Who stays around Nakhon Phanom

[sjeng]

In september we (me 57, wife 30) go stay in nakhom phanom city,
is there someone staying in the neighbourhood, who can give us some support we have a home yust 4 km from the airport.
we need some information about, reliable shops, car sale, building company aso
I hope( I am sure) I am not the only farang around there.

[JoGeAr]

My wife's from Nakhon Phanom (Amphur Ta Uten), but unfortunately we are currently living in Australia.

You will find Nakhon Phanom is a rather strange place. Not very friendly, with about half of the city populated by seemingly xenophobic Vietnamese.

[artist]

Worked on the water plant there where there is nothing but small rice farms around. There is a college there but the age groop is not in your league. Never found a falang sort of bar.

[pai nai ma]

Pretty place.

[BigRed]

It's a nice city and the promenade along the Mekong is a credit to it. There are bars which expats favour but I don't know their names unfortunately, tuktuk drivers find them easily enough though. Very cheap place to live. You can meet Keith Summers (spelling?) there of NotStickman fame.

[Wayne Kerr]

I have some interesting recipes from there

[JoGeAr]

^ My wife's family lives down the road from the slaughterhouse of the main ingredient in most of those recipes.

[sjeng]

So far a bitdissapointing, i think we have to make the best of it

[Wayne Kerr]

You'll be right mate. Jeez its a great place with some great food, lovely waterfrontage, loads of farangs, some western food when you need it etc. To be honest whatever advice you get on here won't be much chop once you get there and settle in with family, friends and so on. I often get confused with Nakhon Phanom and Nakhon Pathom, I assume it is the former right?

[Aquaman]

I use to live in na Kae, in nakon phanom province but equidistant to nakon phanom/sakon nakon, and mukdahan. i think sakon nakon has a better selection of everything. there are a few good places to eat in nakon phanom, never went out there. you can get a boatman to bring back cases of beer lao for you from tha khek across the river.

[dirtydog]

you can get a boatman to bring back cases of beer lao for you from tha khek across the river.

Thats more like it, the important stuff

[Aquaman]

That was the only reason i ever went up there. i dont smoke but apparently good smokes are had in lao as well. i think they are vietnamese ciggs.

[Marmite the Dog]

I'm in Nakhon Nomyai, not too far away.

[JoGeAr]

^ Heh !! Big tit town. I want to go there !!

[sjeng]

I'm in Nakhon Nomyai, not too far away.

Great to have someone around,
where is nomyai exactly google earth cant find it?

[ralphinlaos]

I live in Thakhek, Laos - just across the Mekong River from Nakhon Phanom (a ten minute boat ride). I often go to Nakhon (and Mukdahon, Sakhon Phanom or Udon Thani). Nakhon Phanom has a Tesco/Lotus (no Pizza Place!) and lots of decent shopping (Sakhon Phanom, about a two hour bus ride from Nakhon, has more and bigger stores). The nightlife I know little about - I stayed at the Riverview Hotel recently and wandered around a little, mostly on the promenade - lots of bars in the area but I don't know of any farang bars - I wish I did. Anyway, I think Nakhon Phanom is a beautiful, small city with everything you would want, and Mukdahan (two hours by bus) is very nice with an "inernational" hospital, a Tesco/Lotus (with pizza) and even a bookstore! You can live a lovely, quiet life there if that's what you want. And if you want more, you can make an occasional trip to Udon Thani.

Good luck to you and your wife.

Ralph

[Gallowspole]

If you play golf, there is a very small group. Kevin the Aussie is good for a drink and a laugh.

[sjeng]

I live in Thakhek, Laos - just across the Mekong River from Nakhon Phanom (a ten minute boat ride). I often go to Nakhon (and Mukdahon, Sakhon Phanom or Udon Thani). Nakhon Phanom has a Tesco/Lotus (no Pizza Place!) and lots of decent shopping (Sakhon Phanom, about a two hour bus ride from Nakhon, has more and bigger stores). The nightlife I know little about - I stayed at the Riverview Hotel recently and wandered around a little, mostly on the promenade - lots of bars in the area but I don't know of any farang bars - I wish I did. Anyway, I think Nakhon Phanom is a beautiful, small city with everything you would want, and Mukdahan (two hours by bus) is very nice with an "inernational" hospital, a Tesco/Lotus (with pizza) and even a bookstore! You can live a lovely, quiet life there if that's what you want. And if you want more, you can make an occasional trip to Udon Thani.

Good luck to you and your wife.

Ralph

some good news at last,

[Aquaman]

I live in Thakhek, Laos

what goes on over there?

[ralphinlaos]

What goes on over here? Most people would probably say, "very little." I would disagree. It's a small city, but seems to be growing rapidly these days (construction all over the place). My hope is that it does not get too big or too popular - it's quiet and I like it that way (there are lots of other places not too far away if you want the noise and hustle and bustle of the city). We have had a small casino for about two years now, but when someone built the huge new Rivirea Hotel (Malaysians, I hear, and that's the way they spell it - I think they meant Riviera), they also put in a much bigger casino in the new hotel. So the smaller place (right nearby) closed for renovation a couple of months ago and now neither place is open. My neighbor works in the smaller casino and says that it is going to reopen soon, but that the government will not give a license to the new casino in the hotel, so it will probably never open - unless someone pays off someone. I can't figure out just who is goiing to stay in the bigger, expensive hotel when we have many other far less expensive hotels and guest-houses here - maybe rich Thais coming over to play at the casino if it does get open (both casinos are right near the boat landing which you take from Nakhon to Thakhek).

No shopping at all that would interest farangs - just beer Laos, I guess. Lots of people coming to buy beer Laos. I am not a beer drinker at all, so I had no idea if beer Laos was any good or not, but I met a German man at a party last week and he said it was a very good beer - and the Germans know about beer, don't they?

The nitelife if limited to sitting on the waterfront drinking and eating or going dancing on one of the boats moored on the Laos side of the Mekong. Lots of girls (and boys) available, if that's what you are looking for - and less money than in Thailand (less sophisticated people, friendly and just naturally sexual/sensual).

I've been teaching here and in Vientiane for the past few years but have just given it uo and am opening a business in Thakhek. I have a great location, will sell some good food (mostly farang food, with some Laos), books, DVDs, mixed drinks (you can't find a rum and coke or gin and tonic in the entire city), and some asian artifacts. Wish me luck and when you do come to Thakhek (it's an easy visa run if you live anywhere near), look me up at "Sabaidee Thakhek," a nice little place near the Mekong.

So, there's lots to do, depending on your interests. I have been in Laos for nine years now and have not found the Laos government to be interfering at all - much less so that when I lived in the States (I'm an American, retired from the US Navy). I generally behave myself and all is well.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Thakhek - except for karsh and caves outside of town.

Ralph

[sjeng]

Great experience,
is it so easy to go to laos from nakhon phanom? I have read somewere it is only possible got thai people to cross the mighty mekong river.

What a coincidence i als retired from the dutch army and go stay in nakhon with my family in sept/okt this year, depends on the speed of thai ambassy in holland for give me my marriage visa. I go to the ambassy tomorrow so they have 6 week time but they promised me there is no problem at all. ready in 3 day?????????

keep in contact
with regards
sjeng

[JoGeAr]

Wish me luck and when you do come to Thakhek (it's an easy visa run if you live anywhere near), look me up at "Sabaidee Thakhek," a nice little place near the Mekong.

Yes, I do wish you luck with your little venture. Nice to be set up in 'a place that is yet to be discovered' and be able to enjoy the tranquility before the 'rat-race' arrives.

Nice to have a board member in on the ground floor with a bit of local knowledge.

[jandajoy]

I thought you were coming to LOS Ralph.

[Aquaman]

Good account Ralph.
I crossed over from nakon phanom by boat with my motorcycle. was in tha kek for about 5 minutes before heading off twords vientiene. seemed like a nice little town.
i'll check you out next time im there.

[ralphinlaos]

Well, Jandajoy, I had been thinking seriously about it. But an opportunity came up here which I decided to take advantage of. Thakhek is growing and whoever is in charge seems determined to make something of it. As I mentioned, someone has just built a huge Vegas type hotel on the Mekong - you can see it easily at night from Nakhon. And they are in the process of finishing a sort of "walking street," much like the one in Pattaya (without all the people, no girlie (or boy) bars, no showrooms, etc. But it's a pretty little place, only one block long, right off the Mekong. And the place I took a lease on is right in the middle of it - a really good location. I have paid for two years up-front (50,000 baht per year) and have an option for an additional three years. This is for a nice restaurant/sales area downstairs and a large apartment upstairs. I plan to open on 1 September; earlier if I can make it.

It is very easy to cross the Mekong from Nakhon Phanom to Thakhek. Pay your 60 baht for the boat-ride, go over to the visa counter and get an exit-visa from Thailand, get on the boat and you'll be in Thakhek in ten minutes (sometimes you may have to wait ten or fifteen minutes for the next boat out, but they run all day - 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., I think - seven days a week).

Then, if you're only here in Thakhek to re-new your Thai visa, as soon as you get your Laos arrival visa (I think it's US$35 now), go over to the next counter and get a Laos exit permit, get back on the boat and return to Thailand. No problems.

Farangs come and go all the time, but you may well be the only non-asian on the boat. We don't get many tourists in Thakhek; so few that I'm always pleasantly surprised when I meet a farang to talk to.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Come on over and see how the other half lives.

Ralph