Sawadee Khrap 
Now is when I feel homesick – or at least homesick for the advantages offered in the States. I just spent 3 hr driving all over Chiang Mai trying to find a machine shop or someone who could fabricate a mono-pod mounting bracket for my camera. NO SUCCESS I just bought a new mono-pod and it requires that the camera be connected and used in th landscape mode – I prefer to also be able to shoot in portrait mode. I bought a swivel head for the mono-pod but that swivels to the right to allow portrait and is really off balance. I’m having the same problem trying to get a strap grip for my camera – all that is available is the standard Canon one and what a piece of crap – 1400 Baht or $40 —– the simpleset things I always could get in the States are real problems here.
Chiang Mai really doesn’t have a directory of businesses available – one yellow-page book is out there but only in Thai – so no help. You just can’t find anything unless you know where it is located – almost everything is mouth to mouth — they don’t even like to advertise. You can spend all day f@!5*ing around trying to find anything. And every job is broken down individually– for the car for example: fixing the electrical, fixing the body, exhaust, locks, I take it to the best mechanic I have found and he sends it out for any of the above. And their scattered all over town– AND NO DIRECTORY or YELLOW-PAGES..
I’m just letting off steam – I’ll post after the monk pictures.
Ciao
Frank, Perhaps a trip to a camera shop in Bangkok would be an idea.
Nice to see your new friend ‘VAN’ the Temple Monk responding. We are all looking forward to the new Temple photos. So even the Monks now are using the internet.
Hi David, I am searching for a machine shop here in Chiang Mai – I’m sure that I will need other things made for me in the future – especially for the photography stuff – Canon and other commercial stuff is so expensive and not all that good, and it is easy to make your own – that is if you can find a machine shop. ha ha I will make the drawings or schematics on the computer and give it to the shop to make – then I will get what I want. I am going to do the same thing for a leather strap I need for the camera – I intend to have one specially made for me that works like I want it too. Having special stuff made is not that expensive over here – the only problem is finding the shop to do it.
And Ya – it’s great that Van and the other monks are using the internet – I will be at the temple early Sat morning to photo Van and several other novice monks at the temple and get more shots of the temple grounds for a brochure later.