Moving to the Moo Ban - Permanently????

[El Gibbon]

I am constantly amazed at how few bugs and mozzies we have around the place. With lots and lots of standing water I thought we would be fighting the pesky suckers all the time.

Since I have lived in Asia for quite a period I am actually prepared as most can be.

Below is the basic armament we use:



On the right the standard mozzie coil, best effect is to place it behind a fan on slow speed. Covers a lot of area that way.

In the middle is the gooop crap that house flies stick to. Kinda fun to watch them try and 'dance' their way off it.

On the far left is what I think is the best commercial mozzie repellent available. Not an aerosol, rather a pump dispenser that allows target application.

Now for the good stuff. We have all heard of Lemon Grass. Normally used in cooking Thai food it is purported to have great powers at repelling mozzies. This is true to some extent. Pictures below.









I didn't realize until yesterday that there are TWO different types of Lemon Grass. Can you tell the difference in these three pictures? I couldn't either until I really got a close look at the two different plants.

Both are called lemon grass but their stalks are slightly different. The bottom photo shows the type used in Thai curries etc. The top two are the native/wild variety. This variety will looking almost identical in leaf shape etc. has a darker stem base color than the edible type.

Have no fear they are easily identifyable by their very distinctive smells. The grass used for cooking has a light lemon/citrus odor when you break the leaf or crush it. On the other hand the 'good' leaf will instantly remind you of Deep Woods Off or any of the Off products.

Take a leaf of each and fold it several times, then roll it between your palms - like making a big doobie - crushing it to a pulp. You will know the difference when you smell the odor.

THIS is the lemon grass that Thais use to deordorize in some instances. I haven't tried it but I will, cutting a bunch up into small pieces and putting them in water and placing that container on a small heat source. Bet it drives the mozzies far away.

Thais just generally pulp it up and rub it on their exposed skin, effective for awhile.

E. G.

[stroller]

Thanks for the tip with the leaves!
I am using the electrocuting tennis racket myself - it's fun.

[lom]

I am using the electrocuting tennis racket myself - it's fun.

Yea, the first week or two..
How long have you had it ?

[stroller]

You're right, I had it a few years, but not using it much these days.

I just don't like the smell of the coils, specially indoors, and won't put any chemicals on my skin.

[Marmite the Dog]

and won't put any chemicals on my skin.

Just down your throat..

[El Gibbon]

This post is directly due to Anonymous Coward's thread on peanut butter. I noted on his thread, if done with peanuts, why not cashews.

I started with a bag of raw cashew nuts we got at the market.



The ms fried them up as she normally does for beer snacks. The trick here is to not fry too much. They look darker when taken out of the oil. Don't overcook.



Cooked cashews loaded up in chopper. Added 1 soupspoon of this.



Basic cooking oil found in any kitchen.



OK, nuts and oil ready to process.



I pulsed the chopper several times and then let it run for a couple of minutes. The result was a coarse meally 'butter'. Not exactly what I was looking for. I added another soupspoon of oil and a few more cashews.



The result was this. A touch too much oil but passable I think. At least this first try could be adjusted.



This is what I got from approx. 1 cup of cashews... now to taste.



For me the ultimate taste test is to dab some on saltines.



These are the ingredients of my favorit "quick snack". Anytime I need a munchie I often get out a pack of crackers and a jar of peanut butter.

All in all it proved a viable project. Cashews do indeed make a very nice butter. Something that would be way to expensive to make in the U.S.

What would I do different? I would add slightly more than a soupspoon of oil rather than the two soupspoons I used. This batch isn't quite the right texture but experimentation will do it. I also will add a "pinch" of salt to perk up the taste for me. For those on a salt free diet this makes a good solution since it is very nice even without the salt.

Thanks to Anonymous Coward for the idea.

E. G.

[Marmite the Dog]

if done with peanuts, why not cashews.

Errr, 'cos cashews ain't nuts?

[El Gibbon]

Quote:
Originally Posted by El Gibbon
if done with peanuts, why not cashews.

Errr, 'cos cashews ain't nuts?

-

Errrrmmmm.... neither are pea"nuts"

Peanut as used in the recipe noted in my post are the 'seeds' of a legume.

However, in the area of Cuisine the are acceptably known as nuts.

Cashews are the 'fruit' of the cashew apple actually. Within the fruit you will find what are commonly called cashew nuts (Seeds).

Cashews, peanuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, pine nuts and macadamia amongst others, while not nuts per botanical definition, are considered nuts in the culinary sense.

Wierdly enough, some botanists actually do classify chasews as nuts. They are in the minority though.

rgds

E. G.

[lom]

Wierdly enough, some botanists actually do classify chasews as nuts. They are in the minority though

Maybe because they are not picky with words

[El Gibbon]

^ Kinda got a feeling that botanists are pretty accurate with words when it comes to the sexual classification of plants...

Which is the differentiator between seeds and nuts.

E. G.

[Anonymous Coward]

This thread should be required reading for anyone considering a move to Thailand; especially non-urban Thailand.

Great work EG.

[El Gibbon]

Thanks AC.

Now for the problem of the weekend

As I posted earlier we went through a couple of shower heaters to get one that was up to snuff.

I think I mentioned that it "had all the bells and whistles", I should have heeded my own words.



Yesterday morning the Ms went to take a showere and told me there wasn't any water.. OK nothing earth shattering right? Ooops the water in the kitchen sink was normal.

I assumed (makes an ass out of you and me) the heater was shot. She called Mr. Fixit, who installed it. He came over and mentioned that the water pressure from the 'mains' had dropped off. We needed a pump to provide the necessary pressure to trip the safety mechanism.

Yup they did have problems with the mains on Friday as we were without water for about half the day. Sounded logical to me, besides I was busy on the computer and not really paying attention to the water supply.

So I gave the dude B3K and off he went to buy pump, electrical gizmoes pipe etc. to install.

later on I went out to take care of the orchids and garden. Water was normal from the spigot Hmmmmmm.

Off I go to the shower, yep just a dribble, less than an healthy stream of piss. OOOOPPPS again, I noticed there are TWO little knobs where the water enters the heater.. one is volume the other has FILTER written on it.

Sure enough the filter was plugged, apparently when they worked on the mains on Friday some dirt and crap got into the system. Cleaned the filter and Walla water. The filter is a tiny little screen that is about 3/16 wide and about 1/4 wide, doesn't take a lot of crap to clog it. I'll remember that one.

Too late to cancell the pump etc. as the guy was just pulling into the drive to do the job. Oh, well, I've got me a nice new pump for whenever I get into some serious gardening, or growing some tomatoes or makua. lol



E. G.

[Thetyim]

Umm... Mr Gibbon are you happy with the placing of your cut out switch ?

[lom]

Umm... Mr Gibbon are you happy with the placing of your cut out switch ?

Very dangerous..
The switch is not waterproof and should have been located outside the shower room.
One should be especially careful with electrical installations in wetrooms , that is where most of accidents happen.

[El Gibbon]

I agree with both, however this is the second trip switch I've had within close proximity of the heater itself. The other was installed by a 'master elctrician' in PHuket.

The one consolilation, and its a pretty good one, there is a Ground Fault circuit built into the heater. The black wire you see is connected to a 1 meter copper rod buried not 2 meters away.

The Ground Fault circuit is active within a few microseconds.

The circuit breaker is actually not that bad unless hosed down, the wireing goes up inside a protective cover.

I admit it doesn't look right and probably doesn't meet "western" code, but there are hundreds of thousands done exactly the same way throughout Thailand.

Yeah, not really cool but OK unless your an idiot.


E. G.

[lom]

Yeah, not really cool but OK unless your an idiot.

Hopefully you don't touch it if it trips in the middle of your shower..
I have also seen it done this way, many times, but only here in Thailand

The Ground Fault circuit is active within a few microseconds.

The ground fault circuit in your heater only take care of problems inside
the heater.
It can not detect faults outside, like you standing there on a wet floor touching the trip switch with wet hands..

The other was installed by a 'master elctrician' in PHuket.

Yeah, I'm rewiring my house now, it was also wired by a master electrician..

[Itchy]

EG

I'm in agreement with Thetyim on the safety issue here.

Get your electrician to rewire the circuit to put the switch outside of the shower room (and make sure he uses single runs of wire to the shower unit - No cutting and taping wires together to save Bht3 on doing the job right).

I'd hate to loose the best thread on TeakDoor.

[El Gibbon]

OK guys, I give!

Actually these posts have made me think a little more about the situation. Not only is there the 'potential' idiot danger, there is another that I noticed today.

You can't see in the picture but this is the only room that is directly exposed to the elements. The top two layers of block are the decorative open type. This is fine for airing out the toilet but poses another danger that was not there prior to installing the shower.

That side of the house is directly exposed to the monsoon rain and wind. Now the blocks do keep most of it out. But I know from experience in Phuket that with strong winds there is substantial seepage that will run down the wall.

OUCH!

So, will call Mr. Fixit and have him move to the kitchen. AND direct runs... no tape and wire nuts for me.

Thanks to you all for making me rethink the situation.

E. G.

[El Gibbon]

I've been waiting for this ever since I moved down here. The Annual Chantaburi Orchid Show, held at an agriculture Uni. outside Chantaburi.

I've mentioned an addiction in a couple of previous posts in regards to the local market. Orchids is it!. I am not a collector or an expert in orchids. I merely love to look at them and am amazed at thier versatility and subtle beauty.

The 'show' portion of the exhibit was mainly on Sat. and Sun. I am not fond of being in large crowds at these types of events, so we waited until Mon to attend. While a lot of the 'exhibit' plants had been retrieved by their owners quite a lot remained to be viewed.

This is the Chantaburi Orchid found only in the hills around here in its natural environment.



There were groups of Vandas similar to these around the exhibition area. All cultured by the Uni students. A quite impressive display of colors and varieties. They are on the ground only for display purposes, they usually are found hanging on trees or display boards.



This stunning plant is a member of the Oncidium family I think, don't hold me to the names etc. as I said I'm not expert.



I was quite stunned to see this next plant. It is a Lady Slipper not normally found in climates that are not temporate. They grow wild in the hills of Vermont and New Hampshire and are tolerant of below freezing temperatures. This is a very nice variety.



As I mentioned a lot of the show flowers were gone but a substantial portion remained. The sight was quite overwhelming. Colors of every description and intensity.



Another shot of some of the display plants. The exhibit is held outside under a pretty intensive tree canopy so the lighting is OK at best. Direct sunlight for lengthy periods and orchids do not make for nice flowers.



Vandas are probalby one of the showiest and largest orchids. They flower in clusters on a single stem and are truly exhibitionists. If you look closely you can find 6 variations in this photo.



I think this next one is a Phal, not sure but the leaves are heavy enough and the blossoms cluster as one would expect.



Another of the 'show-off' orchids is the Cattelya, a favorite of growers everywhere as their scent is dramatic to say the least. The delicate coloring and variety of this genus makes it the favorite for experimentation in genetic engineering using the latest techniques.



There were a lot of families there considering it was a Monday. This little girl was with her dad and having her phota taken when I walked by the display. Couldn't resist snapping one myself. She looked soooo serious. Only after climbing down did she break into a huge grin.




There were about 100 or more stalls selling all types of orchids. Lots of stalls selling all types of garden plants and flowers. The show / sales area was packed. Pretty much all the same stuff, gorgeous wonderful orchids everywhere you looked.



Only a couple of shots of the vendors, much the same everywhere you looked. Thousand and thousands of orchids plus all types of flowers.



I thought these were unique, am not sure of the variety of oncidium but the way they were mounted was attractive. The roots had grown around these flat slabs of wood making a pretty spectacular display.



This next one is another oncidium that was bred for or named for the Queen. Not sure of the actual history other than its only found here in Thailand. Dude wanted B9K for this one...



I also saw at least two shops selling these beauties, water lillies in a variety of colors. Nice.



All in all it was a delightful day of addiction. Hot as hell and very humid since there was a lot of watering going on. The vendors spay and wet the ground under their displays constantly to keep the plants refreshed in the heat.

Being kinda closed in with all the tarps and netting there wasn't a lot of breeze available. Lots of cold drinks and food available as well as a regular 'market' on the other side of the grounds. Typical Thai, if there is an occasion you can buy anything you need from avacadoes to whirlybirds.

Next year I'll withstand the crowds and go for the judging I think. I missed the one plant I wanted to see. The BiL went on Sunday and saw a phal that was priced at ...... B15,000 whew.

The only drawback to me was the lack of species identification on most of the plants the vendors were selling. On those on display most of the description were in Thai, expected I guess. But it would have been nice if they were all labeled in accordance with the accepted naming protocol used throughout the orchid breeder/collector world.

A great trip if your in the area next February.

E. G.

Edit: I guess one day I'll post photos of my orchids. As soon as I figure out a way to hold them still in the breeze.

[Anonymous Coward]

Great orchid photos. Thanks.

[El Gibbon]

Most of you will recall that Chantaburi had some really serious problems with flooding in November. Seems that the monsoon drains hadn't been properly cleared for some time. This led to a magnification of the flooding to major proportions.

Apparently an edict has gone out to the various authorities in the province, clean the drains.

From downtown Chantaburi to out here 12Km from town the drains are being vigorously worked on. They cut, pile and burn all the weeds and refuse that had been clogging the drains.

For three days now we've been smoked! Literally.



The crew, mostly elderly ladies and gents, hack away at the weeds and undergrowth.



They pile it up and burn it.



And burn it



and burn some more.



Looks clean eh? they are back today putting the finishing touches on it. This drain is over a meter below surrounding terrain, doesn't look like it due to the angle the phota was taken. Makes it look flat.

Previously you couln't tell there was a drain between the road and our property with all the weeds and broken limbs in it.

They get a crew of 40 people for each Moo. They work half a day and get paid B140 to clean and burn. This moo has about 10 sois that run off it so they will be busy for a few days.

There shouldn't be the problems this year with the run off.

A Random pix in case Random Chances drops by. He'll figure it out.



E. G.

[El Gibbon]

A couple of quick hits.

The other day while Ms was off at Mum's house a chap shows up at the door looking for her. I did understand 'nam' but the rest was jibberish to me, still don't do a lot of Thai very well.

A cell call later and I find out he wants to 'borrow a saucepan half full of water'. Ok done.

Apparently he was working in the area and didn't have any way to cook his noodles. ???????? We're only a few hundred yards from the village... oh, well.

4 Days later and I still don't see the saucepan..

***

Yesterday morning (saturday) when we got up there was a rose in a pretty plastic bag thing with a ribbon in the basket of the bike. WTF is that?

***

Yesterday evening we went to BiL for a Chinese New Year do. Ate pig head and other shit. The really memorable thing was one BiL was so shit faced he couldn't stand by himself... whew.. Yet, he could refill his M150 bottle with Lao Kao with ease. Didn't spill a drop and he only has one hand! He promptly had his daughter put the M150 bottle in the bike basket and proceeded to swill pretty much the rest of the bottle. Who says drunks can't function.

***

Harvesting season is about to get into full swing shortly. Chinese apples are just about fully developed, longon is being picked and the mangosteen should be ready in a few weeks.

You can tell by the number of bats in the air on any given evening.

E. G.

[Marmite the Dog]

Yesterday morning (saturday) when we got up there was a rose in a pretty plastic bag thing with a ribbon in the basket of the bike. WTF is that?

Chinese New Year.

[keda]

yep the pollution here in Bkk is such that even after 11 years I have still not been able to see the Southern Cross in the night sky...

didn't you hear the news......

Aw c'mon, don't tell me it's causing offence and has to be banned...!

[keda]

Great thread and as mentioned should be compulsory reading for wanabe hillbillies and tree huggers. Good read.

btw, anytime a Thai electrician does any serious work in your bathroom, make sure he knows beforehand that he's gonna be taking the first shower.