leafmould

19 hours ago, fforest1 said:

They are getting the kids brainwashed at a young age these days....Sorry kids but global warming is a hoax....And the #1 solution to global warming is raising lots and lots of taxes....

I'm in the U.K. right now, on the way to work and listening to radio 4 farming today, the farmer is saying they maybe need GMO, food not to grow bigger food but for drought resistant as in the past few years his wheat crops have been 20-25% less every year due to weather factors. That's a big number if it's global, which it is. 

I bring the guns back to the west and fit them to where I live. Paper no longer does the jobbie. 

I saw this guy on the ben fogle show, fogle did question his lifestyle and wondered if he was running away, tho with most of the folk on the show he put the negative too. the monk did lots of exercise and said it wasn't really part of being a monk to take care of the body but he wanted to.

I've dabbled in spiritual practice and you either have to be tantric/Taoist/Sufi and transmute the sexual energy higherwhile using i, or you dry it up with intense prayer, meditation and age, or it builds up and you cant sustain the enforced celibacy and you feel bad and leave or feel guilty and try to hide it. At least this wasn't with choirboys. 

My ex told me that as many monks you see on the streets are just being monks for a month or so to gain merit, if they smoke slready it would create too many problems if they tried to stop for that period. Might be better for them long term tho. 

Time for one of the "clampdowns" this time on underage workers, maybe that will stop other minors suffering a similar fate, as this probably isn't an isolated case. Or a phone line where kids can call if abused, but then that may be bad for business.

21 hours ago, JAG said:

I never really understood why they gave up using paper bags.

Paper bags break easily, they don't work as well, they are more expensive and take more energy to produce, plastic reduces food decomposition, therefore if plastic bags are recycled or are degradable, as rimping supermarket bags are, paper is worse for the environment.  

I used to reuse plastic bags or take a tote bag or rucksack to shops in the 80's, you'd get wierd looks then. I'm not defending plastic pollution but if it's used well and reused plastic can but useful 

I gave a Chinese guy a slap once in the line waiting at immigration, he walked past me to get in front. Only a slap on his arm with my passport but loud enough to shock him and move him back. Seems from what I've seen many Chinese think others are below them and rules do not apply. More in the case off road traffic, immigration etc than my case. 

Have you tried traditional medicine?  A strong Thai massage or reflexology could help. If your in the north, tok Sen would help. Tho I've had good and bad ones. There's a guy in chiang mai hospital, the old dental hospital, on the superhighway just left of mae rim road, called Kun (now Dr) Sawat that's really good. He did my legs once and it was amazing. He also does guasa, a therapy that's as old as acupuncture, it can be painful but really good for muscle, tendon and neurological stuff. Other good acupuncturists will know guasa. 

Deaths in Thailand are around 20000 a year, deaths in the uk are around 6000 ( similar sized population, road use etc) but was around 20000 a year up until the 70's, then short public information films were broadcast regularly during the advertisement breaks on tv. These were cartoons showing how to indicate and use roundabouts, correct lane procedures etc also advise for cyclists ( Augustus Windsock) and children (Charlie the cat). Of course cars and roads improved but I'm sure the level of driver abilities could only be improved by something similar in Thailand 

7 hours ago, The manic said:

Any evidence he had no WP?

Tour guides are in restricted occupation list, Thai tour guides only. 

Of course it's the bike rider who was to blame but in thai law if there is a death (or even serious incident?) the other party is immediately arrested and imprisoned. And usually only bailed with large amount of bail money. Read insurance documents. They provide one or two million bail money but about 10000B payout per death. 5000B for loss of limb. Etc.  

Why not outrage at the previous  posts of increased malnutrition or the guy who stole 88 million from poor kids? 

Found it. I bumped into a friend who knew. It's round the corner of soi 6 moon maung, the other end of sompet market. Ratchaphakhinal road. 

Hi. I was walking between Buak had park and tha pae gate a month ago and happened upon a really good shop, with only a farang guy in, that had an amazing collection of fossils and insects fossilised in amber, that many museum would be envious off. Alas I've been trying in vain to find it again, up and down the soi's. Anyone know of it?

cheers

I had a friend that I knew from travels in India, first I thought driving around Koh phangan for an hour to find the cheapest pad Thai was mildly amusing as I didn't go with him but then I saw that he always filled up one cup in 7/11 with coffee and another with ice but would only pay for the coffee, sometimes arguing long time with staff that It was only one cup, then mixing it outside in his own bottle. I was with him in bkk once and he was on his way to Cambodia with his girlfriend, he wanted to change bhat to usd, so instead of using money change he stood outside the change place on ko San road at noon and asked everybody if they were changing dollers and if he could buy for the non comission rate of 2 bhat per doller more, it took 40 minutes in the sun to do. I took his girlfriend off for a drink as I think she was getting heat stroke. He lives from his girlfriend, now wife, giving body body massage in London and owns and rents out 2 houses. 

Where's the CIA when you need them. ?

That's exactlly what he's thinking,

Nice Tesco Lotus just outside Roiet, that's about the highlight of the trip for me.

We have Rimping in Chiang Mai, I'll be stocking up before we go, french village bread and smoky cheese, bet they don't have that in the whole of Issan.

try weebly.com free and easy to do yourself, have to pay for "upgrades" like a .com rather than weebly.com but look worth it.

these guys are ok- http://www.phetprasert.com/index2.php?name=timetable&file=r829-2

As with angelbat above if you have a UK bank and a bangkok bank account in Thailand (easy to get), you can transfer to bangkok bank in london from your own account and as its a UK to Uk transfer there are no fees, they then charge you 20 quid and send it to your Thai bank account using TT rate in a couple of days. Its almost as good a rate as bringing cash. http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/TransferingFunds/TransferringIntoThailand/ReceivingFundsfromUK/Pages/ReceivingFundsfromUK.aspx

I'm a bit of a temple nut. Phimai and Phanom Rung are 2 of the best. Great fun.

http://www.renown-travel.com/khmer-temples-thailand.html

A bit out of the way for the way there but maybe a detour on the way back is now on the cards. Thanks

I'm driving from Chiang Mai down to Roi Et in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone knew of anything worth seeing/visiting on the way (beyond Phrae as i know that quite well). Have a map with usual stuff, national parks, waterfalls etc but real knowledge of anything good would be appreciated.

cheers

leave CMX 2PM arrive phisanaluck 7PM, leave Phisanaluck 9.45PM, arrive Mukdahan 6AM. you can leave CMX at 4pm and change at kon kaen but at 2 am and 1 hour wait. so 16 or 14 ish. i preferred the 2 and a half hour wait and sleeping at 2AM option.

avocado, 1 a day,

I recently took an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to mukdahan. arrive 6 AM nicely in time for the 6.30 savanaket bus and the embassy for 9AM, not too bad a night sleep with a pair of earplugs, had to change at phitsanaluk, company was phetprasert.com . nakon chai air only go as far as ubon or khon kaen, I know this aint Chaing Rai but it might help.

On way back it left at 5 or 6 PM, good for picking up the visa and arriving CMX early next morn. about ฿850 one way. not too full so no pre-booking needed.