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Stopping Common Indoor Bugs
February 15th, 2010 by Owen Jones, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Some of the commonest bugs we see indoors anywhere in the world are flies, spiders, fleas and beetles. Nobody likes to see insects in the house, so most people will go to just about any lengths to eradicate these common indoor bugs. The less common indoor bugs may be woodlice, earwigs, scorpions and millipedes or centipedes, although they are no less unwelcome.
It does not matter where you are in the world, it can be very hard to keep these common indoor bugs outside, unless you go to the extremes of keeping all your windows and doors closed at all times, which is obviously impossible. I now live in Thailand and I know for sure that this is not possible.
So, what on Earth can you do? Well, let’s deal with all the flying insects first, because of all the common indoor bugs, I find them the most unpleasant indoor bug. They are very annoying, buzzing around your head and mosquitoes and other flies can produce irritating sores and besides that, all flies spread disease. I cannot bear to see them strutting about on food, knowing that they have probably just come off some dog’s muck somewhere and now they are spitting on my food to taste it with their dirty feet!
My first line of defence is fine-mesh door and widow screens. They are not expensive and can be fitted retrospectively to any window. My window meshes slide, so they can cover only one half of the window at a any one time, but I do not find that a problem. You can still create cross-winds, by opening two or more windows at opposite ends of a room. I like to see the flies on the mesh trying to get in by day and the mosquitoes doing the same by night. At night, it is wise to switch on as little light indoors as possible so as not to draw these common indoor bugs.
My second line of defence is natural predators – lizards, like Geckos (Jin Jok, in Thai). Some people don’t like them in the house either and I can’t say that I’m all that keen on them indoors myself, but they are difficult to keep out and they do eat hundreds, if not thousands, of indoor bugs every day. I particularly like to see them lying in wait on the outside of the mesh, ready to jump on any bug trying to wriggle its way through the wires.
My third line of defence is a handheld bug zapper. You know, the electric, handheld bug zapper that looks like a toy tennis racquet. They are brilliant at catching and destroying any flying indoor bug. The inset literally explodes and vaporizes on contact with the fully-charged wires of the indoor bug zapper. If you haven’t tried using one, you really should. They are most satisfying. These three defences keep our house pretty much free of flies.
The creeping common indoor insects are less of a problem really. Door screens on self-closers will keep 99% of them out and the Geckos will help too. Spiders can get in pretty easily, but then, I don’t mind them too much as long as they stay away from me, as they consume other insects too. They are on our side to be honest. However, for those who can not bear to catch them and throw them outside, the handheld indoor bug zapper works a treat on spiders too.
Fleas can sometimes be a problem, if you have cats or dogs, but then if you wash or dust the animal once a month, you should be able to keep these common indoor bugs under control fairly easily. However, there are two final measures that we employ. Once a week, before we go out for the day, we spray every room with fly killer and every six-months we spray any rugs or carpets with an insect killer containing permethrin, which will survive washing and vacuuming for that long without losing its ability to kill common indoor bugs on contact. If you stick with these methods, you should be able to keep your home or office quite free of the most common indoor bugs and the less common indoor bug too.
Have you ever used an indoor bug zapper? If not, or if you want to get an indoor bug zapper, please click one of the links to our web site or blog.
Thailand – How I First Came Here
December 13th, 2009 by Owen Jones, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
I first came to Thailand in 2004 and I came here more of less by accident. I had travelled a lot in Europe: Russia, Western Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa and north South America, but I had never found the time to travel to Asia.
One night, I was chatting to a friend who had travelled a great deal throughout the world and he was telling me about his favourite place, to where he had been returning year after year for fourteen years. Knowing the man’s experience as a traveller, I was very taken aback to hear that he had been choosing to go to the same spot in Asia for fourteen years.
I just had to ask him which part of huge Asia held such an enticement for him and he said Thailand. I knew practically nothing about Thailand, except that I had had a few meals at a near-by Thai restaurant over the years. I also knew from collecting stamps as a boy that it used to be called Siam. Anyway, my friend asked me if I’d like to go. I answered that I would ‘one day’ and meant it.
He startled me by saying that he was going to Thailand for a month soon and that I was welcome to go with him, if I wanted. I replied that I had a couple of jazz festivals to go to soon and maybe I would, if there was at least a month between them and if I could get a flight and if… I could hear myself putting him off, but I did not know why.
A few hours later, I went home and being an avid Internet user, I checked out a bit about Thailand on the travel brochure sites. It looked really fantastic. The prices were good too except for the flights. Hotels were cheap to reasonable and food and drinks prices were insignificant compared to where I lived. So, I checked the dates of the two Jazz festivals and they were thirty-three days apart. Now for the flight. I spent well into the next morning checking flights and found one for the day after the first festival leaving from our local airport. It was not the cheapest flight, but it gave me more time.
In a reckless moment I booked it there and then online. I then found an inn with rooms to let online that my friend had said he went to on quiz evenings and guessed that they would be open by now serving breakfasts. I sent them an email and a response came back twenty minutes later. I had been lucky again. The boss was in the middle of checking yesterday’s figures, when he saw my email come through. However, not sure of his Internet ability, he wanted me to phone him right away. I checked my watch, it was still 4AM so I phoned.
He took my booking on trust and so I did not have to make a deposit. I had been told about Thailand, made up my mind to go and booked the flight and room all within five hours and I could not wait for nine o’clock to come to inform my friend that I would be going too.
If you want to know how to get a UK visa, please go over to our website now at How to Get a UK Visa
Occupations in Deep Sea Diving
November 28th, 2009 by Owen Jones, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Have you ever considered an elite occupation? If you have, then you may have a lot of different careers in mind. If you enjoy scuba diving, then you may be asking yourself what kind of career you can get from scuba diving aside from being a scuba diving instructor. Apart from just being able to explore the ocean, you will see that there are occupations that entail deep sea diving.
There are a lot of occupations that entail deep sea diving. One such occupation is that of being a commercial diver. This kind of diving requires a lot of bravery and stringent qualifications.
Deep sea divers are involved in a lot of sorts of projects. One is salvage work on sunken ships, while others include the cleaning of the hulls of ships. Deep sea divers are also needed on deep sea oil rigs to repair pipes undersea as well as clean steel.
There is a wide range of projects that require commercial divers. However, training is very thorough as you will need to handle dangerous materials undersea, such as high explosives and you will be in dangerous conditions too. In this regard, commercial divers are distinctive from average recreational divers, because they are well-trained in all aspects of diving safety to the point that everything they do undersea should be just right.
So, how does one become a commercial diver? Firstly, you have to recollect that commercial diving is different from recreational diving. Having an open water qualification is simply not enough for you to become a qualified commercial diver. You still have to go to school for this type of job.
In commercial diving school, you will be taught all about dive tables and how to use them. You will also be taught about underwater welding and how to handle high explosives underwater. Safety is the most important aspect of commercial diving.
You will also be taught underwater communications and emergency safety measures in case something goes wrong. In commercial diving, you will also learn about the dangers of working underwater, especially in deep diving, where nitrogen narcosis is quite common. You will also learn about the symptoms of nitrogen sickness or bends and how to detect if a fellow diver is suffering from nitrogen narcosis.
You will also be taught about the different air mixes necessary to diving, such as air, nitrox, and trimix. This is important as you will be breathing it undersea. Using the wrong mix when you go deep sea diving can be fatal.
Commercial diving is a promising occupation that is full of adventure. The pay is one of the best in the world and you will also be able to utilize hi-tech scuba diving apparatus, such as rebreathers, state-of-the-art underwater scooters, undersea radio communications, as well as hi-tech industrial equipment.
Deep sea diving careers, such as commercial diving is a gratifying career. If you have the gumption for it and you want a occupation that is full of adventure, then commercial diving is for you. Just remember that in deep sea diving, safety must always come first. Remember these things and you can be sure that you will be able to have a wonderful and gratifying career as a commercial diver.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is currently involved with Body Glove wetsuit products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some great offers.
How to Get a UK Visitor’s Visa for a Thai.
March 29th, 2009 by Owen Jones, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Applying for a UK visitor’s visa for a Thai friend to go to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland can be very stressful. I am also certain that it is more difficult for people from some countries than for others and Thailand falls into this latter category. This is because the staff are concerned about the applicant’s ability to support him/herself when they originate from a Third World country. This is UK government policy and you must not hold it against the British embassy staff – they are only carrying out orders! It is worth your while remembering this when you speak to the embassy staff about a UK visitor’s visa.
Note well: a standard UK visitor’s visa for a Thai (or any other nationality) to the United Kingdom lasts 6 months and allows the recipient to enter and leave the country as often as he/she wishes. Usually, though, at least for the first visa, you will be asked to restrict the length of stay to what you specify in the interview. So, for example, if you say you want to go for two weeks, your six months visa will have a note pinned to it requiring you to leave after two weeks. You have to agree to this limitation in writing, although your UK visitor’s visa is clearly valid for six months!
Your UK visitor’s visa strenuously forbids you from claiming any money from the state, free help from the hospitals or doctors or working. It is not a work-permit! Many Thais are refused a UK visitor’s visa because they dither when asked why they want to visit the UK. You must be clear about why you want to go there. If it’s to visit a friend or lover, say so. It really is not a problem. But you must be prepared to prove your relationship. It must have lasted at least 6 months although this is not really ‘official government policy’.
Let’s think about providing that evidence of a long-standing relationship first of all. Most Thais that apply for a UK visitor’s visa will need a sponsor – most often a lover of an employer. Don’t be tempted to say you have known your sponsor for longer than you have, because he has entry stamps in his passport. This gives an indication of how long you could have known each other but it is not conclusive evidence. You will need to provide much more: try keeping all hotel bills, ATM receipts, mobile phone cards, menus, photos, letters, postcards etc. Anything that will help you establish that you are having an on-going long-standing relationship. It is far better if you can prove that the relationship is older than 6 months.
After having gathered all your proofs you can get the visa application form (VAF) from the embassy or its website, which is really very useful for explaining what should be enclosed with the form and what the fee is (3,800 Baht or thereabouts). This is your last real chance to make a good impression, so get it right. You will only get an interview if you make the application impressive.
This where the sponsor plays a pivotal role in getting that first UK visitor’s visa for a Thai. As your sponsor, he has to be prepared to guarantee your well-being while you are in the UK and he will have to prove this to the embassy staff.
Your friendly sponsor will have to make you an offer of a holiday with accomodation in the UK. Then he will have to back up his claims with written proof. If he says he has money, he will need a letter from his employer or the bank. If he says he has a house, he will need a letter from his mortgage provider, a contract, deeds or a letter from the council. Marriage is not an issue, but some odd reasons given for refusal are:
“this Thai applicant for a UK visitor’s visa has never been outside the country before ” this is an easy one, just pop over to Cambodia for a weekend.
“the Thai person applying for this UK visitor’s visa does not have strong socio-economic ties to her country of origin” They don’t believe that you have enough to return to Thailand for. A letter from your boss, doctor, solicitor or village elder, your house book; proof of children or living parents and proof of property are all very useful.
Don’t rush into your application. If you get this wrong you will have to wait at least a month. Think about why you want to visit Britain. It may seem obvious to you now, but in front of an interviewer you may ‘freeze’. Learn to prove everything you say. Treat it like a game and pretend you’re a barrister for a day: provide incontrovertible, written proof.
Make sure you know the answers to questions about your sponsor: about his family, town and work. You will be alone in the embassy, but don’t let that make you nervous. Some questions will be in English, but if you get stuck it’s not a problem, just speak Thai.
Hint: apply for more time than you need as the UK visitor’s visa runs from the day it is granted, but you may not be able to get a flight out of Suvarnabhum straight away. You will probably also be required to return to the Bangkok embassy when you arrive back to have the UK visitor’s visa cancelled; after all, it is a multiple entry, 180-day visa that could be used to return to the UK without the sponsor’s knowledge, so try not to arrive back on a Friday unless you want a holiday in Thailand’s capital city.
No 1 Tip: don’t tell lies to the embassy staff, they have heard it all before. If you’re unsure of something, just say so.
The Ancient History of Barry, South Wales: Part One
March 15th, 2009 by Owen Jones, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Most of what we know or have guessed about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales has come from observing the buildings situated there, the majority of which have been sadly neglected for far too long. There are historical tales, such as the one about Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin in Glastonbury, just across the water and was one of the first missionaries to go to this area.
Tradition maintains that the father of Caractacus took his son to Rome and was converted to Christianity. They returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with the missionary Bran the Blessed. We do know that Christianity had become fairly popular by the early 4th. Century and that south Wales sent some bishops to the Council of Rome.
Saint Baruch’s Church on Barry Island is one of the oldest places of historic religious interest in the region, but unfortunately, it too has been allowed to become dilapidated. Barry Island was one of the most important places of monastic interest in south Wales and around. The ancient Viking strongholds of Steep and Flat Holms also housed monks and Saint Illtyd’s Seminary in nearby Llantwit Major, which taught 2,200 disciples, was closely linked to it too.
Porthkerry Point jutted out into the sea almost certainly further out than it is today and a castle was constructed there on the site of an ancient Roman fortress and naval dockyard. Many deer and wolf bones have been found between Barry and Sully, indicating the presence of these animals in great numbers. Arrowheads, flints, bone needles and coins have also been found.
Barry Island was first known as Baruchs Island after St. Baruch, who was found drowned, washed up on the beach in 700 AD. He had drowned on his return from Flat Holm, where it was customary for Saints and religious students of the seminaries to spend Lent.
He and Gwelches had been disciples of St. Cadoc at the time. On their return to the island, they realized that they had left their enchiridion (religious manual) behind and St. Cadoc made them go back and get it. They never returned alive. St. Baruchs most famous disciple, St. Illtyd was educated there.
The island at Barry has had several names including “Island of the Saints” and “Insular of Peiros”. St. Peiro was St. Illtyd’s successor as leader of the seminary and St. Samson’s mentor. St. Doeninas was the leader of another abbey on the island at nearby Friars’ Point.