dickyknee

I would refer you to the fact that so many Changi lovers fail to mention, Changi handles MUCH LESS passenger volume than any of Bangkok's airports have ever done

um, not quite much less... they are actually on par with passenger volumes.

BKK 38,565,626 vs SIN 37,974,903 last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic

... what part of TRANSIT PASSENGERS in my post do you not understand?

did I miss quote you?

I would refer you to the fact that so many Changi lovers fail to mention, Changi handles MUCH LESS passenger volume than any of Bangkok's airports have ever done

um, not quite much less... they are actually on par with passenger volumes.

BKK 38,565,626 vs SIN 37,974,903 last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic

I don't think the toilets are dirty.

last time i went through there, it was over an hour in the queue for immigration (arriving and departing).

i usually don't eat there.

i'm usually in transit, so have not had to deal with the taxis or the train thingy.

but being a transit passenger (PER-CNX) regularly i prefer going through SIN than BKK. why?

if i get stuck in transit for a few hours, in SIN i can:

clear immigration quickly, get on a train that takes me quickly, cheaply and comfortably somewhere (or anywhere in Singapore for that matter) i can get some good food and drink. then get back to quickly go through immigration without risk of getting stuck in queues or missing my plane. try do that in BKK!

or i can choose to stay in the airport:

I can watch a movie at the cinemas in T2 or T3.

I can browse the interent anywhere as it is free throughout the terminal.

I can shop (or window shop). i guess it is possible to do that in BKK, but it's apples and oranges.

and they are forever changing singapore airport, so everytime you go through there is something new and interesting to see.

I agree with the people that say, when compared to other airports worldwide (delhi, hethrow), BKK isn't that bad. BUT, the goal when they built Suvarnabhumi was to be THE transport hub in Asia, so it has to compete with SIN, HKG, KLIA... I'll keep transiting through SIN unless I really have to transit through BKK.

all good ideas...

except leaving the rod behind for the lady. they are never any good at catching fish, except when they are, then you'll never hear the end of it.

all good food for my thoughts.

thanks.

yeah, I've already got one of those "pretty girl" rod holders, but the girls tend to get in the way when it comes to everything else "fishing".

i have been considering the PVC thing, i use a piece of PVC to send the rod through checked luggage. i'm not big on re-inventing wheels, so was curious to know if anyone else has come up with, and implemented solutions to the same problem. i've seen commercially available mounts to put surfboards on scooters, i was wondering if similar things may be available for fishing rods.

cheers.

Just wanted to let you know that a Synthasiser is NOT a musical instrument. It is an electronic piece of equipment. Your lucky you didn't pay because electronics are always taxed for bringing into Thailand. Yes agree with gotlost don't even look back. If they ever did (which they won't) ask you when leaving "where is that synthisiser you brung into LOS?" You would just simply say "the police bought it off me."

Yeah i was under the impression, since the guy didn't take any details about it (make, model, serial number), that i got it through and need not look back...

but i now expect to encounter this situation again since i have a one more i was planning to bring up in the future (this one is about 30 years old but much bigger), so I want to know where I stand.

now, i'm confused about the classification of it, a synthesizer not being a musical instrument, does that mean there is no customs duty classification for musical instruments, or just some instruments? is the customs duty the same for musical instruments and electronics? what is the duty on the two? does it even matter if the gear is old or new, can they still slap me with an import duty?

cheers.

well i've only got the click to get about on when i'm in thailand, and carrying the fishing rods is not that easy.

Has anyone seen any novel solutions / products on the market that allow carrying fishing rods on the bike easy?

cheers.

ok, i arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday with my suitcase and a cardboard box with a 3 octave synthesiser safely packed inside. I purchased it second hand in Australia a couple of months back and planned to bring it back home to Chiang Mai with me.

Customs stopped me, got me to open the box said it's in such good condition that it must be new and I have to pay import duty on it. i showed them the receipts that said it was second hand (luckily when i purchased it the guy gave me all the paperwork including the original receipts with his name on it).

anyways, the official said i can bring it into thailand without paying any duty so long as i take it with me when i leave. He took a photocopy of my passport, and got me to sign on the photocopy saying that i would do exactly that.

now, since it was not really my intention to take it back to Australia in the short term, I'm not sure where I stand.

1) Do I have to pay import duty on second hand musical instruments?

2) if so, how much is the import duty on second hand musical instruments?

3) Because the official let me through without filling out any official documentation, I have a feeling that photocopy is going to land in round filing cabinet next to his desk. should i even worry about it?

I don't have the manuals handy and won't for a few weeks but i'm trying to source some replacements. i've done some internet searching so just with to confirm the part numbers.

Honda Click-i:

NGK - CPR7EA-9

Denso - U22EPR9

NGK Iridium - CR7EIX

Denso Iridium - IU22

Yamaha Fino:

NGK - C7HSA

Denso - U22FS-U

NGK Iridium CR7HIX

Denso Iridium - IUF22

Check your oil level. Too full maybe?

As clear as I can. If you are at the Montri Hotel inside the old city, you go straight down Ratchadamndoen Road (Sunday walking street) for one full block until you see a complex with Wawee Coffee. You turn left there and Girasole Restaurant is several shops down from Wawee Coffee - but behind it. The garden type area is behind the restaurant.

if this is the place with the Yamaha dealership on the opposite corner, then i've eaten here a few times. good food and good price. pizzas are good good.

i've never been there on a friday though.

Had another talk with the wife. Turns out at last service she simply took it to Somchai in the village who only changed the oil.

So today it was to the local Honda dealership and have the "service" redone. For 80 baht they changed the oil (presumably to the correct one), cleaned the air filter, did some tuning on that noisy part that makes the bike go, took it for a test drive, fiddled some more with it, then checked air pressure, tested the brakes and that was it. And now it runs like it did before. It all took 20 minutes.

Wife has been kindly instructed to take it to Honda, and not Somchai next time too. Friendly bunch there and appeared to know what they where doing. At least with a nosey farang peering over their shoulders, he he.

Dragging up an old thread, but i had been having the same problem since i had some mods done (new wheels, suspension, accessory socket installed for the GPS) and at the same time an oil change.

Watched the guy pour 1 liter of oil in, didn't raise any alarm in my brain because i didn't know the capacity of the sump.

then i noticed it really only became sluggish on a hill, so checked the oil level yesterday, and it was well above the full mark. i got the lady to translate the manual and the total sump capacity is 0.8L, and takes 0.7L at a change. i took out the excess oil (with a syringe and a straw) until it was back to the full mark on the dipstick and the bike has been fine since.

I rode past a "gathering" in the old city this arvo/evening. mostly market stalls selling red t-shirts with slogans on them. more stalls than customers though.

saw alot of CMFC supporters driving around tooting horns and waving blue/white flags tonight.

priorities...

are you serious or have I missed something?

In reply to Coludhopper, that is where his head is, mouth in fast forward and brain in reverse, it annoys me to read comments like this when thay do not have a clue about what they are talking about what so ever,Photovoltic the 4th generation to day are now 96% efficent and they do not need sunlight what so ever they still produce a very high output even on the darkest of days as to day the only rely on UV and radiatoin rays from the day light, they do not require battries, charger.Solar is the only way to go.

Photovoltaic panels are very unproductive in the rainy half of the year here in the North. To use them for a minimalist (lights, fan, refrigeration) domestic setup requires an inverter/charger as well as a huge set of deep cycle batteries. As already pointed out electricity is still priced way below it's value at the moment and cost-wise there is just no comparison - you could never recoup your capital costs with solar.

I think the solar water heaters are a good choice here however, and would be far easier to home brew a system.

As an update, I ended up bringing 2x1L bottles of 5w30 mobil1 in the suitcase from Australia.

went past the esso on the hangdong-chiangmai road today and they now have 5w30 in 1L bottles.

oh well.

seems it's going to cost me rather more since she isn't presently running leopard OS, is still on tiger 10.4 (which probably means more to mac users than me). does this mean i have to buy the more expensive upgrade version and is that likely stocked by the CM apple stores?

the leopard->snow leopard upgrade version is the cheap one (about US$29), the expensive mac-box-set (US$169) is required to upgrade from tiger.

(though this is for licensing only, the cheaper upgrade version is a still complete install disk that will install without a copy of leopard)

I always fly SilkAir Singapore to/from Chiang Mai as a stopover between Australia. I'm not sure what is regarded as a good deal, but I always thought the deal was ok. I just checked it now, 9740bht-12340bht return inclusive of taxes, 25kg luggage, food, alcohol.

To suggest he was a member of the SAS is an insult to that regiment. This guy was an Army reservist.

Clearly, he is two bob short of a quid.

every tuesday night and one weekend a month he would rock up for marching practice

SAS? what a gum nut.

tinglish, thaimocracy.

it's funny 'cause it's true.

If I email you and tell you I do not like your food I am a protester.

If I stand outside and tell others your food is lousy I am a demonstrator.

sounds good.

If I come in and burn the place down I am either a terrorist or a helper of humanity depending on who is telling the story,

i would have thought:

if i come in and burn the place down because don't like the food, i am an arsonist.

if bash a few customers and set fire to their cars to scare people away from your food, then i am a terrorist.

but you'll have to fly tru bangkok and there are some serious problems

up to this moment they have kept the airport open, if i were you directly connect to chiang mai

i always come through singapore (silkair/singaporeair) directly into chiangmai, never through bangkok. but that is from australia.

there are many ways into chiangmai that don't involve going through bangkok.

Hi all,

Our honda click is coming up for its first service and wish to change the oil to my prefered Mobil 1. The click spec's a 10W30 to 10W40, so the closest spec mobil 1 available is probably the 5W30, only i can't find it.

I went to a couple of Esso service stations and the had 5W50 in 1L bottles but that is too thick i recon, and 0W40 which i could use but they only had it in 5L bottles, which is way too much for what I need.

does anyone know other places that might have what I'm looking for?