billd766

1 x cl is equal to 10 ml so both figures are correct, 300 cl and 700 cl are 3 litres and 10 litres which is bit more than I normally drink certainly at one time.

Yes, my bad.

Too much Lao Khao and not enough Sang Som is your problem.

Sang Som smooths the mind but Kao Khao rots the brain and can also be used as paint stripper.

The 360 was on the Chiang Rai night bazar, the nicer side with fewer tables, almost only farang customers. However, they did not have the 0,7 bottles, so I went myself, after 2 7/11, and a Tesco express I found finally a little liqor store who had them.

In Kanchanaburi, I remember to got 3 big bottles at Tesco @ 209 bath, a week later in Tak, Tesco and neighboring BigC did not have em. On Thursday I went to Tesco in Mae Chan, no big bottles.

Yesterday I tried my luck in Chiang Saen, 7/11 and Tesco express, both did not have the big bottles.

I was asking the question yesterday with my Thai friends where I had dinner, and they could explain it to me. Guess what, I was told there are now many farangs in the country, they drink all the bottles...

Please accept my apology.

I went to the village yesterday morning and I couldn't find the large bottles either.

The lady sold me 2 small bottles for the price of a large one and when I got home I found that they were 30cl bottles and the large one is 70cl.

60cl for the price of 70cl normally.

Methinks I will look for another shop.

It can't be a bottle shortage as the local recyclers are doing well up here and I would have thought that most bottles are the same, only the labels are changed to protect the innocent.

I am not down to drinking Lao Khao yet.

Well, 2 cans of beer is more expensive than a large bottle, what did you expect? BTW they are 300 and 700 cl.

Those are some really big bottles!!

Actually is 300 ml and 700 ml.

I am surprised no one has picked up on the following;

Reforestation will also be the government’s priority as there is now more than 10 million rai of deteriorated forest out of the existing 20 million rai of forest areas

When 50% of the natural containment and control mechanism is impaired, all the dams and retaining areas will not work as efficiently and as cost effectively as a restoration of the natural methods. It is a telling point, and one that underlines why there is a problem. This flooding isn't about the PTP or Democrats per se, but is a reflection of the complete indifference to the illegal developments, and other encroachments on Thailand's forests. Stop the rape of the land, enforce the laws and a big step will be taken towards controling the flood exposure.

It all gets back to corruption, doesn't it? Isn't there anyone in Thailan that cares enough to speak up and to say no? Until someone takes a bit out of corruption, progress will not be made.

Got to agree with you on that issue GK.

I saw the figures and discredited them. 50% seem way to high a figure to me.

But it makes no difference they must put a stop to the deforestation and start regrowing forest's.

As well as competent water management they need competent urban growth management.

Whilst reforestation is a really good idea they need to plant trees with deep roots rather than shallow roots which spread just under the surface and when the first stong wind comes along the trees are blown over.

Another problem may be that due to deforestation the topsoil could have been washed away down the hillside and into the streams and rivers already over the years leaving precious little soil for the trees to grow in.

A third problem is they need to plant trees with little commercial value otherwise in a few years some other barsteward will come along and cut the new trees down and the dance will begin again.

For every tree you cut down replace it by 3 more.

Geriatrickid is right to highlight the out of control illegal destruction of Thai forests but as also mentioned the solution isn't as simple as just re planting. It takes a long time to establish a forest and you don't just rebuild it overnight once the damage to the land has been done. But this is 'Miracle Thailand' now so let's all start praying to any of the gods for one and quick.

I also agree with GK in that it ALL goes back to corruption over many decades.

The current estimate is that 30% of any budget will be lost to corruption or 120 billion baht from the governmets 350 billion baht flood relief will simply be STOLEN from the people.

For any amount of corruption there should be jail sentences ranging from 6 months for less than 50,000 baht cumulatively and simply double the jail time for every 50,000 baht.

For police and military the offences should be 3 times the normal rate and for politicians it should be 10 times.

At the 10,000,000 baht point simply execute the thieves WHATEVER their position in society.

After the first 50 or so the rest should get the message.

The 360 was on the Chiang Rai night bazar, the nicer side with fewer tables, almost only farang customers. However, they did not have the 0,7 bottles, so I went myself, after 2 7/11, and a Tesco express I found finally a little liqor store who had them.

In Kanchanaburi, I remember to got 3 big bottles at Tesco @ 209 bath, a week later in Tak, Tesco and neighboring BigC did not have em. On Thursday I went to Tesco in Mae Chan, no big bottles.

Yesterday I tried my luck in Chiang Saen, 7/11 and Tesco express, both did not have the big bottles.

I was asking the question yesterday with my Thai friends where I had dinner, and they could explain it to me. Guess what, I was told there are now many farangs in the country, they drink all the bottles...

Please accept my apology.

I went to the village yesterday morning and I couldn't find the large bottles either.

The lady sold me 2 small bottles for the price of a large one and when I got home I found that they were 30cl bottles and the large one is 70cl.

60cl for the price of 70cl normally.

Methinks I will look for another shop.

It can't be a bottle shortage as the local recyclers are doing well up here and I would have thought that most bottles are the same, only the labels are changed to protect the innocent.

I am not down to drinking Lao Khao yet.

The email is from BKK Embassy, (HK never replied). An ETD is issued in BKK and it would be no problem getting one assuming the country I'm visiting accepts them (apparently not all do). EDIT Actually, since I have a second UK passport in which I could get my visa for the other country there would be no issue there.

I don't see why I should have to pay nearly 100 Quid on top of the 150 that they charge for the PP in order to travel whilst they are taking weeks to renew my PP. Back when it was 10 days or so for a new PP there was less of an issue, now it is four weeks plus courier time. I travel a lot on business and I can't afford to be stuck in Thailand (or anywhere else) for a month.

EDIT

Just to highlight the reduction in service that we British Citizens are getting from our embassies, back in 2000 (ok pre 9-11) I had my passport stolen whilst in Rome. I had a new 10 year passport the next DAY! with no premium surcharge or anything.

Ah but those were the good old days when people provided a service to the customer and the bottom line wasn't drawn by a bean counter.

Customers counted then as did service.

Bring some of those days back says I.

I don't think it's fair to take a thai girl out of Thailand. As someone said they love their country, their food and music. They love to chat with their friends and of course their number one priority FAMILY. It must be hell for them to go to another country, have no friends, can not speak the language well, no TV, and maybe a cold climate (like Scotland). I think it's just asking for trouble to take them abroad.

Excuse me, we Scots have ways of keeping ladies warm.

Surely you don't mean feeding them with porridge and salt, haggis, mutton pies anmd wee hawfies?.

That would ruin a relationship.

I am surprised no one has picked up on the following;

Reforestation will also be the government’s priority as there is now more than 10 million rai of deteriorated forest out of the existing 20 million rai of forest areas

When 50% of the natural containment and control mechanism is impaired, all the dams and retaining areas will not work as efficiently and as cost effectively as a restoration of the natural methods. It is a telling point, and one that underlines why there is a problem. This flooding isn't about the PTP or Democrats per se, but is a reflection of the complete indifference to the illegal developments, and other encroachments on Thailand's forests. Stop the rape of the land, enforce the laws and a big step will be taken towards controling the flood exposure.

It all gets back to corruption, doesn't it? Isn't there anyone in Thailan that cares enough to speak up and to say no? Until someone takes a bit out of corruption, progress will not be made.

Got to agree with you on that issue GK.

I saw the figures and discredited them. 50% seem way to high a figure to me.

But it makes no difference they must put a stop to the deforestation and start regrowing forest's.

As well as competent water management they need competent urban growth management.

Whilst reforestation is a really good idea they need to plant trees with deep roots rather than shallow roots which spread just under the surface and when the first stong wind comes along the trees are blown over.

Another problem may be that due to deforestation the topsoil could have been washed away down the hillside and into the streams and rivers already over the years leaving precious little soil for the trees to grow in.

A third problem is they need to plant trees with little commercial value otherwise in a few years some other barsteward will come along and cut the new trees down and the dance will begin again.

For every tree you cut down replace it by 3 more.

Anyway, the best singers were all white, Elvis, Roy Orbison Gene Pitney.

in your opinion - remind me again of the supposed reason that Elvis was so popular...

Wowzies. Can one really compare Whitney to Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, or Pearl Bailey? All afro American, all women who had to face some terrible barriers, and all very honest, genuine folks that gave back to society.

Totally different era's. You are talking about 1930's really showing your age Geriatrickid. Ella is the only one I have heard mentioned before the others you speak of I have never heard of. I guess they were known in the U.S, where as whitney was known worldwide even in Thailand.

I have heard of all three and I am from the UK.

The point you are missing IS that they were from a different era. A time when music and lyrics were understandable, a time when there was no TV, no internet, no CDs, Ipods etc and if those artists were around in todays age it is very likely that they would still be stars.

They are from a time that men and women actually danced together, spoke to each other without Twitter, Facebook and all the rest of the modern day stuff.

The music they made was recorded on vynil.

I am sure that in those days drugs were available but relatively few people used them.

If Whitney Houston was around in those times do you think anybody in Thailand would know of them.

I am not knocking her but I also think that Diana Ross and the Supremes, Barbra Streisand were far better singers and actors but that was in their era and not Whitney's.

Should be no probs with British Embassy for income letter if you receive British Military pension. I do it every year for combined income for annual retirement extension. Used to go down in person but now through the mail. If you pay income tax on your pension you will receive your P60 form from Xafinity Paymaster,show that. I recently met up with an ex Matelot up here and he told me he did not pay tax on his pension as his annual pension was less than his personal tax allowance, he still had mail every year from Paymaster telling him what annual/monthly pension amount due.

I get an RAF pension from the UK and they write to me every year stating the annual rates. They also send me a P60 showing tax paid or not paid every year.

The UK consulate in Chiang Mai do accept that as proof especially as I ask the Pension people to quote me a gross figure.

My RAF pension is shown as an INTERNATIONAL TRADE DEPARTMENT entry on my KBank book.

It does not specify who or where it is from.

You need the actual leeter from the Pension Department.

The consulate will issue with an embossed letter saying that you have shown them the letter and you will need to take both letters (plus copies) to Immigration.

Immigration will check on the currency exchange rate of the day and use that information.

I like the poem and sadly it has a lot of the truth in it

Before the exchange rate took it all away.

Come on guys, he said sorry and that he will not take revenge.Isn't that enough?

Well I suppose it is IF you believe it and (here is the magic word) trust him and what he says.

Sadly though his track record and the truth seem to be poles apart.

360 baht?

In the Mom and Pop store in the village it is 207, 210 in the beer shop opposite and an expensive 235 in the 7/11.

All of them sell the 70 cl bottle.

If you are paying 360 baht nyou need to get down to Makro, BigC or Tesco somewhere else as at that price somebody is having you on.

To be fair to the government up where I live in Khampaeng Phet province they have notified villagers that they will construct a small dam to hold the water back for farming.

The guys have been out surveying for the past couple of weeks and the villagers who will be affected have been told that they will be compensated but no amount has been announced yet.

How much it will be will be an awkward question as most of the land has no chanote though many farmers have been on the land for many years.

It will take up to 2 years to build and fill.

Maybe the Dems apparent isolation from all the kiss-and-make-up going on just might make them do some serious focusing on their relevance to the current realpolitik. Thailand needs a proper opposition as much as it ever has. Wake up Dems!

Do you mean a proper opposition such as the TRT when the Democrats were in power?

I must have been asleep as I cannot remember a single positive thing they did in opposition.

Perhaps you could enlighten me using verifiable facts.rather than fairy tales.

Have just returned from the centre of Utopia with breaking news!!!!! NO you are going to have to wait. I went to the local Tesco and the new manager, is like the England football manager. The rolls he now tells me 16th, you cheeky bugger with that I felled him with my truncheon and sure enough out fell a KPP Thai ID card that deserved a volley into the groin to which he replied arghhhhhhhh.... With that the BIB ratcathers arrived and deported him. Tesco now closed for decontamination. Apart from that and reading your drivel not much has happened today appart, of course from the breaking news, Jeeves is arranging to have them mounted all around the city and province.

BuT before I reveal all, one other thing, as I was doing a circular tour today I perchanced to be held albeit briefly at the BIG C lights when I noticed that the BIB had caught a couple of the KPP dignitaries and had put them on display on the crossroads, they are on the south eastern corner of the crossroads, 2 of them and they look in some distress waving their arms about, expect it will deter others hopefully.

So the breaking news............. Utopia (aka Nakhon Sawan ) has been declared an area of "outstanding Natural Beauty" by the Nakhon Sawan licencesed Vitualars Association. This came after a pretty long and lively session late last night accompanied by much burping and wind breaking . The clincher apparently was firkin of "Essex Border" that had recovered from an illegal drinking club about 100kms away where people dress up in red coats, black hats and baggy trousers doing unmentionable things to horses. The liquid was said to be deciding factor in the award. Hurrah for Utopia!!!! We wsill stand and sing the Utopian Anthem.............."Heavenly" Copis and sheets at BIG C.

Utopia? More like euphoria caused by the copious amounts of alcohol dulling the brain cells.You have to get 'lagging' to live in a God forsaken concrete epitaph like Nakhon Smogan. Here Ex',I hope that the England manager you were referring to,was the future one! If he had an annoying twitch and was a talking fish,you would have done us all a favour by giving him a spank.Why this preoccupation with bread rolls? If that is the main topic of conversation in the Dustbowl,the contamination of the grey matter is far worse than I thought! Our conversational topics in the Garden Province I hear you ask? The Meaning of Life,the Ascent (descent in your metropolis,sadly) of Man and of course,more importantly,the health and welfare of my favourite pinto and Fred's chestnut (Titter ye not,the horse,not the other chestnut).

Frankie Howard lives (actually he died on 19 April 1992) but no matter.

The best bakery I have been to in many years was in Taupo in the North Island of New Zealand.

The bread and rolls were superb plus meat pies and cakes to die for.

Oddly enough it was run by a Chinese family and most days the queue was out of the door.

OP back again.

The bike in the picture isn't the bike I'm considering - that one looks far different .

The picture's only to demonstrate what the chaincase/primary drive cover looks like; I couldn't find a better picture.

Does the Steed you are looking at have a green book?

If not you may well have a problem in the future.

So nobody knows ???

My little 18month old great great great nephew sits on a pillow on my lap and steers the car for me, his very good.

I'm asking what about when I'm 70years old and want to continue to drive in Thailand.

I have another 3 years to go yet to reach 70 and then I may give up biking but my wife won't let me drive the car if she is with me.

On my own is no problem.

I definitely don't like being on the bike at night and I am less happy in the car at night than I used to be.

snip

Police said the pickup, with about 30 kilos of explosives, had been parked near the fence separating the official residences of the permanent secretary for Pattani provincial government and of the provincial publichealth chief for two days without arousing any suspicion.

snip

You mean the vehicle was not moved or suspected for TWO days parked there in an area which is not safe and where car and motorcycle bombs have been going off.

I would be seriously kicking security peoples asses for that.

The most that it should have been there is 4 hours before being checked and towed away.

I would have predicted well over 50 percent without any military experience, though I'm not really up on which countries have mandatory national service.

I don’t know Jing, I think the military types are more prone to chest-thumping and more inclined to respond to a thread of this nature. Just read the responses. For many of those who never served, it is kind of a nonissue.

It's going to be a non-issue for those that never served. Genius. Please, share more of your wisdom.

Obviously you are a man of great wisdom, as well. I of course would not refer to myself as a genius but am flattered when others do.

Most of the ex military guys I know in Thailand don't go around chest thumping or shouting how good they are and how they can kill or disable you with just one finger.

They just get on with their lives and are quietly proud of what they acheived.

The loudmouthed chest-thumpers that are so often seen in bars are probably not ex servicemen unless they were in Fred Karno's barmy army serving under the name of Walter Mitty.

3G is working in Thailand, has been for a while. If you know about the background, sure there was a ridiculous amount of graft and skullduggery going on.

But I've been using True 3G for close to 2 years, it's fast, reliable and cheap. A plan that in the USA costs $100 / month costs $20 here. And now with True-H it's got pretty excellent coverage too.

As for "smart Thailand" - this is good for everyone. Even though I would be willing to bet all my money on there *NOT* being e-government services available within 6 months, it's going to put more internet in more places, and that's a good thing. Particularly if they can convince the fat cats at AOT to provide free WiFi at the airport it will be something benefiting most people here at the forum directly.

Similar initiatives - covering all of Thailand in internet for example - have in the past brought access to far away places. CAT CDMA in Pai and Mae Hong Son, and loads of other out-there places; DSL internet and now even fiber to my house 6km outside of Pai town! Compared to the west, that's really impressive.

BTW I've yet to encounter a WiFi hotspot system in Thailand that actually works. I've tried 3BB - either slow, or not working. TOT - not working, not even a little bit. True WiFi - so slow as to be unusable. Starbucks KSC for 150/hour: Working, but really slow, a joke for the price. So I have my doubts that Smart Thailand's WiFi spots will be better...

Up here where I live 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet there is ONLY 2 or 2 1/2G.

We have an ols AIS omni site in the moo ban, a 2 sector onroad site where my wife has a shop and a DTAC site about 500 metres from that.

The only True site is in the main village 6 km away with no expansion planned.

Last month TOT put up a 20 metre tower and I now actually have a good internet connection.

I have been waiting to a TOT, TT&T or CAT landline for nearly 9 years but now I don't need one.

The last map I looked at of the whole of Thailand shows that most of the country does not consist of big towns and cities but small villages and moo bans.

To have a "smart"Thailand will involve a major amount of money just to build the backbone fibre optic network to get back to the swithcing centres and that is before you consider going out to the villages.

Thailans international gateway access will need to be 10, 20 or even 50 times bigger than it is now to enable "smart" Thailand.

Can you imagine what will happen on the day that a big school gets its tablets at last and switches them all on together.

I can, and the answer will be not much will happen unless the backbone is done first.

I served 25 years, boy and man the the Royal Air Force.

I was and still am proud of it.

As you should be sir,I have the upmost respect for those who serve their said countries.

It's not something I ever wanted to do.

I my career I ended up with one medal, the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.

I was fortunate not to have served in an active service zone but if I had been it was what I was paid for.

However local and national government officials in Thailand have far more medals than I do, but I earned mine.

Every time i visit Bangkok, I see vast amounts of import cars (not all new) on red plates.

Now I did not arrive into Thailand on the last Banana boat, so i'm guessing theres a loop hole that allows you to take an import in on a red plate?

I'd really appreciate if someone could put me in the loop.

I think there's more to it then that to be honest.

I think there must be some loophole that allows people to run the exotic cars around on red plates. You see so many high end cars on them i refuse to believe they have all just been purchased.

My friend told me you can take a car in under your passport as a temporary import, but you need to visa run the car every once in a while??

Then go ask your friend and don't bother to post here

Why do people ask a question here at TV and then insist that they know the answer all along ?

Keep your attitude it check mate, flaming people on the internet is a bit 90's.

Not once did I mention that my friend had every detail about this, that's why i came on here looking for some answers.

You are not being flamed.

You asked the question and it was answered by several people but you didn't appear to believe them but do appear to believe your friend.

What I politely suggest that you do is to search the forum for the information that you are looking for and read up on them. The threads go back years and many people has posted on the subject and the result is that your friend is incorrect.

I am sure that I remember more than 6 months ago one of the PTP campaign promises was that everybogy would be rich in 6 months.

Mind I have been wrong a couple of times (only) before.

Funnily enough whenever I refuel my bike or the truck I always get out and check the pump meter and I think I have only been caught out once in some 10 years.

Easy thing to do and I have to get off my bike and open the tank cap anyway.