paulsenp

Thank you all. I think I will just wait for a while, to see what happens.

I am going to do some major repairs and renovation to a house in Chantaburi. In april we got a first rough estimate, but now I am told, that prices of buildingmaterials have almost doubled since then. Can anyone confirm this?

Thank you both for your replies,

The land in question does have a proper chanood, so I suppose it will be alright.

I have heard that if you (a thai national) own a piece of land and have all the right papers, if you don't use it yourself but let t.ex. a neighbour use it, then after 5 years your neighbour may claim the land, and it is simply taken away from you.

Can anyone tell me if this is true?

Hi Endure,

The advice I got from Diethard Ande was to go to see the dealers at the weekend market and to visit the next Bangkok Book Fair. Most of the dealers do not have shops in town he says. My book is in thai, and he says that he is not an expert on that, but he suggested that I give him a call when I come to Bangkok.

If your book is in english it might be an idea to call Diethard Ande or to send him a mail.

His phonenumber is 038 239 883-4, and his mail address is: [email protected]

Hi Orchidexpert,

I have the book and just want to find out what it is worth these days.

I am already in contact with Diethard Ande, mentioned in one of the previous posts, and although he claims not to be an expert on thai books, it seems like he will be able to help.

The book is about items (statues etc) from the temple in the compund of the National Museum in Bangkok.

To The Moog and OldAsiaHand,

Yes, I found White Lotus Books and Dieter Ande on the net, but there was no address, so I guess I will try to send him a mail with my questions.

Thanks to you both.

Thank you all guys for the hints you have given. I will try to dig a little deeper.

To orchis in particular, the title of the book is:

โบราณวัตถุ

ใน

พิพิธภัณฑสถานสำหรับพระนคร

It would be great if you can find the book in one of the old catalogues, but don't spend too much time on it.

Around 25 years ago I bought a book for my wife from a second-hand bookshop here in Denmark. From the pictures I could see that it was about thai antiques. It was good quality paper and print, and that was just about all I knew about it. The price was a little less than 500 baht at the present rate of exchange.

Then, about 10 years ago, my wife saw the same book mentioned in a thai magazine. It seems like the book was printed in Paris in the thirties and that the number printed was only 250. Of those, the existence of only 11 was known (12 including my wifes). The appraised value at that time was 50.000 baht.

And now to my questions. Where (in Bangkok, or even in other parts of Thailand) could you take such a book for an appraisal, and where would you go if you wanted to sell it? How would you find potential buyers?

I would appreciate any advice you can give.

Thanks Chuchok for the link.

I should of course have made a search myself, but it didn't occur to me, that someone else might have had problems with chainsaws. Not of this kind anyway.

Thanks guys, for your responses.

It would seem like chainsaws are forbidden. We only need it to cut down the (too) old duriantrees, maybe 10 per year, but I expect that we need to keep quiet about it.

Are chainsaws permitted in Thailand for private use?

A couple of years ago I was looking for a used chainsaw in Chanthaburi, but found that the prices were higher than for new ones in Denmark. The family needed a chainsaw for the durian orchard, so last year I bought one at home, and my wife brought it to Thailand. Later someone told me that chainsaws are forbidden for private use in Thailand.

Does anyone here know the answer?

Interesting, Thomas,

Your post sets the little gry cells in motion.

I am not yet an expat, it will still be a couple of years before I make the move to LOS.

My reason for being here (thaivisa) is mainly, that I want to prepare myself for the life as an expat. There is a lot to learn from others who have lived in Thailand for years, and there is no need to make all the mistakes yourself, if can avoid it by listening to others.

For most expats I would also think that Thaivisa helps them keep in touch with the world outside. No matter how well integrated in the thai society people become, I think almost anyone would need a dose of non-thai contact every now and then.

the queen might jump out of one of those bills and bite your fingers

55555555555

to Harmonica:

if there should be a drop, I don't believe it will be that drastic, and a change against one currency does not necessarily imply a similar one against another.

take the recent drop of the euro against the $, but almost no change aginst the baht for exemple.

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yeah chico, that is what I believe. Thanks.

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But then what did really happen? Isn't it the $ which rose against the Euro and Baht (and other currencies as well)?

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Yes the $ did rise versus both the Euro and the Baht -- that is easily seen with the $ as pivot -- however what about the Euro vs Baht? With the Euro as pivot, things could look considerably different. That is what chico is referring to, I believe.

One thing I have determined is that it is folly to assume that just because one pair is behaving in a particular manner, that a corresponding pair will therefore behave in an arithmetically inductive way.

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What I am trying to say is just, that since the $ rose against a number of currencies, it feels more right to say it in this way, instead of saying that all those other currencies dropped against the $. The reason for the change came from the US, or?

the queen might jump out of one of those bills and bite your fingers

55555555555

to Harmonica:

if there should be a drop, I don't believe it will be that drastic, and a change against one currency does not necessarily imply a similar one against another.

take the recent drop of the euro against the $, but almost no change aginst the baht for exemple.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah chico, that is what I believe. Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But then what did really happen? Isn't it the $ which rose against the Euro and Baht (and other currencies as well)?

It is not only in Thailand that people change their names. Here in Denmark t.ex. many have changed their names at the advice of a numerologist. They believe, that they will get better lives because of the change of name. Others just get tired of their old, common names like Jensen or Hansen, and try to make up a new name to fit their ego.

I cannot help you, but I have a little story of my own to tell.

24 years ago my wife (thai) and I adopted a thai girl. The girl was living with her mother and grandmother, the father was living with his new wife. Both parents accepted the suggestion that we should adopt the girl.

The lady, who handled our case at the amphur, was extremely helpful and made the paperwork very easy. At the time I didn't speak a word of thai, but she just asked me a couple of questions in english, talked with my wife and the girl's mother for a while, and that was that!

A few days later we asked the lady out to lunch. We had a very nice meal at a seaside restaurant, and she paid for us all, just wouldn't let me pay a single baht.

We, mostly my wife, have met this lady several times since then, and I must say, that I have never, before or after, met a thai official like her. She has even invited us to use her house near ChiangMai, when and if we want to.

One in a million, or 60 million.

dear ladies and gentlemen,

.

.

.

do you know if dual-citizenship is possible in thailand ??

thanks

hfh

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It is perfectly ok as far as Thailand is concerned, but how about Germany?

I know that it is not accepted by Denmark.

Try Google, 'The Golden Jubilee Network'

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Thanks also to you khunlungphudhu.

This must be sufficient documentation to prove, that the name of the former husband of Princess Ubol Ratana is Peter Ladd Jensen, not Peter Ladd Janzen.

This may be of use.

http://www.thaimain.org/eng/monarchy/family.html

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Thanks Harry,

I suppose this is as close as you can get. It's an official website, and that is good enough for my purpose.

What I am trying to find out, is the correct name of the american who was married to Princess Ubol Ratana. All documentation I have found so far says that the name is Peter Ladd Jensen, but...

someone claims to have a friend who works for the guy, and that the correct name is Peter Ladd Janzen. I believe that he is just having trouble admitting to be wrong.

Does the Royal Thai Family have it's own website, and if they do, would someone please supply the URL?

Thanks,

My wife and I have a small durian orchard in Chanthaburi (amphur Khlung), where my mother-in-law lives. They used to see snakes quite often, mostly cobras. Fortunately they have several dogs around the house, and one of them in particular is a real snakekiller. He received a few snakebites, and has paid some visits to the vet, but seems to be almost immune to the venom by now. I believe it has been more than a month since they last spotted a snake in the orchard.

Thanks Norman for your suggestion, and for the nice pictures.

We have already spent some time driving around in the area between Chanthaburi, Khlung and the coast and found some quite nice places. One place we have in mind is the first stretch of the road going from Sukhumvit to Laem Sing. We don't necessarily have to stay close to a beach, but living near the coast is, almost, a must.

I am sure we will be able to find a good place, it would just be nice, if someone here knew just the perfect place to spend some years.

Paul,

"with suggestions about where to stay?"

Can you expand on that please

Do you mean a nice area?

Do you mean a place to live permanently ?

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Hi there,

I mean a nice area where I can stay permanently (or at least for a few years).

A place with relatively easy access to the city, but still in quiet surroundings.

I expect to go and search for a place together with my wife a couple of times, but it might make things easier if we have some ideas about where to look before starting the search.

I'd be greatful for any suggestions.

Within the next 2-3 years I expect to move to Thailand with my (thai) wife. We would like to stay somewhere in Chanthaburi, and have already spent some time there, mostly in the area between Chanthaburi town and Khlung.

Does anyone here, ProfessorFart perhaps, know the area well enough to come up with suggestions about where to stay? It should not be in Chanthaburi town, but on the other hand the town should be easily accessible (not more than 30 minutes by car). My wife's family owns (since 3 years ago) a small orchard about 7 km outside Khlung, but although I like the area, it is a bit too remote for me.

Are any other farangs living in or around Chanthaburi?