canopy

So you found an item that was lower quality than HomePro and hate the place for it. While I agree galvanized is stupid and I too would have passed on that, you must not be that much of a DIY person or you might have noticed Watsadu has hundreds of things HomePro or anywhere else around does not have at all. It would be a long night if I tried to list all the amazing things I found there that I had given up on finding in Thailand. They even have an entire lane dedicated to just safety equipment, quite remarkable. Also things like Stanley tools can be substantially cheaper than the identical one sold at HomePro. I have bought many things at HomePro but at times their quality can be too low. I looked at their outdoor lights and found them as thin and flimsy as an aluminum can and also saw low quality ones at Watsadu. I ended up buying solidly built ones at a lighting specialty store in Bangkok. I welcome all of the new superstores. Makro is great, Watsadu will be too.

In Thailand, cost is key. So I wonder why Thai's don't use a ufer ground? For the cost of 2 clamps, it saves wire, saves the ground stake, and best of all surely provides a superior ground compared to the typical tiny stake in a dry corner. But yet they don't so much as sell ufer ground clamps in Thailand as far as I have seen and people do not know of this system which is code approved in developed countries.

Interesting topic because I often wondered if this happened in other areas of Thailand or only my province. Common staples run out at our Tesco in Phetchabun regularly and can remain out of stock for weeks. Each time I show up with my shopping list I now just accept the reality that most likely a few items on it won't be there. It could be chicken, orange juice, or potatoes. You never know. Asking if there is stock in the back hasn't been fruitful nor does asking politely when they think they will have it again. They are out, that's all they know and it's a normal situation of no special significance to them.

Tesco at least in my province is not a comfortable environment for shopping either with palettes parked here and there during peak shopping hours, half unloaded boxes strewn about the floor, browsers clogging the narrow lanes as if they are the only ones at the store, the same annoying commercials repeating over and over on the loud speaker, hawkers on PA systems promoting things, and so on. I am happy to be out of there as quickly as possible. We have a new Makro though that so far has impressed me so will be spending a lot more time there.

Update: so after the disappointing Dell Jul/Aug catalog I waited for the Sep/Oct catalog. Disappointment again. The "high end" XPS series is still on the old 2nd gen CPU. Now the Nov/Dec catalog is out and the cover page is promoting 3rd generation CPU. Surely now right? No...they still only sell the 2nd gen CPU for these "high end" notebooks, the 3rd gen is for bottom of the barrel notebooks, what the hey? It gets worse. They no longer even list the 15" XPS model with HD resolution, apparently having withdrawn it completely from Thailand. Instead they offer a range of puny XPS models with super low res fitted with pathetically old CPU. Sad. I should have bought in the US 6 months ago as they have had what I want all this time and at a better price. My fault thinking a company like Dell might actually get on the ball in Thailand any day now.

It took me many years to escape those types of people with all their self imposed rules, which they believe, should extend to everyone else...I am not wrong in this case

It seems you are trying to paint me as being one of "those types" so wrong again. It should be clear my goal is not to complain, belittle, or try to change other peoples behavior, but instead prefer to live and let live and especially learn from others. You did impress me though with your latest post. The first one seemed a bit trollish to be honest. To follow up on your thoughts I too have lived in places with many very strict rules as you have. And now living in a place with no rules it's debatable in my mind which is better overall. Sometimes I really do wish there were some rules from a health, safety, and mind standpoint. Other times I enjoy the feeling of complete freedom to do absolutely anything I want, anytime. Moral of the story, make the best of what you have to work with. Life is too short to try to spend all time trying to get others to think like you because after all, you could be wrong.

I am a farang living in the sticks alone. It's a situation I prefer at this point in my life. I am neither advocating or dissuading anyone else from such a lifestyle. I find it interesting there are so few of us out there.

If you are living in an area within an environment that you claim is caustic and among people that you allege ways are awful compared to those in Americaland or in other words, below you

Those are your words, so don't even make up something like that and say that's how someone else feels. You should be ashamed of yourself. On the contrary I consider these villagers above me. Got that? Let me explain since you have no clue. I am in awe how they live so happily and content under circumstances that would drive people from where I come crazy. It's one of the things about Thai people I draw inspiration from. So Mr. Beetlejuice, now that you have been proven wrong, how does that make you feel?

If it is comparable to the one in Phitsanulok it will be fantastic. Massive floor space with all the tools and building items you won't find anywhere in Phetchabun. Far better than even a Home Pro for DIY. It's like a Home Depot in the US.

Thanks. Haven't found green shrink tubing of proper size so I'll wrap all ends of the red wire with green electrical tape.

Most cable I purchase is black-grey-green which I use as hot-neutral-ground. I have a NYY cable that is red-black-grey that I need to use in circuits with the other colors. Is there a preferred way to arrange these colors into the current installation?

I am in Khao Kho so takes 90 minutes to Phitsanulok or 45 to Phetchabun. Yes, Little C in Lom Sak was a downer as it is closest in my case but doesn't offer hardly anything I could expect at a Big C.

Well I don't think an update like this is exciting enough to deserve a brand new topic, but here goes. Big C / Lotus is way better than nothing so shouldn't complain but Phetchabun leaves a lot to be desired for shopping compared to Phitsanulok next door, In the last few years Phitsanulok added blockbusters like Index, HomePro, Watsadu, Central, and more. There is even a McDonald's there now. During the same time period Phetchabun added...nothing? Glad there are a few modernization's in the pipeline now. Closer for me and that road to Phitsanulok is treacherous Rumor has it they are going to make highway 12 4-lane soon however.

I learned pulling nails out of mai daeng to be real gentle with the hammers sold here. I snapped a few hammer handles; both wood and composite before I learned that.

Don't know how to safeguard the house unless there is someone in the house all the time.

Apparently I am the only one that does. Good luck with your locks though.

I was inspired by that clip several years ago and have never bought kraut since. It's not necessary but I do deviate in two small ways. First, I don't add water but instead tamp it until sufficient water rises out of the cabbage which takes lots of mashing. Second, I clean the container with vinegar first to prevent a scum layer from covering the water. Even if scum does appear I have read it is safe to just skim it off regularly and have gone through this without any negative effects. I prefer the taste of home made compared to store bought and also can control the salt content as desired. So the ingredient list for me is just cabbage and sea salt, nothing else. I make it year round, though weather in my area of Thailand is mild. I don't doubt cooler temps are best but results even in the hottest weather should be grade A instead of maybe an A+.

The main thing to realize is this is making sauerkraut is easy and healthy. Canned sauerkraut has fewer health benefits as it is 'dead' and often heat pasteurized. If buying from the store, jars are the healthier option. Live type is good for your stomach like yogurt.

Yes, I normally do that also (keep my hand pressed against the pocket). I think in this case I brought my hands up because of the amount of pushing going on.

Kind of like a thief banging on your locked door and you respond by opening it. Obviously, that kind of ruins the strategy and you need to instead respond by pressing harder. I follow the rule of hands to the pockets anytime there is close proximity which is typical in Bangkok. As long as my hand is pressed firmly against my wallet in my pocket I feel at ease no matter what is happening around me. If I am walking in more open spaces I still like to brush it once per stride. In the highest risk situations I twist the pocket.

Sour grapes I am afraid. Imagine if you arrived at the police station with a dossier of crystal clear 10 megapixel images showing the thief, whom you will probably find you know well, on your property taking your things with date and time stamps and can also put his vehicle at the scene of the crime with visible license plate. Since you will know about the crime instantly, the police have the opportunity to find the stolen goods at the thief's house and you will easily put the thief behind bars with even a fraction of this going to plan. Please don't even try to compare such a rock solid case you would get with this technology to people with sketchy evidence the police can't realistically pursue.

I use my camera differently. Instead of using it to solve crime which it is very capable of doing, I put the emphasis on preventing crime. When someone enters my vacant property a vehicle pulls up to them before they have had a chance to stretch their legs and a guy starts asking them uncomfortable questions like why they have passed a locked gate with a no trespassing sign. I then tell them the area is under satellite surveillance and not to come back and warn them if anything is missing in the future I will know who to tell the police to go after. I've had to do this several times. When I am away I simply send the SMS messages to someone nearby to cover for me.

I am still baffled that in the 21st century no one else seems to be doing this but instead choose to spend their time and money on outdated, less effective security.

The OP said "I bought a shotgun to remedy the thieving action but the last 2 times I wasn't around to catch them" then it is mentioned it is actually trivial to catch them, but the response is basically it isn't worth it! Now in the latest 3rd case of looting it sounds like the thief spent a substantial amount of time there, having the audacity to even take off all the fixtures. If a camera was present that sent photos to someone nearby then this thief could have been stopped. I guess I'll just never understand people's indifference to allowing thieves to rob them, profiting at your expense, laughing at your incompetence, and coming back again and again. Oh well, to each his own I guess.

Back on topic, glad to know the 3M splice kits are available here. May use that to run mains under a road rather than overhead. Will make it neat and tidy, no posts and I like that clean connection.

The part I liked and found humorous was that he has raised the price per townhouse during this time by 30%

Expect this trend to continue. Property prices are up 10:1 in the last several years in my area. Every time someone speaks, they gloat newer, higher prices and absolutely everyone immediately jumps to the new number pulled out of the air. There was no market for the land when it was cheaper and raising the prices has put a frozen market in deep freeze. The sellers think they are really striking it rich and look froward to jacking up the prices again. In reality the sellers are dirt poor, live in shacks and are hardly able to afford their whiskey.

I don't understand why no one uses surveillance cameras in Thailand. When someone steps on your property day or night you get an SMS with a picture of it on your phone within seconds. They trigger by infrared and not motion so you don't get false alarms from trees swaying or anything like that. And these are small, standalone battery operated units that can be placed anywhere. I guess it makes it just too easy and cheap to catch thieves and people aren't comfortable with that for some reason.

The problem is gas is too cheap. I am amazed how many people on the road are there taking up space for no good reason at all. If filling your tank were to go up 10 to 1 then the things the government outlines it would like to happen will happen real quickly all on their own.

Case in point. In the village I am in the number of motorcycle trips each household makes each evening to pick up a few things is flabbergasting. Often the errands are run by the kids who are too young and drive dangerously. If gas cost more I think they would quickly figure out they could make one trip instead of 4 or 5. Or even get on a bicycle or take a walk. The way it is now with gas so cheap even the poorest people are needlessly all over the road. There are also pickup trucks with loudspeakers trolling through every neighborhood multiple times a day. Right now it is at a fever pitch for the elections. Such a waste of space and gas.

Now you might appreciate why electrical cables are required to be buried at least a half meter underground and have red warning tape buried above them! Not doing so is a time bomb for somebody else after you to cut into them and the consequences for that poor unsuspecting person can be fatal. And buried that deep instead of scratching a little dirt over the top I doubt you would see them disappear. Certainly my 100M underground NYY run is cozy that deep and I feel good about it everyday. Whenever you do electrical work you really need to know the specifications for the job and follow them religiously. I don't have the specifications for an underground NYY splice, but I did run across a clip showing one. One problem is the heat shrink tubing sold in electrical shops in Thailand is paper thin because like everything else in Thailand the rule is cheaper = better. It seems unwise to trust using insulation so cheapened that it is about 50 times thinner than that used in developed countries.

to my recollection the leases had not expired, they were illegally extended and sub leased out by the lessee. The "squatters" believed they had valid leases.

I think your recollection is right about middlemen extending fake leases. But also recall there were signs posted that any such leases were illegal and everyone had to leave with lots of very strong language. So anyone who paid for fake leases or otherwise continued to operate did so knowing full well they were in the wrong and of what might lie ahead.

As for the razing being a rational solution (we are not even going to discuss the legality of the issue because the verdict already establishes that), your remark strikes me akin to saying murder is a ration solution to a messy divorce.

No, razing action was inevitable whether by Chuwit or the authorities after a court battle that might still be ongoing to this day meanwhile the greedy bars operate illegally and the greedy middlemen collect fake rent and the rightful landowner gets screwed by this mob the whole time. As far as I can see, thumbs up to Chuwit.

This may be drifting slightly off topic, but my village does not have garbage collection either. Locals burn plastics and rubbish or dump it into national forests. God forbid any yard clippings go back to the soil naturally, they are all burned methodically. And of course throwing out food containers and bottles along every road is the accepted and ideal practice for kids and grownups alike since after all there are no garbage containers in homes, businesses, public, anywhere. I discovered by feeling out to the locals, the mayor and the governor of the area no one even wants garbage collection. The horrible air quality and junk thrown everywhere is for all practical purposes invisible to them. They don't care. And we aren't even talking about what they do to their fields.