the wall, it would likely take out the whole section and be harder and more expensive to repair.

Makes sense I guess, but what's the point of having of posts if they don't do anything for the blocks between them? why not just have blocks?

The poured posts are dug down at least 50cm deep. The foundation itself is below ground level about 30 cm and is above the ground level another 20 cm so the foundation itself is a total of about 50 cm. deep. The width is about 20 cm. Everything is tied together with the re bar. The blocks are laid on top of this nine blocks high, then the posts are formed up and poured. This type of wall is NOT suitable to be used as a retaining wall. It took a crew of between four and six guys about ten days to finish it. The high tech equipment consisted of a mechanical buffalo, a trailer with the concrete mixing tub on the trailer and an old bath tub for mixing the mortar. All the workers had their own plastic bucket. The forming lumber came from the sawmill and had bark on one side. My wife is planning on using the forms for her dragon fruit supports. My wife was the supervisor and managed the project. I was happy to sit back and watch as I had learned from the previous 240 meters of wall that I supervised. All I did was inspect each days work after the workers had gone for the day.

I'd like to build a wall and I'm still learning this process: so is there a rebar running horizontally from the formed posts across the top of each row of blocks? Is that a necessary thing to do for block walls and does it have to be done with every single row or can you alternate? I guess it just needs to be built strong enough for say a car accidently bumping into it without it crashing down. Also, what exactly are 'blocks'- are they they the equivalent of hollow cinderblocks (8'x8'x16'), and why don't people just use red bricks (are they too thin for a wall even if they have rebar reencforcement?

This is a basic question demonstrating my ignorance of construction, but what do Thais do for second-storey floors besides poured concrete? Besides plywood resting on joists, or wood planks, which I imagine is expensive and termite-prone, I don't know what else there is, but I assume there's alternatives?

For myself, I'm just thinking of a shed-like one-storey house with a small attic you can walk around in, so I need a cheap load-bearing floor that perferably wouldn't be wood. This results in more questions- do the roof trusses then have to be wood so the flooring can be fasted to it? (I assume it's hard to fasten materials to steel trusses or expensive to drill holes). I guess I could just throw some corrugated metal sheets up there and walk on them... but it'd be nice if there was a single product I could use that would pass as both the attic floor AND the first floor ceiling (I don't care if the truss joists are exposed on the ceiling below).

Humans can't choose a 'purpose' for their lives, we are just temporary re-arrangements of inanimate matter that are entirely and completely conditioned and determined by the matter around us. The nervous system might stimulate the human organism to make it 'feel' like it's determining its destiny, but that's really just a illusory contrivance for limited beings in a universe of near infinite causations. All humans can ever really do is pursue pleasure, whatever form or subtlety it may take, you all know that's true.

I am currently in Hong Kong mode: make as much money as fast as possible! I fear the darker side of me may be to have as much sex and drugs as possible too, but I hope that isn't true . After I pass 30, I assume I'll be more mature enough to pursue nibbana, I feel like I'd owe it to my future family so that I am at least not as susceptable to suffering as I would be without samadhi.

My relative in the States had to report the whole sham to the Senator representing his constituent, and the Senator requested for all my papers to be forwarded to his office.

After going through my papers, he contacted the embassy and they gave him a flimsy excuse for not issuing the visa. They thought I wasn't going to return back home. But they didn't even take the papers from me.

hmm, more evidence that contacting your Senator probably doesn't do any good. I don't really think there's anything anyone can do about the situation.

Hopefully the thought of our sufferings might cross President Obama's mind if his grandma, half-brother, etc apply for a tourist visa in Kenya; but Barack seems like a full-blown politician now and he'll probably just have his staff charter a flight in for them without thinking about the visa at all. Though that would be so totally awesome if the embassy in Kenya refused their visas!

well, i will just lurk back into the shadows of loneliness from whence I came. my only hope is that you all remember the seriousness of this issue and what it's doing to our honest fellow americans (and thais). good luck to all