Valentine

I guess there are many out there who have no idea about swimming pools & happy to believe what the salesman says. All pools require maintenance. Do some due diligence. Compare systems & quotes from other companies. The cheapest & quickest does not mean it is the the best & may well end up costing more over the long term.

"And to top it all off my very best mate ( male) has lost his Mrs to another woman."

Oh, please.

It happens. I used to work on offshore drilling rigs & one of the drillers who was from Louisiana came back after his month off looking pretty depressed. It transipred that his wife had run off with the woman next door who was a lesbian.

Years ago I could use my ATM card as debit card in Thai supermarkets & other places but it seemed they stopped accepting debit cards & would only take credit cards which is what I use occasionally but normally pay by cash. Cash is definitely faster at the checkout unless it is one of those ladies who have to go through two or three different wallets & purses to find the extact change for payment.

Where I hail from they have an EFTPOS system which you can use with debit or credit card plus you the teller normally asks if you want any cash to go which then saves a trip to the ATM where you would use the same card. Swipe your card, enter the PIN number, push credit or debit & the result is instantaneous unlike the slower way credit cards are processed here.

"Carrying what item?

How do you know the Katoyes were already there at the shelter?

What circumstances are ridiculous?"

I agree with HC. It does not matter if the katoeys were in the shelter or not when he got there to get out of the rain. It does not matter if he had a few beers or not. It does not matter if he is a veteran of Bangla & should know better.The plain fact of the matter is he was attacked & robbed which should never be condoned. The analogy is like saying a well dressed, pretty girl deserves to be raped.

HC you can view more details on the website we are not allowed to mention. Sorry I thought I did not mention it in my post but now see it is there. I imagine he went downtown to pick up the item & stopped off for a few drinks with friends before going home.

Just wondering why the formwork is blue. BTW job looks to be going really well which would have been pretty hard here in Phuket with all the recent rains although it has been OK this past couple of days.

This from the website we are not allowed to mention.

"At 4am this morning, one of Phuket's leading American residents and business identities was mugged by three katoeys as he sought shelter from a downpour under an awning in Patong's famous Soi Bangla walking street.

He told Phuketwan that when he went to report the crime at Patong's central Kathu Police Station this afternoon, he found himself queuing behind a British backpacker who had also been rolled by katoeys overnight."

A couple of nights later the same man was crossing Rat-U-Thit when a motorcycle taxi deliberately swerved towards him seemingly with intent to do harm & yelling out f.... you farang. After having to take evasive action to avoid being run down he raised his hand in reply to the taunt & yelled out f... you too. The motorbike taxi guy then stopped, got off his bike, ran over to the man & slapped him hard on the face. The man knew better than to fight back knowing full well that if he did he would soon be pounced upon by more cowardly thugs which is the norm in Patong if a farang thinks he is going to have a one on one. It also makes sense considering the sullied reputation of motorbike taxi drivers following the recent incident of one killing someone with a gun in a 7/11 store while out on bail for another killing.

BTW this same man has been pro active in proposing a very sensible solution for the jet ski operators. There is a positive side to the slapping incident in that some local Thais came over & apologised for the shocking behaviour.

The signs are fairly sensible, the lack of follow up is not i.e. mot posting the requisite flags as can be seen from the last photo.

Why would anyone believe summer makes anywhere in the world secure? Tourists die from drownings, road accidents etc everywhere in the world at all times of the year. If you subscribe to True Visions take a look at 'Bondi Lifeguard' which shows summer at the most popular beach in Sydney. Some days there are tens of thousands of people there, many rescues are preformed & very occasionally someone drowns despite some of the most well trained, well equipped (jet skis are an integral part of their kit), beach lifeguards in the world. People rescued include experienced surfers, tourists & others from all over Sydney.

It is easy to take part in the blame game (there have been more than one low season promotion in the past) but how about something constructive. Most likely the Phuket lifeguard system was reasonably well funded in the beginning but as in many things the big 'C' takes its toll & often initial funding is not backed up. How well trained are our lifeguards & can something be done to improve their training on a regular basis along with supply of good rescue equipment. The Phuket Lifesaving Association is in its infancy but hopefully it will start producing tangible results in the form of more trained personnel. Many beaches around the world are manned by volunteer lifeguards during the weekends which would also be helpful here.

Lack of surf knowledge, ignoring warning signs, thinking that you are a strong enough swimmer to cope with the conditions, are the main things which contribute to drownings. I fall into the 3rd category & know full well the feelings of panic which can swiftly overcome when dragged along by a strong rip &/or pounded by heavy waves. A couple of years ago a well known expat died at Nai Harn. He used to swim there most days, was extremely fit & a strong swimmer.

I would like to visit the Ronald Reagan.

Any ideas how to do this???

Gerd

Try contacting Rotary Patong as they have a programme painting schools & usually some of the navy guys help out when in town. Appaprently for this visit there is an offer by the navy that anyone who helps out with the painting will be welcome for a guided tour of the carrier.

I did not realise it was a freeform pool but good to see them setting the waterstop in place.

As there are probably no pool shops in your area perhaps you could try one the aquarium shops to see if they can test for hardness. Most of the time for your pool a simple chlorine & pH test kit will do which should only cost around 600 Baht & I am sure your builder can supply although it is possible he has included it with the pool cleaning kit.

I cannot tell from the photos what type of steel but I hope it is 12mm 'D' bar. I assume the PVC pipe is for floor inlets which I try & avoid at all costs as most of the inlets look pretty terrible after a couple of years but mainly because if the pipe is compromised it is a major job to repair or replace. Otherwise they look to be making good prgress & you should have the floor slab in place soon.

Could it be for the main drain?

I suppose it could but I do not like the idea of having the pipe under the whole pool when it could be cut down to about 1m exiting at the deep end.

Associations and interest groups are the bedrock of organized society. Only when people get together, work together on a common cause can something be achieved on a scale that is of some size. I would support and join an association.

I think the main point made in response to the OP is that such organizations already exist. It would just seem that many people here want one that is focused solely on what most consider trivial or non-issues.

TH

Ok, can you say what association would be suitable for my interests in thailand? I am a european living all year with my thai wife in central thailand. FCCT is obviously not suitable, maybe i overlooked one that was mentioned in this thread?

thanks, chr

Did you check out the link I posted above for IBAP? Although you cannot normally attend in person the information generated through IBAP can be useful to anyone anywhere in Thailand.

Security specialist Frank DeSommer will address some of the street level crimes and how they effect tourists and residents as well as larger serious activities from internal employee threats to transnational crime and terrorism.

Mr Frank DeSomer, a retired U.S.Marine presently working in Thailand within the Private Security Sector, who also Chairs the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) for the U.S. State Department.

Venue - Phuket Brewery (opposite Tesco Lotus)

Date & Time - Friday 11th September at 6.15pm

Price - Members 200 Baht - guests 400 Baht (do not need to be accompanied by member). Includes complimentary drinks & snacks.

Presentation does not normally start until after 7pm so plenty of time to network & socialise. More details on the website http://ibap-phuket.org

Here in Phuket we have the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) with monthly meetings with guest speakers on topical subjects of interest to those living &/or doing business here. The group contains many members who have been here for a long time & have their own experiences, good & bad, to pass on to newcomers. Recently two banks approached IBAP to ask if they could make a presentation & so last month Siam Commercial & Kasikorn banks had local & Bangkok representatives attend the IBAP meeting.

Feel free to check out their website http://ibap-phuket.org It is a non profit group run by volunteers who all live & do business here. Currently under consideration is the possibility to set up IBA's in other locations.

What is the alternative to this kind of inlet pipe? Of course we cant change this now, but its always nice to know.

Eyeball inlets in the wall as there is much less stress on the pipe considering it is not under a concrete slab plus tons of water & a much better chance to effect a repair if needed. There is really no need for piles or footings if the land is solid & you are not below the water table.

I cannot tell from the photos what type of steel but I hope it is 12mm 'D' bar. I assume the PVC pipe is for floor inlets which I try & avoid at all costs as most of the inlets look pretty terrible after a couple of years but mainly because if the pipe is compromised it is a major job to repair or replace. Otherwise they look to be making good prgress & you should have the floor slab in place soon.

Not sure if they have any but you could try the bakery just up from Chalong circle on the way to Rawai. It is next to Family restaurant just by Tesco Lotus. If you blink you will miss it as I do not know if they even have a sign but the shop is a light green colour. It is the only place I know where you can buy freshly made crumpets if you order beforehand.

I think the numbers are quite misleading. 52 cases of theft or vandalism!!!! How can they be linked together unless vandalism occurs during a robbery plus the number seems extraordinarily low unless burglary is not included in this number. My ex has a home in a gated estate in Kathu where there have been at least 7 burglaries in the past two weeks, including the next door neighbour & directly opposite. I cannot count the number of times I have seen someone on a motorbike drifting around the estate diligently looking at every home he passes & a couple of days ago saw it in Land & House which has far better security.

Crackdowns always seem to be publicly announced beforehand, these guys were just getting the paid version. I too question why they are continually allowed to work here when there have been numerous complaints from the locals over the years about illegal Korean guides.

Not meaning to tar them all with the same brush but recently I saw a couple of them eating at fast food in Big C, one of them was trolling the stalls while the other was bellowing at him from the table & he could be heard well above all the normal din in there.

Sometimes stolen cars taken for joy rides would be deliberately set on fire but I do not think this is the case here as it is on a well travelled public road. Besides I assume the motive for stealing cars in this country is for profit or to commit a crime.

20k, top end spec , will that help you sleep ??

Can you please clarify some of your top end specs & your finished product such as what type of blocks, single or double layer, roof truss steel or otherwise, insulation, roof tiles, interior finish, type of paint etc.

Hopefully this will help get the Phuket Forum going again as it has been a bit slow lately.

I enjoy a good hearty American or English breakfast (not very often) & on occasion like to have eggs benedict but the place I go to is not consistent e.g muffins not toasted to a nice crisp golden brown or the hollandaise sauce does not hold together, although they do sometimes get it all right. Any recommendations for good eggs benedict in Phuket?

As you will be using a saltwater chlorinator you do not have to worry about frogs in the pool as they do not like salt water.

I agree about using LED lights as it sound slik eyou are being quoted the car headlamp variety & it should be noted the Australian safety standard is now 12v 100w for pool lights.

L-Thai tiles can vary in size & not so easy to lay & there are many alternatives which I consider to be better in terms of price & range of colours.

What is the link?

What is the special promotion mentioned?

How about price examples?

I mean that it would be good to put some more information when doing the advertises. Without proper 'teasers' I as an potential customer, am not going to google for information.

Perhaps you should try reading the original post to see what the promotion entails.