Fun in Thailand

[dash riposki]

The small stores or open air shops are usually OK. They want your business. They're not manned by some kid getting paid hourly, who will spend most of his/her work time texting,.
I popped into my favorite furniture store/factory yesterday and managed to get them to start custom building something for me that will be ready next week. They speak no english, I next to no thai, and google translate doesn't help much. Pictures, pointing, and a tape measure.... I guess I'll see how it went when they deliver it next week.

I want to venture south maybe next year. Have the bug to go to Trat, then at some point down toward Malaysia. Will have to wait until I buy a car, but considering putting that off and just renting one for a week or two when I want to go somewhere faster than 60 KPH.

 

[dash riposki]

Latest 'misadventures'. The contour roam fell off, somewhere. I circled around and looked, no luck. I had just left a large supermarket. I take the cam down, store it under the seat, replace it when I leave. Must not have stuck on well enough.
Yesterday out of boredom went to a large mall. Not likely much I want to buy, but have some chain restaurants, (GF was gone for the day for some reason...family...buddha...not sure)
They also have one floor with mostly electronic/tech stuff. I'm still hunting an automotive inline fuse. I pulled into the parking garage I have parked at in a car, make it up a few floors,and security runs out, motions me to an exit ramp. I guess trikes are not worthy or covered parking?

I finally found the inline fuse at a local auto electric shop, but they charged me $5!!!!!!!! OK, it was a pretty heavy duty, but still.
Showed a picture at the big electronics store in town ....'NO'. That may explain the dark taillights on thai motorbikes, they don't use fuses!

Even though this is a largish city, you can't buy a lot of stuff. The regional mail order operation, Lazada, is usually ok. Somehow I was given the wrong postal code for my current address, and didn't realize it. Entered it into my lazada account, several packages have found me, although the driver called first for additional directions or to hav us text the location. The first two packages arrived OK, but via a contractor for the large delivery service. They send you notices about the status of your order, but they are much vaguer than amazon. With the first two packages, they called or emailed the night before delivery.
The third package, no call, nothing.. I could see it was in the area, and they claimed they had to deliver it twice, at times we were home. Contact the delivery company, double checked zip code, it was wrong.

I'm curious how the contractor with the beat up truck, and old smartphone with a cracked screen you have sign for the package on, found us, but it looks like the company drivers, couldn't? (Contractor made an effort, probably got paid by piece)

The worse thing is, had 4 more packages on the way, and you can't change the delivery address once the package is en route, or cancel. These are COD deliveries, so I don't lose money, only time. I have to wait to see the packages were sent back before I can order the same thing again. Some of the stuff was for projects I need to do to keep from going nuts.

 

[SawMaster]

I'm sure you'll find a way to occupy your time- there's got to be a lot of "new" stuff to check out around there. Would have never guess there might be a 'bias' against your machine as prevalent as they are

You definitely need to befriend someone who speaks English with electrical/mechanical knowledge about what the best local sources are. There's a lot of stuff in this world (even here in the US) which has a limited internet presence and sometimes the same goes for store signage; if you don't know about those places you won't find them except by luck. I've 'lucked out' many a time when someone nice pointed me to sources like that and it's saved me scads of money through the years Can't beat local knowledge.

Phil

 

[dash riposki]

There are a few expat forums of varying degree, but they are better sources of where to find cheap beer and hookers, where to find overpriced versions of food from 'back home', how to manipulate thai visa laws, and complaining about anything. It is kind of interesting there isn't a national chain of auto parts stores like Advance, AutoZone, etc. There is somebody with some sort of repair shop every block or so, anyway.

 

[kamkar1]

I can not move to another country that's not English speaking, i simply cant deal with learning yet another language, which i personally feel i must.
I really dislike when people here on the street or in a bus talk the language of their birth country, they come here and reap all the benefits of Danish society ( which are exceptionally many ) then the least they could do is talk the language.
If i moved to Australia or the US, i would not join a club for EX Dane's, and i would only like to hear my old language if it was from my family,,,,, my friend i know would speak English to me in that situation as we feel much the same about many things.

 

[Nigel]

I can not move to another country that's not English speaking, i simply cant deal with learning yet another language, which i personally feel i must.
I really dislike when people here on the street or in a bus talk the language of their birth country, they come here and reap all the benefits of Danish society ( which are exceptionally many ) then the least they could do is talk the language.
If i moved to Australia or the US, i would not join a club for EX Dane's, and i would only like to hear my old language if it was from my family,,,,, my friend i know would speak English to me in that situation as we feel much the same about many things.

Seems you should probably stay near home:

EF EPI 2019 - EF English Proficiency Index

Thailand – #74 of 100 countries/regions | The 9th edition of the EF English Proficiency Index ranks 100 countries and regions by their English skills.

www.ef.co.th

 

[dash riposki]

English is taught, (somewhat) in thai public schools from a very early age. The 5 year granddaughter of my GF probably knows more english than I do Thai. There's also a strange mix of english and thai in a lot of TV commercials, music videos, etc.

I remember the first time I went to china and many people were eager to speak english with me. It was during the Bush era, and all the only english they could speak was 'Blood for oil, Blood for oil'.

I need to ask @Jokin what has been added to their vocabulary with Trump in office?


I did one of my dreaded visits to a big box store yesterday, to make a $100 purchase. I had 3-4 attendants hovering around me, and then they scrambled to find another one who spoke more than the 15 words of english they spoke. (Found one who spoke 20) His primary purpose was to upsell me to a different brand/model that was $10 more than the one on sale.
The item was large, but weighed maybe 20 pounds. A very cute, maybe 20 year old girl, who weighed maybe 80 pounds, wheeled my purchase out to the trike. I put the box in the back and tipped her anyway, (since I didn't know how to tell her 'no thanks, I can push the cart myself' and she was too cute to yell 'bugger off, you little monkey' at.



Later a middle aged lady from the gas company showed up to bring our gas tank and hook it up to our gas burner. She had one broken screwdriver, and couldn't do much with the hose clamps for the gas line. I ended up tightening it up with my multi-tool.

 

[dash riposki]

Guess where the A119V3 is mounted?

 

[dash riposki]

Probably won't keep the A119V3 mounted on the samlor too long, the vibrations scare me.

 

[dash riposki]

Will try a mobius today.

Here's a little footage from nosing around a large food market before 6 AM. The A119V3 is mounted a little low on the windshield since the single speed wiper only covers the bottom half of the windshield. (And not well) It's probably fine if you are 5 feet tall.
The lens needs to be pointed up a bit.
I'm thinking about a B1W mounted somewhat permanently. When I go in a store I take the cam off, stick it in the storage area under the bench seat, The b1w would be less obvious, or less tempting to steal, or easy to slip in shirt pocket. Mobius, also. But want adequate video at night.

I didn't realize this market was this big, only been in the front half by mistake to make a u-turn.

Some dawn video as I leave my neighborhood, and head a KM away to where you can do a legal U-turn to head into town.

 

[dash riposki]

A119V2 mounted now. This is worst case example, but the roads and vehicle aren't conducive to the A119 GPS mount, I don' think.

Next clip:
I move off the shoulder to a normal traffic lane, due to stopped vehicles on the shoulder.
(Usually low powered motorcycles and trikes use the shoulder when possible)

The bike that passes me on the shoulder has two young teenage kids on it, no helmet, no icense plate, probably no insurance and no motorcycle license. If the kid runs into a foreigner, you can still be 'pressured' to pay for the damages they caused, with help from a cooperative policeman. 'But they are poor people, they can't afford the medical bills and to repair the illegal motorcycle they will continue to operate...illegally.'

 

[dash riposki]

Those aren't Mormon missionaries, they are cadets at the Border Police academy in the neighborhood, who haven't reaced the 'ever alert and watchful' part of the school, yet.
(Unless it involves mobile phones)

This is an old Mobius B, think.

I can even occasionally pass a motorbike.

 

[kamkar1]

Your video talad reminded me of the street my grandmother lived on, even to this day it is not a paved street, but back then it was a dirt road VS the gravel that seem to cover it today.
Thgough it was not filled with that many potholes as the little street dident see that much traffic.
Seem like someone are rebuilding grandmothers house.

Google Maps

Find lokale virksomheder, se kort og få rutevejledninger i Google Maps.

www.google.dk

 

[SawMaster]

I'm seeing a lot of shock and some vibration in those vids and wondering if an action cam with good EIS might work better? I don't know much about them. With the lightness of the cams, a B1W or Mobius would probably stay mounted more durably. One of my biggest dashcam beefs is the mini USB power plug/sockets; these seem to loosen up rather quickly on all of my cams and such regular plugging/unplugging might not do well for you. But with your experience I thing you've got a good diea of what to expect from that.

I've been to the farmer's markets in some bigger US cities and I've never saw anything the size of that one in your first clip- utterly massive! I'd get lost and worn out trying to walk that place. I don't know how theft goes there, but most bike seat locks are easily manipulated as are many of the simpler bike ignition locks. Pocketing the cam and adding a hidden ignition cut-out switch would be cheap and easy security. Did you ever find out more about the parking garage which chased you off? I'm still baffled by that.

Phil

 

[dash riposki]

I bought a cheap plastic toolbox that can be locked, but it is a little too tall to fit under the seat. At some point I'll find a metal box that can be locked that will fit under the bench seat and bolt it in. I also need a few extra tools that didn't come in the extensive, 3 piece tool kit with the trike. Correction, guess it's 5 piece, Two combination wrenches, one screw driver, one spark plug wrench, one lug wrench. I did buy a $5 bottle jack.

The cam is still primarily defensive. The one time I did run into town wiithout any sort of cam some jerk in an SUV intentionally brake checked me. At least I am pretty sure that is what happened...since the turned his head and looked back after stopped. It was my first panic stop on the damn thing,wasn't sure I was going to make it.
The trike has normal forks, but external coil springs, and leaf springs in the back. The manufacturer claims it's rated at a 2000 lb cargo. Yeah, right, but it isn't set up for comfortable highway cruising.

@kamkar, that large market, maybe only you can get an idea of 1/2 the size from that video, as I entered there was a lot more to the right. The entrance from the main road is kind of non descript. I felt guilty leaving with an empty bed on the trike. I felt obligated to buy 100 cabbages or something?
This should be the same market,but looks like the area to the right of where I was.
In the same area, 1 KM or so away is a n extensive night market, also a mall and large shopping center.

 

[dash riposki]

Here's a pass/dive/brake, via a mobius I usually use as a backup or rear cam. (now I remember why)

I'm thinking a B1W in the windshield, and the mobius in back, when I get a chance to put other power connections in.

 

[dash riposki]

More Mobius B (I think) The driver of the motorbike with passenger at :28 seconds, red shirt, or jacket, is texting.

 

[dash riposki]

 

[SawMaster]

Almost like you see in some Russian vids TBH it's not much better here nowadays and I think I'd experience it more were it not for me being in a huge old solid van which nobody wants to tangle with

Phil

 

[dash riposki]

There's a lesser chance an angry driver will exit his vehicle with a gun in Thailand, than Russia. Guns aren't quite as common. here. You do get extreme 'childish' driving.
'I'm going to punish you because you were in my way' kind of stuff.

I haven't really gone West of town on the trike yet, and I know there is a good restaurant about 20 miles west on the east/west highway. You do notice the state of the pavement a lot more on the trike. The major north/south route has major wheel ruts which really throw the trike around. (Route to/from Laos and some stuff coming or going further into SE Asia.

The east/west route, less heavy truck traffic, is not maintained as well. Pavement in bad shape, narrower shoulders, much more debris on the shoulder. Not pleasant, and not sure how far the bad pavement continues? There is a also a steep (Surprisingly) ridge before the restaurant I like, the trike should make it up it, but curious if will need the low range on the transmission?