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  1. #101
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    Sab's local boozer

    Mrs Santa is such a nice cheery person, I'll regularly pop into her village shop for a beer- but it's right in the centre of the village and a bit grubby to be honest. A brand new shop has sprung up though in the middle of nowhere- all of 1.5 km from the bungalow, and it's a real nice, tranquil place to have a bevvy.
    Looking out-



    I didn't have this shot taken to show our shopping (the bread was utter shite incidentally), or my second hand 15bht fishing jacket from the market, or the motosai, and certainly not me.



    Our first visit here was two days before, and I liked the place- so that very night they went out and bought that stone table and chairs you see behind! Don't let the shadecloth deter you either- once the rice harvest is finished they are putting up a verandah. Now thats service with a smile.

    This cutie has a 24/7 smile, and why wouldn't you with nice teeth like that. Sorry boys, married with two.



    And of course the motosai is the source of much amusement for the kids.



    I'll be spending some quality time here.
    Last edited by sabang; 08-12-2008 at 05:26 PM.

  2. #102
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    Incidentally Musty- the end product is the same- but I notice you went with red brick walls, we used Q-con or superblock. To be honest, I have no idea of the pros and cons of either.

  3. #103
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    missed the market pics somehow,nice, love the sidecar set up

    lovely thread

  4. #104
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    Sabang with regards the building blocks. I believe from what I have read that
    the Q - block is a superior building material. Insulation properties make it a
    better choice in the Thai climate. Great choice Sabang.

  5. #105
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    ^ heh, if your lot are like mine, they just leave all the doors and windows open anyway- might as well have made the walls of cardboard . I put flyscreens around the place because we get a helluva lot of insects there, right by the forest. They just open the windows without the flyscreens because it's easier. Screen doors- just left open. I keep our bedroom hermetically sealed though, because I got sick of insects crawling over me at night.

  6. #106
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    Nice thread....thing I found most interesting was the prices in the initial quotes and their amazing variation.

  7. #107
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    Sure, makes it hard to come to an informed decision- does 'cheap' mean 'shite', etc. The most expensive quote of the lot was a local village guy- very suss indeed.

  8. #108
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    Congratulations to both the Sabang houses. Great threads and pictures.
    My MIL lives in our house and looks after us both a treat!
    She is cleaning the place at 6.30 every morning while I have a swim. When I come down from the shower my cuppa is waiting next to the computer.
    Bowl of fruit arrives at 8.00 every morning and she cooks like a dream!
    MILs do have their advantages, for sure.
    I just spent some money to get her teeth fixed and she is as happy as a samb.... are we allowed to say that word any more?
    byw, how do you give 'greens'?

  9. #109
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    Did you get into Ubon Sabang?

  10. #110
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post

    This is the biggest insect I've ever seen, but I question it's credentials-









    It was over a foot long, but with only four legs it is not officially an Insect (6 legs). Anyway, helluva stickmonsta- i've seen no, errrmm, insect that big.
    it is an insect; the front legs have been adapted to make claws. Those are the ones sticking out in front

  11. #111
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    Quote Originally Posted by rubik101
    byw, how do you give 'greens'?
    Hit this button

  12. #112
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    Thanks marmite.
    How did the four legged monster taste?
    My wife says it's a type of grasshopper.
    Bloody tall grass if it is!

  13. #113
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    It is a stick insect, not a grasshopper

    sorry Mrs Rubik

  14. #114
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    Looks like a walking stick.
    I think they're harmless -- can you ley it crawl up your arm, DrAndy, and let us know what happens?

    Nice moto, Sabang, nice thread.

  15. #115
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy View Post
    It is a stick insect, not a grasshopper

    sorry Mrs Rubik

    They are one family.

  16. #116
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    Only just caught up with this thread Sabang. It's a great achievement and i am not surprised the Mil is happy. It looks like a really great project in a great location. I suspect it has inspired quite a few others too.
    Congratulations and good luck with the haunted house.

  17. #117
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    Quote Originally Posted by MeMock
    Did you get into Ubon Sabang?
    Been here almost two weeks now MeM (PM sent). Enjoying it- but I've been staying put in the village for Songkhran.

    Thanks for the nice comments all, and more to come. Need to get a bladdy web connection organised though. Fishing pond, carport & driveway, and transplanted village wooden house will be the second (and hopefully last) stage of Isaan for Dummies.

  18. #118
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    Ubon life. Weird insects.



    Nasty insects.



    Flying insects, these come out in their thousands after rain- strictly lights off inside the house, or you will be inundated with them! These 'Meang Mao" are OK to eat, and have a mildly narcotic effect.



    Mushrooms- many in the forest during rainy season, you see locals out early every morning shrooming.





    And sab's local boozer with it's new verandah. We now call it 'the Friendly'.



    Course it ain't all insects. Check out these Mekhong prawns. Yum.



    Internet sorted (Ipstar), checked out a few OK places to eat farang food in Ubon- Rossini's Italian, Grandpa's for basic farang food & cheap steaks, Wrong Way Cafe for burgers & stuff, theres even a Pakistani restaurant, Ali's, which ain't too bad- and cheap too. Rumours of a new venue about to hit the Ubon scene too, but I'll let the BM in question tell you about that.

    Met a farang from the next village & we've become twice a week drinking buddies. A few other guys you see around sporadically, a couple of others are 'fly in, fly outs'. The two Ubon farang pubs- Wrong Way & NJoy- always have a few westerners in them.

    So the bare necessities of life are sorted, and it's all quite pleasant.

  19. #119
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    Earthmoving Day

    Now that we're living here, as opposed to our occasional upcountry retreat, naturally the urge follows to add a few more facilities and creature comforts. Spend a few more baht too- but I'm hoping we can pull this off for around 200,000 baht, maybe even less.

    1-We're gonna add an oversized carport, which will also double as an Isaan 'lounging about' area. And put down a driveway.
    2-We're gonna add a basic verandah at the back/Isaan porch side of the house, and concrete underneath. This will both keep the hot afternoon sun off that side of the house, and become the new 'rub n scrub' area- said work is currently done around the side, next to the septic tank.
    3-We're gonna move a small wooden house lock, stock and barrel from the village (it's been unnocupied for over ten years), and re-erect it. This will become sabangs Doghouse- my little den, where I can keep my own hours and company without being in the hair of the rest of the family- and vice versa. Guest bedroom too. Here it is-



    4-And we're gonna dig a smallish fish pond, much to the delight of the family. The backfill will be used for banks, and raising the platform for the other stuff above.

    5-We'll probably put up some bogs & showers too, to service sabangs Doghouse and the Isaan lounging areas (the locals feel awkward using our indoor facilities). Depends on overall cost I've announced, but it seems they always get their way.

    So sabang phase two begins with some earthmoving- first stage, approach a local digging crew doing some work on the government dollar- and offer them the chance to make a bit more moolah on the side. Standard procedure around here. Next morning:-



    Ever seen a truck do a wheelie. This pesky tree has to find a new hole- it's in the middle of our future driveway.



    Sorted.


    Now for the serious work. Watch out for the House!





    Taking shape-





    Apart from the banks, a fair bit of earth is spread for the driveway and Doghouse platform. Then up and away, to the next job.



    Nice helpful guys, nothing too much trouble- notable contrast to truculent Aussie workmen & their union, H&S rules, regular smoko's and 'we weren't told we'd have to do that' type attitudes. Really can't complain for 7000 bht- and I reckon they were happy too.

    Now we've just got to wait, and pray for some decent rain. They say threee heavy rains will do the job of compacting, and the banks will come down in height by about 30%. Our Khon Kaen builders are due down in about three weeks from the date of this job.

    Last edited by sabang; 02-05-2009 at 01:04 PM.

  20. #120
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    A couple of weeks later, there have been two fairly heavy rains, builders due in five or six days (Isaan time), hoping for one more decent drop. The banks have visibly settled though. The Hole has become a dogs play arena- but the bastards are digging holes in the bank, which ain't great.

    The kids love to get mucky in there too.



    Doghole right in front, and another one visible on the edge of the bank behind.



    We'll be planting some stuff soon to keep the banks together- morning glory for one thing, we like to eat what we grow. Don't want to go any further until consulting the builders though. Oh, by the way, apart from rainfall we've got an arterial source over the road to fill the pond. The current plan is to have PlaNin and Snakehead in there.

    And here we are, standing under the future Doghouse (it will be raised on piles), looking towards the future carport and driveway, future fishpond to the left.



    I'd say it will be a couple of weeks before the next visible action. Stay tuned.

  21. #121
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    Good effort. The digger boys did a nice job as well.

    I'm looking to get down your way at the end of June, so hopefully you'll be finished and in good shape to crack open a beer or two.

  22. #122
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    looks like you are having fun! keep it up

  23. #123
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
    I'm looking to get down your way at the end of June, so hopefully you'll be finished and in good shape to crack open a beer or two.
    I'll be housesitting in Pattaya from the 15th. Any chance you can make it down earlier? always welcome.

  24. #124
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang
    I'll be housesitting in Pattaya from the 15th
    I need to do a visa 'in & out' at the end of June, but I could get down sooner as it's not that important for me to use the entire visa period. My non-imm B will be arriving somewhere near then.

    I'll let you know.

  25. #125
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    Great post, spent a good few hours reading it and was a mine of useful information.

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