jak2002003

3 hours ago, ChomDo said:

Actually my pool is only 5.7 cubic metres so the 0.5 cm doesn't really show on the water bill. Last month I emptied and filled the pool up 2 times and had less than 100b extra on my water bill. 

That's cheap for sure.... so even if it is leaking a bit you don't need to worry about the cost of water lol.

North Korea would be no danger to the 'world', ie, America, if America did not keep antagonizing, bulling and goading it for years on end.  Why is it OK for America to have nuclear bombs but not other countries?

Now this feel threatened by America with Trump in charge.  Who can blame them for wanting to have some form of defense from the American threat to their country? 

Sounds normal.  You will know if something is wrong if you start getting higher water bills than usual.

That junk drink 'green tea' in bottles, or sold in restaurants mixed with ice, sugar and milk is so far removed form the real drink it's untrue.

Real green Tea is very good for health.. with lots of antioxidants.  You buy it same as you buy normal tea bags.. and add hot water.  No sugar or anything is the traditional way to drink it. You can also buy it as dried leaves.. and just add hot water. 

I prefer hot Chamomile tea... no caffeine and tastes great... help with relaxation and sleep too.

Chrysanthemum tea is also a favorite of mine... I even add a fresh flower into it... but I am not sure it's actually got any health benefits or not.

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Yes that's true, also, I don't understand people going to gyms when there is exercise parks all over Thailand, where else do you see these overmuscled freaks but in the gym.

Agree.  I have no motor bike, or car... so I push bike everywhere around my area.. bike to the markets to buy food, etc.  If I go into the city (Chiang Mai) I walk to all the places I need to go.. its not that big of a place. Exercise like this is great for body health, fitness, and prevents many diseases.  However cutting down on calories is the way to loose weight, not exercise... which can actually build muscle mass and make you heavier. 

OP, The Thai food in the normal portion size, together with regular moderate exercise will not make you fat.

However, don't go eating the junk they sell in 7/11... that is a sure way to pile on the weight.  Also beer and other alcohol will add to your calorie intake significantly if you drink it every day... and in large amounts.  And, of course, eating cakes, sweets, and high calorie treats every day will make you gain weight... but a couple of slices of cake once a week is not going to make a difference.  Most people have to have some treats a few times a week.. otherwise dieting becomes so boring and people then give up and splurge out. 

Finally, this thing about not eating in the evening is a MYTH.  You can eat any time you want.  You won't get fat because you ate later in the evening.  Weight gain is about how many calories you consume.. not what time you eat food.

4 hours ago, edwardflory said:

The US Congress ran the war in Nam, with so many "" restrictions "" the war was lost.

 

Let the Generals run a war, not a bunch of politically connected idiots ( Congress ), with ( in the case of the US ) the President having the last word - sorry to say that Mr Obama empowered ISIS - et al, with his running the military the way he and his advisors telling the military what to do, and, almost destroyed the US military with the monetary cuts.

 

War is mans greatest crime, except when used against evil

And, do you think that Vietnam and its people were 'evil'? 

Who gets to decided who is evil and who is good?  Many countries and people think America is evil.  America seems to be the one country which lives by war... and makes nice jobs and profit out of it while doing so. 

16 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

not all Thais are Buddhist

around 5 million muslims

You make a good point.

If that poster was Muslim, then that religion is also not part of  traditional Thai culture at all... so they would foolish to comment about Thai traditions and cultures.

On ‎10‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 5:53 PM, SiamBeast said:

Not recognized. Just an expensive ceremony, an insult to Thai culture, and attention-whoring.

 

I understand that some people might genuinely be attracted to each other... but if I would decide to throw away all my legacy and insult my ancestors by marrying a man instead of procreating and continuing the bloodline, my parents would at least want me to keep it low-profile, not publicly advertise my perversion.

Granted, there's adoption, but it's downright child abuse.

 

Anyway I wish them the best, but what they did was totally unnecessary. They're on the wrong end of the "Family vs Equality" spectrum.

Your speech and comments is an insult to Thai culture and your ancestors! 

Your opinions and view are also the most far away from Buddhist teachings I have ever know a Thai person to say! 

Maybe you should book yourself in for some time as a Monk for a few months and sort yourself out my friend. 

Started Wednesday.... I got soaked while shopping... thought it was going to start Thursday (Today).  Ups. 

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Because most(if not all) foreigners don't realise that it's actually a Buddhist festival where you are supposed to do merits in a Buddhist temple.

 

Spraying water is supposed to be restricted to a few drops (like what monks do with a leaf if you ask for blessing) or bathe the Buddha statues.

 

Read the article I posted earlier.

 

 

Please stop saying it's a Buddhist festival about sprinkling drops of water on Buddha statues.

You need to research about the origins of this festival... and not from you ONE link which is clearly written by a someone who is pushing their Buddhist religion as an excuse to do a boring, softly, softly festival.. making sure people go to a Buddhist temple.

This festival was not Buddhist.  But it's got tangled up in Buddhism and temple rituals. It originated from Animist Dtai People. It is an animist festival.. from animist beliefs.. nothing to do with the teaching of Buddha.

It is to celebrate the New Year and the coming of the rains as well as fertility. It was not about sprinkling water of Buddha statues! 

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

And also ignorant morons!

 

Songkran is a Buddhist New Year and it's akin to Muslims celebrating Muslim New Year or the Christians celebrating Christmas holidays.

 

It's not a shooting water party . The original practice is to bathe the Buddha statues with water for purity.

 

Nowadays, people have forgotten the original meaning and start spraying humans just for joy.

 

 

 

 

That is not the original meaning of Song Khran at all.  Its was not Buddhist.  But it's got tangled up in Buddhism and temple rituals. It originated from Animist Dtai People. 

It's name is even derived from a Hindu harvest festival... not Thai language.  It is to celebrate the New Year and the coming of the rains as well as fertility. It was not about sprinkling water of Buddha statues. 

I agree, its got well out of hand now... and I much prefer the traditional festival.. where scented water was gently sprinkled on to peoples feed.  I had the great experience of going out into the countryside a few years back to a very rural village... and the children still did the traditional way.. even giving me a Wai and being very polite and funny. 

Farang tourists are way too aggressive, in your face, and loud (usually drunk) and really spoil it in the city.  Outside in country its much more relaxing and I prefer it. 

4 hours ago, tukkytuktuk said:

There comes a point when you need to ask the question:-
"Are trees more important than people?"

Trees and oxygen are more important than people illegally living on protected land and destroying the environment and nature.

These people have a brain.  They know they are in the wrong.  But they settle and have families there.. because its easy and they think they can get away with it. They can move away and start a new life... the trees and animals can not do that.

Now these people have to face up to responsibility... and their attitude of 'temporary compromises' I think they mean bribing officials to let them stay.

If they were allowed to stay, have more children, build more houses.. the problem would only get worse.  Might as well have no national parks or protected places and make the planet into one big housing estate... but them we would all be DEAD as we would have destroyed what we need to live.

If you did not have much money.. would you illegally build a house, cut down trees, and raise a family in a place you know it's illegal to do?  Or, would you use your brain and look for alternatives?  One way is easy.. the other requires effort. 

Just now, Khon Kaen Dave said:

jak2002003

Thanks for that. I have just fed both the dogs and they have eaten all their food. They do not feel hot, they are not panting, nor are their gums pale. However, after reading your post, i will get them to the clinic first thing tomorrow, as the vet goes to Khon kaen on Fridays, but is open Saturdays.

Thanks to all who are giving me advice about this situation. It good to know that there are dog lovers out there, who treat their dogs like pets and not like inconveniences.

No problem.  I am so pleased you got your dog back. 

I spent all morning looking for my Chihuahua mix dog...  I went cycling up and down through the village calling her.. asking at the local shop, and the old buffalo farmer.  I got more and more frantic.. because that morning I had seen the temple dogs surround and kill my neighbours cat out in the rice field.

My dog always comes straight away when I call her, so I was really worried when she did do respond to my calls.  I checked all her regular sleeping places several times.  Then  I walked through the overgrown plots, cutting my foot on barbed wire!!!   I was so worried. 

When I got home.. I did a house search for the 5th time.. and all around the garden.

Then I was about to really get upset.. when the dog appeared from under the table (where I had looked many times) and rolled over in front of me, with a big smile on her face.  I was so relieved... I had no idea where she had been and why she did not come when I was calling her... really strange.  I think she got out and came home when I was out looking for her. 

The good thing that came out of this experience was a found a few gaps in the fence where she might get out.. so am off to buy more fence this afternoon.

You will have to post a few photos of you dogs on here... we would love to seen them. 

Great story... and please take her to a vet today!!

My 2 dogs nearly died of a tick disease... common here... and one dog got it 2 times.  The blood test and treatment is not expensive and recovery is quick if caught early.

The first time my dog got the disease I just thought she was sleepy and off her food.  With this disease to go down hill so fast.. and waiting a couple of days to see if she got better was a big mistake and she nearly died.. had to go on a drip, lost lots of weight and was kept at the vets for 2 weeks.

The disease attacks the dogs liver.. they go off food, loose their red blood cells and become anemic.  If you dogs have pale gums, feels hot on its skin, is sleeping a lot and not eating much, or at all... it will likely be this disease.

It's right the government is enforcing this law.  It's so dangerous to allow people to ride in the flat bed of a pick up truck.  I see families, babies and children standing up in the back of a speeding pickup truck nearly every day.  Usually they are going to, or coming back from a party... and the driver is unlikely to have abstained from drinking either!

Playing the 'I am poor' card won't wash it... how will they pay for the mass funeral of their family when they get killing in a road accident.. how will they pay for medical expenses (from a good hospital) when their loved ones are crippled and injured, and how will they pay for the things they need when people are dead or injured and can't work and bring in the money?

They are not soo poor as to have no money to use a bus or songtaew.  Songtaews are so cheap, frequent and easy to use. 

The poster who said he regularly transported people in the flat bed of his truck... to save journeys, think how you would feel if your had an accident and they were killed... would you think saving a few back and forth journeys was worth it?

On ‎04‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 11:37 AM, hdkane said:

Agreed.  It's a stupid and off track argument when people create false equivalency. It shows a lack of intellect and an abundance of immaturity.  Besides, these things do happen here more often than in the countries most expats came from...and that's the point.

Can you back up this statement with some facts?

On ‎03‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 3:38 PM, Slaps said:

 

 

.

Life Is So Cheap Here

 

.

Same as in the west.... stabbings, shootings, murders all the time. 

On ‎03‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 7:47 PM, opalred said:

i do have to add

i bike ride through the rice fields every morning

i see a 4 generation rice farmer

that got his water from a stream or channel

had to drill a bore and was pumping for a week to the rice  

now that has gone dry  and will lose his rice crop first time ever

 

I think, in your farmers case, the problem my be due to diverted water supply.  Water is not running the traditional route to his fields.  Not lack of water in the area.

I have seen this in my area.  Many of the clongs have been changed, 'improved', by making them into concrete, some then buried under the roads.  Before the ditches and clongs looked like muddy ditches, and farmers could simply dam them up or dig holes in the side to flood their fields and control water flow.  Now, some of the farmers can not do this anymore from the main ditches.

Another problems has been change of land use, such as people filling in fields to build houses and housing estates, growing different crops, and making new rice fields where there were none before.  Then the water flow gets diverted, blocked up, stopped or mismanaged. 

I am in San Sai... most of the rice fields are full and looking very lush and green.  The farmer next door to me however changed from growing his rice to raising buffalo. 

When I asked him about it, it was because he lost 2 crops in last years drought, and now he was not taking any chances.  He also told me his fields used to be fed by a different water supply to the lower ones.  3 years ago it was diverted under the new road and concreted over.  Since then there have been problems with the supply, but he can't do anything about it.

Chiang Mai is lovely place to live.  I have been here 12 years full time.  I am now 40 years old.

I live outside the city in a small rural village... lots of traditional wooden houses and lovely temples, rice fields, birds and wildlife. 

With the passing years, the air pollution problem has been getting better.  This year I have only noticed 2 or 3 days when it was bad.  This has been the best year so far. When I fist came here there would be weeks of haze and smog, with my eyes stinging and sore throat. 

People here are generally very friendly, funny and relaxed about things.. which I like.  I love the Northern food too.  I live mostly like a Thai rural person now... do my shopping at the local markets, I grown vegetables and fruit, have chickens and ducks.  I cycle or use a motorbike rather than dive a car.

I don't go out into the city at night drinking and driving anymore.  I like to drink with my friends in the local shops a few nights a week.. where I can walk or cycle home a short distance.

I have learnt the language to a reasonable degree... and no I feel really this is my home.  I would not consider moving to another country.

Chiang Mai inner city is also improving year by year, with more stylish and modern buildings and venues. The city is very green, lots of big trees and flowers, water fountains in the moat, etc.  Pavements have been improved and now its easy to walk around most of the city.  Many of the rural roads have been widened and resurfaced, and on the ring roads, many new underpasses have been built, so its easier to travel around now.

More modern shopping malls have been built, with fantastic cinema and supermarkets. (I have never been in a cinema so nice in the UK). 

The only real negative thing is the amount of traffic is increasing.  I notice this mostly on the main roads and in the city, where it can be difficult and dangerous to cross a road!  I hope that this too will get better in time. 

Sure he was offer his apologies to her and her family and that will be the end of it.

How are they getting to eat all those coins?  Are they in a zoo, and people are throwing money at them? Or, are they wild ones? I never notices huge piles of coins on the beach before.

Also, just a few coins wound not cause them to die!  The coins would pass through their digestive system and come out the other end.  Turtles ingest small pebbles, stones and rocks as a way to help break up the food they eat... similar to what many birds do.. because they don't chew their food.

7 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

Is that tongue in cheek Jak ?

So many couples go through a lot of heartache trying to have a baby Intrauterine insemination..etc

They would like  (love ) to  have a child bring it up===have grandchildren etc..maybe they even feel they are leaving a legacy of sorts.

 

You feel a cat is  an adequate substitution for all  those things....?

 

isn't that what they are doing....is there some reason it can not come from Cambodia....??? It isn't easy to adopt a Australian child..... single mothers keep them---its not the 1950s Jak

Yes, it is 'tongue in cheek'.  But some couples place too much importance of having children.  Women, in particular go through so much heartache and stress.. often leading to failed relationships, from trying over and over again to have a child from their own DNA.  If they really want to rear a child, as I said, their time and money are better spent of adopting a child in real need of a home, not spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on impregnating other women on different continents with their eggs, or husbands sperm, or growing babies in test tubes - fertility treatment, etc.  The money wasted on fertility treatment is crazy, when that money could be put to better uses.. to cure children of cancer and other diseases for example.

Not being rude, but you might want to look up what 'surrogacy' means.   It's not adopting children that have lost their parents.

17 hours ago, Grumbles said:

I don't understand why people hand over their passports in the first place. I carry my own photocopies.

 I will show the original but won't let it out of my hands.

If that's not sufficient I go somewhere else.

 

You do the same as I.  But, in tourist places, such as Phuket, its virtually imposable to rent a motor bike without giving them your passport... and most places will not accepts photo copies. 

I think this should be the governments new 'crack down'. 

Never understand why this sort of thing is allowed in the first place.  What's wrong with just getting a puppy or kitten to look after if you can't have kids? 

Or, just go and adopt a child who needs a loving home and people to care about them. 

What's the problem here?  Have you compared the number of deaths that are caused by road accidents in a normal week over Thailand?

Such a small amount.  Take the risk and face the consequences.  If you want to be safe, just lock yourself in your house... oh, no wait, most accidents and deaths happen at home!