kuripot

I changed over from Windows to Mac around 8 years ago and have not looked back. I have had several of their laptops (G3,G4,Intel) and iMacs( G5,Intel) over this time. Additionally I have built several hackintosh desktops over this period as well as converting some netbooks (Lenovo, Samasung, Acer) and cheap dells etc. I recently put Mountain Lion on an Asus 15" i5 cpu 8gb ram laptop which cost about 1/4 of a genuine macbook but is fully functional although not as robust as the genuine article. Nowadays I only use Windows on a bootcamp partition for phone unlocking software and sometimes for a keygen. For the few Windows only programs I use Crossover without the need to boot into Windows. I tried Windows 8 from within bootcamp and put it in the same category as Vista and ME which were disasters.

These days I carry a couple of pre-paid credit cards and just load sufficient funds on-line from my bank account for what I expect to withdraw over the short term and funds are usually available within an hour or so. The rates etc are better than with my bank card which is a bonus. This at least minimizes the risk of someone having a field day with a cloned card.

It's either Thai or take the bus on that route. Kan Air fly a couple of times a week from Chiang Mai to KK with a little Cessna Caravan 208B plane.

British Airways Economy International could well justify the usually high airfares due to the baggage allowance.

From my interpretation of BA baggage allowance you are permitted 23KG of Hand Luggage plus a laptop bag as per;

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagcabin/public/en_gb

Checked in baggage is the usual 1 bag at 23KG but you can take up to an extra 10 bags on a scale of charges

1st extra 23KG bag £34

2nd extra 23KG bag £77

subsequent extra bags up to a maximum of 10 extra bags @ £ 77 per bag

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_gb This is for baggage paid in advance on the BA website.

For a maximum fee of £827 it would be possible to take a grand total of 276 Kg of luggage. This could possibly be a cheap baggage option if moving to Thailand

Onward domestic air travel may pose a slight problem though as might actually moving this volume of luggage !!!

All you need to know about Satellite reception in the region can be found on the Satbeams

http://satbeams.com/

Also for the more technically minded try looking through the online back issues of Tele-Satellite magazine which contains a wealth of information about KU & C band reception along with equipment reviews etc.

http://www.tele-satellite.us/

The back issues can be downloaded as pdf files and provide a good read.

There use to be a piece of software for the pc called satcodx which may still be found on the torrent sites. You input your lat/long, size of dish, and it tells you which satellites you can receive subject to having a line of sight ( not blocked by building or trees etc )

I remember Borax being used in the Philippines to treat timber against termites and other borers. They also used to "poison" the ground around the perimeter of the house to stop ants and other crawling insects getting into the property.

If you know anyone coming over from the UK then it is still available from selected sources as it is banned from the high street stores as a result of the usual EU h&s bull*hit. It seems to be known as Borax Decahydrate or Sodium tetraborate decahydrate. The most reasonably priced I have found is from

http://www.intralabs.co.uk/borax.html The description is as follows;

Prices range from around 85 baht for a 250 gram pack to around 980 baht equivalent for a 10Kg box. Having someone bring some over may make the search easier.

An interesting application that will suit aviation enthusiasts for the Mac, but also as a live view is also available at

http://www.flightradar24.com/ which can be viewed in firefox etc on Windows and Linux platforms

Although many planes are not yet equipped with the technology it is possible to see some flights landing and taking off at Swampy and if you are looking for a flight out of Europe then you can track it for a part of the way.

Sooner have Aquavit !

Dumaguette, Tagbiliran and Cebu are places I have stayed and would regard as safe as well as having reasonable transport links. I would however take care down at Pier 1 and Carbon Market in Cebu.

As previously mentioned Cha Am fishing park would be recommended but also Gillhams down at Krabi is worth looking at. It is not cheap but it is superb venue with World class Fishing and is not a tourist rip off. Type the venue into You Tube for some examples . The average size of the Siamese carp at this venue is now 50 lbs + with several going over 100 lbs apart from the exotics like Arapaima etc . A more affordable venue than BSR would be Wan Chai( no, not Hong Kong ) fishing park near Bangkok where the rate is around 100 baht a day although this venue is primarily Mekongs. The facilities are basic however.

The wifi was slower than dial-up last time I was there. Reckon on 4 hours boredom. You will just have to hope your inbound flight is a little late to reduce the time there

Manila is a s***hole.

Boracay is too commercial ( for me ). Personally I would go down to Cebu and then across to Bohol which is around 90 minutes by fast ferry or Dumaguete which has a nice feel to it and is only a 30 minute flight from Cebu. Bohol has some nice beaches and resorts which are inexpensive. If you are pushing the boat out then Plantation Bay on Mactan. On Cebu island there are some small resorts in the south such as Moalboal which is about 3-4 hours by minibus from Cebu. Mactan island has some decent resorts and facilities.

For female company you could try the shopping malls of Ayala and SM . Depending upon your nationality you would normally get a 21 day stamp on arrival and these can be extended at some travel agents saving the hassle of going to BOI and applying.

Hi All

On this topic, I would like to take my thai wife ( she is on a Spouse Visa since Sept 2011, not yet on a ILR Visa. ) To Paris for 2/3 Days, is it possible to do this? looking at the forms today its looks like in may be possible, but can we get a visa for her? Would it be called a Hoilday Visa?

Alan Day

Schengen Visa will be the easiest route. It is free of charge for spouses of EU nationals and may require an interview.

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Visa-for-family-of-an-European

We used to travel to Germany quite often and the Schengen was always issued for 6 months and for 12 months after ILR. After the initial interview at the embassy in London renewals were by post and very efficient. However the French (being French ) may just prove difficult based on a friend's experience with the embassy. We travelled to Norway, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Portugal during the period my wife was on Schengen visas. If Germany does not require an interview then maybe a night in Cologne before going to France may be an option.

Canada was also visited whilst on spouse visa and the Canadian visa application was done by post with no interview.

I fished at "Dreamlake" which is in the Chiang Mai area last year and had an enjoyable few days there. The pond is stocked with a range of exotics including Alligator Gar, Red tailed Cats, Tiger Cats, Pacu etc. There is an onsite restaurant so it may pay to make a visit to check the place out.

http://www.dreamlake-fishing.com/about-dreamlake-fishing-adventure-chiang-mai.html

I could suggest reading a book by Tristan Jones who took a 40 foot sea-going sailing vessel across the Isthmus of Kra called "To Venture Further"

An exert from the website tristanjones.org

Just remembered the name of the series.

The fishermens apprentice. A UK tv series

Sorry no link as I'm on my phone and aint got a clue how to copy and paste the link.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

Fisherman's Apprentice is on You Tube and a simple search should bring up the goods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxqOQ5bpAHA&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLB0880A2E0681B81F for starters. I think this is really a superb thread and has given me a great insight into fish farming in Thailand.

I always used to suffer badly when I was in the Philippines and took it to be climate, different diet etc. However, after a food poisoning episode involving a fish known locally as Tanigue (Spanish Makerel ) I did some research and found out it was a possible allergy to this fish. By avoiding eating this fish I found that I returned to normal motions and have avoided it since. Pity since I liked the Kinilaw dishes ! My last few trips to Thailand have been fine and I probably suffer more in the UK than overseas but that's probably due to drinking out of wet glasses!

Love to see the faces on my local carp water if I cast this out!!! It would probably break every rule in their book...

I flew Lufthansa economy a couple of months back from Man-Fra- Singapore on the A380. The legroom was poor and the seats uncomfortable compared with the middle east airlines I have flown in the past. Service however was reasonable but nowhere near as good as Qatar (had poor service on Emirates last year on HKG-BKK-HKG). LH was punctual on all legs and efficient in that respect.

Just checked Geneva-Bangkok return and there is still availability at 489Chf or about £325 return. An easyjet flight from Liverpool to Geneva over the same period is looking at £60 return plus luggage etc. It's whether it's worth the risk of the ezy being cancelled and the hassle of having to check luggage in twice for the different flights

Try going back on the site and downloading the PDF version. My MBP running Office 2011 produces the same result as what you are getting. I did convert the PDF to DOC using a program called "Solid PDF to WORD" if that helps .

Flew Sin-Fra-Man a few weeks ago and there was no problem buying duty free booze or transporting it. The EU rules are (taken from Fra website) :

Passengers are permitted to carry through the security checkpoints all liquids purchased duty-free on the day of their flight at any airport in the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Croatia, as well as at Singapore-Changi Airport, Kuala Lumpur Airport (Malaysia), all international airports in the U.S., selected airports in Canada or aboard aircraft of a EU airline, provided these items are placed in a transparent, tamper-evident bag sealed on purchase by the duty-free sales staff. These duty-free items have already been previously controlled.

Liquids in duty-free shops outside the EU are not being controlled according to EU standards. Therefore, passengers changing planes at a European airport are not allowed to carry in their hand luggage any liquids purchased in duty-free shops outside the EU. If you have made any duty-free liquid purchases outside the EU other than at the above mentioned places, please check these purchases in with your airline along with your hold baggage before your onward flight.

The emphasis being Sin & Kul. They refused to sell me booze in Hkg on a Hkg-Lhr-Man trip but was able to purchase aboard the plane and transit security at Lhr without problem.

Just check if you are allowed to use them first. Bungsamran does not allow it. My bait boat is big and it would require a whole suitcase. The battery is a normal motorcycle battery so that is not a big problem.

Hi Robblok,

I discussed it with the guides there on Saturday and they said they had been used before down there. I will however check with Stuart when he returns from the UK. I expect to have no difficulty in getting a Bike battery next time in Krabi and job sorted.

most bait boats use lead acid baterries. They weight a ton! Would be lighter running off LiPo but I bet that's definately not allowed to fly. Bursts into flames even on impact.

NiMH might be viable. So were the spots hard to reach because of cover or distance?

I would think cover because with the long rods used at Gillhams you must be able to reach most parts?

It was actually distance casting down to the water hyacinth margins in the bottom of the bay but was having difficulty delivering ground bait to the location. The Spod rod did not have the range or maybe my casting ability was not up to it. I could however manage the distance without problem on the supplied Free Spirit Cat Tamers supplied to get a bait down there.

I have actually found a supplier of bait boats within walking distance of where I live (ebay shop) and have a telephone number so I may make further enquiries upon my return to UK.