billd766

Nouvo Elegance 135 cc has both a kickstand and a centre stand

You need the centre stand if the battery is flat to kickstart it as it is an automatic and may run away.

My Honda Phantom has only a kickstand and is a bitch if the battery is flat as it has NO kickstart.

I had a quick look at a 2WD yesterday in Nakhon Sawan and it looks very nice.

The 2WD comes in at 1,070,000 baht and the 4WD at 1,240,000 baht both prices are for the GT version which is a 3.2 litre turbo diesel against the GLS 2.5 litre turbo diesel.

It looks much better than the Ford Everest or the Isuzu MU7 and has coil spring rear suspension instead of the cart springs but still has only disc/drum brakes as opposed to disc/disc.

I am not in the market yet but it looks a good buy at that price.

I quit (for the 5th time) back in 1970 while in the military in Singapore where we used to get duty free cigarettes.

Never smoked since.

I will hold one for my wife but NEVER actually smoke one.

I am a good old boy now.

My 31 year old son in the UK quit a couple of years ago.

He is a good young boy.

So after paying ludicrous amounts to the government for years, I am now demoted to a lower status than an asylum seeker??

Just reminds me why I left the sh1thole of a country.

That's the position I'm in and what makes it worse, is that I'm still paying UK income tax!!!!

Alan

Me too

I suppose it all depends if you live in a city with a lot of (whispered quietly) Americans around.

Out in the sticks few people even celebrate Christmas though there is a Muser Christian village just up the road and I suspect if I asked around in the village they would think I am bababobo.

However if you do celebrate it, enjoy it.

Just mind that the dogs don't think you are the treat.

The next trip back to the Kampheang Phet/Nakhon Sawan border area I will be bringing a laptop with me. What are my internet connection options? We do have a land line.

Hi Chris

I think where you live if you have a good landline you may be able to get an ADSL connection but if not then buy a DTAC or AIS sim card and use an EDGE conn ection with a mobile using Bluetooth.

That is what I do over by the Mae Wong national park and EDGE cost me about 2 baht an hours depending on the package.

Slightly off topic but where can I get some documents scanned using an A3 scanner?

I would like to get them scanned to a memory stick but as I live out in the sticks A4 is all that is available.

I've done a3 by stitching together 2 scans of a4 size and moving the documents position. Is that not an option? like have you too many?

I am a bit old and unfortunately not so good at the original method of cut and paste.

once I can get them scanned to my memory stick I can store them and print them out the size I want.

I had though of that but it is not a nice thing to give to Immigration etc.

A friend suggested that I photograph them and save that but again I am a bit old and shakey.

How much?!

Bt2,250 for 45 bottles of mixer

Bt800 for food

Bt4,400 per hour for two hostesses

Bt2,000 per hour for unrequested hostess

Bt200 for four cold towels

Bt400 for four dishes of sweets

Plus 150 baht ATM fee?

Really?

For Thai people using a Thai ATM in Thailand?

Surely not so.

Slightly off topic but where can I get some documents scanned using an A3 scanner?

I would like to get them scanned to a memory stick but as I live out in the sticks A4 is all that is available.

I am in receipt of my state pension since May of this year and claimed the dependents benefit allowance in July.

My state pension is arriving at my bank every 28 days but the dependents allowance has not yet been paid though I have been assured that it will be backdated to the date my pension was first paid.

As it is the dependents benefit I shall give it to my wife to do with as she pleases.

It's an educational trip, he's learning Pidgin in an attempt to be better understood by those he is forced to do busines with these days. He also expressed the desire to meet up with a few two Kina Marys, as the Cyclone girls in Dubai were proving too expensive for his frozen funds. Mr Thaksin was also initiated into a local tribe, but the fitting of the penis gourd had to be abandoned when they were unable to find a cube shaped one to fit his square head.

it's up to you how much you dislike Thaksin or whatever. but why you and a couple of other posters try to dis and bitch Thaksin by painting his destinations as inferior.

people building their arguments this way, out of other Nations, cultures, stereotypes, prejudice, xenophobic comments should be out of place in a forum for a multinational community of foreigners living in thailand.

I have lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for 4 months and it is not one of the nicer countries that I have been to.

I was based in the Hagen Hotel which is a superb place and I ran 6 teams building a mobile telephone network.

After 1 team was carjacked including the security guard arm with a stick and a radio I changed security companies and my teams ALWAYS went out with armed guards in the vehicle and a Toyata Landcruiser with a couple of armed guards.

In the 4 months I was in country perhaps 6 teams were attacked and countless others were stopped at gunpoint and robbed.

The unofficial word from the police was that if there is not less than 20 policemen and/or soldiers with 5 or 6 trucks or police cars it is not a legal stop and if somebody tries to stop you then try to run them down and kill them but DONT stop whatever.

We used to have riots in Mt Hagen and the surrounding area on average once every 10 days and also indulged in rock concerts where real rocks were thrown.

If I remember there are something like 800 languages and dialects in use in the country and more churches than you can shake a stick at.

There is no raod from Port Moresby to Mt Hagen and ALL goods are shipped to Lae and then trucked for a couple of days the 500 or so kilometres over the worst roads I have ever seen and I have worked in 38 countries.

It is a country rich in natural resources and steeped in corruption.

Before I build one of those I am going to have to build a kitchen using what used to be a store attached to my parking area.

It is about 4m x 4m and I will fill in the 2 sidewalls and put in a front door, false ceiling, water and windows on each wall.

We have a kitchen up at the top by the small house but mostly my mother in law uses it so it is mainly Thai.

When I build this one it will be western and MINE!!!!!!!!!

No MIL allowed.

Hi Billd

I sort of cobbled my smoker together out of a few plan's I found on the net......

Maybe I will post my build pics and a "How too" in a new thread... If anyone is interested...

It took me three days to make ... and I have to be the worst handy man I know...

So if I can do it, I'am sure anyone out there can make one....

Actually if I can build it, a well trained chimp, with one hand tied behind it's back could do it... and it would probably look better.....

But it works like a dream.... I love it... easy to use... holds steady temp's

Great project.....

S.J.C

Hi S.J.C

Sorry to chop the post but it saves space.

I will have a root around on the net later today or tomorrow and see what I can find.

My only thoughts are that I can probably make it (Can we build it, yes we can, Er I think so said Lofty) (quote from Bob the builder) but that it will not get enough use unless I eat more and as I have lost 10kg since June by not eating so much I really don't want to start again.

To some a glass is half full while others see a half empty one. I give credit to my parents, who tended to see a half full glass.

To an engineer a half empty or half full glass means that it is somebody elses turn to buy the drinks.

In Thailand, for me, Life's Good.

I did my first batch and I should have taken it out on Sunday but I was away and it was in for 4 days.

Yes it was salty but I can live with that.

I also had a problem cutting the meat and it sort of came out the thickness of gammon rashers.

The first bit I tried was just he end cut and off cuts but it fried up well enough and was white and when finished was nicely browned.

I was going to have some more today sauteed with garlic, onions and mushrooms but the guy from the resort next door got me to come over and meet a Brit so I ended up with some chicken fried rice plus Sang Som and soda.

It was fine but tomorrow I will have my sauteed bacon etc.

From 2kg of pork loin I got about 24 rashers or about 12 meals worth.

For me living out in the sticks it is well worth the money and I will be going back soon to try the smoked version.

If you ever find it two salty again ... just put it back in a large volume of cold water.... and leave it for a day.... you can change the water once or twice if you want ....

Salt is magic.. it always tries to find a balance, and so will be drawn out into the fresh water....

Sorry I didn't know Salt and Sugar where hard to find out in rural Thailand..... and if your in rural Thailand you have no excuse not to build a smoker.... And by he sound of things you can do a better job than the one I made..... It sure is ugly ... but it works like a charm...

Unless your too busy or have no interest in food....

I understand ... I take my motorbike in to get the oil changed ... I'm sure it's easy... I just have never done it and have no interest in it .... or car's ... In fact I never learned how to drive a car ... so maybe it's like that with you and food.....

S.J.C

Hi SJC

It is not that I am too busy or not interested in food more like up until now as I have retired have I really had enough time to do things like making bacon, bread, sausages etc.

Fortunately (or not) I am the only one in the family who eats bacon and sausage so either I have to make small amounts more often or a large amount which will last 6 months or more and then I have to freeze it and by the time I get around to making more I have forgotten how to do it.

From the starter pack of 6 I will probably make about 72 meals of bacon and as I only usually eat it for my traditional Sunday lunch thats a lot of bacon.

Out of interest do you have any plans on how to make a smoker? I recall another thread that you were posting on was about that.

Cheers

BillD

Out of interest like you and cars I used to build mobile telephone networks in a lot of countries and all I use my mobile for is the odd phone calls and mostly an internet connection.

For me now I am retired I can dabble in lots of small things as I am beholden to no man but I do listen to my wife an awful lot.

Never mind broadband. I have been waiting 6 years for an ordinary telephone line.

It stops about 4km down the road and with so many people using mobiles and GPRS/EDGE (thats me in the corner) it is NEVER going to get here.

I went up to Mae Sot on Wednesday which was the 7th day before and they did a quick finger count and it was processed in less than 10 minutes.

I did my first batch and I should have taken it out on Sunday but I was away and it was in for 4 days.

Yes it was salty but I can live with that.

I also had a problem cutting the meat and it sort of came out the thickness of gammon rashers.

The first bit I tried was just he end cut and off cuts but it fried up well enough and was white and when finished was nicely browned.

I was going to have some more today sauteed with garlic, onions and mushrooms but the guy from the resort next door got me to come over and meet a Brit so I ended up with some chicken fried rice plus Sang Som and soda.

It was fine but tomorrow I will have my sauteed bacon etc.

From 2kg of pork loin I got about 24 rashers or about 12 meals worth.

For me living out in the sticks it is well worth the money and I will be going back soon to try the smoked version.

We've just moved to the UK four years after I moved to Thailand, where I met, married and lived with my Thai wife and her daughter. During those four years I've still been employed by a

UK company and paid UK Taxes and NI contributions every month. Because I've been away for more than three months, if the law was enforced, I wouldn't get NHS care for the first six

months I was back in the UK regardless of the contributions I've been making, but because of those same contributions, both my wife and stepdaughter ARE entitled to NHS care from the

moment they arrived in the UK, even though they've NEVER lived here.

As afr as I can remember when I worked offshore for a UK companyI was still covered for the NHS because although I was not physically in the UK technically I was as I was working offshore for a UK based company and it was just the location that was different.

I was like that for 9 years and several more when I quit and went contracting and I never had a problem with the NHS.

Logistically speaking Mae Sot may not be your best bet.

I live in Klong Lan 125 km north from Nakhon Sawan and 202 km from Mae Sot.

Granted you may not be going off at a tangent as I do but figure that it is about 300 km to Mae Sot from Nakhon Sawan though at this point in time anyone in Nakhon Sawan, Khampaeng Phet and Tak provinces HAS to go there to get the visa done.

It may be easier for you if there is access across the border for example at Kanchanaburi or somewhere to the southwest of Nakhon Sawan.

The new immigration office in Nakhon Sawan is supposed to open this month but in Thai time as it were.

There is no easier border crossing than Mae Sot for the OP as he is talking a visa hop and not an extension.

Unfortunately there are no crossings available in Kanchanaburi where you can get your passport stamped although the rumour is that Three Pagoda Pass 'may' be ungraded next year. Possibly but don't hold your breath.

I went to Mae Sot only yesterday from just north of Kan and the only pain is the drive over the mountains during a storm.

Immigration officers on both sides of the bridge are friendly and courteous and there is a bonus of a reasonable market under the bridge for a little shopping too.

I have no idea of the territory over on the Burma side below Nakhon Sawan and I had hoped that someone could enlighten me and hullopullo did for which I am grateful.

I am going to Mae Sot in the morning to do a 90 day report but mainly to try and obtain a residence certificate which is the last thing I will need for my Yellow Tabien Ban.

Tomorrow being the 14th perhaps they can update me on the opening date of the new Immigration office in Nakhon Sawan.

Or not.

I am not sure if this should be in the sports or gardening/farming section so if the mods want to move it around I will be OK.

I have decided that I need to buy some wicket keepers pads but not for sports.

I do a lot of gardening work over 4 rai using my strimmer which spins anti clockwise.

I wear trousers and rubber gumboots but quite often the blades pick up stones and due to the direxction of the spinning blades my left shin and knee is getting a lot of battle damage and to be honest it dam_n well hurts.

I also wear safety glasses

I suspect that if I only use the one pad it will be fine as the right side gets very little shrapnel.

What the well dressed country gentleman wears for a stroll around the garden.

Any updates from Fruity or anyone who tried this?

The whole thread seems to have disappeared.

I am very interested in setting up a vermi/aquaponics system when I come back to TL (surin - prasat) in Feb 2010.

Would love to know how you guys got on with the frogs, seems like a very nice way to supplement diet/income.

Rich.

I am also interested in frog farming and downloaded/copied the whole thread but as you and other posters have noted, Fruity does not seem to be around any more since about March.

Could the mods assist on his whereabouts or if he is still a member of TV?

Are you 'normally resident in the U.K' ??? you now only need to have paid 30 years of N.I. contribuitons to qualify for the full state pension as opposed to 44 a few years ago.

... and 39 years for full bereavement benefits. I wonder how many Thai wives are properly briefed to claim widow's benefit when you peg it - worth having (potentially a lump sum of £2,000 and say £70 a week for a year). I was surprised to find out that a foreign wife can claim them even if you married in and have been living in Thailand - provided you were legally married

My wife does for sure.

I am in the process of obtaining a National Insurance number for her after which she will be able to get benefits in her own right when I have gone.

She will only be entitled to a death benefit until she is 44 so I am OK on that for another 2 weeks after which I may be up for grabs.

I have 20 of the 1.5cu/m ferroconcrete ones from the time a few years ago that the village ran out of water for a couple of months and they were around 900 baht each.

It may seem a lot but at that time we had about 10 people living on the site.

Be aware that 1 cu/m of water weighs 1 ton and an 11 cu/m one will weigh 11 tons plus the weight of the container and that is a lot of weight in one place.

I had a slab built for mine.

dam_n it has loaded both and I can't get rid of the full size one.

Sorry.

My starter kit, plain not smoked arrived yersterday via EMS.

I got loin pork from Makro last Sunday and mixed my first batch this morning so it should be ready by Sunday morning.

I hope it works as I usually buy my bacon from Makro in Nakhon Sawan as I live way out in the sticks.

I made some homemade sausages a few weeks ago and for a first try at least I can eat them and the dog hasn't been sick yet.

Next month I start on homemade bread but no we don't grow our own veggies yet.

That is in next years plan.

You may wish to consider a Kit-Car also and perhaps learning to knit

My ex-wife was the one who did knitting and as for building a kit car that isn't a bad idea except that I am too old and it is too hot outside to do it.

However a microlite would be fun especially up here as long as I keep away from the Burmese border.

Alternatively perhaps you would be happy if I drank beer all day and night and be on ThaiVisa all the time.

I actually live about 125km from the nearest western style supermarket so it is not as though I can nip down to Lotus Tesco or Big C in 10 minutes.