martijn12345
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Posts posted by martijn12345
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Planning to come over for a week or so in februari, would like to rent a big bike to do a nice tour around the Isaan, but so far have not been able to locate a reliable rental company for anything over 160cc. Are there any?
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6 hours ago, KeeTua said:
We leave our screened windows open in every room, including bedroom, 24 hours a day. Our window bars could easily be defeated but it would make so much noise that it would surely wake us. And during the day if we weren't home it would attract neighbors attention if someone tried entering through a window.
A previous poster suggested CCTV as his solution but that is maybe only helpful after a crime has been committed and is unlikely to stop a yaabaa addict from entering a home via a window without bars.
And theft is a secondary concern for wives if a drug crazed guy gets into the house during the night especially if she is alone. Odds of getting trapped by window bars during a fire are very slim, having a guy on drugs coming in uninvited is far more common.
This pretty much is the way we see it. CCTV is great, but all that leaves you with is evidence of a break-in, might persuade someone to pick another house, might not. Feeling of safety, knowing you will some day leave a window open. As many have mentioned, any house can be broken in to if specifically targeted. If the whole street has bars in front of the windows, but our house does not.... Its very likely it increases the odds of our house being picked. Next to this I will look into actual alarm on windows and doors. And I will surely install a few motion triggered lights in the yard.
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8 minutes ago, Hummin said:
Do all the ground work first with dikes and drainage first of all. If you are not storing the rainwater from the roof make a plan before building.
Uhm... got 0 idea about this. I was thinking to maybe in the future, get a gutter installed at 1 place, and use that to collect rainwater to use for the plants. I think we gonna raise the land 50 cm, but thats all... I think. Am I missing something hugely important?
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3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:
Work out how many electrical sockets you think you need and double the number.
Get a circuit breaker box with an RCD in it.
Don't use those shiny floor tiles- they look pretty but are lethal when wet.
IMO keep the roof simple. All those fancy additions just make for potential problems. My in laws had a roof with a gutter that trapped debris from the trees, but it couldn't be reached from a ladder and the roof was too fragile to walk on, so we had water coming into the kitchen when it rained.
They also omitted to put an access into the garage ceiling which was a problem when the roof leaked.
Add window security as part of the build.
Very good advise, thank you. I have yet to work out how many sockets I need. Sort of a next step thing now that we got the 2d/3d design 95% where we want it to be. Roof will be simple I'd say.
Shiny tiles in the living room, not slippery tiles in bathroom and kitchen. 2nd floor undecided for now, probably not shiny tiles or parket. Shiny tiles are easy to clean, but indeed slippery when wet.
Window security, as much as I hate them, will be there prison bars in front of the windows. My wife really wants them, and I have no better solution.-
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11 minutes ago, Simple Jack said:
Use a contractor that provides a 10 year warranty. More expensive. But the job is done right.
And you don't have to worry about Tom,Dick & jack of all trades. Nicking everything thats left over.
I think we get 5 years. Is 10 years something we could/should ask for, or it just depends on the company, what they offer?
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2 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:
We have had built 3 houses in Thailand over the years we have lived here.
These are my tips.
1. Double brick all the walls, especially the exterior ones. This provides great insulation, sound proofing, and hides unsightly support columns.
2. Have high ceilings with high windows to let the heat rise and leave the house.
3. Get good installation in the roof to keep the heat from the baking sun out.
4. Big tall windows and doors for air flow.
5. Have the house positioned so no rooms are going to get the strong sun shining into them from midday and afternoon.
6. Use the thick grade aluminium for the window frames so they don't warp, get damaged..etc...
Thanks very useful. 1 and 5 we have designed the house so that rooms used in the daytime are kind of shielded from the strong sun from west/south side. Also on these sides the outside walls are double indeed. North and east are single, as they get less heat.
ceiling high discussed so far is 280 cm. They told the real hight will be 3. then 20 above the ceiling is used for cables, aircon ducts and so on. Recon this is okay, or advice to push it to 300 cm?
3 and 6. I will ask in more detail what they plan to use for this and if it will do
Thanks!
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Hi all, long time reader, not much of a poster. I've been in Thailand for over 10 years, always rented. And the last few years had the good fortune to get accommodation provided by my wife's employer. However, with a 2nd kid on the way, its time to build a house. I've never build before, I have never had to deal with anything like it, I have 0 knowledge, my wife has some from previously helping her parents build.
We already have a piece of land, we have contacted 3, hopefully reliable companies in the area (Chiangrai) to get something designed and quoted. 1 fell through in the process, the other 2, I feel did a good job, listened to our demands and wishes and answered our questions. Both work with real contracts, have a lot of good reviews, and the one we will most likely work with, my wife personally knows several people who had their house build by them and who are fairly content. They gave a few good suggestions of things that would turn out to be much cheaper to get done afterwards with a local handyman rather than this building company. either way. We are sort of good to go, I guess... Now driving around town, looking at tiles, windows and doors. I have 2 left hands, I can barely change I lightbulb, I am not going to do anything much myself. And frankly me and my wife are both better off working and hiring other to do the work.
What I am looking for is experience from others, what mistakes have you made, what would you have done differently in hindsight, what should we really not overlook. Any input is very welcome! Thanks all in advance.-
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Interesting thread if there was some real advise. No idea obviously if we are anywhere near a bottom, but don't think we have to wait 2 quarters to get a official ' we are in a recession note' I think way sooner than that, this will be priced in into the markets. There are so many companies that will be largely unaffected by the virus and that could possibly offset some of the lost revenue on the expense side with the lower energy prices. (if you don't mind the dirty business) Philip Morris for example. Smokers will smoke and while its in a long term decline, its still highly profitable and I doubt Corona will really change anything about it.
Due to a perfect storm of Corona and some political OPEC stuff, oil has been hit HARD. But for the foreseeable next few decades, we will still need the stuff and while I have again no idea if the bottom is in. If you are OK to be patient a few years and collect the dividends, I am pretty sure BP/Exon/Chevron/Shell are a good buy.
Another company I keep an eye on is Carnival Cruises. Who the heck would wanna go on a cruise any time soon right? Right! So the stock has taken major hits. But at some point all of this will pass and people will get on a cruise again, with western demographics ageing and Asians just starting to discover this kind of holiday. I believe some day in the near future you can buy one of the best in the business at a more than fair price, again, if you have a long term horizon.
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I find Lazada a bit more reliable and professional than shopee. But for more expensive items its worth checking both. My wife often contacts the actual shop/seller before being, just to see how quickly and well they respond, if they are able to answer a few additional questions about the product and so in. And she looks at reviews from previous customers. As mentioned before, often both sites are just connecting buyer to seller, so comparing platforms only goes this far. Better look case by case at the shop/person in question.
For computer stuff I have found both JIB and InvideIT to be pretty ok.-
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2 hours ago, phuketrichard said:
PAY as fast as u can, the longer u leave it, the more people involved that need to make a % of the fine.
BAIL to the police means "pay us and leave"
DONT involve a lawyer!! Price will go up
I have no experience with a drug case, but from other cases I have seen. This would be my advise. Don't let it get to court, don't bring in lawyers, don't let it get dragged on. Sure if you an bargain, great. But most importantly. Make a quick deal, pay up in exchange for a release and his passport an tell him to get the hell out of there. The longer this drags on the worse it will get, maybe less costly, but still definitely worse. There is no scenario in which this will get worse before it gets better. So indeed PAY as fast as you can!
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It can take up to a month to get all the necessairy paperwork to get the visa. So indeed you are probably better off going in on a tourist visa, sort out the school once you are here. Then go to Lao to get the actual ED-visa. It will be a 3 month visa that you can extend 3 time for a total of 1 year, unless that has changed now.
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Why the SET? Maybe you have other sources, but then you wouldn't post her probably. In my opinion it's better to stick to the markets you know then to thread the murky waters of the SET. If you wanna invest in the bigger and well-known companies, they often have an ADR in the US so there is no need to specifically trade here in order to get some Thai exposure. Unless you really have good sources into specific companies I'd personally refrain from investing in anything more fancy than an ETF with Thailand/SEA exposure. Besides it being difficult for me to clearly investigate brokers, I would also be a bit worried about how safe my money is with any Thai institution when shit would hit the fan. So that is another reason for me to use brokers registered and regulated in Europe.
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When I went there I accidentally arrived quite late. Around 11 am I think. And it turned out great, Got everything done in 30 or 45 minutes and picked it up the next day. The hotel down the street is not the best ever but it wasn't a shit hole either. Aircon and free wifi and I will be okay for 1 night...
Around the corner if you walk out of the embassy and turn right there is a fairly decent coffee shop that serves some food as well. In the evening I walked much further down that street (I like walking) and I had a fairly decent pizza with a very good salad in a cowboy/country style restaurant. Staff was a bit lazy but I could have done worse.
Yes the whole Vientiane thing isn't the best trip in your life. But it's really not as bad as some people make it sound. -
Interesting to see how the OP's original questions vagueness induces all kinds of replies. ANY kind of trading, whether you wanna export (clothes, handicraft, furniture), day trade shares or trade the forex market, the odds are stacked against you. This I not say to discourage you, but to say there is no 'get rich quick' thing in it. That's probably the biggest reason why people lose money. They jump in without really knowing what they are doing. To be successful at any business you gotta work your ass off. If you wanna export handicraft, you gotta know where to get the best stuff, at the best prices and then you need to find somebody back home to who can buy it off you, you gotta figure out how to ship it, how to insure it. And by the time you get it all figured out, the product is out of fashion. That being said, some people have a nose for what will sell well back home, and can use the knowledge to quickly jump to another product and keep it going. Most people however end up with lots of stuff in a garage box in northern France they will never be able to sell.
Trading stocks, derivatives or forex market. It's not easy, there is A LOT more to it than meets the eye. And as been mentioned before, most people jump on some 'This will make your rich guaranteed ' advertising of a bunch of indicators or bot. That's a sure way to lose your money. If you are interested in LEARNING what it's all about, there are some good and free websites to teach you the baby steps, and then when you think you know it all and start to trade. You will most likely lose more than you win for the first 1 or 2 years. During that time you will learn from your mistakes, keep watching videos that hopefully teach you something new, keep reading books to improve your knowledge. And perhaps then you will start to get a small idea of whats going on and how to work with it.
All of it is doable, if you put in the effort, the time and if you are prepared to be kicked down 100 times and always dust yourself off and get back up again.-
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Maybe farang owners of local businesses should charge MORE for Thai people. Som nam na.
This does happen already. So it is really not only the Thais who do this. For example, Agoda.com allows companies to advertise different prices on the different language sites of Agoda. And I know some foreigners charge higher prices on the thai website than on the english one. Their reasoning is that foreigners will eat at the restaurant of the resort. Thai will often bring their own food for the whole weekend. Fair or not... It could easily be argued that this is racist towards Thai people.
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As was said before, it's not based on race. I know for a fact that Korean and Japanese sometimes have to pay more then us white folk. Why? Cause Thais think they can afford it, and cause the business thinks they can get away with it. There is really no point getting angry about it, you will only build up that negative energy inside yourself, nobody else will care and you might even start approaching Thais differently. My point here, it's not PERSONAL. I see it as a game, and try my best to get the Thai price, I use my DL, or sometimes my student card (if something states a discount price for students). I do speak a fair bit of Thai and I can read the Thai prices, that also helped a few times. And honestly, if you cannot read Thai, if you cannot speak Thai well enough to politely ask to be treated as a Thai person, you do not deserve the Thai price. Yet then again, remember all of this is not personal, so don't let it get to you. And I fully agree with anybody who says vote with your feet, just walk away if they refuse to give you the Thai price.
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Why are so many people so scared of an ATM card. I really don't get it. I am not the kind of person who has ONLY plastic in his wallet. There is some cash in their for smaller amounts. But I feel uncomfortable not having my card with me. Right now I have perhaps 1000 baht cash on me. It's enough for me small expenses but it will soon run out. Where do you guys get money in the evening? Or you always think ahead and have say 5000 baht on you at all times. Or you leave it somewhere in the house? Besides all that I also enjoy internet banking but I probably shouldn't get you started on that.
Cash, internet banking, ATM cards, Credit cards, they all have their pros and cons. They all make life easier but there are certain things to be careful with. I think if you use your brain you will be fine, and using all options just gives you a lot of convenience and choices.
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So Thailand get's a lot of rain, and is struggling to deal with it. If it then tries to utilize this water to grow food, in stead of simply letting it flow to the sea, it get's slapped on the fingers? I really do not see what the problem is. There might be some local problems in and around BKK where too much water is being pumped out from the ground. But I think it's really fair enough that Thailand uses the rainwater that falls here anyway. How will the world become a better place if Thailand produces less rice ? Weird article.
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Pretty sad story. I feel for you man. I agree 13 years is not something to piss down the drain. And if your lady simply wanted to rip you off, you would have know before or right after you cut off the money. So I believe you that you have something going on that has (had) a lot of good in it. So I'll try to give my best and honest advise without any trolls, you went through a lot posting it all.
Life is never stable, everything is constantly changing and I think your life, relationship and living situation are clear examples of that. I can see the trouble you have with your wife with regards to her family. You gotta appreciate her honesty in the way she sums up what's important to her and in which order.Personally for me... I do not want to be with somebody who names me as 4th most important thing in her life. Anybody naming their selves, sure, your kid, straight. But after that, it should be me, and that will work both ways. But it's something you have probably known and accepted a long time already. So if this is just about the family and not really about you and your wife, try to find a way to deal with the next year. A place around there. I wouldn't worry about my your ladies face. Just explain her you love her a lot, and that is why you will take a step back now, you don't wanna cause a problem between her and her family, you don't want to put her in a spot where she has to chose. She's more than welcome to come and stay with you, but if she chooses to stay with the family, that's okay too, it's her priority over you and perhaps the business situation. Just make sure she understands you living by yourself does not mean you don't love her, but actually the opposite, you do it so this train is not gonna wreck completely in the next year and cause repairable damage.
Good luck
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I pity the man who think it's that easy to put a whole social group in a box and label it with a 1 liner.
Op has gotten very lucky to get some decent advise before the usual crowds come in. It's true most good girls won't go out much, but I know some exceptions. Just like I know exceptions to the 'middle/upper class girls don't date farang' statement.
My advise. Learn thai, learn the culture and spend 10 days in and temple ands that's an important part of thai culture and you will get a lot of credit for doing it and learning how it works.
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I've lend money to friends before when they were tight. I've borrowed from them when I had a bad month. Big difference is I KNOW they had a bad month, money will come back. And they can trust me as well that it's short term and surely coming back.
Maybe if you had a plan how to repay. A job in the pipeline a big order from your business that just hasn't been paid yet... your friend might very well help you out. But from what I've read you have no money coming in...no concrete plan on when and how to pay them back. If you were my friend and I had millions I'd probably help you as a gift, but not as a loan as it would impact our friendship if you don't pay me back.
Ps I do not have thousands let alone millions.
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Anyone saying it never gets as bad as bkk during rush hour should check their facts. It gets way worse especially up in chiangrai mae said and mae Hong son. These measurements of 1xx are just the beginning and might rise to over 300. Bangkok never gets that bad. Beijing gets over 2000 so there is a certain perspective that it could be worse. According to western standards anything over 70 is pretty bad. I'm talking pm-10 small dust particles.
I'd really like to leave chiangmai from half of march till the end of April.
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If anybody had any idea... They would probably not be reading here right now but trading. But honestly, nobody knows. Yes Google is branching out and seem to be set for a bright future, but that is already priced in. Here's my advise.
If you got 20-50k to invest. Not put it in 1 stock, but build a portfolio with say about 10 stocks, and then Google could certainly be one of them. Pick the best of the best in every sector. So google could be your Tech pick, pick a big oil company, pick a good consumers staples company, pick a solid bank, pick a big pharmaceutical company. And spread your money and your risk.
If you are too lazy to do this research, as mentioned already; Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company of legendary Warren Buffet, would be 1 stock to buy. He is fairly diversely invested, has a superb track record, and if you just buy shares in his company he will not charge you any fee, for essentially doing the same as an investment company would do.
You say your horizon is 5 years. What do you expect as a return. Cause the higher the possible return, the higher the risk normally. If you are okay with say 5-10% return without much risk. Invest in a blue-chip (big company) that offers 5% dividend, those share hardly move at all. But the 5% is guaranteed, and if the stock does climb a few % a year, that's a pretty safe and solid return. If you expect to triple your money over 5 years....That would be a serious challenge and not without risk.
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Most tourist not cross but go another 2 km further, there is a border market with kind of the same stuff as in Mae Sai. If I am not mistaken this is all actually a sort of island in the Mekong and not Lao mainland. Indeed lots of Chinese activities going on over there. I agree it's not really worth a visit, though I have never been to the casino there...
Big bike rental in Isaan?
in Isaan
Posted · Edited by martijn12345
Thanks for the replies so far. I have a thai drivers license, I have gear. I'm really just looking for 2 big bikes to rent in Khon Kaen/Udon/Ubon or there about. I have about 1 week, and I'd rather do the long distance by flight/bus and do shorter drives around the region than spending at least 2 out of the 7 days hammering down the highway from the north to the east and back. But yeah, gotta rethink the whole plan if there is no big bike. Either accept a PCX or Aerox or just bin the whole Isaan plan and stay more in the north, it's just I've seen most of the north was looking for a change of scenery.