Valentine

Hi Pete, they do wrap them in plain newspaper, no polystyrene involved so its as close as one can get to "fush n chips" apart from the type of fish. Last year when I was in NZ, way down south, there were a couple of shops, which were locally famous for outstanding battered blue cod & chips although the traditional variety can still be found in every suburb usually run by Chinese.

Once most fish 'n chip shops here in Aotearoa were all Dalmatio run.

Now mainly orientals, some not so hot either.

Next generation will be Somali, Muslim, <deleted>.

I come from Dunedin & in my time it has always been Chinese. Even last year there still seemed to be many new Chinese in the business which reminded me of a very good book about the overseas Chinese & the networks provided to help their own groups to get out of China & set up in a foreign country. There were some interesting tales related to Thailand & I remember a talk by a leading Phuket buisnessman, of Chinese descent, comparing their situation, when they first arrived in Phuket, to that of us other expats who try to make a business & home here.

About a year & a half ago I came home just after dark & noticed the front curtains were shut which seemed strange to me. My laptop was gone, a watch, clothes in my wardrobe were tossed out & a box with some small change was now empty but the portable HDD which was right next to the laptop was still there (thank goodness) even though I had not made a backup for several weeks it still had all the important info for my business & so did not tkae too much time to catch up.

It was obvious the burglar knew exactly when I would be out & how long I would be away. Chalong police station is just down the road so I went there to report it & two policemen arrived at my home shortly thereafter to get all the details. Investigative work was practically non existant although one of them walked around the house & could not find any eveidence of break in. The next morning I figured out which window the burglar had used & on the ground outside was screwdriver which must have been used to jemmy the window. I picked it up with a plastic bag & took it to the police station only to be told they could not do anything as the investigating officer was away & would return the following week. After he returned he informed me there would be no fingerprints considering the screwdriver was outside all night.

Although I appreciated the quickness of their response the follow up, based upon their method of operating, was disappointing.

A month or two after this the guy next to us reported an intruder in the yard alongside our house & apparently the police came quite quickly but the intruder had disappeared. I say apparently because my wife & I slept through it & told about it the next day.

I don't have a dog at the house in Chalong but my previous home in Kathu has one & is a very effective deterrant. Any Thai people approaching the gate are very wary of him.

Hi Pete, they do wrap them in plain newspaper, no polystyrene involved so its as close as one can get to "fush n chips" apart from the type of fish. Last year when I was in NZ, way down south, there were a couple of shops, which were locally famous for outstanding battered blue cod & chips although the traditional variety can still be found in every suburb usually run by Chinese.

Ping, Marmite is 500 grams, and nearly 2 bucks cheaper than 400 gram Vegemite.

LOL, mine would about a month, 6 weeks max.

Marmite is a stronger flavour than Vegemite, I like it, it repels skeeters just as well.

Not giving into the yanks and their daylite robbery of us Ockors and Kiwis.

Marmite for Australasia is made in Christchurch, or was until recently, not changed I don't think.

As for coffee, real espresso only for me, will have my lil old espresso m/c with me next trip, two and a half months.

Gotta have REAL java, no instant crap, sorry.

Have you tried that foul Thai and Malaysian java brew made with instant and carnation milk.... ewwwwwwwww?

My fave coffee shop in Chalong now has free WiFi, forget the name

Next to the 'English' fish and chips shop on left down the pier road.

I would say the fish n chips more closely resemble NZ or Oz style although the owners are American, who enjoys a gin, & his Thai wife who I believe learned to cook fish n chips either in Australia or was taught by an Aussie. The shop has been there for many years & once had a good review in the Gazette. I had some the other night & thought the standard was still pretty much the same as it has always been which is OK for my taste.

There used to be another one on Chao Fa East which was opened by a Kiwi, sold to an Aussie who then had to go back to Oz, taken over by somebody else but no evidence of foreign involvement & now seems to be closed. The Kiwi guy had an interesting story as he started in a small shop in Phuket Town, opposite TAT, the set up in Patong just before the tsunami & was lucky not to be in his shop when it was wiped out. Having lost everything he started up again in Chao Fa East & ran what appeared to be a successful business in which he also sold model replicas of boats. It was tasty fare in a clean environment.

Many suppliers of saltwater chlorinators base the size of unit on the manufacturers recommendation which is fine if you want to use pool stabiliser to counter the effects of the UV rays from the sun. The UVs eat up chlorine. Pool stabiliser is a suspected carcinogen & needs to be closely monitored & controlled in a strict range for it to be fully effective. In my opinion the use of pool stabiliser is not necessary if you have a saltwater chlorinator which will produce enough chlorine to allow for depletion from the UVs & still leave an adequate residual of chlorine.

Although the ESC 24 & 48 are good machines the cell in the 48 is the same as the 24 & so twice as much power is used therefore the life of the cell in the ESC 48 is halved & replacement cells are not cheap, for any brand.

Feel free to contact me in private if you wish to discuss this further.

Perhaps I can inform the group next time IBAP holds a "Legal Eagles" meeting. We normally have these once or twice per year whereby we have a panel of local legal experts who offer free advice in response to questions from the group. Naturally one of the hot topics is related to land ownership but also others such as company law & recent changes in legislation.

I totally agree with Living in Kata that any advice, no matter how well meaning, should be taken very cautiously. We all have our own experiences which may have worked in the past & could possibly have been illegal but were "overlooked". A legal expert has told me that a foreigner with a Thai wife which is leaglly registered can actually claim 50% of the sale proceeds of a property. I am sure there are other details involved.

There are probably more answers than questions when it comes to land ownership but number one on anyone's list when it comes to property or any business transaction should be due dilligence.

The customs department in Phuket Town used to have a book in English stating the exact duty amount for any particular goods. The problem is they seem to be free to ascribe whatever value they want on the goods, regardless of what is stated, or place it in a category where the duty is higher. Staying calm & polite helps as does producing a proper invoice & receipt. There should also be a duty free limit but unsure what it is, perhaps Baht 5,000.

If the goods come by courier then they are usually processed in Bangkok which does not give you any recourse to negotiate if living here in Phuket. Mail, EMS & air cargo, with Phuket as point of destination, at least gives you a chance to discuss duties.

I have two UPS machines that have bit the dust & for which I have been keeping for a few months. Does anyone know what to do with them?

If the company conducts other business other than just owning the land it may be OK. You could consider leasing the land. It is all about the land, you can own the house but not the land. If leasing beware of anyone who syas you can get 90 years, 30 + 30 + 30, as there is no legal basis for this.

For me even leasing can present problems as what happens if the owner of the land dies or sells the land? Is the lease still valid? I am unsure if all these factors are written into the lease contract that the court will still uphold it. I also understand that to have any hope in a Thai court case the contract has to be in Thai.

Great to see & I certainly could not agree more that this type of thing should be posted all over the place to counter the current negative image.

The core of the current government, the Democrats, have never had a good publicity machine & it baffles me they do not use all available means to promote their cause. Even putting out the pros & cons between reds & yellows, in a balanced format the local populace can easily identify with, could help with the so called reconcilliation they keep talking about.

I am using TOT & yesterday it was down all day here in Chalong. This morning it has been on & off every few seconds or so, very exasperating. I am using my dial up connection through Loxinfo to stay online just now.

hi my friend (falang) has been in phuket for 10 yrs, she is having a complete nervous breakdown and has been callin me and seems losty and depressed,i am trying desperatly to find a phscologist for her in phuket,preferably falang as she needs to be seriously understtod right now,any help on thins would be appreciated,please!\

georgia

Last night at the monthly IBAP meeting we had a presentation about stress given by representatives of Bangkok Hospital & Phuket International. The Thai psychiatrist from Bangkok Hospital, Dr Surin, was very articulate & clear in her presentation. I later asked her how they determine different types of depression & her answer impressed me enough to recommend her on this forum.

Due dilligence is necessary for any business or real estate transactions in Thailand or anywhere else for that matter. There are still many who throw away all common sense once they land in Thailand, I am certainly guilty of it in the past. Many years ago I was recommended a lawyer whom I have found to be totally honest & sincere in his dealings with me. On serveral occasions I have dropped into his office where he offered free & sensible advice.

There is a group, of which I am an active part, called the International Business Association of Phuket (this is not a commercial pitch as the group is funded by its members & run by volunteers). IBAP members have a wealth of experience in all things Phuket & I urge anyone to avail themselves of the opportunity to network & garner information from its members. IBAP is also currently exploring options to assist in community service projects in Phuket. http://ibap-phuket.org

Sorry to get off the topic a bit but I felt it was relevant in terms of helping with advice.

Well said bobbin, and if there was a free and fair election tomorrow Abhisit and his cronies wouldn't stand a chance and they know it

you think?

after todays victory over the reds with no loss of life that can be attributed to the soldiers?

putting down this red revolution will restore internal and international confidence in Thailand

i bet the phones red hot with world leaders ringing to congratulate him

abhisit would get in with a landslide

If he did then at least he would have taken the position by fair means. Good or not, he was put into office by Thailand's elite and not through a democratic election. You think he would get in with a landslide? Recent elections have shown clearly what the majority of Thai people want, but unfortunately they haven't been allowed to do their jobs and have been forced out by the rich and powerful who don't seem to care what the voting public want. As for the red brigade being paid, where do you think the blue shirts came from???

Abhisit is an elected MP along with all the rest who's parties are then free to join up with other parties to form a coalition which is more the norm in Thai politics i.e. they go the where they feel they can get the best deal. I think Churchill made a great comment about democracy, I cannot remember what it was & perhaps someone can enlighten me but anyway Thailand does have its own version of democracy & Abhisit became PM within the existing rules. When the MPs voted for their choice of PM it was on TV for all to see.

Wonder if the reds will condemn the BBC and CNN for their reporting?It is not very sympatheitic to the reds - damaged their cause, only two deaths not caused by military, collapsing momentum, locals turning on reds etc

CNN and BBC must be in the pay of the Thai authorities.

BBC & CNN have had interviews with both Thaksin & Abhisit plus a leader of the reds so how are they not impartial. Thaksin's PR machine has manipulated news ever since his rise & fall from power although now it seems the mainstream media are starting to see through his machinations. His performance on CNN bordered on the hysterical. To preach he is fighting for democracy shows how hypocritical he is considering he totally abused the spirit of the 1997 constitution which was deliberated & presented by many well respected Thais. He further cemented his democratic ideals by putting a yoke on all the checks & balances, had all his cronies withold valuable advertising from media unsympathetic to him. In fact I thought he once said Thailand does not need democracy, please correct me if I am wrong, but the famous "UN is not my father" is a classic.

In this day & age it is extremely difficult to hide the truth consideirng the number of video phones & cameras in the hnads of private individulas. I remember in 1992 when the authorities blacked out the newspapers & controlled the TV stations but forgot about how BBC etc were sending out reports via their mobile satellite dishes.

Many are saying that if the PAD had been prosecuted then none of this would happen but do not forget the leaders have been charged & court cases are pending which we all know move notoriously slow in Thailand. Anyway that is just one of many excuses to justify the current protest. It is all about Thaksin the magalomaniac wanting his money & power back which is being obstructed bythe old elite. He knew exactly waht was going to happen which is why all his family have fled the country. I do not agree with how the PAD went about their business last year but for the Reds to shut down a summit which could have led to direct benefits for the whole country was inexcusable.

I agree that treason charges may be laid for inciting revolution & while they are at it the fugitive should be charged for crimes against humanity for all the senseless deaths during the drug war. See how he fares in The Hague.

There seems to be a lot of members criticizing one another rather than credible eye witness reports & along with all the rumours & innuendo it just distorts the whole picture.

This sounds really good, and as i am coming out on wednesday can someone tell me how to get there from Heroines monument - that's my nearest landmark

Turn right on to the bypass road & keep going straight until you are about 300m from the infamous Chalong Circle where you will see Home Pro Village on your right. Villa is part of the complex.

My feeling is there are tourists who will not come due to the ongoing protests even if they realise that Phuket is far removed from Bangkok & Pattaya although we have had a couple of disruptions here at the airprot & Laguna. However, from now on I think tourist numbers will drop off purely for economic reasons. Ask the hoteliers if they have good bookings for next high season.

Despite Phuket's resilience it will be a tough time for business here, is already affecting mine & no doubt many others. Sometimes I wish I could be like some of the others on this forum who have their finances set up in a way whereby they can spread their time equally between Phuket & home country. However, one cannot just batten down the hatches & wait for the storm to blow because it may be a long time blowing. In terms of business one needs to stay out there.

I am not much of a drinker these days & so do not normally venture down to the circle pier road. I have a friend who recently opened a bar there called The Office. He claims there are no bar girls, just a place to enjoy a drink & chat. Any reports on this?

The circle is a long standing joke, with the demolition & traffic light fiasco last year, although it works reasonably well when there are no controls either human or otherwise. The same can be said of many traffic lights when they are down during which time there is hardly ever a line up. It seems to bring out a better side to our drivers who have to become more considerate.

About 7 years ago when I was issued a one year extension of stay I did not get a multiple re entry permit which I normally do when my one year visa is issued. Simple reason, I did not have enough money in my pocket & figured I could go back before I left the country which was on a regular basis in those days. Ultimately I forgot & upon realising my oversight tried to get one outside of Thailand to no avail. Upon returning I pleaded with immigration at Phuket Airport to issue a re entry permit but the only resposne was Phuket Town. They gave me a 90 day tourist visa which was applicable to my passport then, it is not now. I literally had to go back to square one in the process of getting a one year permit including having to get a non immigrant visa outside of Thailand.

In all the years Ihave been dealing with immigration in Phuket Town there has never been any hassles & I find the yearly trek for one year permit to be relatively trouble free apart from not having enough copies of everything they require. Although the 90 day reporting is annoying I find it generally only takes a few minutes unless you have to complete a new form which makes it slightly longer.

On another front the labour department has made life easier if you have a work permit as now you can get two years except if you are working in a company that has to have special licences such as alcohol & apparently they will only issue the work permit for the validity of the license.

Enjoyed the rant. I don't think you are bitter about Thailand just making some astute & funny observations which are quite typical as are countless others. As Trink so often used to say, TIT. I am sure we could all include some similar rants but would no doubt be accused as a whingeing foreigner & told to go home. I still occasionally get frustrated or upset but mostly try to see the humerous side.

The Islander definitely has the right formula for good, wholesome food at a reasonable price considering the location. Countless Phuket characters have passed through there over the years & continue to do so with Derek, the owner, always being very relaxed & open for a chat.

Does anyone remember Roger, the owner of the Alice Bar? He would go to The Islander almost every night for dinner until he was slashed to death, in his home, by murderous fiends using his ornamental swords. His wife was arrested as the mastermind & jailed but I understand she did not do much time. There were some horrific photos of Roger in some Thai magazine at the time.

I think most of the response time is a direct result of peoples driving habbits....

If you ever watch an abulance with lights on tying to get through traffic, no one pulls over and lets them past... In my home country drivers that don't pull over and let them pass will recieve a hefty fine if the police catch them, here I have seen several times even a police truck not getting out of the way for an abulance, so why would a "regular" citizen move out of the way....

Many of the drivers here are quite selfish/dangerous their driving habits or seem to be blissfully unaware of those around them, hence they do not pull over to allow ambulances to pass. Do they even think that someone's life may be at stake or just retreat to the Bhuddist karma way of thinking? If they felt it was a their own child or a family member the reaction may be different. However, I spend quite a bit of time at the wheel & it appears to me that more drivers are taking notice of the ambulances/rescue vehicles although this could be due to increased frequency.

Phuket's accident toll per head must be the highest in the land & I read recently that the number of vehicles registered here & the ones from outside the province makes a mockery of the official population figures. It shows that central funding for Phuket is woefully low based on officialy registered people & this funding is likely to include that used for policing, better road conditions etc.

I looked through the window a couple of days ago & the liquor section, which still did not have all the shelves up, seems quite large.

Hey Valentine... do have an interest in this bakery ?? Markg sums it up perfectly. I too thought this recommendation was a joke.

I have no interest in the place but was merely stating a fact about outside seating for those desperate to smoke & agree the outside ambience sucks & also agree about the lame breakfast. However, inside it is air conditioned & the Thai food is very good. It is uusally full at lunch time. I will check out Mark's suggestion of Coconut Twins for comparison.

Has anyone tried Patong Bakery (Baan Kanoom) just near Chalong Circle & almost opposite the police station. Their Thai food is very tasty, not too expensive & one can dine inside, for the non smokers, or outside.