cmsoulbrother

I'm looking to extend my current Non O on marriage into a year, and after getting the pamphlet from immigration, I'm a bit confused at how I am supposed to prove my income. I'm not retired, and yet I haven't resided in my home country for a number of years, and as such have no tax obligation there. I work over the internet, and have been counting myself very lucky as I owe no taxes to anyone (I think!). BUT this seems to be a bit of a problem for me now! I was assuming that I could just show my bank book as proof of regular transferance of funds from abroad, but I am now not so sure.

If I am working, but as I am working remotely and freelance, and have no tax records, can I still show my income as support to get a non O marriage visa? If I am working over the internet for companies abroad while residing in Thailand, am I required to pay income taxes here?

Thank you

I backed into a ditch yesterday (hidden by tall grass) and I dented the underside of my plastic fender. It's nothing major, but the car is new, and I'd prefer to get it fixed. In Canada, no one would think of claiming such a small repair for fear of increasing insurance premiums. Should I claim it, or just pay for the repair myself? How much, if any, does making a claim affect the following year's insurance premiums?

Thanks,

John

Keddy,

I'd be careful with a government school.

I don't generally like to comment on the "negatives" of Thai society, but I do feel that Thai schools are very poor. I am sure there are many commited and talented educators working in Thai government schools, but with 40-50 kids in a classroom, they really have no possible chance to do a good job. Additionally, all of the learning (probably partially due to these large class sizes) seems to be done through rote repetiton and memorization.

We moved our neice to a different school for a number of reasons. She was not a dedicated student, prefered to talk with her friends than do her work, and she had no problem getting away with this in her large class room. She is a very bright kid, but didn't seem to be at all interested in what she was learning at school.

When we tried to move her out, she had to take admission tests for other schools, and did very badly on these tests. She simply wasn't learning very much of anything. This was partially her own fault, but then she was only 7, and how much responsibility can a young child really be required to take for their own academic performace. The attitude at her school seemed to be that if she wasn't interested in doing her work, then they weren't interested in her.

We eventually moved her to Wichai, which we thought was the best option for the money. Probably not as good as any of the international schools, but at 30 000 a term, a lot cheaper. She is now doing much better, and you can really see the difference.

I remember on her first day at Wichai, she was sent home with some homework in the vein of "what is your opinion on the character in the story we read"; and she had no idea what to do. She really had a difficult time with this type of work. She had never before been asked to actually think in all of the years in her previous school. It sounds silly, but getting her used to thinking for herself was probably the toughest transition into the new school.

While obviously learning the fundamentals is important, and everyone needs to learn to read and write, to do math etc., I think that learning how to think, to problem solve and be creative is the far more important requirment for an education. I am not sure that a couple of hours of private tuition will compensate for 8 hours a day of weak education.

Good luck, I know it's not an easy decision, and I recognize that your points about the positive social integration aspects of a regular school are also valid.

I send my neice to Wichai Wittaya, and I've been very impressed by the school. She is doing far better than she was when she was in a regular Thai school, and they seem to run a fairly student centered program and encourage actual thinking.

The school has a very good feel to it, and I would reccomend it.

That being said, I'm probably not going to send my other two children there. They are native English speakers, and I beleive that wichai spends a lot of necessary time on the nuts and bolts of general English abilities. I'm not sure that this makes it a great fit for kids who can already speak English. It's too bad though, because at 30 000 a term, it's a lot cheaper than the alternatives.

I have no idea as to where I will send my kids, although a recent thread on this forum seems to indicate that CMS is a good choice.

Hi UG

Why don't you consider a natural building? They can be very cheap, will stay a lot cooler than most cheap concrete and metal style buildings, and can even be a point of interest attracting customers to your store.

I don't know if you've ever noticed the building I put up next to my restaurant (It has a grass roof, so it tends to blend in pretty well) but I built a 60 square meter home for about 40 000b, finished, plumbing and electricity included. I did earthbags, with a grass roof, but there are a lot of really interesting and even practical ideas that you might consider.

I don't know if you have any interest in this kind of thing, but if you do; stop by. I love this stuff, and would be happy to help in any way that I could.

John

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply.

I reread my original post, and the reasoning behind my wanting to open a farm is not really clear...sorry about that! I'm not really looking for the farm to reduce my costs on the restaurant, i realize that this would be impractical. What i am hoping is that the restauarant can help to subsidize the running costs of the farm; by being a purchaser for some of the produce and meat produced, and by paying the equivalent market price to the farm.

The reason that I want to do this is because I just want to do this! I recognize that a lot of the advice that I am getting (stick to what you know, it's harder than you think etc. etc.) is sound advice, and it is the very same advice that I give when asked by people about opening "hobby restaurants".

I just feel that it would be an interesting experince and a new challenge for me. I love to learn about new things. The fact is that I'm a little bit bored of the restaurant. We are in our 6th year now, and the place runs pretty well without me.

My wife seems to think that having a herd of cows, and raising them in the Thai style, is a fairly sure thing, and while it won't make a lot, will give a small return each year, and should be enough to offset the costs of the farm. The story that I am getting from her family is that you can often contract some local farmers in the area of your farm to help look after your farm, ie they also work their own land while earning some extra cash by working yours. Is this unrealistic?

Additionaly, how far from chiangmai do the experienced members of this board feel that I need to go before land will drop into the 40 000 a rai range?

thank you

John

I've been considering starting a small farm up to supply meat and produce for my restaurant, and would like to get the opinions of some more experienced farmers.

I have read through the forums on this board, and farming definately seems a bit harder than I had first thought. I really have very little farming expereince (have been a hired hand in a past life, but no real running of a farm experience).

The idea is to buy a small farm (about 10-15 rai??), and try to grow the produce and meat that we need for the restaurant, and sell a bit of the surpluss. We currently spend about 50 000b a month at the local market, on vegetebles and meat. Since we are paying relatively full price for all of this produce, I sort of figured that we would have an easier time making it as farmer's and "selling our produce" to our own restaurant.

I'm not looking to make a fortune, and am not even looking for enough of a return to live on; but I don't wan't to get into a money pit either. If the farm won't make a small profit (say 50 000 a year, after factoring in an annual return on the initial land price investment repayment), then it is probably not a good investment idea.

The idea would be to have some caretakers run the farm for us, and pay them through either wages, or a combination of wages and land access/accomodation etc. I realize that having trustworthy people doing this would obviously be the first priority.

I'm not sure what exactly we would produce, but think that pigs, cows and some vegetables would be a good place to start.

We are located in Chiang Mai, and would probably be looking for a farm at a distance of a about an hour from town (or closer if land prices allow it) and hoping to pay not more than about 40 000 a rai for titled land.

We have a serious restaurant, I am a hard worker and love to learn, and we would benefit from the enjoyment of the experience (I think) as well as through supplying quality meat and vegetables for our own restaurant.

I guess basically what I am asking is, does this idea make any sense? I realize that I am a bit short on details, but I am hoping that some more expereinced members of this forum may have already spotted a potential pitfall in my farm concept, and may avert me from a major mistake. I am looking for any advice or comments on this idea, and thank you in advance for your consideration.

John

Unfortunately my first class insurance is only paying 80% in the event of theft, and after all the cash I just shelled out for a down payment, that extra 20% for a new car is money I don't have!

I'm hoping to drive to the border tomorrow but I haven't got a "car passport" for driving into Laos. Someone told me that I could leave my car at the Thai side of the border with the immigration officials, who will watch over it for a small fee?

Has anyone done this, is it crazy? I just bought this new car, and am a bit worried to park right at the border, but I also really want to drive this new car, and the thought of a long bus ride isn't too appealing.

Is there any safe place to park in Nong Kai?

I would appreciate any comments on this.

Thanks,

John

I think I might have screwed using the forum interface! I'm still Rick but I'm NOT cmsoulbrother....not sure how I did it.............I'll sort it out later.........hungry....heading out for late dinner.........

Hi. Let me introduce myself, I'm Rick, the owner of Paradise Pizza. I was informed about this posting by a friend who is a fan of the restaurant and I thought I should reply because I truely care about things like this. I started this venture about 2 1/2 years ago because I personally wanted NY Style slices available in CM. We've obviously expanded the menu since then (by the way it was because the Boston Red Sox came back from 0-3 against the NY Yankees in the playoffs and went on to win the World Series but that's another story...) A couple of other places had the same idea around the time but I believe they're all out of business.

Obviously, one pizza restaurant can't make everyone happy. I try to taste them all in CM because I like pizza and I like to know the competition. I'm usually disappointed (Dukes actually would be my biggest disappointment so far....I can't figure out why people keep raving about it but it's just taste........."size doesn't matter"? People seem to be impressed with the size of their pies!?!...sauce was too Tomato Pasty for my taste) but there is no right or wrong as I've said. I personally like Il Forno. I also try to improve everything we cook whenever I can.

I've talked to the staff about the gentleman's complaint that started this thread and here is my understanding. Please correct me if I am wrong. The customer order a pizza but felt the dough was not cooked enough. I believe it was our usually cooking time but I can't be positive because I didn't see the pie. He requested that it be cooked more and my "crack staff" obliged him. It was a take-out order so I guess he took it home but wasn't satisfied. I am sorry to hear about this and actually would like to meet him and discuss what the problem was. Unlike many restaurants in CM and Thailand we really do care. Also, most people who visit here are quite happy with the service.

If anyone who reads this ever has a problem, suggestion or whatever please don't be shy to ask for me. I am often busy doing a millioin things but will always try to take the time to discuss whatever your concerns are. I have been living here over six years and am constantly amazed at how bad the farang food is. I just can't quite understand how they screw up some of the simpliest things (I could give you countless examples but that would impolite).

Sorry this is so verbose.......it's in the blood.........I hope the gentleman gives us another chance or at least talks to me to communicate his complatins. Any else out there reading this please feel free to introduce yourself and Thank You for your patronage.

Cheers,

-Rick

Paradise Pizza

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I think that their pizza is great, and I've eaten there quite a number of times.

I know the owner pretty well, and am really surprised to hear that he was not responsive to your feedback; I know him to be committed to great pizza, and caring about satisfying his customers.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on a restaurant, and ANY restaurant can screw up an order occasionally; but these types of comments can have a really negative impact on a business, and it bothers me when a person I know to be doing a good job, and working hard to make a good product, will be negatively affected by a comment such as this.

If you haven't tried Paradise Pizza, give it a try and make up your own mind, and anyways, how overpriced can a 39b slice of pizza really be?

John

Does anyone know where to buy toddler safety gates (gates that are securable accross the tops and bottoms of stairs, so that toddlers can't get to the stairs) in CM.

I don't think I've seen them around, and am hoping someone can give me a tip before I start dragging myself all over town in this heat!

Thanks

John

Many thanks again to all that responded with advice (thank you Ryan for the PM's you sent). We decided to go with Nandachart based partially on the recommendations of Thai Visa members.

My son loves it, and it seems to be a really well run, safe and very kid friendly-fun place.

I was worried about the separation anxiety, but after a couple of hours at the school, I think that he'd pretty much forgotten about his poor old mom and dad!

Time will tell if we've made the best decision, but I've been very impressed so far.

John

Much thanks to all those that have responded.

I will check out Nandachard tomorrow, as it sounds like it might be the place we need.

I've been having trouble finding a nursery school for my son. He's only newly three, and in my opinion too young for full time, or even half time school, but that's all that seems to be on offer in CM.

I'm just looking for a fun and social environment, where he'll have some structured activities and play time with others his own age.

People are always extolling the virtues of sending REALLY young children to schools here, but I just don't get it. Isn't a 2-3 year old better off at home with family?

I understand that for many, their working hours require them to enroll their children, and that these schools are sort of functioning as daycare providers. But for parents who are fortunate enough to be able to spend their days with their kids while they are really young, why send them away. You never get those years back, and can you really expect others to care for your little guys as well as you do?!

I don't know. I feel like I'm speaking contrary to prevailing wisdom, and am wondering how others weigh in on the subject.

Anyways, I digress. So, if anyone has any info or recommendations on good part time nursery care, I would be very appreciative to hear from you.

Thank you,

John

The kids dragged me reluctantly into The Pizza Company today. Not my favorite place, but I guess I could get down with some greasy pizza action.

We were seated in our cheerful red booth and as we perused the menus I caught a whiff of something that did not smell of melted cheese or tomato sauce.

It smelled like pee.

An exploratory sniff-around led me to the source of the odor, the floor beside the table, and confirmed--with it urinolicious aroma--that there was in fact a stanky old pee-pee coating the floor by my feet.

Having two children under three, I'm both somewhat of an expert on public pee puddles, and fairly non plussed by the situations they create. Nevertheless; we decided that our lunch might be more enjoyable at another table, and called the waitress over to explain the problem.

She denied it.

I encouraged her to get her nose into the region, but she explained that the smell was probably just cockroach shit, and it was nothing to worry about.

That caught me off guard.

Now I'm PRETTY SURE about what I was smelling, but It's hard to argue the finer points between the two odors. We eventually just asked if--even though it was only cockroach shit--we could move tables.

Maybe the Pizza Company trains their employees to speak with full honesty and disclosure, but I think I would have preferred to remain in the dark about that one.

Chanchao,

Thanks for starting this thread. I also struggle with finding safe, fun and outdoorsy type places to take my two under three year old kids.

I agree that the "teach them to take care of themselves comment" was a bit ridiculous.

cmguy,

We do all our ribs in a side-firebox smoker.

As Ajarn said, tenderness is no problem, just takes time and a nice low heat, although I actually prefer ribs just a step before "falling of the bone".

We had our smoker made by a local metal shop using old oil drums and the cost was only a couple thousand baht. Came have a look at the smoker at the Salsa Kitchen and ask for John if you want to talk barbecue. I love to talk barbecue.

IMHO boiling ribs will result in tenderness, but at the expense of great taste.

john

The new Global home store might be worth a look. It's certainly CM's most comprehensive building and home store.

If you do find one let us know, as I might like to get one as well.

I had my son delivered at ram 1 and was quite pleased with the care, service and accomodation, and as of now am thinking of returning for the birth of my daughter next month. I was just hoping to get accounts of TV member's experiences at other hospitals within the city before booking with Ram again.

Thanks

John

I'm looking for a reasonably priced wine to serve at my restaurant. I confess to knowing only a bit about wine, but after researching on the net, I think that either reislings or a sauvingnon blanc would go well with my food (mexican). If anyone can reccomend a wine, preferably retailing for under 500b and available in Thailand, or indeed had any other ideas for me I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks

We make our own cheese at the restaurant. I looked high and low for a source in Thailand for rennet and bacterial cultures and eventually gave up and ordered over the internet. I have been very satisfied with the products from danlac, (check their website) and for 30-40$ you'll have all you'll need to get started. I've since heard of a company in BK that has rennet, and if that's all you need PM me and I'll get the details for you. Good luck, making cheese isn't the easiest thing to do, but it's quite satisfying when you get it right!

I think The Salsa Kitchen, in Chiang Mai, offers the best mexican food in the country, (as the owner of the restaurant I may have some bias), but allow me to extend an offer to try hand-rolled tortillas, the only genuine slow side chamber wood smoked ribs, (that i am aware of) in Thailand, slow braised beef enchiladas/home dried smoked chipotles/ home dried cured mexican sausages, and other tex mex/mexican delights all prepared with heart/from scratch/using only what local markets will provide fresh daily. Our prices are fair 89-159 and you can wash it all down with a litre of fresh lime margaritas for only 279. We've been open for 4 years and I hope some of you mexican afficianados, so desperately missing that taste of home will consider giving us a try.

thank you

I also think the salsa kitchen offers the best mexican in Thailand