Orita

Originally from Europe, I have spent the last 30 years living in various countries, like America, Japan,

Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

My plan was, to spend retirement in Chiang Mai, but I am absolutely disappointed about the expat

community here. Never anywhere else have I encountered such a pathetic set of hostile, rude and

unapproachable miss-fits as here. While I find most Thais polite and friendly, expats seem to all hate

each other. In over 2 years of living here, I can't say I ever had even one inspiring and intelligent

conversation with any of my fellow expats.

In every other place I have lived so far, I always found a nice circle of friends after a short while, but

Chiang Mai is different. I can't explain the reason, but there must be something seriously wrong with

foreigners living here.

Order one from the Internet for about 1,500.- USD. Try "Newthinkpads" on Ebay.

No import duty, but 7% VAT to pay in Thailand.

Shoe repare truck on canal behind nimann stretched a pair for me a while back...

Thanks! I'll check it out next week.

This is not to discourage anyone on a diet, but loosing weight is the very easy part.

Keeping the weight down is extremely difficult without life long changes to eating

and exercise habits.

I have yet to see anyone amongst my circle of friends and acquaintances who has

lost weight and not gained it all back again and some more.

If they are new, can't you just return them?

Ordered them from the US and sending them back is not a real option.

They are nice boots and I like them, but if I could stretch them a little,

they would be perfect.

Yes, you can store a lot of music on an USB drive, iPod, or hard disk in digitally compressed form,

but you pay for the convenience with a dramatically reduced emotional listening experience.

I would say, modern music reproduction technology has not resulted in a better listening experience in the the last 50 years.

A classic tube amplifier with a power output of not more than 3 Watt, feeding into a pair of old horn speakers driven by vinyl

records, will sound much more emotionally rewarding than a "modern" system.

Those old systems sound less sterile and artificial, naturally warm and dynamic, much more like real music sounds.

So, in my eyes, there is no real progress, only poor music quality, not worth listening to.

Is there a Mister Minit counter somewhere in Chiang Mai that has a shoe stretching machine?

I have a pair of new hiking boots that are narrow and would need some stretching.

Thanks for any tips.

The OP's question has been sufficiently answered, but please permit me to point out again, that loosing weight by any means is the easy part,

but staying down is almost impossible unless permanent, life long changes to life style and diet habits are implemented.

Otherwise loss of weight will followed by weight gain as sure as day is followed by night, and one will end up where one started, plus a little extra

on top of it in most cases, ultimately more harmful to ones health than just staying overweight.

KRS1, Judging by your highly emotional response, I must have somehow insulted your ego.

This was not intended. If for you Acer is the best, Acer it is, then.

Yes, interesting post.

Remember the Farang big bike driver that got shot by a Thai car driver in the middle of Mae Jo intersection in broad daylight last year.

Was the shooter ever prosecuted or convicted?

Those who think silver has still upside potential and don't make it to the coin or ornament dealer can still participate in one of the

available Exchange Traded Silver Funds, SLV being the largest. Another ETF that would profit if silver continuous to rise, would

be SIL that invests in silver mining companies.

As of course no one knows the future for certain, some kind of stop-loss strategy would be advisable. Based on the tremendous

ride silver had since last August another correction seems inevitable.

As the old saying goes: Nothing lasts forever.

Happy Songkran Orang!

This is one of the most refreshing posts in a long time.

I admire Orang's writings for it's uniqueness and style, illuminating the rather conservative Chiang Mai forum.

Keep it up Orang !!

KRS1 said: You're right, Thinkpads cost 3 times as much, are more than twice as heavy, have keyboards that feel funny,run hot, utilize slower 32 bit windows, have less ram, lethargic video capabilities,smaller hard drives, and have horrible sound quality.

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Great, if you are happy with your Acer, and most would agree that it is a reasonably good computer brand.

Your statements regarding ThinkPad laptops are not based on real facts however.

• X220, as well as the T420s are the lightest in theirs class
• Thinkpad keyboards are considered the best available keyboards on any laptop.
• Speakers are at least as good as the average, but a ThinkPad is a business computer and not a dedicated multi-media machine.
• They use the same Intel processors as anyone else, and come in i3, i5 and i7 versions. Need speed? Get a i7 ThinkPad.
• They use the same sized hard disks as anyone else including the option of SSD drives. Need 500 GB? Available!
• They come with as much RAM as you like, and run cooler than most laptops.
• They have Windows 7 Professional 64 bit installed.
• They use the same video systems as anyone else, either Intel integrated or switchable Nvidia Optimus.
• They are not 3 times as expensive, but you get what you pay for.
  Don't take my word for it of course. Google for reviews on ThinkPad or go the the Lenovo web site, download PDF spec. sheets and compare them to your Acer.
  Now, where they really stand out is in build quality. They come with magnesium and carbon frames, are military spec. tested and certified, have a spill proof keyboard, withstand drops to the floor, and generally hold up better than anything else.
  Again, search Youtube for "ThinkPad torture test", and have a look at what they do to them and they still keep working.
  While I wish you all the best with your Acer, I would never consider anything else other than a ThinkPad for my mobile computer needs.

If you are looking for a 12 inch ThinkPad, wait another week or so, and the new X220 will be available in the US.

i7 processors and 9 hour battery life by 1.4 KG weight. Check out the Lenovo US website for details.

Yes, only 7% VAT on the CIF price and no import duty.

Unless you need a Thai / English keyboard, it would make more sense to get it from the US including

3 years international warranty and Win 7 Pro.

Of course, if you just need a laptop, any laptop, there are plenty available in CM, but ThinkPads are the gold

standard of laptops so I feel, passing even military spec. testing, and are my first choice if it comes to

mobile computing. I had a few already, and every time I was extremely happy.

There is a dedicated but small Lenovo shop at the second floor of the airport plaza where they sell certain ThinkPad modells of the Edge, T and X series. Chi Chang or Hardware House at the same floor have a ThinkPad now and then. The same goes for the Panthip Plaza.

There is not much choice in CM and prices are much higher than in the US, as most models here come without Windows operation software.

With the new models ( T420, T520, T420s, W520 and X220 just being introduced, it would be best to order one from an US dealer that ships to Thailand. There is no import duty for laptops, but you would have to pay 7% VAT

What screen size are you looking for?

5 to 8 U.S. Dollars you say? But this is not America; this is Thailand.

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Yes, indeed, of course, this is Thailand.

Does 150 250 THAI BAHT feel too much for a taxi ride in the very early hours?

Someone comes, let's say 5 : 30 in the morning to pick you up and drive you to the airport in a fairly new limo or van.

Now, what do you think would be a fair price?

What else can you get in Thailand for that money? A large Frappocino at Starbucks perhaps.

My experiences with the Chiang Mai Airport Taxi Cooperative are only positive. Polite, English speaking and reliable drivers.

They called back to reconfirm, and arrived 10 minutes early in a fairly new car or mini van.

So, 150 Baht or 250 Baht for the very early trip from down town to the airport seems not excessive to me.

Where else can you get a car to pick you up and drive you to the airport for 5 – 8 US Dollars?

If I had a choice going by bike, luggage on the back, or sitting in an air-con mini van all by myself

for 8 bucks, properly I'll take the mini-van.

Taking it back to dealer is one option.

To do it yourself is easy as well:

- Go to the car registration department on Hang Dong road, just opposite to the airport runway. Next to the entry is a nice lady that will assign you to one of the windows. From there it takes just a few minutes until all is completed. No hustle at all. No Thai language skills required.

- Go to the post office at the airport plaza shopping center. There is a counter that does car & bike registrations. The procedure is the same.

Hope this helps a little.

Is there an official Toshiba service center in Chiang Mai?

Toshiba Asia has listed only the Bangkok service center,

but surely there must be one in Chiang Mai.

There are the repair shops at Pantip Plazza, but as my

laptop is still under warrenty, I would rather have it

checked by Toshiba.

Thanks for any feedback.

Thanks for all the input.

Today I went to the friendly people of the Chiang Mai Customs Department

at the airport and simply asked. I should have done this earlier of course.

Anyhow, there are no import duties or taxes on importing a laptop. 7 % VAT

however will be charged on the CIF (Cost including freight) price.

This seems fair to me and I will go ahead and order an IBM Thinkpad with

English only keyboard from the US.

Yes, there are plenty of laptops available in Thailand, but I really do not

like the mixed language keyboards and prices including Win 7 Pro for

a Thinkpad are much higher in Thailand.

If you type a lot, perhaps check out the NB305's keyboard.

To me it seems class leading, even better than the keyboard

on the new Mac Netbook.

The Lenovo Thinkpad X100e or the new Samsung NF208 might be

of some interest as well.

3 Month ago I bought a Toshiba NB305. You get first class ergonomics. Keyboard and large trackpad are very good. The screen is crisp with good colors and the battery life is about 8:30 hours without activating the slow battery saving mode.

Of course it is a netbook, so you get a small 10 ich screen and a slow chip. Price was 13,900.- plus VAT. including Win 7 Starter.

Yes, the Mac netbook is very nice, but will set you back 35,000.- to 40,000.- .

Does anyone know what the import tax rate

for a laptop is?

I am thinking of getting one via ebay from

America.

Thanks for any input.

I would like to mail order an IBM 15 inch Thinkpad laptop with English only keyboard from America.

This laptop is not available in Thailand, and the Thai-English keyboard drives me to distraction.

My question: What tax and duty rates are charged by the local authorities?

I would be happy to hear from first hand experiences of someone who ordered a laptop from America.

Thanks in advance.

If you come from Night Bazaar and walk down Tapae Road with the traffic flow for about 250 meters, Charoen Silp Watch Shop is on the left side, about 20 meters after Bangkok Bank.

Look out for a fairly large shop with a Rolex - Omega sign.

Go in, and the service area is just right in front of you.

Hope this helps.