Garry

An International Driving Permit (IDP) allows an individual to drive a private motor vehicle in another nation when accompanied by a valid license from their home country.

The document is slightly larger than a standard passport and is essentially a multiple language translation of one's own existing driver's license, complete with photograph and vital statistics. It is not a license to operate a motor vehicle on its own.

I thought he meant the one at the Little Duck hotel.

I was thinking the one over the river before Wiang Nuea!?

Yes, but only when I am on the scooter, and its for the dogs that like to chase and bite at bikes. They only need to see the baton and they back off. As for people? Never felt the need to, as CM is by far safer than the city in Canada I am from, lets hope it stays that way.

+1 When I ride I have a collapsible baton to let the dogs know to play nice.

More news: I was speaking to Kuhn Keang yesterday, manager of HKT motors in Phuket, and he told me that in December he will become a Ducati dealer as well.

www.hktmotors.com

089-488-7659

Nothing but the Bkk branch at the Ducati dealer locator so far.

http://www.ducati.com/dealerlocator/gm_cou...ountry=Thailand

Hi Scubabuddha,

Good to know that Ducati are expanding to existing dealerships. Kuhn Chumphol has told me that the Ducatisti website will more than likely be updated in January with the owners plans on a branch in Chiang Mai.

When www.hktmotors.com plan to update their wesbite with the news?

Cheers,

Garry

That is excellent news! I know Ducati sales in Thailand have been spectacular and having a branch and service center in Chiang Mai will certainly help them maintain their sales streak. Awesome to see the big bike scene in Thailand really taking off!

Its funny I've been riding big bikes in the middle east and had enough of the non-bike savvy car drivers. So after 9 years of riding there, I've called it quits and sold my last bike I bought new 2004 R1. No point trying to bring it to Thailand and I was ready for a new bike. The best part is that in general most Thai's are bike savvy and give you space. A thundering Ducati will definitely add some magic to the mix.

I was talking to Chum the other day (well via email) and the owners have plans to branch out to Chiang Mai, in the first quarter of the new year. More will be known yes or no come January. Keep watching the Ducatisti website for info (no info on there yet).

On some personal notes:

Good side:

If Ducati's expansion goes ahead then it is going to work out great for me, as I'm planning to buy a Hyper 1100S early next year. Living in Chiang Rai I will have a great excuse to the ride the bike down those great twisty roads and get the dealer servicings carried out.

Bad side:

I will more than likely be buying the bike around April and not looking forward to Chiang Mai & Songkran when it turns into screwball central and idiots who don't gove a toss about throwing water on people whether they want it done or note.

Sounds to me like they need to have a crackdown on whales vomiting in the beautiful waters of Phuket!

I read this was the official response from Big Jiew Chavalit:

'Unless the whales have a work permit they should arrest them all.

And those whales, they come here taking all the fish, and leaving behind their vomit, unless they cleared this with the police, each whale should pay a fine of 1,000b for littering.

Also, we should arrest the woman for picking up the whale vomit on the beach. The beach is public property, so she is stealing ASSETS OF THE COUNTRY.

As Prime Minister, you can guarantee I will ensure there will be no more whales in Thailand ever again. I will immediately implement a study using my friend's consulting firm for 100,000 billion baht, to study whether Thailand should allow whales or not. In the meantime, all whale vomit is to be given to my wife's research company.'

As you can see, I am very relieved someone is looking at this.

Perhaps they could ask the Japanese scientific community and whalers to help out with this issue

I think Thaksin is going to have to learn to make himself at home in Dubai and learn to like Dubai, whether he welcomes doing so or not.

I'm sure the water buffalo leaders of Dubai with their hand out are happy to have him there too and wouldn't do anything to upset the mango cart. Dubai has tons of camels but I'm also sure the leaders there recognize a cash cow when they see one.

Thaksin is low on the totem pole in Dubai/Emirates when it comes to wealth.

Haven't been there myself, but must do next time I'm back from working overseas.

Latest menu I found on his website.

donsfoods aboutus_kunming

donsfoods product

I must find the photo I took on the ground on my one and only flight with Air Asia.

The LH engine upper nacelle camlocks had a lovely overlay of duck tape and bulging corrosion blisters that were a sight to behold.

Yes I did make it to Bangkok, but never again with them.

edite: found the pic

Sounds great, I'd like to see some pics if you ever get the camera out.

+1 From a fellow Garry (with two R's) living outside of Chiang Rai I would like to see some piccys as well.

Ambergris has been found on the beaches in Oman. In the news many years was a ball (around the size of a soccer ball supposedly) of ambergris was found and then promptly sold to the Amouage Perfume company for something like OMR80,000 = USD$200,000+

The Great Brain Robbery?

well said

After the rubber sapling case it was speculated this one would go a similar route. It hasnt.

On the contrary. It has. Suspended sentences and a fine for a week's lunch money. The cost of an attorney for a day would be more than they got fined, so no need for an appeal here. Note, Thaksin's case was suspended until he returns.

Do you think that he ever will return Old Man? Can't see it myself.

Cheers, Rick

Rick, I do think he will return. I don't think it will be in a position of power though and I don't think it will be anytime soon (hopefully) as I suspect it will be after the event occurs that we can't really discuss.

Perhaps Mr. Thaksin he trying to emulate or take a leaf out of Ronny Biggs book, but on a bigger scale

Glad to know that HM is stable and hopefully he will be off intravenous food in the non too distant future, having regular meals.

IMHO any compensation should be paid for from the PAD's coffers!

FF

What about compensation for the TRAVELERS??? lost waiges, hotel fees, meal fees, and so on????

Yes, ALL people/Company's etc who have a legitimate claim, the PAD should compensate ALL of them.

FF

I'll believe that when I see it....

I notice she does have her riding flip flops at the ready

I'm a creature of habit, and I like D.Muang well enough.

Plus, they had a large cafeteria downstairs, for airport workers, where farang were welcome.

Suwanboom tries to be high class, but winds up looking like a puny kid who puts on shoulder pads to look buffed.

With some smart adjustments, D.Muang could handle Bkk's air traffic well enough.

I always liked DM, myself being a creature of habit as well. My family and I almost always went to the airport workers cafeteria for half decent reasonably priced food.

Israel does not qualify for transit without visa but read below, as a visa is still free it would seem.

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/transit/771/

Transit Visa (Subclass 771)

•Who is this visa for?

•How much will this visa cost?

•What does this visa let me do?

This visa allows people to transit through Australia.

Who is this visa for?

This visa is for:

•people who wish to transit through Australia and who do not qualify for transit without a visa

or

•people travelling to Australia to join a vessel as crew.

A transit visa is required even if:

•you fly out on the same aircraft and from the same airport at which you arrived

•you stay in the transit lounge and do not leave the airport.

For more information about transit without a visa, please click on the link below.

See: Transit without visa arrangements

For more information about sea crew members, please click on the link below.

See: A Guide to Visas for Foreign Sea Crew

How much will this visa cost?

This visa is free of charge.

What does this visa let me do?

If you are granted this visa, you can:

•transit through Australia

•enter and remain in Australia for up to 72 hours.

I'm north east (about 20kms) of Chiang Rai and my wife tells that they have had no problems with the wet..YET. The farms around here haven't been overflooded in a very long time. Fingers crossed it won't expand to other areas beyond where other unfortunates have been effected.

Consider the following when contemplating the opposite:

1. Relax behind that steering wheel. When you start jumping up and down due to some idiot driver, be aware that there is another one a block away. To let another idiot driver affect your behavior, you are giving them control over your behavior. Calmly go around, wait or whatever. Impress your passengers with your steady character, maturity and wisdom. In fact, I appreciate the Thai drivers. The penchant of those #$%^&^&* drivers in your home country to lean on the horn at every opportunity is more annoying than anything, and I enjoy the Thai demeanor in this regard. I try to emulate them.
   
2. Next time you get annoyed because a Thai person gives you a blank stare when you are saying something extremely simple in English, aided and abetted by very clear gesticulating, dont. It is your responsibility to speak Thai, not their responsibility to speak or understand your English. Can you imagine a Thai being upset in Germany, England, the Excited States or wherever, because someone doesn't understand their Thai language!
   
3. When you see some young buck roaring down the street on his motorcycle, remember this is a trait of testosterone-laden youth everywhere, not just in Thailand. I recall vividly my first visit to Holland, seeing these young guys roaring down narrow cobblestone streets. So accept it, relax and chalk it up to a state of being that perhaps reflect your own behavior at that age.
   

Just some ideas to give you pause next time. And I am speaking to myself more than anyone.

nice...thanks

dont know what else to say....

Inflammatory posts removed. Keep it civil please. Personally, I thought for a first post it was well done. The "relax behind the wheel" is something I certainly need to be better at.

+1 and then some Great post, makes me take a step back mentally and have a think about what really is important and what is trivial. Most things in life are not worth getting bent out of shape over.

I'm an Isuzu fan, my brother-in-law has had a DMax for years without an ounce of a problem. His was a little bit gutless though. I thnk nowadays most of the intercooled turbo 3 liter Isuzu's have plenty of punch. I own a 2008 Mu-7 Activo myself (I know its not a pickup) and am extremely happy with it. Also I've had nothing but excellant service from Isuzu in Thailand.

Jobs at Thai Visa have plenty of network jobs going

Obviously Thai Visa jobs can't vet all that come through, wonder how many may have links to this?

Did you grip the gold the same has you gripped the cash? Those motorcycle bag snatchers like gold too!

Oh hel_l yeah, it was down my jeans front pocket right pronto. My wife had a friend get her chained snatched by two guys on a motorbike. The girl had a nice chain burn on her neck where it got torn off.

gary

come to think of it, that amount would allow you to purchase only 2 oz.... or am i mistaken here because of my advanced case of sinility.... lol

Definitely around that figure, give or a take a gram