mogoso
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Posts posted by mogoso
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I have a papaya tree in my garden, but yes agree on the excessive price of mango's
Weary of the price of mango's I went to Mae Jo University Agriculture Day back in January. I came away with a dozen mango trees of different varieties. I'm waiting till the rainy season to plant in a corner of property. (as advised) Our papaya trees put forth copius amounts of fruit so we give away most. A use for a young papaya surprised me. I thought our neighbor wanted green papayas for som tom as she'd motor over occasionally to get one. They raise chickens and when they get to the point the chicken isn't laying they kill and eat it. Well older chickens have tough meat but if you boil a green papaya with the chickens meat it softens it up. At least that's her story and I believe her. As for the price of coconuts, I'm planting 10 of them in the morning
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We're not in Chiang Mai per se, and have found getting a reliable service a bit difficult. Most companies BBB, TOT aren't available in our area. AIS had a plug in WiFi that went through sim cards in 2 days. I find tethering my cell to one of our computers works fine for most internet activities and works better in the rain than the True antenna we have for TV. Cell phone with unlimited internet and talk costs 350 baht and I know there are cheaper sources. I can watch movies and US TV shows but it takes a few minutes to get them going right,and it's faster than the AIS plug in
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I've had the opposite occur many times in Thailand. At times I'm easily distracted and have walked away before my change was handed back, and then the worker will chase or call me back to give me my change. I've been short changed in many countries but not when I'm paying attention. I've also have noted to people they haven't charged me properly and I owe them more money or they've given me more money than they should have. I kinda think the karma aspect enters into it, just be honest and that'll be returned.
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A long way off retirement but some cost comparisons that have me thinking a bit recently
Thailand England
Education c.300,000/year Free
Healthcare c.5000/m insurance Free
BMW 320 c. 3,000,000 c. 1,200,000
Coffee Machine c. 15,000 c. 5,000
Supermarkets are about the same, but I would say you have a bit more variety and (never thought I would say this!) better quality in the UK.
Thailand is cheap for some things, hotels, restaurants, labour (a double edged sword) but not for others, and the things Thailand is not cheap for are becoming more of a priority in my life than the things it is cheap for.
Property can be cheap but if you want a nice place in a good location (and that means Bangkok for most people who work here) then it isn't much different to provincial cities in England.
Is Education and Healthcare really free in England? Are the teachers paid? or there facilities for the students to be taught in? are there hospitals and Doctors offices? do the people who work in them get paid? Or is there a system of high taxation that removes the money from your pockets withoiut you having to worry where the cash is going. there ain't no such thing as a free lunch where Government is concerned
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Condolences to his family, may he rest in peace.
I've oft wondered if Thai people fall to their deaths in a percentage equal to farangs. I've seen the speculations about drugs alcohol low guard rails etc but no idea of the percentage of Thais that meet their demise this way
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I wish him success in finding the proper person(s) who aided him, in particular the taxi driver who risked some harm to his own self. May a happy meeting occur with much fun and tears of joy.
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Thank you, it's nicer on the inside than out but it's comfortable with a great sunset, No neighbors for hundreds of meters so it's quiet. We don't even hear the local Wat which is about a kilometer and a half away. We are outside of Chiang Mai, north east of Mai On. We've landscaping to do but it'll get done as soon as I get a round to it, I love procrastination.
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This I meant to post long ago and it's the short version on the construction of our home
Construction in full tilt boogie
Roof being constructed
looking back from driveway
Ceilings done
Front door being fitted
Bathroom wall above small two person hot tub
Home from short distance, the little building to right is guest cabin, just a sitting room and bedroom and bath
Two pump water system. One to put it in tank from ground, other to send it to home
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"H&R block charge about $250 for the most basic tax return with basic W2 form salary only." - False. I worked for H&R Block for several years. The return you describe would be free. A married couple with a couple of W2s, who own their home with a mortgage deduction and a couple of kids - it may be that high depending on other stuff.
I am not an H&R Block advocate - I highly recommend TurboTax if possible in your situation - just wanted to straighten out an error.
Cheers.
Why pay for any tax program, go to the IRS site and they'll list free tax services. I use tax act as they will let old farts file, some of the others have age limitations. They will charge you to do you State returns, but no income in State no return necessary
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The make-up was a pretty bad idea indeed, but nothing was worse than the butter.
The butter is for us. The cost of 1 stick of butter in Thailand is more than the cost of 4 sticks that I bring with me. We've 4 months to consume it as well as the cheese. We bring what we want to use and give what the people asked for. We'll bring a few other items and gifts, but mostly we just stock up our house with things that cost too much in Thailand and require a long drive in some cases to obtain which further adds to the cost. We're toward the end of 1317 so we anticipate our usage, and I like to bake bread so butter and cheese are used a lot in our home. My almost 6 year old grandson wants an Ipad, what he'll get is an Acer that works really well and without some of the after market prices the ipad charges for it's crap, so he'll not get what he asked for but what grandmother has decided. As far as makeup it's something I wouldn't bring, but wife will bring a few things in for mom and a cousin and niece. Korean Air gives two 22 kilo bags and a carry on per person as part of fare. We'd be dumb, not to take advantage of it each time we come and bring stuff we're going to use, especially good dark chocolate for me. We all have our vices, it's one of mine
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Forget Chocolate? of the 4 suitcases we bring one case will be chocolate as gifts and other food for ourselves such as cheese and butter. Costco nicely wraps 4 pounds in quarter stick packs in heavy plastic. We stick 8 lbs in the wet end of two our bags. They get a bit misshapen but put them in the fridge and they'll be our butter for the next 4 months. 8 two pound blocks of cheese, won't melt and it goes in the fridge. The chocolate is in one or two pound boxes with the few 2 pounders going to a couple of Poo yai's, our bank manager and a few friends. Smaller boxes go to family. We don't bring much in clothes and they go in our carry ons. Other bags bring good sheets, towels etc that we could buy in Thailand but costs more. Books and my personal stash of food to include 16 lbs of Gharadelli chocolate bittersweet bits for my daily cup of hot chocolate, grits etc
But forget chocolate not a chance, it's an addiction, a way of life, a health food and I like it.
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Bangkok Bank has always been very easy to deal with. At the branch office we use most, the manager jumps up and finds out what we want to do and gives it to a teller to take care of us as soon as they finish with the customer they are helping. We do bring a box of chocolates yearly for all the tellers and other workers and a bottle of whiskey at New Years for the manager, but they've been extremely helpful over the years. We appreciate them and they appreciate our business.
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What's the big deal, the NSA has already a file on all activity in the world, that includes cell phones, computers and tablets. But not to worry the Obama says they are not listening. If one country does it then all countries will want to do it. The nanny state is awesome isn't it.
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We leased some land from a relative that when she dies the land will belong to my wife. I thought my wife was going to use her paternal uncle to build her house, but her mother wanted her brothers to work. They started the job and I have no disagreement with their work, they did a good to a point. That point was reached when they came to my wife and wanted more money. They wanted 500 baht more per square meter more than what their contract was for. I watched them come by and try to argue with my wife, first one then two then all four uncles tried to browbeat her. She told them to stick to the deal or she'd pay them to a certain point and get someone else to finish. She remained steadfast and paid them off without to many hard feelings. Their sister wanted them to build her a home just a block away from their homes and their thinking that'd work out better for them. Sometimes things don't work out as you wanted them to. Their sister isn't easy to work for.
My wife then she hired the person I wanted from the beginning, her paternal uncle. He was a joy from the beginning to work with and reworked the porch which was way too small and had a quality electrician and a plumber come in to do things right. It's a small home only 140 sq. meters two bedrooms two baths with a computer room and utility room. The three water producing rooms have they're own Thai septic system. The largest instant water heater we could find produces enough water to fill the 2 person jetted tub in bathroom and hot enough for our dishwasher. Two pumps are used for household water, one to fill the large tank and another to send it to the house.
we're back in the US now but will return in three months. But this home is paid for entirely by my wife, I'll live there quite happy, but feel proud of how hard she has worked to produce her own dream. I was happy to move out of the cabin at my MIL house, we'd stayed at too long
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I like fainting goats, scare them and they fall down
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The isn't the first case of Oprah claiming racism at a hand bag shop before a movie she produced has come out.
The difference is this one was caught on tape (not provided)
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Excessive use of Alcohol is problematic wherever you abide, problems develop. Even at the village Wat while trying to enjoy a bit of music and dance, buffoons will get liquored up and be the fools. To me we go early and leave early works the best. The drunks all wanna be my friend and I don't need the company that I find odious boring and distasteful.
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Since your in the US you might check with your local Wat ( or call Thai embassy) because very year the passport officials come to our Wat in Atlanta and Thai people in need of a passport can get the process done there and it's mailed to you in a few weeks, otherwise you have to go to DC to Embassy to get it done. They have already been to our Wat this year so I guess the program is still active. Doesn't matter if her passport is expired, happens a lot. DC process is pretty straight forward also. Just get it done now, October seems a long way away but it's only 2 months and a few days and if I remember right the passport is mailed from Thailand
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You think it's difficult to take public transport to random places, explore, take photos and get drunk in Bangkok? Bangkok is designed for this shit. There's even parks to read books in.
There's so much to do in Bangkok probably too much.
Eat out, party, go to museums, day at the races, muay thai show, learn muay thai, comedy shows, movies, go on street food adventures and eat tons of nice food, get off at random BTS or MRT stops and see what you can find, day or weekend trips to Ayyuathaya, Kanchanaburi or Hui Hin (or many other places), visit the temples, ride the khlongs and get lost, JJ market....the list is endless.
Just go do something.
What museums are there in Bangkok? The only one I have found is the big art museum in Siam Square near where protests often congregate.
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It doesn't matter if it's Thailand or the States. My VA appointments in the US always have the pre and post exam BP. It is usually lower on the post. It tells the doctor something, that your in shape to leave the office or nothing untoward has occurred while in their auspices to change it to an unhealthier state. It's a bit of cover your ass and cover the patient.
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It doesn't matter if it's Thailand or the States. My VA appointments in the US always have the pre and post exam BP. It is usually lower on the post. It tells the doctor something, that your in shape to leave the office or nothing untoward has occurred while in their auspices to change it to an unhealthier state. It's a bit of cover your ass and cover the patient.
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It isn't just Thailand that elevates murderers. In the US "Che" shirts have been in vouge for many years and you'll see the face of Mao and occasionally Uncle Joe Stalin. The left elevates their hero's no matter how many people they killed
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90,000 baht per month as a masseuse. I only pay $60 - 1800 baht - for a legit massage in the US. Hmmmm...
So 90.000 Baht a month would equal to less than 2 customers a day.Hmmmm
A massage place would have to make money for overhead and profit so assume that they'd have to massage 4 people a day to make that $120. Ok I don't know what the cost for massage in Hong Kong so assume they'd have to give 8 people a day an hour massage @ $30 per hour. Still very doable. Pay rates vary from country to country so they very well could have thought it was a massage job only, they escaped after a few days they obviously didn't want to be there.
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I dunno know, maybe she really meant to follow through and be married to him. But after spending two nights in the hotel, she left because of irreconcilable differences. The marriage just came up short.
Mae Sai to Chiang Saen road, finished?
in Chiang Mai
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We drove it a couple of weeks ago and road is really in good shape. Just turn at all those golden statues in Mai Sai and enjoy the drive.