Dean1953

So, there's enough money in establishing new resturants in CM, and then selling them, to be able to retire to Florida. It sounds like a business plan for ex pats with time on their hands.

Sorry, that was supposed to be "dropping," not "gropping."

Before groping your husband off at the airport, drop extra bags off at train station and have them sent to Bangkok. Give husband claim ticket. He can pick up bags at Bangkok train station next day.

I just finished making a dining room table out of quarter sawn white oak with a granite top (the same color of granite that I'll use for my kitchen counter tops). I made the table the same height as my cabinets; 35 inches high. I wanted the table, as it is on wheels, to double as both a kitchen table and as a portable island in the kitchen. That leaves me with finding bar stool type chairs that are the correct height for the table. I saw Q/S chairs on the internet but with a cost of $966 plus shipping. My options are to build them myself (in the U.S., as that is where myself and the house are) or find someone in CM to build them. My preference would be Out of Q/S white oak but, as the floor is thai rosewood, I could use rosewood. I plan on having 15 teak doors sent to the U.S. In the next 6 months, so 6-8 chairs shouldn't add too much more to the shipping costs. Is there any place that sells Q/S white oak in CM and does anyone know someone who could build the chairs (I'll supply a picture to copy and some of the specifications, particularly the chair's height. Thanks in advance.

Kamtien Markwt will charge an arm and a leg. In my case, they also screwed up the installation and 4 of the 16 rotor sprinklers leaked enough to cause flood an area 8 feet from sprinkler. They didn't offer to fix it. I ended up having Hunter sprinklers sent from U.S. And had my thai daughter translate the instructions for installation. A local plumber did the installation correctly for 1,000 baht.

You should be receiving the package shortly. Three months ago, I sent a package from U.S. Via USPS to a friend in CM. The box had arms boot for her son in the military. They sat in customs in Bangkok for 8-10 days and then sent to CM, with a custom's bill of around $63, which I sent to the friend via Moneygram. Good luck!

Why not fly CNX to LAX, and then Chicago? I've seen r/t on that route for less than $1,000. LAX to Chicago can't be more than $250-300.

If you are looking for second hand teak king or queen sized beds, try calling Ketsunee Suriyang (lives in Bosang) at 0899516013 and tell her Dean recommended her. When I furnished my house, she found all sorts of teak furniture, including 3 teak beds, that she knew that acquantances we're trying to sell.

I appreciate your response, Steve. I'm not in Thailand, as I brought my wife's 3 kids to the U.S. to finish their education. I hopefully will be there sometime in the next year and would like to see with my own eyes (although you have several supporters on Thaivisa). If I had written the article and posted those "facts," I would have given either the owner or manager a chance to respond. F you do get any response from the NYT, please post it here.

Have you been to this factory? I guess that we are going to agree to disagree. To me, it is the management at the factory's responsibility to make sure their workers know how to perform tasks. If, after a couple of weeks of training, they still make costly mistakes, have them do something else or fire them, not deduct from their paycheck. Anyway, my post is more of an indictment of U.S.policy on overseas sweatshops/child labor. When it comes to the U.S. government's buying overseas, the cost is the primary concern. The U.S. Military is prohibited by law from buying uniforms outside of the U.S. Their solution is to buy their uniforms/chola he's from U.S. Prison labor, who are making $4.50 a day on average.

According to the article, most U.S.governmental officials aren't concerned about working condition, only the bottom line. Someone should drag the U.S.Consulate general to the factory, so at least he can't plead ignorance on the subject.

I just read an article in the New York Times about the Georgie & Lou garment makers in Chiang Mai. They supply clothes to the Smithonian. The article alleges that workers are docked 5% of their 300 baht daily wage for every mistake that they make. The article goes on to state that the U.S. Government does little to require conditions to be improved in sweatshops from which they buy clothes. Does anyone have any more info about G & L, like their location and other companies/governments that buy from them?

I paid 110,000 baht in customs duty when I imported my container of goods from US 7 years ago. I tried to find out evaluation before shipping but couldn't and found out when it arrived at Thai customs.

I brought a solar owl whose head rotated 360 degrees every 2 minutes. I mounted it near the balcony

, with a clear view of the sun. It worked for a while.

I'll second Klaimor, where my son was born 6 years ago.

I bought mine in the U.S (aSprint phone) and it was a software unlock for $30. I was told not to update the phone, so it is still 6.0. Once, I let the power get to zero and it took 20 minutes to re set it. About every 6 weeks, I also have to re set it. I was in Chiang Mai last summer and it worked great with a local SIM card. I have seen on the internet, a company in London will do the mechanical unlock but charges $150 to do it. Would the mechanical unlock described above for 1,500 baht be the same? If so, I may have it done in either CM or Bangkok the next time I come over.

I have a house about 14 kilometers outside of CM and haven't lived there for 5 years (having lived in the U.S.. I have a caretaker that has lived there for 3 years but, more importantly, have neighbors that I know and trust and who look after the house. It's not in a mooban.

How Far East does it go? My house is in Bosang and would like to know the nearest station. Maybe, by the time I and my wife move back in 10 years, the project may be near completion.

I was taken to Mc Cormack after a motorcycle accident. They treated the cuts to my leg and the shoulder that took the brunt of the impact but missed the hole in the skin, just below the elbow. As they were just about to discharge me, I pointed out the hole. They'll cleaned it and kept me for a day to check for infection and to clean it out a few times. I have no real complaint with them, as they took care of the situation as soon as it was pointed out to them. My son was born at Klaimore about 6 years ago and was pleased with the care and bill, around 28,000 baht. By the way, When my father was in his mid eighties and had major surgery, he was in the hospital for 3 days and I slept there (a US hospital) for 3 nights, to make sure that his medical concerns were addressed.

The only concern about having luggage in the asile on a full trip would be if the bus is in an accident

I live in Bosang (when I'm in LOS), so it will probably be my hospital of choice when I have my next motorcycle accident. Now, if Rutnin builds an eye hospital near me, I'll be all set with my hospital choices in CM.

Of course, the sponsorship is over if the person being sponsored becomes a US citizen, which explains why I am urging the step son to join the US Army (which offers a fast track to citizenship).

To answer the OP's question, registering his GF with the consulate isn't going to have an impact on her ability to get a visa to go to the U.S.

His being able to step to the plate to fulfill the requirements for her to get a fiancée visa could be important, but registration in advance won't make a difference.

As an aside, I remember a sad old American who would try to take the microphone every time someone from the Am. Consulate spoke at one of the meetings of the Expats Club. Apparently his "finance" bolted in the U.S. while under his "sponsorship" and was still able to remain in the U.S. even though they'd broken up. He just couldn't understand why INS wouldn't go out and deport her immediately. (I think they have bigger, more dangerous fish to fry)

. You can not revolt sponsorship once the person being sponsored enters the US. I have a 19 year old step son that has been in the US for 5 years and I would like to revolt sponsorship and pay to have him returned to Thailand but a knowledgable immigration attorney informed me otherwise. The sponsor is legally on the hook for at least 10 years.

I took the shuttle bus the opposite direction on July 30. From 9 AM to at least early evening, there is a bus every 30 minutes, on the hour and half hour. It took 45 minutes to get to BKK. (4 PM to 4:45 PM). One drawback is it is a city bus leased. It has no place to put luggage, except on your lap or in the aisle. My trip, it was full and inconvenient with a carry on and a full sized piece of luggage.

Just an update. The last two days, I hung curtains from Muang Tong Decorations and no problems at all with the curtains (I did manage to fall off a ladder while hanging the largest curtains, 9 by 10 feet). I'm very happy with the material and the cost. I decided to call them and try to settle any differences. It turns out that my step daughter Mia understood them and they had made a new curtain for the door (reversing the measurements). Instead of costing 1,000 baht, they are charging 800 baht. They still didn't offer to charge the amount to my credit card, or to mail the small curtain to the U.S., but I can have the lady that is care taking at my house pick them up (I'll send the money by Moneygram) and I'll have the housesitter mail them to me. Any dispute with the store is over and I'm very happy with the product and the cost and, generally, with the service.