p_brownstone

This type of service has been available for years, decades, in Thailand – run by Thais, who are not at all concerned about “jurisdiction” or other legal niceties as this Western Company will be.

Called “Reng Rat Nee” in Thai, their methods can range from a polite request for payment all the way up to physical violence and even murder.

Not at all difficult to find and definitely not the sort of people you would want to have on your back – the Western Company will be a babe in the woods in comparison.

Patrick

I dread to think what traffic will be like on Ploenchit / Rama I / Siam Square, particularly on weekends; it’s already gridlocked after 10.00 am. With 100,000 + extra people going to the Siam Paragon after November 1 heaven knows how far the traffic will be backed up, add Racedays at the R.B.S.C. on alternate Sundays …………… plus of course relays of self important V.I.P.’s with their convoys and police blocking the roads for them to make their visit - it’s a recipe for total chaos.

Patrick

I just hope it’s an “enclosed” facility where the visitors are physically kept separate from the live displays etc. – for the protection of the Marine life, not the visitor.

It’s truly amazing how Thais love to “rangae satr” – tease or otherwise disturb animals whenever they get the chance; poking them, throwing things at them or feeding them any old rubbish as their idea of fun - just to see what the reaction is.

Also, I cringe when I see children – even toddlers – at places like Sriracha Tiger Park being encouraged to pose with wild animals; several times the children have tripped or stumbled onto the animal, which has reacted in a predictable way and attacked – and of course it’s always the animal which is blamed.

Patrick

I would guess the only place where you would get a Driver plus car would be at the Car Hire places like Hertz etc..

Although an finding an individual to work as your Driver is not too difficult, there is very little chance that someone looking for a job as a Driver would have his own Car.

To give you an idea of costs, I live in Bangkok and pay my Driver Baht 7,000.- for a 5 day week 8.00 am – 5.00 pm, with overtime he averages around Baht 10,000.- per month – but I supply the car and petrol.

Patrick

Also try:

http://www.foodglorious-food.com/about.php

They are in Bangkok.

Patrick

I recall many years ago the Revenue Department started publicising the names of the top 100 Income Tax payers in Thailand – the aim was to encourage people to report their real income and pay the appropriate Tax.

The first year this was published about 95% of the names were Farang, not a trace of most of the usual Thai super-rich family names.

The only concrete result was that at least one of the Farang on the list had his house broken into shortly after it was released.

The idea was abandoned.

Patrick

Is it necessary to get a permit for a battery powered BB gun like below? I am planning to buy an AK-47s. I had tried it once and I am sure it can't kill anything bigger than a small bird.

I would think it pretty risky to be seen by anyone in Thailand wandering around with something which looks so realistically like a War Weapon I am pretty sure someone would call the Police.

Patrick

<Reference to troll post removed. /Meadish>[/b]

<snip>

Yes it made me very uncomfortable but I did not want to drag the Thread off Topic.

<Thank you for not dragging the topic out into the wilds, and for reporting such posts to moderators next time. /Meadish>

Patrick

Although the OP does not say he is considering getting a fake degree to obtain employment in Thailand, in his particular case I would advise strongly against it.

Westy, if your wife is denied her Visa to join you, your only option is to come to Thailand and join her as you mentioned somewhere I believe. If you try to use a fake degree and get caught out you may very well be deported and declared persona non grata in Thailand, slamming the door on any chance of you being together as a family.

Far better to be honest about it and try to get a job from somewhere that does not require a degree.

Patrick

You don’t need a man-made weapon of any sort to get rid of snakes.

Assuming your Fishponds are fenced in, buy a few Geese: snake underskins are seriously irritated by Goose excrement and they will quickly leave the area.

Geese also reproduce without much encouragement and your wife can make "Harn Palo" or a great Farang style Christmas dinner.

Patrick

Read the Post sweetie.

I wrote "assume for themselves"

How can you teach English if you don't understand it?

Patrick

Slightly off topic I know.

I get SO tired of all the “English Teachers” who wash up on the shores of Thailand and immediately assume for themselves the title “Acharn”.

Patrick

I went to get the camera but it left just as I came back for a pic 

I'll keep my eye open and try and get it's mugshot. Maybe install a nectar feeder, see what happens.

P brownstone, are you talking inches or centimeters?

This thing was no bigger than a bumblebee and it's wingbeat was definitely not any slower than a hummingbird.

I can only repeat - there are no Hummingbirds in Thailand.

Although there are over 300 species in the 2 families they are all restricted to the New World. A bird could not migrate this far - over an ocean - because they consume so much energy with their rapid wingbeats that they have to spend virtually all their waking hours feeding. It is extremely unlikely to have been an escaped bird since they are almost impossible for an amateur to keep in captivity.

If it was a bird (there are quite a few large, fast flying insects here of course) you saw then it was almost certainly one of the smaller species of Sunbird - don't forget that the 4 inches I am talking about includes 1 inch of bill and probably the same amount of tail, which many people don't take into account when estimating the size of a bird - particularly the smaller ones. Also, whilst a hovering Sunbird may appear to be moving it's wings very quickly - so much so that they appear as a blur, the Ruby Throated Sunbird beats its' wings 55 times per second, in reality much faster than a Sunbird possibly can.

If you get a photograph please Post it, maybe I can identify it.

Patrick

Only certain Software is acceptable to the Thai Revenue Authorities.

Any Accountant here will have the list.

Patrick

There are no Hummingbirds in Thailand.

What you see here are Sunbirds, Nectariniidae, there are approximately 20 species in Thailand ranging is size from 4” to 6” from bill to tail (size is notoriously difficult to estimate in the field and many birds look much smaller than they actually are). Males of most species have brilliant metallic coloured plumage with elongated central tail-feathers – the females have much duller polumage - and slender curved bills. They eat nectar and insects and are usually seen hovering in front of flowering trees or shrubs, which makes many people mistake them for Hummingbirds (although the wingbeats of the Sunbirds is significantly slower than that of Hummingbirds).

Patrick

Well, first of all as a Farang you can’t buy a house in your own name – lots of Posts on this, there are ways around it but it’s not easy and you may leave yourself at risk of losing any claim to Title.

Secondly, like most things in Thailand there is no fixed price for housing, it all comes down to agreeing a price with the Seller and, again, as a Farang you will almost certainly be charged more than a Thai would.

A good site for Property Sales in Thailand is http://www.asungha.com - unfortunately it’s all in Thai.

Patrick

Is there a bird that makes a sound like a howler monkey as something in the local brush makes a right racket.

It's probably a bird calleds the Common Coucal, or "Nok Doo Waow" in Thai (can't type Thai on this computer) because the call is an oft repeated "Doo Waow". Quite an attractive bird the size of an English Jackdaw, all black but with beautiful Chestnut wings and a bright red eye.

Patrick

Reading some of the comments on here - in particular from "the Dude" and "Nam Lao" - makes me long for the day when Thailand finally gets tough and stops all the multi “Tourist Visa” runners and other dregs.

If you don’t respect the Country or the people go somewhere else.

Patrick

I know you like the old Archa though, Yorkie...

I actually prefer *chang*, but I've found that in drinking mostly Archa, I can still walk after 6. Must be my age.

Is that am or pm ??

Patrick

What kind of food is Argentinian? 

By the way, you didn't happen to have just opened an Argentinian restaurant, did you?

The only Argentinian food I know of is tinned Corned Beef!

Patrick

If I were an Executive at Boonrawd I’d fire the whole Marketing team plus the Product Managers.

Until about 10 years or so ago Singh had over 80% of the market in Thailand (indeed in the early ‘70’s there were 2 Brands in Thailand – Singh and Amarit – and you could rarely find Amarit outside Bangkok or other major cities). Then when new Manufacturers arrived and / or other Brands were introduced aiming at the so called “Elite” market segment (initially Kloster, Carlsburg, Heineken etc.); instead of concentrating resources on defending their hugely popular single brand Boonrawd decided to introduce their own new Brands such as “Gold” and later “Mittweida” plus I forget what others in an attempt to enter and compete in the new market segment. They only succeeded in fragmenting their own share of the overall Market and diluting the image of the main “Singh” Brand - so allowing new entries like Chang, Leo etc. to establish a foothold and build upon it to the significant detriment of Boonrawds’ overall Market Share.

Plus of course they must have significantly increased production costs because of the need to change production runs, plus other expenses such as stocking different packaging, new advertising etc. etc..

Now they are repeating the failed strategy by introducing a new “low alcohol” Singh – will they never learn!?

Patrick

Drinking beer straight fom the bottle might put you at risk of leptospirosis if rats have run over the crates and p1ssed on the bottle tops. However, this might be an urban myth...

Unfortunately its not an urban myth but too true.

You might be in with a chance on the foil covered bottles but why risk it?

This nasty piece of work is spread primarily by rodents usually rats thats why tunnelers and sewer workers have to be vacinated against this disease.

Always makes me shudder when I see the pseudo macho chaps in bars scorning a glass and drinking straight from the bottle - they should take a trip to the storage area and see how the crates / boxes are kept.

Patrick

It's obvious, surely?

Thailand is inching towards the Metric System.

Patrick

well run business in the US allow for a certain amount of 'bad debt' in their financial system.

Yes they do - just as Supermarkets etc. make "allowances" for losses through shoplifting; but at the end of the day it's the honest consumer who pays for it all in higher prices.

I have absolutely no respect or sympathy for anyone who runs away from debt.

Patrick

By the way Shaker, since you apparently did little research before you came to Thailand - you do realise that we drive on the left over here??

Patrick