#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Living In Thailand Forum >  >  "Fitting in" in your Isaan village. 8 Key points

## genghis61

Ok I'm bored, rained-in today, headache from a budget tooth extarction (272 baht since you asked) . . . so took the time to summarise the key points from a thread on another forum on how to fit in . . . 

This all, apparently, that it takes:

*Finances*
Be generous around your village. Give (however small or little) to the elderly in the moo-barn. Give to your local temple and school. Help those in dire need and the elderly.Buy a big case of "Lao Khao" and bring some "ocean food" with you when you come from Bkk.Regularly eat at the local noodle shopsNever loan money in the village, Thais dont understand the word "loan"

*Relationships*
Smile, smile, and go on smiling. Never confront a local. Just smile and politely excuse yourself to leave the scene.Wai/sawadee everyone. Thai loves this. If you do this everyday to everyone your life will be so much better and easy. Don't wai other farangs, we shake hands.Speak ThaiVisit people. Take part in the village social life. Attend parties for weddings, funerals, special events, and hold your own when applicable.

Pleased to have been of assistance.

Wowser alert: NB No offence intended

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## dirtydog

> Attend parties for weddings, *funerals*, special events,





> and hold your own when applicable.


Probably not much choice on that one  :Sad:

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## somtamslap

> Don't wai other farangs, we shake hands.


 Other farangs...you're in a city not a village..when we see other farangs here we run away cos we're all a bunch of xenophobic wankers..either that or stare, blatantly..

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## genghis61

answering my own thread - told you I was bored. Don't know what qualifies as 'village', my life in Sa Kaeo seems very progressive in comparison. I guess there may be 1000 people within 5km. 26km to a 7/11 and nearest ATM if that counts as civilisation?

I give nothing money-wise to local elderly, temple or school. I have never been asked for contribute. I'm joining a school trip to Bangkok on Tuesday as an 'adult helper', no problem, was nice to be invited and look forward to the trip. I am not Buddhist; and the family I've become attached to barely qualify as temple-folk- last time any of them went was Songkran, so not 'big' on the temple business. Elderly - sure there are some old people around but I've never felt the urge to randomly donate. Two houses on the farm are occupied, rent-free, by older couples who for whatever reasons have no children supporting themI shouted a dozen Chang to b-in-law's farm workers who helped me build a lean-to on the house, just as I would anywhere, certainly no big piss-up. I drank my share. The 'family' don't drink, coffee/tea even so I think I struck it lucky there.I don't like noodles, prefer home-cooked local food.I was asked to loan money once - friend of my partner wanted 30k. I explained my 'never a lender nor borrower be' principle and that was the end of that; secondary was that my partner had more than enough to loan and when i asked why she wouldn't, she said because she probably wouldn't get it back. Well . . . end of conversation.

I'll smile if I'm happy; I'm polite. I don't back down and successfully managed a house redevelopment and some land lease issues without conflict. I'd go with 'firm but fair' rather than some gawping loon with a fixed fake grinI wai for no-one, the family certainly don't expect it or I'd have heard about it by now. Well almost no-one, September 2009 I met someone aged and important and was warned beforehand to make the effort, and I did. Business people I've dealt with locally always offer a handshake.Speak Thai - I enjoy learning and progressing slowly, because I want to and I like to be able o do my own shoppingVillage social life? Spare me - there isn't a real sense of 'community' beyond the extended family. The rocket-firing and mud-throwing 'festival' was fun, but there is no 'village social life' as such. People have jobs, businesses, their own 'lives'. I maintain the neighbourhood bicycles, my little hobby, last holidays gave swimming lessons in the reservoir to 12 local kids. 

Fire away . . .

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## baby maker

> Fire away . . .


What's to say....genghis, old sod....you are bored shit less...

why don't you get back to clubbing baby seals...to relieve the boredom...
goes with the look  :Smile:

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## Smug Farang Bore

Pay Pay Pay.....

That will keep them happy

Koi sung jaaw lai lai fulung.

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## koman

The best possible strategy is to stay as far away from the village as possible. There is absolutely nothing for you there, except throwing your money into a bottomless pit. If you really want to give all your money away, send it to that Imam in New York to help them build their Mosque.  At least that will bring us closer to WW3 and end all this agony.

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## superman

> The best possible strategy is to stay as far away from the village as possible. There is absolutely nothing for you there, except throwing your money into a bottomless pit.


 How did you come to that conclusion ?

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## Chairman Mao

> I maintain the neighbourhood bicycles, my little hobby, last holidays gave swimming lessons in the reservoir to 12 local kids.


Geez, good on ya, I'd be apprehensive with taking 12 kids swimming in a reservoir. Coming back one short mightn't win many friends.

I'd love to move back to a village (well not back, lived among theoutskirts of a small/medium sized Isaan city for 18 months). Setting up a classroom somewhere and teaching the little ones some Engrish for an hour in the afternoon or evening everyday FoC would probably win you over with the locals, be a lot of fun with little ones, and give something back to the community.

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## koman

[quote=superman;1552770]


> The best possible strategy is to stay as far away from the village as possible. There is absolutely nothing for you there, except throwing your money into a bottomless pit.[/quote
> 
>  How did you come to that conclusion ?


Been there, done that.  Know lots of others who have had the same experience.
There are some exceptions, but that is the norm.  I have visited so many villages where there are 2, 3 or 4 "farang" houses sitting derelict and often uncompleted.  Why?
Because the farang was getting sucked dry and finally got the message.  There is always another one in the waiting.  As they say "fools rush in"
And that is how I came to my conclusion.

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## Chairman Mao

So your experience was rushing in, buying 'teerak' and her family lots of stuff, and getting fleeced, then hermit-ing yourself away from the locals in disgust.

Let me guess, were you 20 yrs older than 'teerak' too?




> "fools rush in"


Couldn't agree more.

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## superman

> Been there, done that. Know lots of others who have had the same experience. There are some exceptions, but that is the norm. I have visited so many villages where there are 2, 3 or 4 "farang" houses sitting derelict and often uncompleted. Why? Because the farang was getting sucked dry and finally got the message. There is always another one in the waiting. As they say "fools rush in" And that is how I came to my conclusion.


I can't say I've seen what you've seen but I have seen the "farang was getting sucked dry" bit many a time. As for the houses "uncompleted". Never. A good village girl will not kill the goose until the car's been bought, house has been finished, had her 5 Baht gold and 1 million Baht sin sot and the 20 Rai of rubber trees. I've never seen a ex-farang's house unfinished, Thais yes. Which reminds me of a local farang who's wife dumped him once the above had been completed. The wife minced back off to Pattaya leaving the house sitting on mama's land. Mama wanted 400,000 for the rights to cross the land to use the house. Being as he had all the receipts for the build, he went to the police and explained his intentions. He returned to his house with a bulldozer and flattened the lot as the police looked on. No charges brought.

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## koman

> So your experience was rushing in, buying 'teerak' and her family lots of stuff, and getting fleeced, then hermit-ing yourself away from the locals in disgust.
> 
> Let me guess, were you 20 yrs older than 'teerak' too?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> ...


Ah I see, so based on my few lines of text you can come to such a conclusion.

Well, No I did nothing of the sort. No rushing in, No buying anything, did not get fleeced. (but as I indicated, I know lots of others who did)  I lived in a village (actually two) for periods of 3 months and about 6 months.  Like most farangs, I found it quite charming, until the novelty wore off.  I did not hermit myself away at all. In fact I left on very good terms in each case , and moved to a place where you can have some social discourse, access to decent shopping, and not have to put up with blaring Murlam music at 5am, mosquitoes, flies, dust, cow shit everywhere and mind numbing boredom.   There are lots of dreamers, Idealists, back to the land types, and those good souls who want to save the Thais from themselves living out in the villages, but the attrition rate is high.

I respect the opinions of those who disagree and......PLEASE, knock yourself out, move to a nice remote farming village if you really enjoy these things. I did say there were exceptions, so just hope that you are one of them.  Odds I would rate at about 25:1 ..and don't forget to ask the locals about the derelict farang houses There is sure to be one or two about.

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## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> Been there, done that. Know lots of others who have had the same experience. There are some exceptions, but that is the norm. I have visited so many villages where there are 2, 3 or 4 "farang" houses sitting derelict and often uncompleted. Why? Because the farang was getting sucked dry and finally got the message. There is always another one in the waiting. As they say "fools rush in" And that is how I came to my conclusion.
> 
> 
> I can't say I've seen what you've seen but I have seen the "farang was getting sucked dry" bit many a time. As for the houses "uncompleted". Never. A good village girl will not kill the goose until the car's been bought, house has been finished, had her 5 Baht gold and 1 million Baht sin sot and the 20 Rai of rubber trees. I've never seen a ex-farang's house unfinished, Thais yes. Which reminds me of a local farang who's wife dumped him once the above had been completed. The wife minced back off to Pattaya leaving the house sitting on mama's land. Mama wanted 400,000 for the rights to cross the land to use the house. Being as he had all the receipts for the build, he went to the police and explained his intentions. He returned to his house with a bulldozer and flattened the lot as the police looked on. No charges brought.


OK Superman, I may have misspoke when I said "often unfinished" but I know of several houses which were under construction and abandoned by a farang who must have realized what was going down. (One is a huge skeleton of a thing where the trees are several meters high inside!!) I was told it was being built by a guy from Switzerland who had spent a whole month learning all there is to know about 
Thailand and decided that he wanted to retire to the peace and tranquility of the countryside with a lovely 22 year old, no doubt with bar-tending experience  

 Love your bulldozer story. Too bad more farangs don't have the balls to do things like that.   :smiley laughing:  Might slow down the predators a bit.

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## Chairman Mao

> I lived in a village (actually two) for periods of 3 months and about 6 months. 
> 
> 
> Odds I would rate at about 25:1 ..


Obviously an expert after such a length of immersion.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Chairman Mao

> Love your bulldozer story. Too bad more farangs don't have the balls to do things like that.


Funnily enough I must have heard this story from about 50 different blokes at least.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

Pity all these simpletons didn't get their houses built from the prefab wooden depots.

Just a matter of calling them up and telling them to dismantle and move it to the next bird's land.

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## superman

> Funnily enough I must have heard this story from about 50 different blokes at least


I actually visited the site whist passing. 10 km west of Nong Ki on route 24. The genuine place. It happened approximately 4 years ago. Anyone tells you it happened elsewhere is a bullshitter.

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## Marmite the Dog

I live in a village, but it's not_ ban nok_, so I can ignore all the being nice, waiing and wasting money on people I don't know or care about.

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## DrAndy

> I live in a village, but it's not_ ban nok_, so I can ignore all the being nice, waiing and wasting money on people I don't know or care about.


 
Is that what people do!?

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## Jesper

I hated Sa Kaeo when i was there but now that I am currently in Sweden and the GF is in Sa Kaeo I would love to go back :P

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## backinpd2007

Agreed with Genghis. But never be too generous with the locals ,unless they have earned it first. If you find a good worker, reward him with a slightly higher rate of pay and he'll be there whenever you need him.

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## superman

> I am currently in Sweden and the GF is in Sa Kaeo


Thanks for the info Jesper. Send her address and I'll pop round to see if she's okay.

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## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
> 
> 
> I live in a village, but it's not_ ban nok_, so I can ignore all the being nice, waiing and wasting money on people I don't know or care about.
> 
> 
>  
> Is that what people do!?


Apparently so, according to the OP.

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## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> I lived in a village (actually two) for periods of 3 months and about 6 months. 
> 
> 
> Odds I would rate at about 25:1 ..
> 
> 
> Obviously an expert after such a length of immersion.


An advocate of immersion learning are we?   How much immersion do you need to figure out something this simple.?   Having asked, I do realize that some people just learn faster than others, and some of course never learn at all.   This explains why some village farang houses are completed and shiny pickups are to be seen parked outside, while other similar projects are abandoned well before the last baht is sucked out.

BTW.  You can learn form the experiences of others and their mistakes. You don't have to do all the same stupid things and replicate the same  mistakes to become an "expert" as you put it.  Come to think of it, it's much better to learn from the mistakes of others....saves you a shitload of cash... :Smile:

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## genghis61

well, this was intended to be a light-hearted Sunday afternoon thread
behave, children! Can't we just get along?


Genghis Towers, under construction June 2010. Must take some new pics.

We renovated her existing house, a work in progress - $ from farm's 2009 sugar payout; my contribution was some labour, all the painting/paint materials, and hurrying along the builders. Mainly developed the ground floor - one 6x3 room/office and the rest tiled/open area. The rest can wait. Never considered building new though she also inherited a plot of land for her 'dream home'. Dream on as they say.


A local farmhouse

I've been wrong so often with 'farang house' there have been so many houses built recently by locals in what I'd describe as western-style, one I admire (not the one in pic) looks like it came from a magazine has a good lawn out front and little knee-high hedges round the gardens. The bigger landowners seem to be doing well, still plenty more being built.

There was a house for sale about 20km from here, built late 2008 and never lived-in, understand it sold June this year for 700,000, as per earlier posts a relationship went wrong, owner bailed out having spent 1.2m+ on construction. That's the only one I'm aware of around here. 

My role model in all this is/was former Phuket neighbour, 76, who did the lot - 3.4m house plus furnishings, car, 2 mbikes, all in young gf's name; she's now with Farang #2 (or possible 3, 4) waiting for him to die and take possession. If there is any humour in this, is that he now has a new 'cashier' on the premises who's unaware of GF#1 and naturally thinks it'll all be hers.

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## genghis61

> Originally Posted by Jesper
> 
> I am currently in Sweden and the GF is in Sa Kaeo
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info Jesper. Send her address and I'll pop round to see if she's okay.


ask if she's seen tall handsome man out cycling . . . I do about 50km radius from south of Kaew Chakan
make that _very handsome_ man

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## Butterfly

why would you want to fit-in with peasants from a third world country ? would you in your own country ? probably not, so why here ?

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## baby maker

> why would you want to fit-in with peasants from a third world country ? would you in your own country ? probably not, so why here ?


 
....only to smoke the hash...and fuck the women... :bananaman: 
certainaly no money in it...not incomeing anyhow... :smiley laughing: 

.....humyai to all...
and a Merry Xmas.... :cmn:

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## The Master Cool

> This explains why some village farang houses are completed and shiny pickups are to be seen parked outside


You do know that foreigners can own their own house and pickup, don't you?

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## spikebs4

> Originally Posted by Butterfly
> 
> 
> why would you want to fit-in with peasants from a third world country ? would you in your own country ? probably not, so why here ?
> 
> 
>  
> ....only to smoke the hash...and fuck the women...
> certainaly no money in it...not incomeing anyhow...
> ...


   same same mty8 merry xmas  :UK:

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## crippen

> why would you want to fit-in with peasants from a third world country ? would you in your own country ? probably not, so why here ?



It was either LoS or France to retire to.   Finished up in LoS!   Not too many French here. ::chitown::

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## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> This explains why some village farang houses are completed and shiny pickups are to be seen parked outside
> 
> 
> You do know that foreigners can own their own house and pickup, don't you?


Ah, yes I do know that. I happen to own both myself.  You are taking a line out of context. You need to connect to previous posts and the relevance of that comment.

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## The Master Cool

> You are taking a line out of context. You need to connect to previous posts and the relevance of that comment.


It all sounds that you chose a blood sucking leech for a partner, then after 3 months of figuring this out you fled the moo bahn.

Then chose another blood sucker, moved back to the moo bahn, but took 6 months to figure it out.

And now you are an expert on being used by blood sucking leeches and living in the countryside.

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## baby maker

> ...some people just learn faster than others, and some of course never learn at all....


 
...so it would seem...Canny Crofter....so it would seem.... :mid: 

incoming...Koman  ::spin:: incoming... ::spin::

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## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> You are taking a line out of context. You need to connect to previous posts and the relevance of that comment.
> 
> 
> It all sounds that you chose a blood sucking leech for a partner, then after 3 months of figuring this out you fled the moo bahn. Then chose another blood sucker, moved back to the moo bahn, but took 6 months to figure it out. 
> And now you are an expert on being used by blood sucking leeches and living in the countryside.


What, not another fucking idiot who thinks he can seen into another person life without knowing anything about them, and can't seem to comprehend plain English.
Thailand is just crawling with them.

Read my first and second posts again.  I*t says that no such thing happened. Did not get fleeced or suckered or anything of the kind * Is it within your ability to understand that a few of us have the brains and common sense to come to Thailand forwarned about all this shit that goes on, and act accordingly?
Yes, I spent time in two different villages as I said. I did  it to find out what life was like  out in Ban Nok. ---Christ,  I'll soon have to type in fucking monosyllables to get through to some people)  I also spent time in Bankok, Khon Kaen, Phuket and Huahin....all for the same reason.  This is how you figure  out where you would like to live, or if you even want to live in Thailand.  I had also checked out Costa Rica, Mexico, and Brazil and passed on all of them.  You don't need to have to have a GF (or blood sucker as you choose to call it)  to help you decide on these things. Given enough time and patience you decide how and where you would like to be,  unlike the common farang scenario of falling for the "hansom man" deal and letting the bar girl decide all this for you, aided an abetted by her or so friendly and welcoming family. You do the same with women. You take your time and check them out from every angle before you lay down a single baht or promise to do anything.  The blood suckers back off pretty quick when they see that there is no easy score to be had.  There are some farang who actually think before they do things. Develop a plan and stick to it without assistance or undue influence from others.  At no time have I claimed to be an expert but I meet guys on a regular basis who think they are, and I'm a hell of a lot better off here than most, if not all of them, including those who have been through the kind of process you seem to think I had just because I expressed an opinion about living out in the villages and all of it's attendant pitfalls, financial and otherwise.  I also stated in a previous post that it's better to learn from the mistakes of others than making the mistakes yourself!!
There; is any of that sooooo difficult to understand?

It really pissed me off when I see anyone post thoughtful and hopefully helpful information only to have it discredited and trashed by some two line wonder boy, but that's typical forum stuff I suppose; so we get used to it.
It was through forum research over several years that I learned about life in LOS and  all of the things to be wary off. It was a really worthwhile investment in time and effort because it helped me avoid all the crap that so many others bring down upon themselves, because they think they just know how it all works after a two week vacation.  I am well settled in Thailand and enjoy my chosen life here. If it turned out any other way I would simply leave.

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## Chairman Mao

> What, not another fucking idiot who thinks he can seen into another person life without knowing anything about them





> Thailand is just crawling with them.


So these people that Thailand is crawling with, you've interviewed their bank managers and inspected their finances yeah? To see into all their lives yeah? You know all about their lives yeah?

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## Chairman Mao

In the 18 months I lived in deepest Isaan I must have made about 15 good friends that were living in the area, and numerous acquaintances through them. Probably a social network of about 50 foreigners in my time there. Saw about 5 move in and around the area and settle down some what. It was 4 years ago I moved there, and go back to visit probably 2 or 3 times a year. 

Out of all those only one has lost financially/emotionally due to a wife (him 50, her 45) who started gambling. No half built houses, no 'BiL' moving in. All settled down and enjoying the nice life.

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## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> What, not another fucking idiot who thinks he can seen into another person life without knowing anything about them
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What the fuck are you talking about?  I was not the one who was seeing into anyone's life. It was someone else thinking they could see into mine!!  There seems to be quite a few wizards on the forums who seem to think they have this ability...that is what Thailand is crawling with. (figure of speech)   I'm not  going to try explaining it again.  If you like living in the wilds of Issan, for Christ sake go live there and join all your friends in the live of bliss. Just because YOU have not seen the things I described, you believe they do not exist. That's fine, nobody (myself included) suggested that everybody has the same experiences. We each tell our story, and personally I don't give a shit if anyone believes mine or not.  Why would I??

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## superman

Chill Koman. The more you bite .................. Skip a day and then come back on. Start again and forget the agro.

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## Chairman Mao

> I was not the one who was seeing into anyone's life.


I thought you were telling us about all the farangs that are being sucked dry?

And warning people to stay away from the villages because there's nothing for us there, but a bottomless money pit?


Sorry that I disagree and that my experience and everyone's whom I acquainted differed so greatly from yours, and hopefully your next move will be wiser than your last, and it won't leave you as bitter as attempting the country life did.

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## keda

> Agreed with Genghis. But never be too generous with the locals ,unless they have earned it first. If you find a good worker, reward him with a slightly higher rate of pay and he'll be there whenever you need him.


Yep, best investment is to keep the good ones sweet.

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## Chairman Mao

> Agreed with Genghis. But never be too generous with the locals ,unless they have earned it first. If you find a good worker, reward him with a slightly higher rate of pay and he'll be there whenever you need him.


Very true, I'd say it about most Thais though. They'll view undeserved generosity as an indicator that you're a fool.

What do the rich Thais give the poorer locals, SFA, and they're respected for it.

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## keda

I though that was a Buddhist thing, or at least promoted to be.

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## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> I was not the one who was seeing into anyone's life.
> 
> 
> Sorry that I disagree and that my experience and everyone's whom I acquainted differed so greatly from yours,* and hopefully your next move will be wiser than your last, and it won't leave you as bitter as attempting the country life did*.


You see, there you go again. I have already stated in a previous post that I am well settled in Thailand and perfectly content here, and you are on about my next move?  I have described the process I went through to arrive at my present state.
OH, and I'm not in the least bitter about my "country life" experience. I already stated that nothing bad had happened to me, because I had learned enough in advance to avoid the problems.   You really should read the full text and not  just pick out a line here and there (completely out of context) to argue your "case"  There must be tens of thousands of posts on the forums in Thailand about farangs getting burned by village girls and their families. No matter how many times it happens there are always new prospects ready to set themselves up as a village ATM.  Not all villages are the same but gambling, alcohol and drugs are a widespread problem in many of them.  One of the villages I stayed in had one family that pretty much owned all the surrounding land because so many of the villagers had gambled, lost and ended up in debt and having to sell their land  quickly at rock bottom prices. One guy, much brighter than the rest managed to buy up all the land.  This would be completely invisible to outsiders because he then rented the land back to the same people so there was no visible change in the way things were working. My wife, who came originally  from an Issan village, but had the brains and drive to get out, get educated and join the civilized world,  has many relatives in different villages from Udon to Korat. I think that puts her in a better position to know about the stuff that goes on than any farang with rose tinted glasses. There are some good villages (good being a relative term) but they are in the minority. Of course not all farangs have  bad experiences in the villages (myself included), but a great many do, however much the starry eyed idealists wish to deny it.  Anyhow, I have made the case for caution. Anyone and everyone can disagree, but I have confidence in my own eyes, ears and judgment and I stand by everything I have said.  So many people make up all kinds of stuff to support their views or bad decisions.  It's like the people who bought Lada's (those wonderful cars produced in the workers paradise of the Soviet Union. back in the 70ies) They had to defend their bad decisions with statements like "It's a great car"  "I really like it" "Handles well".  When the thing finally bombed out after a couple of years and beyond economical repair they would have it towed to the junk yard and then tell people that they had sold it. It's called denial, and man we get a lot of it here.    All those in favor of village life...go for it.  I'll stay close to where I can buy a bottle of decent wine, go see a movie or eat in a restaurant that does not have chickens and dogs under the tables.

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## Chairman Mao

> I though that was a Buddhist thing, or at least promoted to be.


Making merit by giving to the poor? Yeah, unfortunately done for self-gain as always.

^ Sorry mate, but the more you talk, the more you sound like the 9 month 'expert'.

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## keekwai

Do these "rules" apply to Thais also? .. If not, I'll just continue as normal. Go to work, go home and live my life the way I want. Just like the Thais.

Whoever wrote that shit on the other forum is a sycophantic tosser. He probably wears yellow shirts on Mondays too.

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## Chronicle Man

I met an gal working the counter at a Thai post office while mailing (over many trips) a proof reading protect in sections to a client. We have been together almost ten years now. She has the money, the nice house and no in laws other than her son, daughter in law and granddaughter. I was with the family at the hospital for the child's birth. This woman has money and finical security. Every month I give her a portion of my retirement and pay the household bills. Recently, two and a half years ago we married. We have a great relation ship. I know she did not marry me for my modest monthly retirement paycheck. Two months ago she deposited the required 400,000 THB into a bank account for me just to acquire my applied "marriage visa". I payed the four thousand "interest" for the short term loan she took out. Now I don't have to make all those visa trips. Naturally it is her house house & country rules. I can live with that. I am going to be fifty eight years old October. She'll be fifty seven. this At present she and the "Thai family" show that they like me. Her son and daughter in law teach computer science in a Nonthaburi university where they met just months before  I met wife. I live in Bangbuathing. I like it. The people I have grown to know over the almost decade are good down to earth kind people. I have been treated well by the local police and vendors. There are some really good people once you find your niche. I just avoid politics and tell the I am "Zen" which study and practice over twenty five years now.  Too me it positive thought  and smile and wa a lot. Learn the rules, keep your head low & smile (hide your wallet & look poor).  Best Regards Folks!

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## pasko

> Agreed with Genghis. But never be too generous with the locals ,unless they have earned it first. If you find a good worker, reward him with a slightly higher rate of pay and he'll be there whenever you need him.


 
Wisdom indeed!

Also being too charitable is, sadly, sometimes mis-construed.

PS  Where can I get those "pre-fabed" houses again...Great Idea!!!

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## dtalok

"hold your head low and smile???" wow don't even know what to say to that, lotsa luck maybe, or, have fun, something along those lines anyway

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## jizzybloke

Genghis next time i'm over and go to see the outlaws i'll send you a PM see if you fancy meeting for a beer!?

----------


## rasderek

Sounds a great deal like most small town cities...keep a low profile and things are usually smooth....doubt there are many secrets even then.

----------


## backinpd2007

I've noticed that some people dont agree with my view on slightly overpaying their workers. 
I'm in business in Australia, and have always paid my workers higher than industry rates. Generally, they will be more productive than others. And if they dont prove to be worth the higher rate of pay, well they where the door is?
There's no reason why the same philosophy shouldn't be applied to Thailand as well.

----------


## pone

I was asked to loan money once - friend of my partner wanted 30k. I explained my 'never a lender nor borrower be' principle and that was the end of that; secondary was that my partner had more than enough to loan and when i asked why she wouldn't, she said because she probably wouldn't get it back. Well . . . end of conversation.
i have agreed with my banker:i never lend money &they don't drive my car!!!!!!!!!

----------


## superman

> Sorry mate, but the more you talk, the more you sound like the 9 month 'expert'


I'll have to go along with that also. You do sound as if you've done all your homework on the computer and then came to Thailand with the idea that the village life isn't for you. May be you have tried the village life, to appease the wife/girlfriend, but you really don't come across as someone who's spent more than a few months in one. The quote below says a lot as to your attitude. Plus you don't sound very much like someone who spent 10 years in the British army. Did you have to rough it or were you rear echelon ?




> I'll stay close to where I can buy a bottle of decent wine, go see a movie or eat in a restaurant that does not have chickens and dogs under the tables.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> I like it. The people I have grown to know over the almost decade are good down to earth kind people. I have been treated well by the local police and vendors. There are some really good people once you find your niche.


 :tumbs: 

Good stuff.

----------


## CQFarmer

Confession of a happy farang
I have built two houses on Mama's land in the Muu-baan, one was called a "rebuild" because it included the pillars and upper wooden floor, but the million-plus extra was from me: the second took longer because I learned to give tiirak an allowance to care for her family and in theory to feed her, son and me. From this she found she could have a small group of chaan “experts” to build house number two. They cut down a tree to provide the timber and I paid small amounts occasionally for cement and nails. She still asks for small amounts for food and expenses, but it has become controllable.
Tiirak would like to spend all her time there "to look after her parents" (74 &78 yrs); she also loves the garden; but I insist she spends time with me in the city where I teach English and look after her son (13 yrs.). We have a recent agreement that seems to keep both of us happy of 4 days and 2 nights in the muu-baan each week, and Wednesdays and weekends with son and me.
When I can I spend time in the muu-baan living in one of the houses with Papa; Mama lives in the other house because she and Papa love to argue the way they have for over 50 years. I think of it as voluntary simplicity.
I am 68 in two weeks time and tiirak is 47, we have been married for two and a half years and I am happy with my beautiful Thai lady (and her cute bottom).
I have lent money to two brothers-in-law, 10,000 baht (returned) and 3,000 for study books (not expected back).
I think I have adapted to Thai life and culture, though it is an ongoing task.

*I want to buy a house in the city, what is the way I can do that in my name? It has land and is not a condominium; the best I have heard of is land in tiirak’s name and house in my name, or a thirty year lease to me; is anything else possible?*
CQF

----------


## taxexile

> I've noticed that some people dont agree with my view on slightly overpaying their workers.


overpaying locals in thailand will nail you as an easy mark, and you will be taken advantage of. you would be considered foolish.


treating the staff to a trip, a party etc. fine. treating them fairly and not taking advantage of them, fine. but being overgenerous, never.

acting the saviour or the philanthropist in this country will have them laughing at you behind your back. they will have no respect for you.

----------


## keda

> Sounds a great deal like most small town cities...keep a low profile and things are usually smooth....doubt there are many secrets even then.


Takes time to pick up on here, but some believe if you don't snigger at or criticise Thais or Thailand then there must be something wrong with you. And if you do criticise or find things amusing, then you shouldn't because you're a guest and at liberty to bugger off. And of course if you criticise and later dare to praise something else, your earlier criticism will come back to haunt you.

Some posters can't seem to figure that there's such thing as a balance, where you can like some things and hate or find others amusing, but overall like it which is why we stay.

As I said, takes time and btw welcome aboard. :Wink:

----------


## Iono

> Originally Posted by genghis61
> 
> Don't wai other farangs, we shake hands.
> 
> 
>  Other farangs...you're in a city not a village..when we see other farangs here we run away cos we're all a bunch of xenophobic wankers..either that or stare, blatantly..


Yeah, what is up with that?  When I come from my village and go to Big C, Tesco or any other place with Falangs I always smile and say hello, most look frightened when I speak to them, truly weird...by the way I have lived in the same village and a nearby city for the past 7 years, it can become boring, but once you befriend other people in the village life is much more pleaseant, especially if you don't sit around on your butt drinking beer and doing nothing as where I live we can only have one town drunk and he is Thai, the rest have to work or pretend to work  :mid:

----------


## twobalcane

I seems that the rigor of the useless female will never end...one must be positivly aware about local  :deadhorsebig: surviour techniques, fear of ghosts ,incest, ignorance, greed and just plain ole dead track idol mentalities.

----------


## koman

[quote=superman;1553885]


> '


I'll have to go along with that also. You do sound as if you've done all your homework on the computer and then came to Thailand with the idea that the village life isn't for you. May be you have tried the village life, to appease the wife/girlfriend, but you really don't come across as someone who's spent more than a few months in one. The quote below says a lot as to your attitude. Plus you don't sound very much like someone who spent 10 years in the British army. Did you have to rough it or were you rear echelon ?

Superman. I'm disappointed. I honestly thought you and the other supporters of sub-standard living conditions could read.  Please refer to posts 13 and 44 again. It make take some concentration because they are more than 4 lines of text, but it's all in there in relatively simple language.  Now: appeasing the wife? I did not know her until  more than a year after my village "residency" experience, so I guess the answer to that would be NO.   British Army:  I was never *IN* the army, but I was in the armed services for 10 years and spent quite a bit of time with the army...actually several armies.  As to roughing it; you bet.  Can be fun if it's not too dangerous but then in your 20 ies it's like that. Most people reach a point where they don't want to rough it any more and prefer creature comforts. I was not going to bother explaining this, but I was curious to know what military service has to do with choosing to live in a remote Issan village. Is this like trying to connect dots that are not on the same page? Futile activity.  I don't intend to prolong this debate much longer because it's a bit like trying to explain the benefits of the capitalist model to a trade union congress, but it's the wet season and the Koran and Bible burning thread has run it's course so I thought it might be interesting  to try something else for a day or two. Of course I was well aware that any revelations about the down side of  rural village living would bring out the International Brotherhood of Village Idiots. Happens every time...and the subject has been beaten to death over the years anyway, but it was fun to take another run at it to see what happened.  I wish good fortune to all in the lifestyle they have chosen.   

 :cmn:

----------


## The Master Cool

Please try to locate the key with 'Enter' written on it on your keyboard.

It's used for paragraphing so endless dribbling waddle doesn't look like a solid wall of poo that know will be interested in reading.

----------


## keekwai

> overpaying locals in thailand will nail you as an easy mark, and you will be taken advantage of. you would be considered foolish.


Forum/Internet "Hearsay" Copied and repeated ad nauseum .. like many comments are. Not based on actual first hand experience.

I've never heard any Thai say that .. and that includes ones close and honest to me.

 :tieme:

----------


## koman

> I seems that the rigor of the useless female will never end...one must be positivly aware about local surviour techniques, fear of ghosts ,incest, ignorance, greed and just plain ole dead track idol mentalities.


 :smiley laughing:

----------


## koman

> Please try to locate the key with 'Enter' written on it on your keyboard.
> 
> It's used for paragraphing so endless dribbling waddle doesn't look like a solid wall of poo that know will be interested in reading.


Who is know? whoever know is, I 'm glad he will be interested in reading.... :Smile:

----------


## koman

Just picked up this gem from another forum, but I'm sure the guy is just making it up. Hell, this kind of stuff never happens in Thailand

Needless to say, I forgot all of the good advice as soon as I landed at  the airport. Thailand is so intoxicating on your first trip (and  subsequent ones too if you are coming from the Western world).   I think catching bronchitis on my first trip was probably a good  thing! I had 3 crazy women chasing me that I had met online. They  quickly lost contact when I ended up in Bumrungrad hospital for 5 days  with acute bronchitis.  

The day that I got out of hospital, I called a massage service and  fell head over heels with the massage girl. Her name was Tip, she was 31  but looked 18 (don't they all when you are in that first visit haze?)  and she knocked my socks off.   
From then on you could have written a textbook about things not to do with Thai women (or women in general). 

Her mother was sick and needed money for an operation. 
She had to work in massage shop, but only massaged women. 
She had never had children. Jing jing! That scar across my stomach is from a motorbike accident. 

The 2nd Thai gf that I had was just before I met my ex. She had  caught a bus down from Isaan, jumped my bones ASAP and then took me to  China town to choose a wedding ring.

----------


## superman

> It was through forum research over several years that I learned about life in LOS and all of the things to be wary off.


Koman you even admit "I learned about life in LOS" from forum research on the Internet. Post #35  :mid:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> When I come from my village and go to Big C, Tesco or any other place with Falangs I always smile and say hello, most look frightened when I speak to them





> truly weird


Indeed. It is a bit unnerving when a complete stranger wants to talk to you just because you have the same colour skin.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

I was in a restaurant last week having a bit of food with the Midget & kids, when this German guy walks over and says, "Hi. Are you Norwegian?". I said, "No, I'm English, but my wife can speak Norwegian to you if you like?".

He walked off embarrassed. Is there a German 'in' joke about Norwegians that I should know about?

----------


## The Master Cool

> Who is know? whoever know is, I 'm glad he will be interested in reading....


Yes, must have been distracted half way through. Luckily the smarter among us would have been able to work it out.

----------


## taxexile

> Originally Posted by taxexile
> 
> 
> overpaying locals in thailand will nail you as an easy mark, and you will be taken advantage of. you would be considered foolish.
> 
> 
> Forum/Internet "Hearsay" Copied and repeated ad nauseum .. like many comments are. Not based on actual first hand experience.
> 
> I've never heard any Thai say that .. and that includes ones close and honest to me.


well of course you wont have.

do you ever see thais overpaying for labour, or for work ?

do you think you will get a better job done by overpaying ?

in most cases you will just be paying more for exactly the same output.

----------


## Panda

The wifes family is spread around the country, but the core of the clan is still up in Issarn. 
I have visited several times and must say they treated me well and made me feel most welcome. But my visits were only short, lasting on average about 4 days. 
Still, I have to say that by day 4 I was always bored shitless and itching to move on. 

I guess the main attraction for most blokes who choose to settle up in the village sticks is an Issarn wife and possibly kids. A quite understandable motivation I guess.

I did go through a stage in the early days of considering building a little retreat up there and spending my retirement relaxing and living cheaply in Issarn. But after a few visits and the early onset of boredom, I soon gave up that idea. 

When I sat down and did the sums, I realized I could buy/build a little comfortable place in rural Australia for about the same as in rural Thailand. Maybe not quite as grand for the same money mind you, but comfortable and I could actually own it.

Cost of living came into it next. And when I started going into it I figured that I could eat just as cheaply here in Oz. Health care was a big deciding factor too. Good quality health care and ambulance services free here back home vs relatively expensive and inefficient by comparison in Thailand.

Overall, its going to be about the same cost to retire here in rural Australia as it is in Issarn. Plus with the added benefits of free health care and not being socially isolated in a strange country. But the wife yearns to spend her final days back in Thailand with her family, which is entirely understandable. So we have come to an agreement where we plan to split our time between the two countries. Not in Issarn village though.

----------


## keekwai

> do you ever see thais overpaying for labour, or for work ?


Only to me. I get paid far too much.  :Smile:

----------


## taxexile

> Only to me. I get paid far too much.


 
then keep riding that gravy train.

----------


## superman

> do you ever see thais overpaying for labour, or for work ?


I'm not nit picking, but yes I've seen it. A woman, married to a farang, does it for prestige. It's her way of making herself feel big and respected. 
What is "overpaying" ? Where I live they can either get paid for the day, or the job, when working the Tapioca. I've known for them to get 300 baht for half day's work when getting job price.

----------


## keekwai

Let's turn the tables around. If a Farang is going to lash out on crates of Lao Khow, Seafood, Family loans, donations to the elderly and lazy monks on a regular basis .. Shouldn't the entire village be the ones "fitting in" with the Farang?

If they're not too keen on that .. then fuck em! No one gets anything!

 :Nana:

----------


## koman

[quote=superman;1554137]


> Koman 
> you even admit "I learned about life in LOS" from forum research on the Internet. Post #35


Indeed I did Superman...I think I may have even mentioned it more than one time, but so what?  Getting as much information as possible about a strange country before you visit for the first time seems like a prudent and reasonable thing to do..don't you think? 

Every country has a ton of stuff that you can read up on, so you don't arrive at the airport for the first time totally ignorant.  An example of this was finding out about the Taxi touts. I was accosted by a dozen of these leeches when I arrived.  Because of the warnings on the forums, I was able to avoid getting ripped off before I even got out of the airport.  Score  1-0 for me!

At that stage it's not experience. There IS an difference between knowledge and experience.  That can only come by spending time in the place, but anybody who comes here without this kind of basic knowledge is just asking for problems.  
Anyone with a half a brain arms themselves with as much information as possible.
Would a General launch an attack on the enemy without gathering intelligence about strength, fire power etc in advance?

I'm starting to feel like a Kindergarten teacher having to explain everything over and over till the kiddies "get it"

Next question...............

----------


## keda

^ 77 ^
It's the farang's duty to fit in. If he does everything just right except for some failure in some aspect of village life, then he becomes 'the farang' again.

----------


## keda

> ...Every country has a ton of stuff that you can read up on, so you don't arrive at the airport for the first time totally ignorant.  An example of this was finding out about the Taxi touts. I was accosted by a dozen of these leeches when I arrived.  Because of the warnings on the forums, I was able to avoid getting ripped off before I even got out of the airport. Score  1-0 for me!


Well done and sure it makes sense to arrive with a bit of info, but wouldn't you be just as wary of taxi touts at a 3rd World airport if you hadn't read up beforehand?





> ...Would a General launch an attack on the enemy without gathering intelligence about strength, fire power etc in advance?


Western generals are good at that, and we've even had some that have attacked enemies without knowing who the enemy is.

----------


## Panda

[quote=koman;1554312]


> Originally Posted by koman;1553468
> It was through forum research over several years that I learned about life in LOS and all of the things to be wary off.[/quote
> 
>  Koman 
> you even admit "I learned about life in LOS" from forum research on the Internet. Post #35 
> 
> 
> Indeed I did Superman...I think I may have even mentioned it more than one time, but so what? Getting as much information as possible about a strange country before you visit for the first time seems like a prudent and reasonable thing to do..don't you think? 
> 
> ...


Totally agree. You can learn more about any subject by sharing experiences with others in a couple of years than in one hundred years of personal experience. Its the intelligent thing to do rather than going in totally ignorant and learning by your mistakes in a very small scope of experiences. We all have different experiences in different settings, so its wise to get the broader picture first. But of course a lot of BS and misconceptions are posted on internet forums, so its up to the individual to analyze the content and decide for himself what is fact. YMMV.

----------


## Panda

_"Non-Muslims are persecuted just for being non-Muslim in virtually every country where there is a Muslim majority, and in some countries where Muslims are not even the majority."_ Quote Keda.

Its a fact of human nature that society punishes non-conformity. One of the basics psychology students learn.  Exists in every country to varying extents over a very broad range of differences, --- racial, ethnic, religious, political, etc... Even in so called developed countries where we have laws to inhibit such discrimination. 

Get over your Islamophobia Keda. People like you are just feeding into unnecessary discrimination that promotes conflict.

----------


## keekwai

> It's the farang's duty to fit in.


 :smiley laughing:

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by keda
> 
> 
> It's the farang's duty to fit in.


Of course our Keda means changing religion and cultural beliefs to fit in with the native population. 

I reckon he has gone part of the way already with his xenophobic hatred of Muslims. He could become a real Thai yet. Certainly has the mentality thing down pat.

----------


## phuketian

> Originally Posted by taxexile
> 
> 
> overpaying locals in thailand will nail you as an easy mark, and you will be taken advantage of. you would be considered foolish.
> 
> 
> Forum/Internet "Hearsay" Copied and repeated ad nauseum .. like many comments are. Not based on actual first hand experience.
> 
> I've never heard any Thai say that .. and that includes ones close and honest to me.


First of all I have to say that I don't live in a village - but MY experience is that I started off overpaying a good handyman/taxi driver etc., only to find that after the first couple of times I used them the prices went up about 100%......

A friend of mine recommended her pool cleaners to another friend. They quoted her friend 4 times more than she was paying!! Fortunately, they didn't realise she could speak some Thai, so heard the pool cleaner telling her maid that farangs were stupid! She confronted him on this (understandably) and he rushed off v quickly.....

----------


## dirtydog

> I'm not nit picking, but yes I've seen it. A woman, married to a farang, does it for prestige. It's her way of making herself feel big and respected.


If marrying a farang makes her more respectable she must have been from the lowest social grade there is, ie some anal sex bar or blow job bar, there is no prestige in marrying or living with a farang for Thai women, others will generally assume she is a whore, in some respectable jobs they maybe threatened with being fired for living or marrying a farang, remember, we are scum  :Smile:

----------


## superman

> I'm starting to feel like a Kindergarten teacher having to explain everything over and over till the kiddies "get it" Next question...............


Your full of crap koman.

----------


## phuketian

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> I'm not nit picking, but yes I've seen it. A woman, married to a farang, does it for prestige. It's her way of making herself feel big and respected.
> 
> 
> If marrying a farang makes her more respectable she must have been from the lowest social grade there is, ie some anal sex bar or blow job bar, there is no prestige in marrying or living with a farang for Thai women, others will generally assume she is a whore, in some respectable jobs they maybe threatened with being fired for living or marrying a farang, remember, we are scum


Quite. Which is why some women try to buy 'face' by insisting that their farang pays over the top. A friend of mine was too angry to be quiet when he was out with a friend of his (and friends long-term girlfriend). They stopped for petrol and friend's girlfriend insisted that farang partner gave a 100 baht tip......

----------


## keekwai

> \we are scum


Why do they keep bowing and grovelling at my feet, letting me in and out of elevators first, jumping out of my way on the footpath, coppers stopping traffic for me so I can cross the street and on and on ....... then?

.... but then again .. they could do all those things for a leper I suppose .... ?

----------


## phuketian

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> I'm not nit picking, but yes I've seen it. A woman, married to a farang, does it for prestige. It's her way of making herself feel big and respected.
> 
> 
> If marrying a farang makes her more respectable she must have been from the lowest social grade there is, ie some anal sex bar or blow job bar, there is no prestige in marrying or living with a farang for Thai women, others will generally assume she is a whore, in some respectable jobs they maybe threatened with being fired for living or marrying a farang, remember, we are scum


Quite. Which is why some women try to buy 'face' by insisting that their farang pays over the top. A friend of mine was too angry to be quiet when he was out with a friend of his (and friends long-term girlfriend). They stopped for petrol and friend's girlfriend insisted that farang partner gave a 100 baht tip......

----------


## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> I'm starting to feel like a Kindergarten teacher having to explain everything over and over till the kiddies "get it" Next question...............
> 
> 
> Your full of crap koman.


What a great observation.  Been studying on Thaivisa have you?  

You have gone from 2-3 line posts which say nothing down to a 4 word post which says nothing.  This is indicative of someone who has absolutely nothing useful to say so they resort to cheap shots....Bravo   Change you forum title to Caveman....much more appropriate.

----------


## superman

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> I'm not nit picking, but yes I've seen it. A woman, married to a farang, does it for prestige. It's her way of making herself feel big and respected.
> 
> 
> If marrying a farang makes her more respectable she must have been from the lowest social grade there is, ie some anal sex bar or blow job bar, there is no prestige in marrying or living with a farang for Thai women,


Sorry DD but this piece wasn't a whore or low class. Once she got access to the farangs money she splashed it about. Had parties and only invited influential people, mainly the police. Sorry to say but I think you're wrong and there is prestige in being married to a farang. It's an indication that the woman has access to money. That being the prestige, money.

----------


## superman

> This is indicative of someone who has absolutely nothing useful to say so they resort to cheap shots


On par to your name calling ?

----------


## baby maker

> .... but then again .. they could do all those things for a leper I suppose .... ?


...now there's a man with a healthy sense of humour....
...and he may even be right... :Smile:

----------


## CQFarmer

> Originally Posted by keda
> 
> 
> It's the farang's duty to fit in.


I always try to fit in, but sometimes they are just too small. :bananaman:  :sexy:

----------


## Chairman Mao

> It's an indication that the woman has access to money. That being the prestige, money.


Not necessarily. The missus has to go to her colleagues if she wants a quick loan for something as she knows I'll tell her to get fuked.

----------


## dirtydog

> Had parties and only invited influential people, mainly the police.


Bet you didn't post that with a straight face, you do realise that police spend most of their time with whores, pimps, druggies and other types of criminals  :Smile:

----------


## taxexile

^

what do you tell the debt collectors when they come knocking, i believe husbands are legally responsible for debts incurred by the wife.

----------


## superman

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> Had parties and only invited influential people, mainly the police.
> 
> 
> Bet you didn't post that with a straight face, you do realise that police spend most of their time with whores, pimps, druggies and other types of criminals


Nah, DD I know this cow and she's a user. Definately done none of your suggestions. In the village I live in, they know wether you use paper or the bum gun. So if she's any of the above.............

----------


## superman

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> 
> It's an indication that the woman has access to money. That being the prestige, money.
> 
> 
> Not necessarily. The missus has to go to her colleagues if she wants a quick loan for something as she knows I'll tell her to get fuked.


But in general the Thais think that 'cause you're married to a farang, you're well off. Rightly or wrong.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Originally Posted by Chairman Mao
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by superman
> ...


True. She does like when the colleagues see me pick her up on me bike.  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

^ The 10 year old Click?  :Smile:

----------


## Chairman Mao

Yes, a click would really impress them.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## Big D

> The best possible strategy is to stay as far away from the village as possible. There is absolutely nothing for you there, except throwing your money into a bottomless pit. If you really want to give all your money away, send it to that Imam in New York to help them build their Mosque. At least that will bring us closer to WW3 and end all this agony.


If life is really that bad, go back to your home country.  You may be happier there. :cmn:

----------


## Panda

I dont think its so much that Thais look down on farangs as it is that they think they are smarter than everyone else in the world. 

I see the illegal moneylenders and rip off merchants being treated with great respect by the Thais. But I think its more to do with respect for their position of power than actual admiration for their lack of moral ethics. The Thais, well at least the ones I have met, seem to accept being taken advantage of by more wealthy and powerful people. I suppose that comes with many generations of living in a corrupt feudal society where the peasants have no comeback.

This twisted system of moral values weaves its way into the ethics of the peasant population. After all, who would you rather model yourself on,-- a downtrodden peasant, or the smarter wealthy man with the money and power? Dishonesty becomes acceptable, so long as it is only done to someone of lower caste, and done with a smile. And of course the keeping face thing comes into it too. Subordinates are expected to take it with a smile. But try ripping off someone higher in the social pecking order and the loss of face will cause all hell to break lose.

Then along comes the farang. A generous curiosity at first. Is he a kind, generous friend or some kind of a fool ready for the fleecing? Attitudes may change as the relationship progresses. And to top it all off, farangs when in a difficult situation are more likely to tell the truth. This goes to prove that farang sabeur, and that Thais are the smarter race to the Thais. What kind of an idiot would tell the truth to his own disadvantage? Also factor in the overwhelming sense of nationalistic pride that has been fostered by the ruling class among the peasant class, (and another one we cant mention here).  There you got it. Its a fcuked up way of thinking and living by our standards, but its just the way it is in Thailand.

----------


## Dan

> I see the illegal moneylenders and rip off merchants being treated with great respect by the Thais. But I think its more to do with respect for their position of power than actual admiration for their lack of moral ethics. The Thais, well at least the ones I have met, seem to accept being taken advantage of by more wealthy and powerful people. I suppose that comes with many generations of living in a corrupt feudal society where the peasants have no comeback.


That sounds like a perfectly serviceable description of the electorate in the 'democratic' west. 




> farangs when in a difficult situation are more likely to tell the truth.


More stories people tell to make themselves feel better. Look at those nasty natives. Aren't we so much more superior?

----------


## Panda

> I see the illegal moneylenders and rip off merchants being treated with great respect by the Thais. But I think its more to do with respect for their position of power than actual admiration for their lack of moral ethics. The Thais, well at least the ones I have met, seem to accept being taken advantage of by more wealthy and powerful people. I suppose that comes with many generations of living in a corrupt feudal society where the peasants have no comeback.
> 			
> 		
> 
> That sounds like a perfectly serviceable description of the electorate in the 'democratic' west. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


YMMV. I can only speak of my own experiences and observations. Observations and experiences which seem to be backed up with (not so) surprising regularity by other farangs who have had interaction in Thailand.
Please feel free to put your own thoughts re Thai culture down on cyber paper here.

----------


## The Master Cool

^^^ Spot on Panda. Well written.

----------


## koman

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> The best possible strategy is to stay as far away from the village as possible. There is absolutely nothing for you there, except throwing your money into a bottomless pit. If you really want to give all your money away, send it to that Imam in New York to help them build their Mosque. At least that will bring us closer to WW3 and end all this agony.
> 
> 
> If life is really that bad, go back to your home country.  You may be happier there.


Welcome to the discussion Big D, and thank you for your concern about my happiness 

Actually, I do go back to my own country every year for a month or so, but I like it just fine here.  This thread is mostly about life in rural Isaan villages, and not life in Thailand as a whole.  Tried the village thing and got bored shitless after a while, so I decided to settle in town.  Perfectly happy now. I would, as you suggest move back to my own country, or some other country if I was not. If you have not yourself lived in an Isaan village, I urge you to try it. Most farang don't last long but as you can see from the multiple responses some do. If everybody liked the same things, there might be only kind of beer. Then we would not be able to have discussions about which beer is best.

----------


## Dan

> I can only speak of my own experiences and observations. Observations and experiences which seem to be backed up with (not so) surprising regularity by other farangs who have had interaction in Thailand. Please feel free to put your own thoughts re Thai culture down on cyber paper here.


I don't see any reason to think that Thais lie more often than do people from whatever nations post on Teakdoor, Thaivisa or wherever. How would you know if they did? Sure, Thais obviously lie. So do I. So do most people who post here. What I always think when I read posts that describe 'bad' behaviour is that they sound like they could happen anywhere in the world. What immigrants to Thailand from Europe and the States seem to have a marked tendency to do is to ascribe every single negative experience to some perceived failure in the Thai national character (whatever the fuck that is). It seems fairly self-evident that - besides being objectionably racist - it's just wrong to do that. And besides, it's, as you say, not so surprising that negative experiences get reported. How many people get home and think 'I want to tell the world about the people who didn't lie to me today'? Not many, right. So the fact that Thaivisa fills Google-sized servers every day with the petulant bellyaches of incompetents - I'm sure most people reading this have seen page after page of that crap - doesn't really mean very much.

As for 'Thai culture' in a general sense, that's a slippery fucking eel (as is the idea of any national culture) but I'm not entirely sure that there's any such thing, at least beyond the constructs of the myth-makers who hold power.




> YMMV.


???

----------


## Panda

[quote=Dan;1554958]


> YMMV.
> 			
> 		
> 
> ???


Your Mileage May Vary.

----------


## keekwai

^ Oh! .. That archaic measurement system .. got it!  :Smile:

----------


## Isee

> I don't see any reason to think that Thais lie more often than do people


Thais can't lie straight in bed - one day you'll get it.  :Wink:

----------


## tsicar

> ^^^ Spot on Panda. Well written.


yep!
panda cracked it there, and i have to agree with him.

the key to liviing happily in thailand is to just be yourself.

you don't have to accept any bullshit that you wouldn't in your home country.

you don't have to be friendly to anybody that you wouldn't beferiend in yiour own country.

you don't have to make allowances for their fuktup culture or the pressure they put on themselves to continuously show face.

just be yourself, no matter whether you live in an isaan village or in the city, coz if you don't, you will stress yourself to the limits and end up hating the place, and the thais really don't giive a shit anyway:

they will leave you alone as soon as they find that you are not a pushover.


OR

... walk around in a fukkn daze, waiing all the whores, their mothers and their soidogs; force yourself to swallow the shit food laced with rotten fish and pretend it was aroi;
throw in more money when grandma falls down the stairs, or brother-in law supposedly blows the title deeds to the mammy's farm in a gambling spree, and the family need a bailout;
hand over money to the monks to buy smokes and booze;
bribe the bib when they threaten you on some trumped up bullshit (they will be back if you pay the first time);allow yourself to be pressured by the wife to buy a fancier car, or gold for her neck or arm so that she can attain a higher status in the village

...and live a life of hell.


YOU OWE THE THAIS NOTHING, AND THEY CERTAINLY DON'T GIVE A FUK IF THEY OWE YOU ANYTHING.

----------


## sabang

Fitting into an Isaan Village, well starting with the basics you need-

A good wife/ partner
A decent family (if you move to the BanNok that is, otherwise move to a different village)
Enough money. Much is made of the money & Thailand issue, but money issues are a major cause of both marital breakups and suicide in the West too. And in Isaan there is no safety net.

Apart from that, it's really up to you. Is it the lifestyle you want. You've got to find your own things to Do- not like the city. Getting on with the locals is not hard, it probably helps to be acquainted with Thai ways both good and bad. But some people- probably infinitely patient- are able to jump in to Isaan village life green, and fit in. Others flip out.

It's certainly not for everyone, but mine and several others experience has been overall pleasant enough to say with confidence, it is for some.

----------


## tsicar

> But some people- probably infinitely patient- are able to jump in to Isaan village life green, and fit in. Others flip out.
> .


i loved living in the ban-nok.
...and i could never be described as an infinitely patient person. (not even a reasonable person, for that matter!)
everything went wrong for me, but i found my niche and i will be back in the same village one day, cursing the thais as usual and fighting the cops and immig. officials and the smelly buffalo-man next door and grandma and her fuktup tribe and all the shit that goes with rural thai life.

for me it is all about freedom, and nothing beats the freedom you will find in an isaan village.
just do your 'kkin thing-everything is ok

get pissed at 6.oo am
build your own house without submitting plans
boink your neighbour's daughter
cook his dog, too!
park your car in the middle of the soi, blocking all traffic.
drive an unlicensed vehicle through a roadblock
live off the land
have a meal in a filthy "restaurant" at the market for 35 baht!
make coconut smoothies out of coconuts you picked in your own garden!
find something to laugh about every day, just watching the stupidity all around you.

yep!
isaan village life is for me-never a dull moment!

----------


## sabang

Yep, a lifestyle totally unhindered by routine.

----------


## backinpd2007

Finally, a simple piece of wisdom from somebody on TD! Thanks Big D.

To all on here,If you dont like your adopted country and lifestyle, go home.

----------


## keekwai

> yep!
> panda cracked it there, and i have to agree with him.
> 
> the key to liviing happily in thailand is to just be yourself.





> Do these "rules" apply to Thais also? .. If not, I'll just continue as normal. Go to work, go home and live my life the way I want. Just like the Thais.


I was sure I'd already said that. ::chitown::

----------


## keekwai

> To all on here,If you dont like your adopted country and lifestyle, go home.


If  I read that little nugget on a Thailand based forum just _one_ more time .. I'll ... I'll .. I'll ..... ????

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> To all on here,If you dont like your adopted country and lifestyle, go home.


Very fucking original. Did it take you long to think of that one?

----------


## koman

> Originally Posted by The Master Cool
> 
> 
> ^^^ Spot on Panda. Well written.
> 
> 
> yep!
> panda cracked it there, and i have to agree with him.
> 
> ...


Really good post. You seem to have covered all (or most) of the highlights.
It's really always about being yourself and sticking to what is good for you regardless of what everybody thinks they want.  One small item on village life that has been ignored so far is how great at can be at Songkran when all the girls get of their backs down in Pattaya and come home for the holiday, hopefully with a bag of cash or a nice newly arrived farang with a big heart, and a healthy financial statement.

Were you just kidding about the "mothers and soi  dogs"?...or just the mothers?

----------


## tsicar

> Originally Posted by tsicar
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by The Master Cool
> ...


not kidding.
seen many a farang walking around waiing everything that moved.
strangely, no thais-not even their wives, set them straight about the wai thing, so they just keep on doing it, thinking that they got the culture thing taped.

one thing i omitted in my post:
you can go to parties, weddings and funerals in flipflops and shorts and not feel out of place!

----------


## keekwai

Don't forget to take lots of photos at funerals .. it's the "done thing"

.... months later .. "OOh .. here's some pics of Uncle Somchai being cremated!" .. "That was a fun day!"

----------


## superman

> not kidding. seen many a farang walking around waiing everything that moved. strangely, no thais-not even their wives, set them straight about the wai thing, so they just keep on doing it, thinking that they got the culture thing taped.


The wives let them carry on doing it cause it gives them a laugh. My missus is in bits when she sees a farang Wai another. Me, I never do it, not even to a Thai. They don't take exception to it as they know it's not our custom.

----------


## keekwai

I wonder why it's not funny when I see a Thai shaking hands with another Thai?

----------


## superman

^ Thais sometimes do this if they are approximately the same age and of similar status. I think that if the use of the Wai wasn't forced on them at school then it would die a death.

----------


## sabang

I think it's nice to wai old people.

----------


## superman

You'll be lucky if they respond as they're too old to be bothered. It's not expected for them to aknowledge it.

----------


## Thaihome

> . . . I do about 50km radius from south of Kaew Chakan
> ...


Do you mean Khao Chakan? That is the transliteration I have mostly seen. 

By south do mean before the 317/3434 intersection or do you live further out?

Have spent a lot of time since 2000 in a village just off 3434 before you get to Phra Phloeng. It's really amazing how the whole area has grown in the 10 years. At that time, I was the first westerner most had ever seen, even in Sa Kaeo itself. Went to the market in Khao Chakan about a year ago and saw 3 other farangs (maybe one was you?), couldn't believe it. Have they put an ATM in at Khao Chakan yet or do you still have to drive to Sa Kaeo?

Not sure I could live there day in and day out, but I think its great that you and other can do it.  TH
TH

----------


## jandajoy

> I think it's nice to wai old people.


Agreed.

----------


## koman

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> I think it's nice to wai old people.
> 
> 
> Agreed.


I always wai the wife's Mother and Father and they always wai back....then they both start laughing for some reason.  Have to wai in the mirror to see if I'm messing up or what.  They also presented me with one of those silk skirt things the guys wear.  When I put it on (out of courtesy) the whole frigging village came to look, and of course they were all pissing themselves laughing.  We really do provide comic relief don't we. I have to admit they are quite nice about it though.

----------


## Rural Surin

> ^ Thais sometimes do this if they are approximately the same age and of similar status. I think that if the use of the Wai wasn't forced on them at school then it would die a death.


Not so quick to be a faux social scientist, my friend. Such traits are socially ingrained {just as your handshake extension}, less institutionally conditioned.

----------


## tsicar

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> 
> ^ Thais sometimes do this if they are approximately the same age and of similar status. I think that if the use of the Wai wasn't forced on them at school then it would die a death.
> 
> 
> Not so quick to be a faux social scientist, my friend. Such traits are socially ingrained {just as your handshake extension}, less institutionally conditioned.


perhaps.
but the history of the wai is not all that old, and should not have had time to become socially ingrained.
the wai, as far as my thai experience taught me (and yes!, i was one of those dumb farang fuks that waied every freakin whore and her soidog, thinking it was the right thing to do!): is nothing more than a sign of submission (NOT RESPECT)
- it is a way of saying "i am of lower social standing than you are, and therefore i will suck you off for a few scraps from your table".

there is no reason EVER for a farang to have to wai a thai first.
-unless of course you would really enjoy giving them a blowjob, and even then i don't think that you would have to stoop so low as to wai one of the fukkers.

----------


## Wallalai

> Not too many French here.


Good enough, I fit in much better with peasants.  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

> -unless of course you would really enjoy giving them a blowjob, and even then i don't think that you would have to stoop so low as to wai one of the fukkers.


I dunno about that .. they're pretty short.  ::chitown::

----------


## keekwai

> Originally Posted by crippen
> 
> Not too many French here.
> 
> 
> Good enough, I fit in much better with peasants.


I think you will find many Farangs here that come from a similar/equivalent social strata in their own countries.

I've seen plenty of "bogans" from Oz here.

----------


## superman

*Who should you wai and why?*
There is a regional component to tradition and wai-ing others. In the northeast - Isaan region it is used VERY often and is expected that you know when to wai, who to wai, and why. Other places it's hardly in use at all. In the south where there are many Muslims you don't wai much because often you'd be wai-ing Muslims who don't use the wai. 
Wai older Buddhist people - over 70 absolutely, all the time.You wai them first. They probably won't wai you, they're too tired of all that - but, you should.
When someone wais you - you should wai back in all cases, except with school children you can shake your head at them and that's enough. Teens expect it back.
Wai the relatives, close friends, and co-workers of your partner or good friend. 

Nobody except guys without a clue Wai bar girls, bartenders, and tuktuk drivers in Pattaya, Patong, Patpong, etc. They won't wai you first - or any westerner, so you don't have to worry about it. If someone wais you in Pattaya go ahead and give them one back, but it won't happen too often unless you're really considered a friend or they're making a joke of your habit of doing it. 
Wai police and make them feel good. Really good because nobody else does it.
Wai someone that is about to beat you senseless - if you get the chance before they start. It might take the steam out of them. Learn to say "sorry", "Kahrtold Krup" over and over and wai them - it's hard for a Thai to ignore that and, it might be the only option you have.

*How to Wai?*

Impossible to teach you correctly through text here. Your best bet is to ask a Thai school teacher to teach you - they really do it politely.

----------


## keekwai

> Nobody except guys without a clue Wai bar girls, bartenders, and tuktuk drivers in Pattaya, Patong, Patpong, etc.


Giving them "The Bird" is more appropriate.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> When someone wais you - *you should wai back in all cases*, except with school children you can shake your head at them and that's enough.


Wouldn't return the wai of security, waiters/waitresses, shop assistants etc.

----------


## keekwai

I think Thais expect Farangs to act like ... well .. Farangs. Disregard this entire thread .. be nice .. and get on with life.

----------


## jandajoy

> Wai older Buddhist people - over 70 absolutely, all the time.


Agreed.





> Wai police and make them feel good.


I always salute them and throw in a robust "Good morning Colonel".

Keeps 'em happy.

Hope I never meet a General cos it could fok things up a bit.    :Smile:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Learn to say "sorry", "Kahrtold Krup" over and over and wai them


I sincerely hope no one says 'kahrtold krup' - the Thais wouldn't have a clue if said like that.




> In the northeast - Isaan region it is used VERY often and is expected that you know when to wai, who to wai, and why.





> In the south where there are many Muslims you don't wai much because often you'd be wai-ing Muslims who don't use the wai.


So how come the Muslims don't have to wai but the _farang_ do? I think I've waiied twice in the last 20 months of living in Isaan, and that was because it was to the Midget's grandmother.

----------


## keekwai

> So how come the Muslims don't have to wai but the _farang_ do?


Farangs are usually tolerant, easy going people who tend not to blow things up when they are exposed to different cultural pressures.

Anyway .. Farangs don't "have to" wai.

----------


## superman

Post # 138 aren't my words. It was my first copy and paste job. No congratulations needed thanks. 
Anyway as I've said previously, I don't wai. Firstly it's not my/our custom. Secondly, to wai is to show respect, so I believe. For me a person has to earn respect. Showing respect to someone you know practically nothing about is hypocritical. For all you know the recipient could be a kiddy fiddler, wife beater, murderer, farang hater, the list is endless. Yet others choose to wai. Just up from me lives a guy who murdered a young girl with a machetti after a drinking binge. Okay he done his 3 years, or so in jail, but he's an elder. Would you wai him ?

----------


## superman

> Wai police and make them feel good. Really good because nobody else does it.


And why does nobody wai Thai police ? Cause they know them to be corrupt and not worthy of respect. No wonder the Thais laugh at us for wai-ing.

----------


## keekwai

I've seen Thais wai-ing coppers .. even just after getting a ticket. "Oh thank you Khun Copper for the costly inconvenience" .... Grovelers.

----------


## dirtydog

TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum Thailand_and_the_Wai

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
> 
> 
> So how come the Muslims don't have to wai but the _farang_ do?
> 
> 
> Farangs are usually tolerant, easy going people who tend not to blow things up when they are exposed to different cultural pressures.
> 
> Anyway .. Farangs don't "have to" wai.


Farang could stand in the living room at village party time and swing his cock around and everyone would just laugh at him the same as ever. That's all ye are, inept jokes to the locals. Trying to be something else will just confuse them.

Nobody expects a farang to wai in anyway correctly, or even at all in Isaan. They're odd looking stupid things for the locals to look at, jest with, and laugh at how stupid they are. Nobody expects anything serious like a proper wai.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Just up from me lives a guy who murdered a young girl with a machetti after a drinking binge. Okay he done his 3 years, or so in jail, but he's an elder. Would you wai him ?


I would if he was holding a machete.

----------


## jandajoy

> Nobody expects a farang to wai in anyway correctly or even at all in Isaan. They're odd looking stupid things for the locals to look at, jest with, and laugh at how stupid they are. Nobody expects anything serious like a proper wai.


We're not in Issan but we're way up North.

Rest assured the elderly round here certainly appreciate a bit of a wai.

They're the only ones who get it from me but they do like it.

Granted, the may just be amused by it all, but the feed back is that it's appreciated.

The rest, no.

----------


## Rural Surin

> I think Thais expect Farangs to act like ... well .. Farangs. Disregard this entire thread .. be nice .. and get on with life.


Yet, all Farang are not the same.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Originally Posted by Chairman Mao
> 
> Nobody expects a farang to wai in anyway correctly or even at all in Isaan. They're odd looking stupid things for the locals to look at, jest with, and laugh at how stupid they are. Nobody expects anything serious like a proper wai.
> 
> 
> We're not in Issan but we're way up North.
> 
> Rest assured the elderly round here certainly appreciate a bit of a wai.
> 
> ...


Sure it is. But do they expect it, and be offended if it isn't given, probably not. 

Think everybody appreciates a bit of a wai tbh. I give it to the old ones, and the people I generally respect, which is nice as it's genuine. That's about it.

----------


## jandajoy

> Sure it is. But do they expect it, and be offended if it isn't given, probably not.


No, they like, I'm told, the fact that one is making a bit of an effort. 

It's hardly an arduous duty and the elderly seem to appreciate it. 

I'm happy to make them happy.

There are so few falang up my way that we're still seen as a bit of an oddity.

Coincidentally, just today, the little girl we keep an eye on, commented that her Grandmother appreciated the fact that we visited and that she (Grandmother) liked that the Falang did the wai thing. 

Who knows?

Personally, anything that makes people, especially the elderly, happy is fine by me.

----------


## keekwai

Just wondering .. what makes elderly Farangs happy? Apart from 20 y.o BG's .. Being visited in the old folks home every Christmas?

----------


## jandajoy

> 20 y.o BG's


Yup.

Next question?

----------


## superman

> Just wondering .. what makes elderly Farangs happy? Apart from 20 y.o BG's


The raising of kids. An arduous task at times, but well worth the sacrifices of being a father late in life.

----------


## Chairman Mao

^^^^ Looks like we agree then JJ... 

coolio.

----------


## keekwai

> The raising of kids. An arduous task at times, but well worth the sacrifices of being a father late in life.


Ah .. the crusty old Farang fathering kids that will be fatherless by the time they are 20 scenario. Worthy of another thread. Is having a dad for 20 years enough?

Mine carked it when I was 30 .. two weeks before his first granddaughter was born .. would have been great to have the old fart around a little longer.

----------


## Warrior

I never wai. Not when meeting mum and dad in Isaan, or grandpapa, not when in a business meeting, and not in the temple.
First of all, I believe that a farang can not wai properly, since he/she is outside the social structure, and it is the social structure that determines how to wai.
I also believe that Thai simply don't expect us to wai. They know and accept it's not our habbit.

----------


## sabang

> t is a way of saying "i am of lower social standing than you are


It is not at all tsi. Must admit the drunken farang tourist Wai attempts to all and sundry are quite a sight though. There are many different ways to Wai- polite, cursory, deferential, respectful and downright arse kissing Wai's- and so on.

Waiing the old fogies, as I prefer to do on a semi-formal (as opposed to repetitive) meeting, is purely optional on the farangs part. There are however other occasions in which you are indeed expected to Wai, although they would be very rare in a village.

----------


## jandajoy

> Waiing the old fogies, as I prefer to do on a semi-formal (as opposed to repetitive) meeting, is purely optional on the farangs part. There are however other occasions in which you are indeed expected to Wai, although they would be very rare in a village.


Very true.

When on the very rare occasions that I'm in a formal situation ( 2 in 2 years) I'll be guided by the misses as to what is or is not expected. She generally steers me right.

Other than that it's what appears to be friendly. Old folk, yes, the rest nope, not really.

----------


## keekwai

> First of all, I believe that a farang can not wai properly, since he/she is outside the social structure.


Rubbish. Stick to being a warrior .. give the philosophy/sociology a miss. 

It's really not that hard. Takes about 5 minutes of reading to understand.

... but .. like I said earlier ... "Not necessary". Just be a nice person .. be yourself .. treat people .. all people .. with a little respect .. until they earn more. 

Farangs are an ethnic group in Thailand. Look at how the ethnic groups your own country behave. They just act naturally. No long winded discussions about whether they should shake hands with people .. or send cards  for birthdays. They just live normally.

If you want to "go native" .. fine. If not  .. fine also.

This entire thread is a bit of a "storm in a tea cup" as far as I'm concerned.

----------


## superman

> This entire thread is a bit of a "storm in a tea cup" as far as I'm concerned.


But you're still posting on it.

----------


## keekwai

Yes .. very civil minded of me.  :Smile:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Nobody expects a farang to wai in anyway correctly, or even at all in Isaan. They're odd looking stupid things for the locals to look at, jest with, and laugh at how stupid they are.


The genius next door to me had an incredible moment of enlightenment the other week when I walked past their house and came out with '_farang dern_'. It was very moving.

----------


## keekwai

> The genius next door to me had an incredible moment of enlightenment the other week when I walked past their house and came out with '_farang dern_'. It was very moving.


The Thais powers of observation never cease to amaze me. Maybe a couple of Farangs should try it. Take a walk down the street with a Farang mate and every time a Thai walks past say to your mate "Thai"

----------


## genghis61

'fitting in' - I accompanied a school group on a trip to Bangkok this week - a note went round asking for adults to go along, so there I was, the odd one out in a group of 76. 
Nothing to lose, I believe my attendance was appreciated, enjoyed the trip and sightseeing - must say seeing Bangkok from a high-level bus gives a different perspective from a taxi, we went to the zoo, catered lunch there then the performing seal show, more sightseeing,  a market, a temple visit . . . 
One parent splashed out on 20 cans of Leo and handed them round on the trip back, all very friendly/sociable; my little group of kids behaved and we came back with the same number we left with. 
I didn't have to pay extra at the zoo. No one wai-ed me either.

----------


## genghis61

> The Thais powers of observation never cease to amaze me. Maybe a couple of Farangs should try it. Take a walk down the street with a Farang mate and every time a Thai walks past say to your mate "Thai"


if I tried it in Auckland, every time I saw a Polynesian man said 'Maori', 'Samoan', Tongan', 'Fijian' etc I doubt I'd make it to three. One if I incorrectly identified a Samoan as Tongan.

----------


## meepmeep99

> I never wai. Not when meeting mum and dad in Isaan, or grandpapa, not when in a business meeting, and not in the temple.
> First of all, I believe that a farang can not wai properly, since he/she is outside the social structure, and it is the social structure that determines how to wai.
> I also believe that Thai simply don't expect us to wai. They know and accept it's not our habbit.


Well said ! There nothing as cringworthy as a wai-ng falang in a yellow T-shirt.

----------


## jandajoy

> Well said ! There nothing as cringworthy as a wai-ng falang in a yellow T-shirt.


Pink T shirt.

----------


## genghis61

> Well said ! There nothing as cringworthy as a wai-ng falang in a yellow T-shirt.


I've been out cycling today in my yellow shirt! 
My yellow Valentino Rossi #46 shirt  - no wais, but did get a few calls of the "_yay Rossi_" type

and some local gossip, fatal shooting last night down the road, woman dead - had one too many men in her life, hubby overseas rumoured to have organised her exit. 
Local police have their best men on the 'case'. 
That may be a case of Chang I'm not sure.

----------


## genghis61

correction on above

some confusion, I thought I was hearing variations on the same murder, but there were two murders here - on Saturday and Sunday nights . . . one was man shoots woman over a land boundary dispute about 300m from here; second was person unknown shoots woman, said to have been organised by the overseas man's 'other wife'. I'm living in a soap opera.

I'll try not to fit in too much with these. What surprises me is how 'matter-of-factly' people accept these events.

----------


## genghis61

> Do you mean Khao Chakan? That is the transliteration I have mostly seen. 
> 
> By south do mean before the 317/3434 intersection or do you live further out?
> 
> Have spent a lot of time since 2000 in a village just off 3434 before you get to Phra Phloeng. It's really amazing how the whole area has grown in the 10 years. At that time, I was the first westerner most had ever seen, even in Sa Kaeo itself. Went to the market in Khao Chakan about a year ago and saw 3 other farangs (maybe one was you?), couldn't believe it. Have they put an ATM in at Khao Chakan yet or do you still have to drive to Sa Kaeo?
> 
> Not sure I could live there day in and day out, but I think its great that you and other can do it.  TH
> TH


You're right - 3 out of my 4 maps say Khao, yet GF insists she was taught Kaew at English class; been taking note of the signs, Khao it will be then.
We turn off 317 before KC (coming from Bkk/Sa Kaeo), 3434 is maybe 3-4 km further on. Was at the hospital this morning and they have the best detailed map of the area I've seen incl Phra Phloeng, most names in English/Thai, yet I still fail to understand how I ended up in Wang Nam Yen one day cycling, many a wrong turn involved.
An ATM at KC - yes they have three but no actual bank (SK or WNY for that), my favourite cycle ride - did it yesterday - get some money out, cool off in either 7/11 or Tesco for as long as I can then back into the heat.

I'll be Genghis3035 then . . .

----------


## Rigger

To live in a isaan village you need a few things
Good family
Good wife
Good hobbies
Good kitchen
And never drink before 17:00 unless someone has died or is getting married
If you are missing any of these you probably will not last long

----------


## Thaihome

> To live in a isaan village you need a few things
> Good family
> Good wife
> Good hobbies
> Good kitchen
> And never drink before 17:00 unless someone has died or is getting married
> If you are missing any of these you probably will not last long


That would pretty well sum it up I would think.

TH

----------


## superman

> To live in a isaan village you need a few things Good family Good wife Good hobbies Good kitchen And never drink before 17:00 unless someone has died or is getting married If you are missing any of these you probably will not last long


Good suggestions Rigger, but I think No family would be better. My missus only has her mother and she knows how to keep her nose out.

----------


## pescator

> I think it's nice to wai old people.


Ditto.

I do something similar in my own country.
We have a honorific expression for the personal pronoun "you" which is only seldomly used these days. Equivalent to "Sie" instead of "du" in german.

This is well recieved by our old folks.
Much like the "wai" IME is appreciated by old folks in Thailand.

Back to the subject.
I`d say that the most important factor of succesfully living in Isan is a decent command of if not the local lingo so at least central thai.

But people are of course all different. I know a dude who retired last year. He went to live with the missus in a village in Lampang.
He speaks no foreign language.
Cannot talk to anybody except from the missus.
Still he enjoys life there or so he says anyway.

Amazing. I couldn`t live like that.

----------


## keekwai

I was just wondering ...  why don't all the Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Lebanese etc etc migrants back in Oz, U.K and The U.S etc don't have forums with threads like this?

Maybe they have .. who knows?

----------


## Rigger

> Good suggestions Rigger, but I think No family would be better


If no farming land, yeh I would guess none would be better. Family does come in handy when you need help and there is no way I would stay out in the village if the wife didnt have family there

----------


## superman

^ Having no family is the way forward, in my opinion. I see all, and I mean all. the other farangs in my area have nothing but problems with their wives family. The family seem to think that it's a right that the farang in-law will employ them. Trouble with employing family is their quality of work. There's not much chance of the missus disciplining her own family member, so they usually abuse that fact. I've also noticed that when employing family there's a tendency to pay over the local rate. 
Okay Rigger I accept "family" is good for you but in general I say keep them out.

----------


## keekwai

> Having no family is the way forward, in my opinion.


I wonder how Italian or Greek Farangs would feel about this. The extended family is a big part of their lives. It seems only U.K U.S Oz Farangs etc want to stick to their own cultural upbringings .. i.e .. lock granny up in a home and have nothing to do with the old biddy.

----------


## Rigger

> Okay Rigger I accept "family" is good for you but in general I say keep them out.


Yes you are right in most cases the isaan family can put alot of pressure on a relationship and is more trouble than they are worth.

----------


## sabang

^ Most? Maybe, I honestly dunno. For us, having family around is definitely a benefit.
But if and when it isn't, live somewhere else- even a few villages away in the same Province.

----------


## Rigger

> ^ Most? Maybe, I honestly dunno. For us, having family around is definitely a benefit


For me too, but I cant say the same about most other farangs living in the area. I dont have a problem as everyone works in my family and are always ready to help. Some days I get more sense from the family than the wife  :mid:

----------


## jandajoy

> For me too, but I cant say the same about most other farangs living in the area. I dont have a problem as everyone works in my family and are always ready to help.


Same same here. But, as a bit of a bonus they live 30 km away so there's never been any unnecessary imposition.

----------


## Chris L

> I dont think its so much that Thais look down on farangs as it is that they think they are smarter than everyone else in the world. 
> 
> I see the illegal moneylenders and rip off merchants being treated with great respect by the Thais. But I think its more to do with respect for their position of power than actual admiration for their lack of moral ethics. The Thais, well at least the ones I have met, seem to accept being taken advantage of by more wealthy and powerful people. I suppose that comes with many generations of living in a corrupt feudal society where the peasants have no comeback.
> 
> This twisted system of moral values weaves its way into the ethics of the peasant population. After all, who would you rather model yourself on,-- a downtrodden peasant, or the smarter wealthy man with the money and power? Dishonesty becomes acceptable, so long as it is only done to someone of lower caste, and done with a smile. And of course the keeping face thing comes into it too. Subordinates are expected to take it with a smile. But try ripping off someone higher in the social pecking order and the loss of face will cause all hell to break lose.
> 
> Then along comes the farang. A generous curiosity at first. Is he a kind, generous friend or some kind of a fool ready for the fleecing? Attitudes may change as the relationship progresses. And to top it all off, farangs when in a difficult situation are more likely to tell the truth. This goes to prove that farang sabeur, and that Thais are the smarter race to the Thais. What kind of an idiot would tell the truth to his own disadvantage? Also factor in the overwhelming sense of nationalistic pride that has been fostered by the ruling class among the peasant class, (and another one we cant mention here).  There you got it. Its a fcuked up way of thinking and living by our standards, but its just the way it is in Thailand.


I concur. Very well observed, and well put. Once you understand the general way things work, you can just play along and not get too bothered by it all.

----------


## superman

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> 
> I dont think its so much that Thais look down on farangs as it is that they think they are smarter than everyone else in the world. 
> 
> I see the illegal moneylenders and rip off merchants being treated with great respect by the Thais. But I think its more to do with respect for their position of power than actual admiration for their lack of moral ethics. The Thais, well at least the ones I have met, seem to accept being taken advantage of by more wealthy and powerful people. I suppose that comes with many generations of living in a corrupt feudal society where the peasants have no comeback.
> 
> This twisted system of moral values weaves its way into the ethics of the peasant population. After all, who would you rather model yourself on,-- a downtrodden peasant, or the smarter wealthy man with the money and power? Dishonesty becomes acceptable, so long as it is only done to someone of lower caste, and done with a smile. And of course the keeping face thing comes into it too. Subordinates are expected to take it with a smile. But try ripping off someone higher in the social pecking order and the loss of face will cause all hell to break lose.
> 
> ...


 I too agree with Panda's post. I'd love to see it on Thai visa and see how quick the Thai fan club jumps down on it.

----------


## keekwai

_Let's face it. This entire thread is pretty funny. Most of the posters sound like_ _Sir Richard Attenborough .. hiding behind a bush discussing the habits of a black tailed ant eater or whatever.

I wonder if there are any Thai forums where they discuss the intricacies of the "Typical Lowland Feral Farang" ? 5555 
_

----------


## Stinky

> _Let's face it. This entire thread is pretty funny. Most of the posters sound like_ _Sir Richard Attenborough .. hiding behind a bush discussing the habits of a black tailed ant eater or whatever.
> 
> I wonder if there are any Thai forums where they discuss the intricacies of the "Typical Lowland Feral Farang" ? 5555 
> _


What do expect from expats who have moved in with a troop of monkeys? 

They have their ways and although we will never be fully exepted as a part of the troop a certain level of acceptance is desirable to avoid getting bitten.

----------


## keekwai

> a certain level of acceptance is desirable to avoid getting bitten.


Is that all?   Easy! .. Smile, Be nice, don't be an arsehole. Sorted!  :Smile:

----------


## Stinky

> Originally Posted by Sdigit
> 
> 
> a certain level of acceptance is desirable to avoid getting bitten.
> 
> 
> Is that all?   Easy! .. Smile, Be nice, don't be an arsehole. Sorted!


And don't lock the doors so they don't have to break in to rob you of your beers and  all of your shiney fings  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

^ Forgot that bit!

----------


## Stinky

Spreading a good house ghost rumour is a great way to keep them at bay, not fool proof but easily as good as a dog.

----------


## keekwai

Right .. A couple of voodoo skulls and shrunken heads on bamboo poles at your front gate should do the trick!

----------


## keekwai

... but .. but ,, Hang on a minute! I thought this was about fitting in! Not scaring the shit out of the buggers!

----------


## Stinky

Fitting in, surviving, it's pretty much the same thing. 
I take it you've had good experiances?

----------


## keekwai

^ So far .. but I'm getting a Congo mail order catalog just in case.

Really though .. this thread is a load of shit. "Fitting in"  C'mon!  Like I said before .. "Be nice" .. and you'll fit in anywhere. It doesn't need any in depth discussion as long as you have half a brain in your head.

I worked on Thursday Island for 1 year. (tip of Queensland, Australia) 98% Wife bashing alcoholic aboriginals .. 2% white fellas. First 6 weeks I was challenged to fight about 3 times a week.  I just acted "nice" .. no problems. After that I got challenged a few more times by new guys that just arrived .. but the locals that knew me stepped in and told them to "f" off.

Thailand is a piece of cake compared to that place.


EDIT .. and the funny thing is .. I miss the place. Made a lot of good friends there .. left behind a couple of broken hearts .. made a TON of money (remote areas pay well) .. I'm thinking of going back for another stint to fill up the bank account. !!

----------


## Stinky

^Sounds bloody awful, at least Thais don't readily fight with Farangs. 

I had some bloody awful experiences myself whilst living in darkest Issan, in fact the only place I felt like I was in a comunity of decent human beings was when I was living in the grounds of the hospital the wife worked at, don't get me wrong they weren't all bad in the villages but they had more than their fair share of wankers.

----------


## DJ Pat

Glad to say I've never resided in an Isarn village. When I visited Udon Thani I stayed at the Sirigrand hotel, when I went to Ubon years ago to my cousins school, we landed in the morning and flew out in the evening back to the refuge of Bangkok.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

To be honest most of the villages around Udon are not much different to an estate in a village in the UK. Legoland houses, some good people, some not so good.

----------


## Panda

When I go up country the family guard me like a treasure. :-)

If I go over the market to sit down and have a beer they always send someone with me, even if its only a kid.
Once I escaped and went to a different vendor for a coldie as it had a better view of the sexy hairdressers shop. Pretty soon along comes one of the family and insists I should move back into the main area nearer home.
Another time a Thai dude who spoke very good English starts talking to me. He says he was a taxi driver in Bk previously. He was pretty drunk and started off friendly enough, but then started to get a bit aggressive. Family to the rescue again. Actually my protector was my 40 YO niece who gave him a bit of a tongue lashing in Thai and saw him off.

I am not sure if the danger the family seem to perceive is real or imagined. Its probably just that I am new in town and the only farang around the place. When I first went there 15 years ago the kids used to stare as I was the only real live farang they had ever seen. I feel pretty certain that if I went to stay there for any length of time the novelty would wear off and I would be accepted as part of the community once they got to know me.

----------


## Norton

> I feel pretty certain that if I went to stay there for any length of time the novelty would wear off and I would be accepted as part of the community once they got to know me.


Assuming you didn't act like an arsehole and learned a bit of the local lingo, you would.

----------


## DJ Pat

> Another time a Thai dude who spoke very good English starts talking to me. He says he was a taxi driver in Bk previously. He was pretty drunk and started off friendly enough, but then started to get a bit aggressive. Family to the rescue again. Actually my protector was my 40 YO niece who gave him a bit of a tongue lashing in Thai and saw him off.


You gotta be giving off bad vibes.

----------


## keekwai

> refuge of Bangkok.


That's the first time I heard that crowded polluted hell hole refereed to as a refuge!

----------


## TizMe

> I wonder if there are any Thai forums where they discuss the intricacies of the "Typical Lowland Feral Farang" ? 5555


No point. 
Every post would say "They not Thai, they not unerstan Thailand"

----------


## keekwai

^ I forgot. Thais have no imagination.

----------


## KOBRIEN

So are you living full time in Sa Kaeo ? 
My Mrs in from there so I have to go there every few months myself.I took a football out into a pitch one day for a bit of excercise and within 5 mins I had 20 kids playing with me.Everyone seems to just run up and stare at you then run off 
like they have never seen a farang in the flesh before.Was told afterwards they a lot of them haven't.

As a way of life I love it for around three weeks at the max in Sa kaeo,Anything 
over that and I start to go stir crazy with no one speaking a word of English,I can get by with basic Thai but you kind feel like you inner voice is not being expressed,Plus most of them switch to issan half the time which I refuse to learn.

Bonus points - Monkey mountain near by.The crystal Cave.Peace.everybody goes to bed at 9pm and up nice and early at 6am for a nice clean around the shack.

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> 
> Another time a Thai dude who spoke very good English starts talking to me. He says he was a taxi driver in Bk previously. He was pretty drunk and started off friendly enough, but then started to get a bit aggressive. Family to the rescue again. Actually my protector was my 40 YO niece who gave him a bit of a tongue lashing in Thai and saw him off.
> 
> 
> You gotta be giving off bad vibes.


Been through the same sort of thing with the Aboriginal community in which I work. The first year was hell with every drunk wanting to fight me. Now after well over a decade here the indigenous folks treat me extremely well, not just respect, but with genuine affection. It weren't the vibes I was giving off that made me a target at first, it was the colour of my skin and the fact that I was a stranger from a different culture. I reckon Thailand is not so different.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> I am not sure if the danger the family seem to perceive is real or imagined. Its probably just that I am new in town and the only farang around the place.


I spent 18 months living in Isaan and never once felt threatened, didn't have a family to guard over me, was shown a lot of love by everybody. The family probably feel the need to guard you from other females who are happy let their single status be known to single (or not) farangs in the area. The amount of times I was told 'I love you' by a group of girls and invited over to their party must be in the 100s. They then tell you which ones like you and proceed to have fun. Having a family guard kinda sucks dude.  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

^ Hansum Man!

----------


## Chairman Mao

Yes.  :Smile:

----------


## KOBRIEN

^^^ 
Dont forget good heart !

----------


## genghis61

#207 was that for me? or someone else in SK?

We live here, but looking at this year 'based here' would be more appropriate, 5 overseas trips in 2010, plus many a 7-10 day trip within Thailand. The longest we've been 'housebound' was May/June when I was sick with what was later diagnosed as 'mild Dengue'. Otherwise away for probably one week in four. 

Having said that, I like it here. Some things I miss - the beach! but we head down to Chao Lao (near Chanthaburi) about 150km good roads, and will be there again over Xmas.

I suppose I 'fit-in' within reason, never had any bother, some work on the farm, fix and maintain local kids' bicycles, the 199 baht net I bought for neighbourhood badminton was great investment - and the exercise is good for me too.

Last night was invited/attended a farewell function for local school headmaster, fascinating pics they showed on big screen of 'then and now' gave me an appreciation of how things had changed in such a short time, when he got here it was all sit on the floor stuff, now equipped with computers etc. A lot of respect for him - 600 people there including so many former pupils who'd travelled from all over the country to attend. And yes there were wais - genuine sincere respect for him. He came to our table and shook hands with me. 

Never been to Isaan - just my own perspective. I get to attend a wedding here next month, Thai/Thai and 200 invited guests, something I have not seen before; all part of the experience. I'm originally from smalltown rural NZ, maybe that helps.

----------


## Panda

> I am not sure if the danger the family seem to perceive is real or imagined. Its probably just that I am new in town and the only farang around the place.
> 			
> 		
> 
> I spent 18 months living in Isaan and never once felt threatened, didn't have a family to guard over me, was shown a lot of love by everybody. The family probably feel the need to guard you from other females who are happy let their single status be known to single (or not) farangs in the area. The amount of times I was told 'I love you' by a group of girls and invited over to their party must be in the 100s. They then tell you which ones like you and proceed to have fun. Having a family guard kinda sucks dude.


Mmmm... now its starting to make more sense.

One Friday night after 3 very boring days sitting around the Thai homes I decided to take a walk to the one local tavern in the village and check out the night life. It was less than one kilometer away. Well! the family were absolutely horrified. "Mai, mai, mai" they kept saying. I asked the wife what they meant. The translation came back that it was very dangerous out there at night with snakes and scorpiens on the track. I asked if there were shalowain (crocodiles) too? and the answer came back a resounding yes.

Later the wife told me that some Thai man not like farang, and some of them carry guns and knives.
I did eventually get to the tavern on another trip, but fully chaperoned of course.

----------


## superman

I think that there has to be an ulterior motive as to all this supposed family protection malarkey. I've never heard the likes before.

----------


## Stinky

> I think that there has to be an ulterior motive as to all this supposed family protection malarkey. I've never heard the likes before.


Protecting their investment I'd imagine

----------


## welshtaffia

> I think that there has to be an ulterior motive as to all this supposed family protection malarkey. I've never heard the likes before.


ATM ..ring a bell cant see it being any thing else what if the op was to spot the future love of his life up on the little mini mart drinking a beer !!

----------


## superman

I've seen where some wives deliberately keep their husbands from mixing with other farangs. I can only guess that he may find out something that she doesn't want him to know.

----------


## baby maker

*I've come to this thread late and am disinclined to plough through the posts to date....*

*..but I am a bit intrigued....where does it say we have to "fit in"...*
*to have a total make over and become Thai-ised...*

*give me a break...nobody ever fits in, anywhere...it's always advantage and disadvantage..*

*some one always has start....now if you guys want give up the only sovereignty you have....the gold...so be it..*

*when you are broke and on your arse, see how much interest there is in you....*

*blows my mind, this touchy feely crap, where everyone is mandated to like you.....*

*adopt your gender....you don't see an Alpha, bull, ape, whatever....*
*spit out those immortal lines.....*

*WAS IT GOOD FOR YOU....*

*fucking hell give me a break....as though anyone really cares....*

**

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Protecting their investment I'd imagine


And pension... health care plan... education grants for the young ones... business start up loans... debt protection...  :Smile:

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Originally Posted by Chairman Mao
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> 				I am not sure if the danger the family seem to perceive is real or imagined. Its probably just that I am new in town and the only farang around the place.
> ...


We lived in different parts of Isaan from the sounds of it. I lived around a provincial capital, whose folks seem to have evolved as such, out in the shacks and mud, it may well differ greatly from the friendly local university students and people accustomed to clothing the top half of their body.

----------


## Stinky

> *I've come to this thread late and am disinclined to plough through the posts to date....*
> 
> *..but I am a bit intrigued....where does it say we have to "fit in"...*
> *to have a total make over and become Thai-ised...*
> 
> *give me a break...nobody ever fits in, anywhere...it's always advantage and disadvantage..*
> 
> *some one always has start....now if you guys want give up the only sovereignty you have....the gold...so be it..*
> 
> ...


Quite correct we can never truly fit into an Issan village, the cultural differences are huge and although some may try to go native their efforts will fail, a bit like fitting square peg in a round hole and all that.
However most people would be happy to get by without getting fucked over by locals, relatives, police, soi dogs and any other thing that conspires against us.
It's more about surviving Darkest Issan than fitting into it.






> Originally Posted by Sdigit
> 
> 
> Protecting their investment I'd imagine
> 
> 
> And pension... health care plan... education grants for the young ones... business start up loans... debt protection...


Yas thats it, like a personal social security system for the whole family and assorted hangers on  :Smile:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> when you are broke and on your arse, see how much interest there is in you....


2 years so far with fuck all money.

----------


## sabang

Are we talking about the same country? I found it easy to settle in to the moo ban.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Are we talking about the same country? I found it easy to settle in to the moo ban.


You have to remember that many westerners cannot function away from momma's breast.

----------


## Stinky

> Are we talking about the same country? I found it easy to settle in to the moo ban.
> 			
> 		
> 
> You have to remember that many westerners cannot function away from momma's breast.


I think the problem is that many of us aren't prepared to become the tit that gets sucked on  :Wink:

----------


## Chairman Mao

Fortunately that's only reality for those with extremely low IQs.

...and desperadoes.

----------


## Stinky

> Fortunately that's only reality for those with extremely low IQs.
> 
> ...and desperadoes.


Harsh Mr Chairman, very harsh  :Smile:

----------


## baby maker

> Fortunately that's only reality for those with extremely low IQs.
> 
> ...and desperadoes.


 


 :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl: 


*Thai IQ reported under 74 points....*

*National average farm income [ majority of Thai income earners] 30k p.a...*

*plus 40k off farm income....those little secretaries in Bangers send home....*

*or aunties in Hong Kong who are taking in laundry....*

----------


## baby maker

> Originally Posted by baby maker
> 
> when you are broke and on your arse, see how much interest there is in you....
> 
> 
> 2 years so far with fuck all money.


 

*....."short time" man...huh...*

*the Thai just don't believe you don't have money or access to money....*
*maybe "terack" has an eye on a "green card"......*

*everyone pays in Thailand.....unless you missed the News....*

*lets talk again after you have survived your first decade....if you last that long....*

----------


## Chairman Mao

> everyone pays in Thailand.....unless you missed the News....


Looks like someone was sucked in, and spat out. 

Don't be bitter coz you didn't choose well.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by baby maker
> ...


Maybe we've not all been conned by someone with half an education like you seem to have been. Unlucky.

----------


## baby maker

> everyone pays in Thailand.....unless you missed the News....
> 			
> 		
> 
> Looks like someone was sucked in, and spat out. 
> 
> Don't be bitter coz you didn't choose well.


 

*.....like i said...."short time men"......*


*WHY....old son....i have nearly fathered a whole village on my own...*

*now no cheap shots...about "village idiots" and we won't talk about that "little problem" you have or the irreversible vasectomy....*

----------


## baby maker

> Maybe we've not all been conned by someone with half an education like you seem to have been. Unlucky.


 

*......opportunities abound....there is all ways tomorrow...*

*you guys are a gas.....*

*even Peter.....that's ....St Peter....would lift an eyebrow..*

*so rightuous...........................*

----------


## DJ Pat

Many guys who get conned can't see the reality cos the pussy blocks their view.

----------


## baby maker

*Pat.....old sausage.....that would be pussies....as in plural.....*

*Yep !...... "short time men"..............*

----------


## koman

> everyone pays in Thailand.....unless you missed the News....
> 			
> 		
> 
> Looks like someone was sucked in, and spat out. 
> 
> Don't be bitter coz you didn't choose well.


Dont worry BM. The Chairman seems to have a strange notion that some farangs take the piss out of village dwellers  only because they got burned by some Terak.  I got the same routine a while back..even though I assured everyone that I never got burned by anybody. (Just know of lots who did and heeded their advise)

I just did not like the dirt, noise, boredom, lack of privacy and all the other conditions that some farangs claim are just figments of our imagination.  Living in sub-standard conditions and trying to adapt to a mindless backward lifestyle seems to have a certain appeal for some, and they just can't seem to understand why anyone would not like it....very strange.

----------


## KOBRIEN

> #207 was that for me? or someone else in SK?


Yes it sounds like you have adapted well,What part of Sa Kaeo are you staying in ?

----------


## sabang

In Isaan, you can be late to your own funeral.  ::chitown::

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by Chairman Mao
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> 				everyone pays in Thailand.....unless you missed the News....
> ...


Just one step up from living as a hermit in my view. But maybe different for those with a wife and kids up there.

Me, I would rather spend my days lying a beach chair getting a massage and a manicure. Sipping ice cold beer and eating BBQ prawns. Maybe the odd fishing trip. And of course the occasional excursion to be entertained by some lovely little hard bodied things. Still, its not something I would want to do full time. Thats why I will always be just an occasional visitor.
Living like a peasant Thai aint for me I'm afraid. Thailand has a lot to offer, but village life aint one of them.

----------


## sabang

> Living like a peasant Thai aint for me I'm afraid.


Nor me. In fact living like a peasant isn't for me, full stop.
What makes you think farangs in Isaan live like peasants?

----------


## Rigger

> Living like a peasant Thai aint for me I'm afraid. Thailand has a lot to offer, but village life aint one of them.


I dont spend much time at the village house any more, but I didnt live like a peaseant when I was there, ate good food lived in a nice big house, plenty of cold beer, good roads for riding, fishing,
I do see some poor farangs living like village Thais which isnt much of a life to me, but if thats what they want then up to them.
Have lived all over Thailand and living in a isaan village does have something to offer it just not for eveyone.If your only interest is sucking beers and getting your nails trimed well you arent going to last long.

----------


## sabang

I have a very nice 13mm bht place outside Pattaya which i can move back to if I want. 
But personally I prefer it up here, living like a peasant.  :mid:

----------


## KOBRIEN

> I have a very nice 13mm bht place outside Pattaya


Congratulations

----------


## Panda

[quote=Rigger;1634714]


> If your only interest is sucking beers and getting your nails trimed well you arent going to last long.


I have no intention of "lasting long" as you put it. I'll take what Thailand has to offer me and go back to good old Oz when I am sick of it. Multi-entry visa.

I am not one of those blokes who thinks one must make a full time commitment to LOS in order to enjoy its pleasures. Each to their own and I dont begrudge anyone who has made a different choice. Its just not for me is all. As said before, it may be different for blokes who have a wife and kids up in the village.

From a financial perspective, I have done the sums and I could live just as well by buying a block of dirt (which I would actually own) out in the sticks here in Oz.

Nice place to visit, just wouldn't want to live there full time.

----------


## Panda

> I have a very nice 13mm bht place outside Pattaya which i can move back to if I want. 
> But personally I prefer it up here, living like a peasant.


Good for you mate. BTW, this place you own in Pattaya, -- is it a condo?

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## superman

> But personally I prefer it up here, living like a peasant.


I second that.

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## sabang

If everyone wanted to live the Thai rural life, I'd move out. Horses for courses.

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## sabang

> Good for you mate. BTW, this place you own in Pattaya, -- is it a condo?


It's a villa in a 'nice' estate- we lived there for 3.5 years, but rent it out now. Too damn big.

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> But personally I prefer it up here, living like a peasant.
> 
> 
> I second that.


Now come on. Do you really live like a peasant? B.S.

Money, or rather relative wealth, can buy you a lot of luxuries in a foreign third world place. Carving out your own little piece of heaven up in Issarn takes a lot of work. I have considered that option myself. But all you are doing is creating a little piece of your homeland (that you will never own) in a foreign country. And for a price you could do in your own country, -- if you want to live out in the sticks. Admittedly, the interaction with the locals could be a bonus if you strike it right.

Living like a peasant? Complete and utter shite! Nobody wants to live like a Thai peasant, even the Thais if given a choice.

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## sabang

Actually, if you want or need to 'live like a peasant', rural Isaan is not the cheapest option at all.

You can live cheaper in many cities and most towns, including Pattaya. Common misconception.

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## DJ Pat

> Actually, if you want or need to 'live like a peasant', rural Isaan is not the cheapest option at all.
> 
> You can live cheaper in many cities and most towns, including Pattaya. Common misconception.


 
Plenty of those already living like peasants in Bangkok & Pattaya

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## Panda

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> 
> Actually, if you want or need to 'live like a peasant', rural Isaan is not the cheapest option at all.
> 
> You can live cheaper in many cities and most towns, including Pattaya. Common misconception.
> 
> 
>  
> Plenty of those already living like peasants in Bangkok & Pattaya


Living on 6k baht a month or less couldn't be much fun.

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## DJ Pat

But there are those that do it.

----------


## Panda

> Actually, if you want or need to 'live like a peasant', rural Isaan is not the cheapest option at all.
> 
> You can live cheaper in many cities and most towns, including Pattaya. Common misconception.


Actually, I read about a bloke on another board who lived in Pattaya on a ridiculously low budget. From memory I believe he subsisted mainly on tuna fish sandwiches, didnt drink or smoke, and lived in a small Thai style cement box type room. But he did manage to save enough to go out and poke some of the local girls every now and again. Cant remember his actual budget, but it was incredibly tiny. Something like about 4k baht a month. Where there is a will there is a way.

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## sabang

Pattaya's cheap if you want it to be- the problem is of course, temptations abound. The markets & supermarkets are cheaper than up here, plus much more choice of food. Prepared foods at markets are a bit cheaper in Pattaya too. Transport costs are minimal (unlike here), you can rent a basic place for 2.5k- I know a bloke that did. Even lao khao's cheaper down there. Then theres the balloon chasing, and no doubt the scabbing off other expats.

If you live on 6k in rural Isaan, you'd need to grow, kill & forage a fair bit of what you eat.

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## Panda

> But there are those that do it.


There are those who do in developed countries too. Hell of a lifestyle though.

100K sounds a lot better to me.

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## koman

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> 
> Actually, if you want or need to 'live like a peasant', rural Isaan is not the cheapest option at all.
> 
> You can live cheaper in many cities and most towns, including Pattaya. Common misconception.
> 
> 
> Actually, I read about a bloke on another board who lived in Pattaya on a ridiculously low budget. From memory I believe he subsisted mainly on tuna fish sandwiches, didnt drink or smoke, and lived in a small Thai style cement box type room. But he did manage to save enough to go out and poke some of the local girls every now and again. Cant remember his actual budget, but it was incredibly tiny. Something like about 4k baht a month. Where there is a will there is a way.


Must be a very creative guy...I seem to spend that much every time I go to Tesco or Makro.  I wonder if the girls still call him "hansum man" and if any of them are under 40?.. :Smile:

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## Panda

> Must be a very creative guy...I seem to spend that much every time I go to Tesco or Makro. I wonder if the girls still call him "hansum man" and if any of them are under 40?..


I guess it doesnt matter too much when all you can see is the tops of their heads.  :Smile: 

Personally, I like to play with the young pretty things who cost a whole lot more.

----------


## Panda

> If you live on 6k in rural Isaan, you'd need to grow, kill & forage a fair bit of what you eat.


I would dispute that. 6K will feed a Thai family quite well from the local markets.
Thats 200 baht a day and more than most of them earn.

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## superman

> Living on 6k baht a month or less couldn't be much fun.


Tsicar used to and he supported 2 sons. And until our house was built, about 8 months, we didn't live any better than he did.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> 
> If you live on 6k in rural Isaan, you'd need to grow, kill & forage a fair bit of what you eat.
> 
> 
> I would dispute that. 6K will feed a Thai family quite well from the local markets.
> Thats 200 baht a day and more than most of them earn.


Not around Udon it wouldn't. I can't imagine anyone surviving on 6k a month here.

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> Living on 6k baht a month or less couldn't be much fun.
> 
> 
> Tsicar used to and he supported 2 sons. And until our house was built, about 8 months, we didn't live any better than he did.


Not surprising since the average Thai wage is 200 baht per day or less (6k/month). A lot of Thai people live on a lot less. Farang lifestyles cost a whole lot more though.

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## superman

> Farang lifestyles cost a whole lot more though.


What's a farang life style ? There's a whole load of Thai living the same, if not better, as I do in this village.

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## Norton

> I can't imagine anyone surviving on 6k a month here.


No problem in Roietville. I survive on 5k every month and the missus struggles by on 35k per month.

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## Marmite the Dog

Just spoke to the Midget and she says you can't survive on less than about 16k a month in the villages around here. And that's looking at 500B a month for a simple wooden house and eating piss-poor food.

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> Farang lifestyles cost a whole lot more though.
> 
> 
> What's a farang life style ? There's a whole load of Thai living the same, if not better, as I do in this village.


If you dont understand what a farang lifestyle is, then it would be fruitless me trying to explain it to you.

I am not sure if you are a dopey cnut trying to act smart or a smart cnut trying to act stupid. Probably the former is my guess though.

----------


## Rigger

> Just spoke to the Midget and she says you can't survive on less than about 16k a month in the villages around here. And that's looking at 500B a month for a simple wooden house and eating piss-poor food.


MTD there are many Isaan familys that live on 6K or less a month. They dont pay rent, they hunt for food, crabs,fish,bugs,birds they dont have running water or power. And with what money they do earn they buy fuel/rice and send kids to school.
They would be on easy street if they made 16K a month.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
> 
> Just spoke to the Midget and she says you can't survive on less than about 16k a month in the villages around here. And that's looking at 500B a month for a simple wooden house and eating piss-poor food.
> 
> 
> MTD there are many Isaan familys that live on 6K or less a month. They dont pay rent, they hunt for food, crabs,fish,bugs,birds they dont have running water or power. And with what money they do earn they buy fuel/rice and send kids to school.
> They would be on easy street if they made 16K a month.


That's what the Midget's family do, but she laughed when I suggested they could do it on 6k a month.

----------


## koman

> Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
> 
> Just spoke to the Midget and she says you can't survive on less than about 16k a month in the villages around here. And that's looking at 500B a month for a simple wooden house and eating piss-poor food.
> 
> 
> MTD there are many Isaan familys that live on 6K or less a month. They dont pay rent, they hunt for food, crabs,fish,bugs,birds they dont have running water or power. And with what money they do earn they buy fuel/rice and send kids to school.
> They would be on easy street if they made 16K a month.


Maybe he meant 6K for living expenses and 10K for cards or cock-fights??

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by sabang
> ...


Next question has got to be;-- how much are people getting paid there for a months work? Unless they are getting paid well over the national average of 200 baht a day there is no way they could be living on more than 6k baht a month.

----------


## Panda

6k a month. Shit thats about $7 a day in US or Aussie money. If I wanted to shop around I could quite easily live on that with a nutritious diet devoid of toads and scorpions. Maybe no steak for dinner, but things like veges, chicken and eggs are cheap relative to the west. Then there's utilities costs. No freezers. Lights out after 9pm. Fill the tummy with rice which is cheap.

Cant feed a family on 6K a month? Tens of millions of Thais are doing it as we speak because its within what they earn. And they dont all have to go out scratching around the paddocks for extra protein either, though a little bit of native food is regarded as a delicacy rather than a necessity. Ever wondered why the Issarn girls in Pattaya like their bugs? They dont look like they are starving to me.

Perhaps people like Marmers missus and her family couldn't manage on less than 35k a month, but all I can say there is that they must be earning bloody good money more than 5 times the average Thai peasant wage to sustain the lifestyle.
And I wouldn't mind betting they still eat bugs and rats?

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## Marmite the Dog

> Next question has got to be;-- how much are people getting paid there for a months work? Unless they are getting paid well over the national average of 200 baht a day there is no way they could be living on more than 6k baht a month.


You'll find that single people live together in small rooms in town and families like the Midget's all contribute, so where there are 4 adults & 3 kids, 3 of the adults work (and the youngest daughter sends back a couple of k from her factory job). 

I will hopefully be able to post actual figures in a day o 10.

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## superman

> If you dont understand what a farang lifestyle is, then it would be fruitless me trying to explain it to you.


No I didn't think you'd explain it.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> MTD there are many Isaan familys that live on 6K or less a month.


And are they content and happy with that, or take their children out of school and send them half way cross the country at 13 yo to work and send more home?

Anybody thinking that a family can be happily supported on 6k p/m is avin' a larf... A larf I tells ya.

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## Chairman Mao

> Unless they are getting paid well over _the national average of 200 baht a day_


Don't be silly.

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## Spin

> I've noticed that some people dont agree with my view on slightly overpaying their workers. 
> I'm in business in Australia, and have always paid my workers higher than industry rates. Generally, they will be more productive than others. And if they dont prove to be worth the higher rate of pay, well they where the door is?
> *There's no reason why the same philosophy shouldn't be applied to Thailand as well*.


There are many reasons whay that doesn't work here, the best advice would be to come here and start a business and find out for yourself.

The intricacies and nuances that play out amongst (especially) groups of non-female thai workers is staggering. You have a whole load of delicate egos, inflated opinions of self-worth, a social and work heiracy that is near impossible for farangs to fathom and a host of other seemingly hidden undercurrents that can cause any business to implode from a staffing point of view at the drop of a hat. 

trusy me, picking out your best workers and paying them extra money is just about the worse thing you can ever do here.

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## baby maker

> Originally Posted by backinpd2007
> 
> 
> I've noticed that some people don't agree with my view on slightly overpaying their workers. 
> I'm in business in Australia, and have always paid my workers higher than industry rates. Generally, they will be more productive than others. And if they don't prove to be worth the higher rate of pay, well they where the door is?
> *There's no reason why the same philosophy shouldn't be applied to Thailand as well*.
> 
> 
> There are many reasons why that doesn't work here, the best advice would be to come here and start a business and find out for yourself.
> ...


 
Spin.....i would like to disagree with you, but i really can't....

For thirty years i ran a grain packing and exporting business in Australia...built the business from a notebook and a blunt pencil to nine employees over the time...

The one thing that becomes painfully apparent....is the dream that you have is *your dream,* no one else's, everyone else has their own dream.....maybe as simple as getting pissed on Friday night and going to the races on Saturday.

I did everything....out worked them, over paid them, threw parties for them and treated men as equals.....never asked a man to do anything i would not do... 

....may be that was the mistake.....i saw others around me treat men like dogs, and had no less trouble than i did....certainly no second thoughts _''What_ _did i_ _do_ _wrong_ _this_ _time''_ .....

One realises when employing men......that we are not all in a longboat rowing as Norsemen to rape a pillage some other settlement, and therefore have a common interest.....

we are just a bunch of guys who come together for the work, in truth the money.....most.... and this is fair, of all of us are not that keen on the work....it's only the money and what it will buy..... 

As disinclined as i am to agree, with you, i find i agree..... 


*"trust* *me*, *picking* *out* *your* *best* *workers* *and* *paying* *them* *extra* *money* *is* *just* *about* *the* *worse* *thing* *you* *can* *ever* *do* *here" Quote*



*men are funny animals....and their women.... not worth talking to...*

For what its worth.....

not much i know....

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## Rigger

> Originally Posted by Rigger
> 
> 
> MTD there are many Isaan familys that live on 6K or less a month.
> 
> 
> And are they content and happy with that, or take their children out of school and send them half way cross the country at 13 yo to work and send more home?
> 
> Anybody thinking that a family can be happily supported on 6k p/m is avin' a larf... A larf I tells ya.


Who said any thing about being happily supported this is about surviving ? of course they would like more money and not every has or would take there 13 kid out of school to send half way across the country.

To think that these familys survive on 16K plus a month is having a larf. well think about it, thats more than a policeman makes, more than some school teachers make.

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## Rigger

> The intricacies and nuances that play out amongst (especially) groups of non-female thai workers is staggering. You have a whole load of delicate egos, inflated opinions of self-worth, a social and work heiracy that is near impossible for farangs to fathom and a host of other seemingly hidden undercurrents that can cause any business to implode from a staffing point of view at the drop of a hat


After running a rig here I would have to agree with spin, They are a serous pain in the butt, I would rather have a rig full of rag heads.
They didnt complain as much, drink as much, steal as much, or stir shit. 
Thais think they no better and will cut a corner where they can the moment you turn your back.

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## Jack meoff

> Just spoke to the Midget and she says you can't survive on less than about 16k a month in the villages around here.


  Utter crap.





> trusy me, picking out your best workers and paying them extra money is just about the worse thing you can ever do here.


 True if they are doing the same job.




> Thais think they no better and will cut a corner where they can the moment you turn your back.


 True

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## Panda

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> Next question has got to be;-- how much are people getting paid there for a months work? Unless they are getting paid well over the national average of 200 baht a day there is no way they could be living on more than 6k baht a month.
> 
> 
> You'll find that single people live together in small rooms in town and families like the Midget's all contribute, so where there are 4 adults & 3 kids, 3 of the adults work (and the youngest daughter sends back a couple of k from her factory job). 
> 
> I will hopefully be able to post actual figures in a day o 10.


Precisely. Its the extended family situation. People pool their financial resources because most of them cant afford to go it alone. Well, in the good times maybe they can, but in the bad times its the family they need to fall back on. Much like it was in our own culture 100 or less years ago before government pensions and unemployment benefits.

Look around and you dont see too many malnourished Thais, even up country among the poor. My own wedding celebration (which I neither wanted nor expected) consisted of two pigs heads and some local chooks that got the chop. Plus a lot of rice and veges. That easily fed about 25 people. Dont know what it cost but it wouldn't have been much I am sure.

If you look at Maslow's hierarchy of human needs you see that the basics like food and shelter come first. Other things like personal relations, creativity and intellectual development come later only after the basics are provided for. Only common sense really.

You can "exist" on very little, as many poor Thais do, but to have a fulfilling life you need a little more cash.

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## Spin

^ The blue bit....and thais....nah....ain't happening.

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## Rigger

> My own wedding celebration (which I neither wanted nor expected) consisted of two pigs heads and some local chooks that got the chop. Plus a lot of rice and veges. That easily fed about 25 people. Dont know what it cost but it wouldn't have been much I am sure.


Foken cheap barsted even the local lad spit for a cow or two

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## baby maker

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> My own wedding celebration (which I neither wanted nor expected) consisted of two pigs heads and some local chooks that got the chop. Plus a lot of rice and veges. That easily fed about 25 people. Dont know what it cost but it wouldn't have been much I am sure.
> 
> 
> Foken cheap barsted even the local lad spit for a cow or two


 

Strictly Falang Wedding......Piss and Pizza.....twenty-five, outlaws, i wish....had to send to Italy for more Parmesan......everyone got "smashed"....nothing cheap about it...ended up married to her sister...What a day....

Now if you don't think that's complicated things.... :mid: 
Well..... plenty of lovely kids....anyhow... :Smile:

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## Panda

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> My own wedding celebration (which I neither wanted nor expected) consisted of two pigs heads and some local chooks that got the chop. Plus a lot of rice and veges. That easily fed about 25 people. Dont know what it cost but it wouldn't have been much I am sure.
> 
> 
> Foken cheap barsted even the local lad spit for a cow or two


I didnt know what I was walking into back then. We got married in the Amphur in Bk. I thought I was going up there only to meet the family. The wifes sister and family matriarch put it on me for 18,000 TB for a wedding feast. I gave her 10,000 and I reckon she pocketed most of it.

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## superman

> Originally Posted by Panda
> 
> My own wedding celebration (which I neither wanted nor expected) consisted of two pigs heads and some local chooks that got the chop. Plus a lot of rice and veges. That easily fed about 25 people. Dont know what it cost but it wouldn't have been much I am sure.
> 
> 
> Foken cheap barsted even the local lad spit for a cow or two


I'm even cheaper. I never had a party or drink. As with Panda, I got married at the Ampur in BKK. My now wife never pestered me for a party, so I never bothered.

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## Rural Surin

> What's a farang life style ? There's a whole load of Thai living the same, if not better, as I do in this village.


A reference to a *Farang lifestyle* will almost always be defined as living beyond your means and the deepest set mentality to consume unnaturally....quite the affliction, it is.

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## koman

> Originally Posted by Rigger
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Panda
> ...


Me too....Amphur job...in and out in 30 mins.  I did buy her Mother a new washing machine though, so I did not get off scott free..I think it cost about 10K in Makro. Best washing machine in the village so I guess that makes me a star... :Smile:   Good wife too...well worth the cost a a washing machine.

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## superman

^^ If I understood your answer RS, I'd thank you. Too heavy for me.

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## Rigger

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Rigger
> ...


My guess is your all old and so are yor wives  ::spin::

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## DrAndy

> everyone got "smashed"....nothing cheap about it...ended up married to her sister


at last you made me laugh!!

more info on that please!

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## Norton

> I thought I was going up there only to meet the family.


Well, you certainly did. What's the complaint? :Smile:

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## Panda

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by superman
> ...


Well, sort of old. Nearly 60. Same as my wife.
But I still enjoy feeling women as young as I feel on a good day.  :Smile:

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## laymond

baby maker,fock off back to the khon kaen forum you tosser.or at least change your user name so we dont know its you.
well done.....dick head......you focked the khon kaen forum.

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## keekwai

> My guess is your all old and so are yor wives


My guess is you're semi illiterate with an education to match and no one should pay any heed to your opinions.  :Smile:

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## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by Thaihome
> 
> 
>  
> Do you mean Khao Chakan? That is the transliteration I have mostly seen.


I prefer "Chaka Khan".


Skulls on the front gate are all very well, but how about rigging up the garden fence as a Theramin (incorporating a couple of submarine batteries and some solar panel/water wheel/stirling engine set up), to make the villagers bab their kegs?

Maybe add the occasional wearing of glowy red contact lenses, and installing some high frequency dog/whistle emitters to make the dogs freak out...

You might clear out a happy radius around your rickety old shack, and you could rename the village  ปาน รอง เทืน (i.e. "Wrong Turn"), and repopulate the deserted log cabins with your Patpong progeny  :Very Happy:

----------


## Rigger

> Originally Posted by Rigger
> 
> 
> My guess is your all old and so are yor wives
> 
> 
> My guess is you're semi illiterate with an education to match and no one should pay any heed to your opinions.


yes I am semi illiterate, but hey probaly make a lot more money than a sorry ass english teacher that can spell. And have never needed to drop as low to sell my time for 300 baht a hour  :smiley laughing:  and most probably my opion counts for more than yours here fokwit.  :Smile: 
Merry christmas and lick my ass  :kma:

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## keekwai

Lick Lick .. (no sense of humour either!) "I make more money then you" "My dick is bigger than yours" .. Ha! Love it! That's why I love teaching 10 year olds!

 :smiley laughing:

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## Rigger

> Crickey! What a hard case. OK .. I live in "Saphire Tower" 10th floor .. apartment 248. Meuang Chanthaburi. Come and give me my dental appointment. Happy New Year!


your not very good at taking the piss, sure your not a Kiwi  :rofl:

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## keekwai

I KNEW you were bluffing!  :bananaman:

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## keekwai

Anyway .. Let's get back on topic .. "Sad fucks" who are having trouble being accepted in their backwater village.  :rofl:

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## Rigger

> I KNEW you were bluffing!


Was it the smiley that gave it away  :deadhorsebig:  did you have to pass a IQ test to become a school teacher. I guess not  :Smile: .
And fok Chirstmas

----------


## keekwai

> And fok Chirstmas


By Jove! .. I think he's got it! 

This thread has been boring as fuck for the last couple of pages. It needed a slight diversion .... We now return you to your normal viewing .. Yawn Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

I'll start.

"All the Thais talk about me in the third person all the time.. even though I'm standing right there! How can I get them to acknowledge me as a "real person" standing right there in front of them?"

Grab them by the nose and shake their head back and forth?

 :bananaman:

----------


## Carrabow

> Originally Posted by Rigger
> 
> 
> And fok Chirstmas
> 
> 
> By Jove! .. I think he's got it! 
> 
> This thread has been boring as fuck for the last couple of pages. It needed a slight diversion .... We now return you to your normal viewing .. Yawn Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
> ...


 Avoid it

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## keekwai

OK .. I'll move to Cambodia. Not many Thais there. Actually the cambos seem a lot smarter than Thais .. and they don't do the rude "third person thing" WHY do Thais do that? Are they just a bunch of ignorant cunts or what?

I've met a few Cambodians here in Chanthaburi .. totally different.

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## Rigger

> "All the Thais talk about me in the third person all the time.. even though I'm standing right there! How can I get them to acknowledge me as a "real person" standing right there in front of them?" Grab them by the nose and shake their head back and forth?


Dont bother talking to Thais is one way. When I first moved to the village I was always up for a drink and bullshit with the locals, now days I avoid it as much as possible and pretty much find most things Thai retarded.

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## keekwai

I've asked the question of many Thais themselves. I've yet to get a comprehensible answer. Cambodia ... here I come! Shittier place .. but at least they have half a brain in their heads.

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## Rural Surin

> I've asked the question of many Thais themselves. I've yet to get a comprehensible answer. Cambodia ... here I come! Shittier place .. but at least they have half a brain in their heads.


Not Cambodia, but that would be Surin....and to a lesser degree, Sisaket. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## DrB0b

> When I first moved to the village I was always up for a drink and bullshit with the locals, now days I avoid it as much as possible and pretty much find most things Thai retarded.


That's how you know you're no longer a tourist and have finally settled in  :Smile:

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## keekwai

"What" would be Surin? A shitty place? Must be the elephants.

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## Rural Surin

> "What" would be Surin? A shitty place? Must be the elephants.


The reference to khmer....

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## keekwai

Right. That would be here in Chanthaburi too.. and Buriram .. anywhere near the border I suppose. The Thais keep their mouth shut about the illegals because they work for 50 baht a day. Even my Government school has 3 of them slaving away as cleaners! Disgusting (the govt.)

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## gmailer

There is a house in the village that I have a connection to whose history sums up village life perfectly.

in 2006 A US football star sent over approx B1.2M to his, ahem, girlfriend to build a house on land she owned. He had approved the plans and looked forward to visiting a near-completed project in 6-months. Local builders were instructed, piles driven and a shiny green roof fitted. The builder requested funds to continue, alas, these had been lost in a gambling failure.

In addition, the house designer that had compiled the drawings was now putting pressure on the, er, Thai husband of the gambling-girlfriend of the footballer for payment of the modest sum he was owed. Generously, feeling that it was not really anything to do with him, he referred all such troubling enquiries to the US. The footballer, troubled that all might not be well with his dream home/investment/future-wife, came to survey the scene. Following a second-round fleecing, he flew back Stateside, never to return.

Regrettable, no doubt due to some sort of misuderstanding, the out-of-pocket builder still had not been paid and the matter rested until 6-months ago when the daughter of the builder found a gullible Dutchman, who despite not being able to speak any Thai and having no experience of living in rural Thailand, declared that his greatest dream in life would be to build a dream house in the boonies!

A plan was hatched, house designs dusted off, land transferred to clear debts and, no doubt more (vintage 2007, 08, 09 and 10) HiLo debts incurred and the Builder's daughter is now looking at a near-complete dream home in her name.

Her dream will be complete when she moves in with her lover of the past 7-years, rather than her Dutch husband of the 250K Sinsot.

The Dutchman, for his part looks on proudly, confident that his stratagy of binning 3-mobile phone numbers of his wife was a good one, but nevertheless always slightly irked by the number of calls that get made to his father-in-law that are actually for his wife - and all in a language he cannot understand.

I am sure that all will end well.

----------


## tartempion

[quote=koman;1552783]


> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> The best possible strategy is to stay as far away from the village as possible. There is absolutely nothing for you there, except throwing your money into a bottomless pit.[/quote
> 
>  How did you come to that conclusion ?
> 
> 
> Been there, done that.  Know lots of others who have had the same experience.
> There are some exceptions, but that is the norm.  I have visited so many villages where there are 2, 3 or 4 "farang" houses sitting derelict and often uncompleted.  Why?
> ...


Not even having read page 1 and already full of crap beginning with OP's ridiculous comments, but the bullshit here... :cmn: 

I live in a small village, 4 years in the South, 1 year in a real town and 4 in an Isaan village.

Visited tons of farangs living in HER house, but no see derelict unfinished abandoned farang houses.
Sucked dry???? Never seen one neither.
Know a few where the Thai family can be invasive, but in my case they are welcome on our demand, which is 5 minutes a month.

Yes, I spend one million/year, see 9 years is? no calculation machine needed.
That gives me a house to live in, a car, two motorbikes, furniture, food, clothing and I am not sucked dry, neither are the other 175 farangs in my adres book.  :kma:

----------


## superman

Tartempion, you quoted me as writing, above, something I didn't write. I believe it should read that Koman is quoted for both statements. Can you give the post number so I can confirm. Thank you.

----------


## keekwai

^^ .. but you're speaking reality. Let the others have their fun with over exaggerated, over dramatic internet hearsay. Don't be a spoilsport!  :bananaman:

----------


## superman

^^^ Yes Tartempion you should have had the two quotes down to Koman as per post #10. I told Koman, basic, all that he wrote was shite. I don't think he's ever lived in a village other than the odd night to see the in-laws.




> Not even having read page 1 and already full of crap beginning with OP's ridiculous comments, but the bullshit here

----------


## BigRed

> Tartempion, you quoted me as writing, above, something I didn't write. I believe it should read that Koman is quoted for both statements. Can you give the post number so I can confirm. Thank you.


Yes, if you hilight a passage in one reply then hit a quote button in another reply it attributes the quote to the wrong poster, of course, you can also edit the quote to say what you like anyway.  :Very Happy:

----------


## Rigger

> but no see derelict unfinished abandoned farang houses. Sucked dry???? Never seen one neither.


I agree about the abandoned homes, never seen it living and riding in Isaan for 7 years. I guess if you have never seen a farang sucked dry you really dont get out much  :Smile:

----------


## superman

^What Koman, post #10, thinks he may have saw were Thai houses that were left unfinished because that's how they build. They start off well and good, but have long spells of no work until the money comes in again. Now that, I've seen a lot of.

----------


## Carrabow

Took 3 1/2 years to build mine, hence it sat empty for 3.5 years.

----------


## somtamslap

Fitting in is easy..

Learn the lingo and accept the Lau Kau..job done.

----------


## Carrabow

I do not see myself fitting in...luckily most are related in the village, so it kind of works out that they are stuck with my crazy ass.

----------


## Rural Surin

> I do not see myself fitting in...luckily most are related in the village, so it kind of works out that they are stuck with my crazy ass.


Where in Surin?

----------


## koman

> ^What Koman, post #10, thinks he may have saw were Thai houses that were left unfinished because that's how they build. They start off well and good, but have long spells of no work until the money comes in again. Now that, I've seen a lot of.


Just amazing how your mind works.  *You*  have not seen it so it can not exist....
There *are* abandoned farang projects in several villages that I have been to...including 2 houses in one village that I lived in for about 6 months. 
(and no, they were not Thai projects waiting for more funding)

Just because you want to deny their existence and pretend that I  could never  have lived in a village does not make it any less true.   I would go and  photograph the fucking things but then you would just say I faked the pictures........... please feel free to continue with your own fantasies..you really seem to thrive on them. 

The real question is, why would anyone choose to live in the substandard conditions and mind numbing boredom of an Isaan village, unless they just enjoy dirt, flies, crap food, noise, lack of privacy and a complete lack of civilized amenities?  Of course  we all know there are people like that.......but there are dysfunctional, fucked up people all over the place.......and in their own minds it's the rest of us that are unenlightened.. :Smile:

----------


## Carrabow

> Originally Posted by Carrabow
> 
> 
> I do not see myself fitting in...luckily most are related in the village, so it kind of works out that they are stuck with my crazy ass.
> 
> 
> Where in Surin?


 North of Sanom / west of Phon Ko

Tha Tum is about 20 minutes on the MotoCross bike wide open

----------


## isanmick

> Originally Posted by superman
> 
> 
> ^What Koman, post #10, thinks he may have saw were Thai houses that were left unfinished because that's how they build. They start off well and good, but have long spells of no work until the money comes in again. Now that, I've seen a lot of.
> 
> 
> Just amazing how your mind works.  *You*  have not seen it so it can not exist....
> There *are* abandoned farang projects in several villages that I have been to...including 2 houses in one village that I lived in for about 6 months. 
> (and no, they were not Thai projects waiting for more funding)
> ...


From my experience in Isaan villages where houses aren't finished it could be many things including ; husband/wife cheating, wife has gambling problem, husband/wife has drinking problem, husband budgets on a noodle diet and rushes into moving to a Isaan village, family too imposing and so on, but not always that the farlung didn't enjoy the Isaan lifestyle. Because most of these houses the couple hasn't lived in them yet makes me think they have come across another problem other than the farlung didn't like living there.  I beleive carefull planing is needed before building the house of your Isaan dreams.

----------


## superman

> The real question is, why would anyone choose to live in the substandard conditions and mind numbing boredom of an Isaan village, unless they just enjoy dirt, flies, crap food, noise, lack of privacy and a complete lack of civilized amenities?


The more you post Koman, shows you've ignorant and a fraud. All the above you wrote is  shite and I'm sure others that live in the villages will varify the fact.

----------


## isanmick

^^Man U !!!

----------


## sabang

> why would anyone choose to live in the substandard conditions and mind numbing boredom of an Isaan village


Because they prefer it? I'm hardly gonna bother running a Poll, because I figure adults are quite able to make their own decisions where to live and they certainly don't need to justify it to me, but you can safely count me in that group.

I certainly find the environment a lot more conducive and pleasant as a lifestyle than the [too often] dysfunctional expat community and [after a while] mind numbing bar life & alcoholism of living in a Pattaya or Phuket, and I'm lucky enough not to need to work to eat so theres little incentive for me to visit congested Bangkok very often. Whilst I'm fortunate to have the choice, I hardly find that a reason to look askance at other people who don't have the choice, or who's choices are different.

----------


## Carrabow

> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> why would anyone choose to live in the substandard conditions and mind numbing boredom of an Isaan village
> 
> 
> Because they prefer it? I'm hardly gonna bother running a Poll, because I figure adults are quite able to make their own decisions where to live and they certainly don't need to justify it to me, but you can safely count me in that group.
> 
> I certainly find the environment a lot more conducive and pleasant as a lifestyle than the dysfunctional expat community and mind numbing bar life & alcoholism of living in a Pattaya or Phuket, and I'm lucky enough not to need to work to eat so theres little incentive for me to visit congested Bangkok very often. Whilst I'm fortunate to have the choice, I hardly find that a reason to look askance at other people who don't have the choice, or who's choices are different.


Lived in BKK__--Hated it.*** Living in the country definately has its disadvantages. There are no expats living where I am at, but some have added additions to their families homes to offer some privacy while visiting and it definately add to their value of the home. There are times with any family it can be overbearing. Here ar the positives

1. Good fishing
2. you can blow off any size fire works you want as long as you get away from the village and it is not 3 am in the morning
3. Plenty of places to go riding
4. Mae Nam Munn has some really great swimming holes
5. You can always find help for the big projects cheap
6. If you cant speak the language pantomime
7. If you have a big ole' cement mixer everyone is your friend
8. The alarm system has four legs, wakes up all the four legs in the village and no one can get near the place within a 150 meters
9. When the Ice cream man comes around, you go from having 10 nieces and nephews to about 100
10. Any singles guys out there? I know about 20 hotties that want a Farang Sammi

----------


## sabang

> everything you need is right there.


Even things you don't need, like Tesco, Big C, Makro, Homepro, Index and so on.
Of course, it takes a while to get there in the buffalo cart.  :mid:

----------


## Carrabow

Forgot one more important positive:

If you are having a party and you run out of beer at 3 in the morning, go to the village store. Bang on the gate speaking in English and they will be open in about 2 minute. Send your bother in law and he comes back empty handed. 

In the mean time you have just woke up the village which brings more guests and everyone else is pissed in the morning (negative)

----------


## Carrabow

> Originally Posted by Carrabow
> 
> everything you need is right there.
> 
> 
> Even things you don't need, like Tesco, Big C, Makro, Homepro, Index and so on.
> Of course, it takes a while to get there in the buffalo cart.


Na,  Honda CRF 250R out runs everything but a gas station.

----------


## Rigger

> 1. Good fishing 2. you can blow off any size fire works you want as long as you get away from the village and it is not 3 am in the morning 3. Plenty of places to go riding 4. Mae Nam Munn has some really great swimming holes 5. You can always find help for the big projects cheap 6. If you cant speak the language pantomime 7. If you have a big ole' cement mixer everyone is your friend 8. The alarm system has four legs, wakes up all the four legs in the village and no one can get near the place within a 150 meters 9. When the Ice cream man comes around, you go from having 10 nieces and nephews to about 100 10. Any singles guys out there? I know about 20 hotties that want a Farang Sammi


yeh but after a few years it all becomes a bit like eating dog shit, and really wonder at the culture. 
Before people jump in, I like out back isaan but unless you have some thing to keep you grounded and doesnt involve thai people you are probably goooooooooooooooood, isaan can soon turn into hell.

At thye moment after 11 years from the south too the north I think Thailand sucks dogs ballls.

Likk my stem  :Smile:

----------


## Fabian

> Who said any thing about being happily supported this is about surviving ? of course they would like more money and not every has or would take there 13 kid out of school to send half way across the country.
> 
> To think that these familys survive on 16K plus a month is having a larf. well think about it, thats more than a policeman makes, more than some school teachers make.


As Marmite said, there normally is more than one earner. The salary each may be small like 4,000 or 6,000 but if three or four have a job they easily reach the 16,000.

----------


## koman

[quote=superman;1642809]


> The real question is, why would anyone choose to live in the substandard conditions and mind numbing boredom of an Isaan village, unless they just enjoy dirt, flies, crap food, noise, lack of privacy and a complete lack of civilized amenities?[/quote
> 
> ]The more you post Koman, shows you've ignorant and a fraud. All the above you wrote is  shite and I'm sure others that live in the villages will varify the fact.


Yes of course . All of us who choose not to live this life of bliss out in the sticks are ignorant and frauds.  You have cornered the market on truth and honesty.
I notice however that you never actually offer any rebuttal or post anything substantive....you just snipe and troll to discredit anyone else who may have different views.  Carry on trying to  convince the vast majority who don't want to live in a rural village that it really is wonderful..... :Smile:   I have rested my case.  Caio.

----------


## Carrabow

[quote=koman;1643317]


> Originally Posted by koman
> 
> The real question is, why would anyone choose to live in the substandard conditions and mind numbing boredom of an Isaan village, unless they just enjoy dirt, flies, crap food, noise, lack of privacy and a complete lack of civilized amenities?[/quote
> 
> ]The more you post Koman, shows you've ignorant and a fraud. All the above you wrote is shite and I'm sure others that live in the villages will varify the fact.
> 
> 
> Yes of course . All of us who choose not to live this life of bliss out in the sticks are ignorant and frauds. You have cornered the market on truth and honesty.
> I notice however that you never actually offer any rebuttal or post anything substantive....you just snipe and troll to discredit anyone else who may have different views. Carry on trying to convince the vast majority who don't want to live in a rural village that it really is wonderful..... I have rested my case. Caio.


 I do not have the need to push my ideologies on others. All I wanted to do is shed the light on the humor and my twisted perception I have of the situation. As I said before it has its disadvantages and by no means is it perfect. As with most members I am a well travelled individual that can see some sort of pleasure in what I percieve as an exceptable way to live. The country life style of the Isaan people and the customs, lifestyles and traditions is something that I respect. For others it may be backwards and rudimentary. I look at it as permenant camping trip that is full of surprises.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## rickschoppers

A lot of people will never experience Isaan village life and think they know everything about Thailand because they either lived in a large city or tourist trap. Personally, I have lived in all three and have enjoyed each since that was where I was at in my life. Now, I prefer Isaan life over the rest since that is where I am at in life right now. Like it, live it and would not think about being somewhere else right now. Ask me in another 10 years and maybe my preference will have changed again. I am just glad to have stumbled across this country over 25 years ago.

----------


## Carrabow

> A lot of people will never experience Isaan village life and think they know everything about Thailand because they either lived in a large city or tourist trap. Personally, I have lived in all three and have enjoyed each since that was where I was at in my life. Now, I prefer Isaan life over the rest since that is where I am at in life right now. Like it, live it and would not think about being somewhere else right now. Ask me in another 10 years and maybe my preference will have changed again. I am just glad to have stumbled across this country over 25 years ago.


Someone give 'em a beer. Cheers to that!

----------


## Rigger

> Originally Posted by Rigger
> 
> 
> Who said any thing about being happily supported this is about surviving ? of course they would like more money and not every has or would take there 13 kid out of school to send half way across the country.
> 
> To think that these familys survive on 16K plus a month is having a larf. well think about it, thats more than a policeman makes, more than some school teachers make.
> 
> 
> As Marmite said, there normally is more than one earner. The salary each may be small like 4,000 or 6,000 but if three or four have a job they easily reach the 16,000.


yes in a perfect isaan family thats good, I know that doesnt happen like that as most young people dont even live in the village and have there own bills to pay and dont send money every month.
To think a isaan village family pulls in 16K a month just shows you have no real idea of isaan village life and how hard some of these people do it.
If they did they would all be building new houses and getting new motorcycles on the never never

----------


## sabang

> Personally, I have lived in all three and have enjoyed each since that was where I was at in my life. Now, I prefer Isaan life over the rest since that is where I am at in life right now. Like it, live it and would not think about being somewhere else right now. Ask me in another 10 years and maybe my preference will have changed again.


Bingo. Felicitations and salutations sir.

It's a pity really that, as becomes obvious on these chat boards, most farangs are nowhere near as secure in their lives, circumstances, and life choices. But it is something for them to aspire to.  :Smile:

----------


## Rural Surin

> Originally Posted by rickschoppers
> 
> Personally, I have lived in all three and have enjoyed each since that was where I was at in my life. Now, I prefer Isaan life over the rest since that is where I am at in life right now. Like it, live it and would not think about being somewhere else right now. Ask me in another 10 years and maybe my preference will have changed again.
> 
> 
> Bingo. Felicitations and salutations sir.
> 
> It's a pity really that, as becomes obvious on these chat boards, most farangs are nowhere near as secure in their lives, circumstances, and life choices. But it is something for them to aspire to.


Aspire to, yes. A reality might suggest that a greater average percentage of Farang can adjust and find comfort and contentment in the "farer reaches". Even here, within the membership of TD - very few find it attractive. Those who have, good on us. It becomes lesser of a class distinction and just is.

----------


## sabang

> To think a isaan village family pulls in 16K a month just shows you have no real idea of isaan village life and how hard some of these people do it.


'Tis true, and the equanimity and lack of grudge factor with which most of these people carry on with their lives certainly helps me respect them.

Otoh, modest 'rewards' are more available to the younger generation than was the case for their forebears. My wives sister and hubby are up for the New year, and their combined annual bonus of 160k bht from their respective jobs isn't too bad at all really. They have already put up a nice house on the edge of the village, when they pay their debt down a bit they will buy a Hilux or similar. And they look forward to moving back to the 'ban nok' and opening a small business- as with many of these folk their kid is currently being brought up by a grandparent.

----------


## Norton

> Even here, within the membership of TD - very few find it attractive.


Most of the regular posters live and prefer living in urban areas so not surprising. I know lots of foreigners living in villages and majority have better things to do with their time than sit in front of a PC all day posting on a forum.

Thing with "villages" is each has a unique character and sense of community. 

Some which seem to get the most attention here are full of ne'r do well, lazy, drunken, cheating, thieving wankers. Some have inhabitants who are hard working, honest, take pride in their community folk.  

"Fitting in" to the former is obviously not going to happen unless the foreigner has the same behavior. The latter, which is the case in my village, makes fitting in a breeze.

As with most things, generalization based on experience in one or two villages should not be applied to the thousands of villages in Thailand.

----------


## Panda

> Originally Posted by Rigger
> 
> To think a isaan village family pulls in 16K a month just shows you have no real idea of isaan village life and how hard some of these people do it.
> 
> 
> 'Tis true, and the equanimity and lack of grudge factor with which most of these people carry on with their lives certainly helps me respect them.
> 
> Otoh, modest 'rewards' are more available to the younger generation than was the case for their forebears. My wives sister and hubby are up for the New year, and their combined annual bonus of 160k bht from their respective jobs isn't too bad at all really. They have already put up a nice house on the edge of the village, when they pay their debt down a bit they will buy a Hilux or similar. And they look forward to moving back to the 'ban nok' and opening a small business- as with many of these folk their kid is currently being brought up by a grandparent.


When I look around my wifes village in Chaiyaphum I see lots of kids and older people. An abnormally low number of 20 to 50 age group though since many of them are away working in regional towns of the big BK. Kids are left with aunties and grandparents while the parents are away working. Its how the extended family works. And it pays a hell of a lot better than trying to farm rice in that shitty country up there. My Thai inlaws have pretty good modern houses and most mod cons. 

Come Songkran and the place comes alive as all the family comes home. Otherwise the place is pretty dead.

Sit in the market with a cold beer people watching and you see the real poor peasant rice farmers come into town occasionally to get supplies. These are the people who struggle to get by on small plots earning maybe a couple of thousand baht a month and live in primitive shacks on the outskirts.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

I'm fine when I'm busy, but when I venture out, I just want to commit genocide.

Is that a problem?

----------


## Fabian

No, Marmite, just normal reaction.

----------


## Fabian

> yes in a perfect isaan family thats good, I know that doesnt happen like that as most young people dont even live in the village and have there own bills to pay and dont send money every month.
> To think a isaan village family pulls in 16K a month just shows you have no real idea of isaan village life and how hard some of these people do it.
> If they did they would all be building new houses and getting new motorcycles on the never never


Rigger, I agree with you there just wanted to point out that it is not so impossible that some of them earn 16k a month.

I know more of isaan village life than I wanted to.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

I can only speak about the Midget's family and a few other people in their village, but some people know better...

----------


## Carrabow

What is it that you see that would want you to commit genocide?

Quote: Marmite

I'm fine when I'm busy, but when I venture out, I just want to commit genocide.

Is that a problem?

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> What is it that you see that would want you to commit genocide?


I just see all the oxygen that is going to waste.

----------


## Carrabow

> Originally Posted by Carrabow
> 
> What is it that you see that would want you to commit genocide?
> 
> 
> I just see all the oxygen that is going to waste.


Maybe I am lucky where I am at. We have a few undesirables but from the most part everyone works for the families. Hell we even had a major drunk who went back to being a Monk and got his sh*t together. :Smile:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Maybe I am lucky where I am at.


The main problem with them is that they are rude, ignorant and can't drive for shit (that's what the Midget comes home moaning about everyday, anyway). Other minor things are the teachers who can't teach, every twat who phones the radio station has their radio turned up too loud so it feeds back (telling listeners to turn the radio down before calling 500 times a day obviously isn't enough to get through to their brain cell) and the shops who rarely have any stock then wonder why you get irritated after them dicking you around for an hour or so before telling you.

Apart from a few hundred other minor quibbles, it's paradise...

----------


## Chairman Mao

There's always blow-jobs for 200b to help even out the negatives.

----------


## sabang

> can't drive for shit


absolutely



> rude,


don't agree



> ignorant


agree- not the same thing though



> Apart from a few hundred other minor quibbles, it's paradise...


 :rofl:  near enuff

----------


## isanmick

> Originally Posted by Carrabow
> 
> Maybe I am lucky where I am at.
> 
> 
> The main problem with them is that they are rude, ignorant and can't drive for shit (that's what the Midget comes home moaning about everyday, anyway). Other minor things are the teachers who can't teach, every twat who phones the radio station has their radio turned up too loud so it feeds back (telling listeners to turn the radio down before calling 500 times a day obviously isn't enough to get through to their brain cell) and the shops who rarely have any stock then wonder why you get irritated after them dicking you around for an hour or so before telling you.
> 
> Apart from a few hundred other minor quibbles, it's paradise...


Thats how i feel in Sydney.

----------


## Chris L

> ^ Having no family is the way forward, in my opinion. I see all, and I mean all. the other farangs in my area have nothing but problems with their wives family. The family seem to think that it's a right that the farang in-law will employ them. Trouble with employing family is their quality of work. There's not much chance of the missus disciplining her own family member, so they usually abuse that fact. I've also noticed that when employing family there's a tendency to pay over the local rate. 
> Okay Rigger I accept "family" is good for you but in general I say keep them out.


Riggers right, a good family is good but I would have to agree......

The family working for me means 1 thing.....they are after a quick buck.
They wouldn't dream of giving a hand for free - always forgetting about the more than generous amount of time and help that I've given them.

Each and every time my wifes brother or father do something for me they break or damage something. EVERY TIME.  The old guy works willingly and is quite ok. The 30 yo prick is completely useless. Yet he is so highly regarded by the family.

Mind you.....not unlike the  West,  where parents favour the ''weak' one.

----------


## genghis61

not so much about fitting in, but taking part - Children's Day at local school today  - intended to go for an hour, spent over four hours. Enjoyed myself.
One other farang with kids at the school showed up for the afternoon - none of the old ones in the area (we're 40s) there's a bunch of 65-78 year olds with kids either theirs or inherited who will have been sitting in front of a tv or pc screen all day. Emailing each other about how they hate it here.

----------


## rickschoppers

> not so much about fitting in, but taking part - Children's Day at local school today - intended to go for an hour, spent over four hours. Enjoyed myself.
> One other farang with kids at the school showed up for the afternoon - none of the old ones in the area (we're 40s) there's a bunch of 65-78 year olds with kids either theirs or inherited who will have been sitting in front of a tv or pc screen all day. Emailing each other about how they hate it here.


Touchet............well said.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Carrabow
> ...


Understandable seeing as the Aussie education system is on par with Thailand's.

----------


## genghis61

fitting in
Friday before last I 'fitted' new blades to both my pruning saws and set about cutting up the trunks/branches I've had stacked drying since April/May last year. What a difference a new blade makes - three cheers for Swedish steel..
Next morning - both saws missing. 'Borrowed' by Mr Neighbour, who'd kindly on-loaned one to a friend. Both back that evening. Can't help but imagine their earlier conversations
_"has stupid farang bought new saws yet?"
"no, I'll let you know when he does"_
Harmless fun . . .

----------


## Rigger

> Next morning - both saws missing. 'Borrowed' by Mr Neighbour, who'd kindly on-loaned one to a friend


Fok that shit they are taking the piss, did the neighbour ask to borrow from the family or just took them, anyway they need to be told.

I use to be easy going but now fokem

----------


## Chairman Mao

That's why you strategically wipe spunk on the handle of anything new. And carry a tissue.

Makes an evening beer while looking at the empty spot in your garage more amusing.

----------


## genghis61

in the scheme of things, not an issue; it's that they had waited, waited, and waited some more for me to buy the new blades, then swooped - maybe they had nagging wives with lists of '_things to do with a sharp saw_' that couldn't otherwise be done.

All my mechanic-type tools are kept inside the house in a big plastic bin in a locked room. No one ever has access to that. Of course if they don't know they exist they can't plot to 'borrow'.

----------


## Rigger

> in the scheme of things, not an issue; it's that they had waited, waited, and waited some more for me to buy the new blades, then swooped


It would be to me and my wife, Mind you the wife is as tight as a fishes ashole when it comes to people out side of close friends or family

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## somtamslap

Of course the trick here is not to buy anything...it works..it works ridiculously well..

Only dab hands have mastered such a technique though..it involves having zero pounds and pence in one's current account...viable option.

Try it..

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## Chairman Mao

> in the scheme of things, not an issue; it's that they had waited, waited, and waited some more for me to buy the new blades, then swooped - maybe they had nagging wives with lists of '_things to do with a sharp saw_' that couldn't otherwise be done.


You sound way too sensible to be on a Thai forum mate.

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## keekwai

> 'Borrowed' by Mr Neighbour, who'd kindly on-loaned one to a friend.


Why don't you "borrow" his 18 year old daughter .. then  "on-loan" her to me?

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