kbvicar

I used think about living there. There is some ex-pat community and some houses for sale owned by foreigners. I'm told that people are taken in by the island, retire there for about a year then get bored and decide its not for them. New hotels may have improved things or made it more superficial, I haven't been there recently.

I do remember going to this local restaurant where the special of the day was Chicken Alfonso pasta advertised on a big board besides the road, which is a chicken in white sauce, and thought it was worth a try for Koh Chang so I stopped and ordered it. It took about one hour to arrive, and the sauce was cold mayonnaise, while the pasta was all stuck together and the chicken pieces were placed separately on a plate besides the pasta and mayonnaise. When I complained that this wasn't the way to make it, the owner threatened to set his two huge dogs on to me which were waiting in chains barking and snarling in a corner. I just paid and left without eating anything.

The hospital there isn't up to much, and even on the mainland its a fair drive to the nearest one. There are stories amongst the locals that if you have a heart attack you die.

On the other side of the Island there's karaoke bars for the locals.

So jj, was there anything you liked about KC? or were you even actually there? You sound like the kind of person who would have a bummer wherever they went...

Save all your Singha beer bottles for a few days, weeks or months (depending on how long your wall is)

Spend a morning breaking them into nice, sharp points with the round bottom remaining intact

Cement them into the top of your wall (pointy-sides up)

It won't deter shit, but will give you a warm & fuzzy, false sense of security and an excuse to drink and get a bit of exercise at the same time

NOTE: Don't use Heineken bottles...that will only attract a higher class of khamoi

You got it, Rimmer. Gravity Sucks!!!.

That's gonna be a dam_n expensive wall

How much is the 'stupid' quote? A "sandwash" applied to a wall is very uncommon and should have been included in the total completion costs. I'm surprised you've even found someone willing to do it (sandwash), good luck with getting a guarantee...

are you confusing 'sandwash' with rendering?

Re charcoal - I find this interesting

Reduces aluminum toxicity

Obviously we do not get rain for most of the year and so I have to use water from the tap. The water here is red and pumped straight from the river. It is treated with Aluminium sulphate (I think that's what it is called) to coagulate the solids. The problem is that it is not given time to settle. I know that using this water is not ideal, but have no other choice unless I dig a well or cart the water from the village pump.

We had a few downpours a week or so ago and it has made such a difference, the plants are so much happier with rainwater.

So this could be another benefit of using charcoal.

I bought the things I needed today and will be starting the tea tomorrow. Couldn't locate molasses though. Maybe raw cane sugar will be suitable?

loong

I found this in a magazine today...

>My all-time-favorite source of supplemental sugar isn’t sold by a

>plant-nutrient company. It’s Sucanat—a form of dark raw sugar sold as a

>sweetener for foods in natural-food stores everywhere. But Sucanat is a

>great sweetener for your favorite herbs too. Made by Wholesome Sweeteners,

>Sucanat is short for “Sugar Cane Natural,” a dried cane extract available

>for under $3 per pound. Sucanat is darker than most organic sugars and has

>a more molasses-like consistency to it because it hasn’t been separated or

>refined. It will increase the brix content in plants, but the darker sugar

>has more vitamins and minerals and a rich caramel aroma as well. Sucanat

>dissolves readily in hot water and doesn’t seem to turn into goo like

>dextrose does.

I'm sure I've seen this product here, but of course with a Thai name...

Hi rice 555. You're partly correct about the 'coir' I received from Coco World. I'll describe it once again and then want to forget the whole experience.

After more than a month of delays and excuses (about how they were doing me a 'favor' in sending their product to me) I got what was obviously a reject batch of trash that I'm sure they wouldn't think of sending to an overseas customer. The EC was ~5.0 and I gave up flushing the salt after an hour (which only lowered the EC to ~2.8). The texture was either dust-like or long, fine fibers that just refused to ever dry out 100% It was obvious this stuff was VERY old and was unlike any other coir I've seen here.

When I called Coco World and explained the situation the guy I talked to was totally uninterested and suggested I didn't hydrate the compressed block correctly. HUH??? I was speechless he would even make such an asinine comment...He then told me to go ahead and use it and I told him 'no way' (with an EC of almost 3.0) was I going to even waste my time and effort.

Anyway, after that experience with a so-called 'reputable, big-time' dealer I still drive 10 minutes to the mom & pop nursery (like I did before) and get quality coco for 1/3 of the price. Now THAT'S the stuff I flush for ~30 minutes and remove almost all the salt. Then I charge it with 10 ml per gallon of CalMag from Botanicare and have a quality coco base to use.

OK, I've finished my rant...

Good effort GW, it stirred up about 5 pages worth of responses so far or I wouldn't be congratulating you so soon. The court-clothes question/answer was perfect...

Holy moly, Mr Fields was right after all...one born every minute! A tip 'o' the hat to you my man, thanks for the entertainment...

There certainly is. I just found these guys today and remembered your question...

http://www.superproducts.co.th/English/about.html

No probs GD.

He's not but he's a good guy, very dependable He even called to ask if I received his package.

Dave the (other) Worm Man from Kanch didn't want to hassle with a small amount...his loss, I reckon

No, I'm from Grimsby

J/K... I'm from Texas

edit: I just checked my phone records and the worm man I dealt with has a different # than the one on the package-- #089 703 7506. Prob the same guy or his relative, you know the deal...

[quote name='neverdie'

Sounds like a farang price for a farang to me.

Wow, ya think?

Thanks plachanubon, that's what I wanted to hear bro. I'm on it...

Can anyone deliver 20 kgs of worm castings to me @ Krathum Lom?

[this year]

Here's one of the packs I got a few months ago. The worm man will post as many kilos as you want. He's in Samut Prakan, I think...

Even comes with instructions

If you felt ripped-off I suggest you go to the facility behind Robinsons in Chantaburi. They only wanted 850 baht for my semi-dirty pickup

When I said "so that's detailed and all...?"

"No, detail is 2,000"

<deleted> those klowns...

A friend of mine used my idea of module units but instead of wooden units he bought the very nice plastic module units. He had the builder make a standard size plinth for them to stand on (2 x 7.5cm Q Con blocks gives a 15cm kick board) He then fitted granite tops and voila he has a beautifull white kitchen that is termite proof and can be hosed down.

Rimmer The plastic modules are exactly what I want to use. Can you find out the brand name and perhaps where your friend got them? Thanks

Thanks rice and GD

A friend says she buys the real-deal neem oil at the agriculture center on HW 3 just outside of Laem Sing in Chantaburi so that's sorted. I hope...

Yeah, UNSULPHERED blackstrap molasses is gonna be a bit harder to find methinks. I had a 32 ounce jar sent from the states last year. $4.50 for the product and $22.75 for shipping...

OUCH!!!

plachonubon, get the neem oil base from soaking the leaves of a Sadao tree in water overnight or longer. Then, like I said:

1 litre of warm, neutral-PH water

5 ml of pure neem oil

2 ml of emulsifier, Safer soap, insecticidal soap, even dish soap as long as it's not antibacterial

Combine, shake like crazy before using.

OK, got it? Now please answer me this: Somewhere on this site I saw you mention that blackstrap molasses was available at Villa Market in Bangkok. Do they still have it and do you know if Villa in Pattaya have it also (or can order it) ??? Thanks

Some where I saw a year-old post from plachonubon that blackstrap molasses was available at Villa Market in Bangkok. Does anyone know if that's still the case and, even better, if Villa in Pattaya also has it? Thanks

Hi rice

My neighbor didn't really make neem oil -- it was some kind of Sadao tree leaves extract. It works well. This is the recipe I ended up with for 1 litre of foliar neem

1 litre of warm, neutral-PH water

5 ml of pure neem oil, cold pressed

2 ml of emulsifier, Safer soap, insecticidal soap, even dish soap as long as it's not antibacterial

Combine, shake like crazy before using, it's good for ~8 hours so don't make too much.

Sounds your ready-made product is the way to go.

CocoWorld was a huge disappointment. Two months of excuses and delays explaining why it was SOOOO difficult to sell me anything. When it finally arrived it was old, non-draining, had the texture of dust and #EC of 4-5. I threw it away (50 kilos) after trying it and killing some test plants.

Don't waste your time & money.

These days I just run a hose (well water) into the unopened 20 kg bags of coco and flush for 30 minutes... The runoff comes out less than 50-100ppm. Too easy and ~50 baht a bag...

Changian I've sent you a PM. Again, the question about PBT5 land was to gather opinions to satisfy my curiosity.

Do you mean SRV now has to refund the buyers' money?

Changian the particular plot in question is Sor Kor 1, not PBT5. I was asking about PBT5 for my own information because of all the conflicting reports I've heard.

I had a brain fart when I said PBT5 was scheduled for upgrading --I meant SK1, SPK and NSSK, sorry for the confusion.

Your on the right track donx. All land transactions of this type are handled by the local Orbortor. Koh Chang is a rather unique situation. The usual hard and fast rules, ie "cannot build, sell, purchase on anything less than Nor Sor Sam & Chanote", don't seem to apply there.

I'll make some inquiries and learn what method the plots were purchased by. I can't see how all these transactions can be bogus and a great conspiratorial plot by the sellers...

LOS Sounds exactly like KC. It ain't Pattaya gentlemen. Things are done differently (and still legally) in the boonies...

May I ask what island you speak of?

Thanks for the replies all. The plot in question is in Klong Son on Koh Chang. Practically all the land there is Por Bor Tor 5. It is bought and sold all the time. The particular parcel in question (286 sq wah/1144 sq mtrs) already has been surveyed and the survey plugs put in the ground defining the boundaries.

The Land Office guys from Laem Ngop were surveying all over Klong Son yesterday and said the PBT5 land was scheduled for upgrading to Nor Sor Sam 1 and Chanote in 18 months.

Farangs and Thais alike are presently building houses adjacent to this property on the same-titled land.

What do you guys think about this situation?

Is there a simple answer to this question? Can a foreigner or Thai-registered company purchase Por Bor Tor 5 land? TIA

Hi rice. Yeah still breaking my back hand-watering haha. I gotta build a drip system one of these days. Still washing the coco too??? These days I cut a 1" hole in top of the bag, stick a hose in and run water thru for 30 minutes and voila! no more salt!

A word of warning...don't waste your money on the "CocoWorld" products that were discussed here a while back. It's absolute garbage and nothing like advertised. EC of 4-5 and texture of sawdust.

My neighbor has several Sadao trees and mixed me a gallon of Neem oil in trade for my cornbread pie!

You ever find any Habanero chillis?

Just saw the pics in another topic. Guess what...my neighbor has eight Sadao trees on her land about 50 meters away from me. She also has fresh oil she made yesterday. DOH!

Thanks guys