Thread: From Laos to Turkey - A Christmas story :)

Lorry Driver

Originally Posted by Simon43

But it's a great idea (I assume that the cost is subsidised by the government).

But many won't buy cars at all. There will be a loss to the banks - no loans to be made, the GDP figure will go down, the lack of cars will produce less CO2 ....

Originally Posted by armstrong

I'd just like to agree with Simon here.


And also to not that the newbie joined in December so obv isn't a newbie so should probably go the same way as Deeks etc.

Maybe the charlatan requires a ban. I am pretty bored of his bullshit tirades.

How much is your rent and have you tried out your nearest pub?

The UK has long operated the practice of giving pensioners free travel on buses subsidised by local taxes. I think cars attract high taxes in Mu. which makes public transport more attractive.

Mauritian 'Indian' food is delicious in my experience. Have you tried this yet?

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

How much is your rent and have you tried out your nearest pub?

The UK has long operated the practice of giving pensioners free travel on buses subsidised by local taxes. I think cars attract high taxes in Mu. which makes public transport more attractive.

Mauritian 'Indian' food is delicious in my experience. Have you tried this yet?

My rent is $600 USD per month. I could rent a house for less, but I wanted a private swimming pool and garden

No idea about what goes on in the UK - I left yonks ago. How is Maggie? Still battling Scargill??

Yes, the local food is delicious. All my neighbours seem to be of Indian descent, (but speaking Creole..). As is typical of many expats, apart from myself, there are no 'foreigners' living in this neighbourhood

I've been in Mauritius for about 10 days now, but settling in well. My ham antenna is on the roof of my house and I just put up a piece of bent wire to receive weather satellite images as the 'bird' flies overhead. My first attempt (like a prat, I adjusted the volume halfway through which fcuked it up a little - I'll do a better re-run tomorrow morning). You can see Madagascar on the left side and I (the yellow cross) appear to be swimming some 20Km of the west coast of Mauritius...

USD600 looks like steal. I pay nearly that much for a share of a villa just a short walk to the beach! Which part of the island have you chosen to settle in? Restaurants and decent shopping nearby?

Originally Posted by Switch

USD600 looks like steal. I pay nearly that much for a share of a villa just a short walk to the beach! Which part of the island have you chosen to settle in? Restaurants and decent shopping nearby?

I'm in the north of the island at Lower Vale, which is 10 minutes drive from Mont Choisy public beach and about 8 minutes from Grand Baie (I drive to Mont Choisy at 6am each day to jog and swim). La Croisette shopping centre with brand name shops, food supermarket, food court and restaurants is about 5 minutes drive from my house.

Originally Posted by Simon43

I'm in the north of the island at Lower Vale, which is 10 minutes drive from Mont Choisy public beach and about 8 minutes from Grand Baie (I drive to Mont Choisy at 6am each day to jog and swim). La Croisette shopping centre with brand name shops, food supermarket, food court and restaurants is about 5 minutes drive from my house.

What are the bakeries like? I like to compare countries on the quality of the bakeries.

^ That's a curious metric. Nothing wrong with it though.

Originally Posted by Bonecollector

What are the bakeries like? I like to compare countries on the quality of the bakeries.

TBH I have no idea as yet. I need to find an early morning bakery. Right now, due to teaching demands, I'm busy most days. so just make quick food trips to the shopping centre (some very decent salads and Indian food). Crusty French bread is available, but this goes as hard as rocks at the slow rate that I consume it...

Originally Posted by Simon43

I'm in the north of the island at Lower Vale, which is 10 minutes drive from Mont Choisy public beach and about 8 minutes from Grand Baie (I drive to Mont Choisy at 6am each day to jog and swim). La Croisette shopping centre with brand name shops, food supermarket, food court and restaurants is about 5 minutes drive from my house.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like a positive set up. Looking forward to learn more about the place.
I don’t enjoy driving much here. Roads and manners are a bit hectic at times, even now with few tourists.

Originally Posted by happynz

^ That's a curious metric. Nothing wrong with it though.

Yea definitely on the strange side but then again I am definitely a strange one who loves a good baguette

Originally Posted by Simon43

TBH I have no idea as yet. I need to find an early morning bakery. Right now, due to teaching demands, I'm busy most days. so just make quick food trips to the shopping centre (some very decent salads and Indian food). Crusty French bread is available, but this goes as hard as rocks at the slow rate that I consume it...

I would imagine having a close connection with France, they would have some decent bakeries. Did Laos still have any decent bakeries left over from the French Indochina days?

Simon, how's your classes going from there? Also, how do you receive weather satellite shots?

Originally Posted by Topper

Simon, how's your classes going from there? Also, how do you receive weather satellite shots?

My classes are going fine I rented a house in a small village, (but 5 minutes to the shopping centre). So in this village, hardly anyone uses 4g data, and so I always get a fast connection that is fine for Zoom. I'm waiting on Mauritius Telecom to reconnect the fibre-optic service to my house, but to be honest, the mobile connection works great, with unlimited data at 15 MUR ($0.3 USD) per day. (That price is correct = 34 US cents per day, or about $10 USD per month!! - unbelievable low price)

My weather satellite reception is just one of my 'fun' scientific projects. I explained how to do this in an earlier post in this thread when I was in Turkey. Just for fun, I made a suitable antenna and stuck it on my roof, tied to a broom handle. It seems to work OK!

Originally Posted by Simon43

to be honest, the mobile connection works great, with unlimited data at 15 MUR ($0.3 USD) per day. (That price is correct = 34 US cents per day, or about $10 USD per month!! - unbelievable low price)

Not particularly cheap. I pay $65 USD per year for high speed DTAC 4G in Thailand.

Originally Posted by Topper

Also, how do you receive weather satellite shots?

I suspect your government has a variety of sites.

In Thailand, there are a selection available here:

http://www.sattmet.tmd.go.th/satmet/mergesat.html


TMD Weather Radar

Originally Posted by Topper

how do you receive weather satellite shots?

Get Your Weather Images Straight From The Satellite | Hackaday

Simon, is that a solar water heater on your roof?

Originally Posted by happynz

Simon, is that a solar water heater on your roof?

Nope - it's a broadband, microwave antenna array for receiving cosmic signals.....

Seriously, yes that's the solar water heater for the shower. It is actually pointing north, but still manages to boil the water! Too hot for me. There is a water header tank in the white tank. I'm on city piped water here, but this tank is in case it stops for a bit. The weather satellite 'hack' is on the broomstick and at the back is a vertical antenna for sending/receiving SSTV (slow-scan TV) pictures on the 20 metre shortwave band. I have to wait for my residence permit before I apply for my ham licence here, so right now I just use it for reception of signals. But it seems to receive OK - see where I have received signals from in the past 24 hours

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Historically, well for the past 40 years or so, Mauritius was known as a luxury destination for honeymooners and well-heeled travellers intent on staying at 5 star hotels with their private beaches etc., but it also spawned a diaspora in which the young migrated to the West because of poor prospects at home limited to employment in either the tourist trade as skivvies or agriculture. But certainly there was never a phenomenon of immigration from the West but that now seems to be changing as the country seeks to spur an economic recovery from COVID and poor investment policies.

It would be interesting to know what indigenous Mauritians think of you, Simon. Have you engaged with them yet in your neighbourhood or is it too early to say. Do they have local pubs/bars where you can shoot the breeze and explore relationships? Or are they indifferent to you and only recognise your presence as an economic opportunity?

I see you have a car, did you buy this or is it rented? Given your current uncertain status, if it was the former some might think you a tad presumptuous. Did you have to show evidence of good character when you lodged your application to remain? If so, one wonders just which country vouched for you?

I live in a local village, no expats there AFAIK, mostly Indian families. The locals are friendly and polite, but I doubt if they regard me as an economic opportunity - their houses are somewhat larger than my rented house. I rent the car (of course), in case I move again.

No police report is required for the visa, but I did include a clean police report from Turkey.

As for local pubs/bars, that suggests drinking alcohol I don't drink (makes me fat), and my neighbours are all Hindu and I've never seen any alcohol. I do go to a beach club on occasions, but that's for the nice view of the beach and slim women. TBH, I'm a really anti-social sort of person, happy to be polite, but not going out of my way to socialise.

I also hold somewhat old-fashioned views that a man should only wear shorts on the beach or in his home, and I avoid speaking to anyone who doesn't follow this line. So I naturally don't socialise with those who wear shorts in the shopping centre etc, (which is most foreigners lol). I'm very happy with my own thoughts and company.

Looks like your lungs dodged a bullet Simon.

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