Moving to the Moo Ban - Permanently????

[El Gibbon]

Well, its been quite a long hiatus since last posting, about three weeks I think. We have been busy during those three weeks. You may have noted on another thread that I placed a deposit on a place in Bangers a couple of weeks ago.

Yep, Moving from the Moo Ban Permanently???? ( some mod can change the name of the thread if they wish, it would be appropriate.)

I can just imagine a lot of you, (there must be at least two of you that follow this thread, according to the view count anyway ) thinking to yourselves:" yeah, knew he couldn't hack the family"; "couldn't take living in the village"; etc, etc,

Well, you would all be drastically wrong. I think I'll wait and see if anyone can come up with the reason why. It will astound you for sure.

Let me just say that I love being around the in-laws, a truly nice Thai family that is well grounded in their chosen life style.

I've also had a blast in the village, nice people here, the language has been difficult but also provided some side splitting moments of hilarity. The kids in the village all call me "Leo", a nick given to me by the youngster that works in the villages store. Her parents scolded her and I had to tell them it was OK and kinda cute. At least everyone knows me.

I'll be interested in reading some of your perspectives on why we are leaving and moving back to the Bangers area. Not as central this time so not truly in Bangers but rather Bang Na.

E. G.

[dirtydog]

Lack of things to do and lack of proper food?

[William]

Work?

[buad hai]

Work?

Oh, my God, the dreaded "W" word....

[William]

^well I was going to say a complete lack of tarts, but I thought that might get me in hot water

[Marmite the Dog]

Whatever it is, there's a few of us in Bangkok who would be delighted to share a few beers with you when you have a moment.

[Propagator]

Change of scenery perhaps, or to assist family member starting a business in Bangers.

[El Gibbon]

Nope, not the food - the ms is quite the cook and can make anything I want with the exception of not having a proper oven. If you recall I also make monthly trips to Bangers to get the stuff not available here. Also, I've noted that the Tesco store and Tops have started to carry a larger selection of 'falang' food. An example is that Tesco is now carrying a full line of cheeses from NZ.

Lack of things to do is close but not quite.

Work? There is a possibility of some work coming my way but it would be the type of work done easily from here. Basically some writing/editing. It would also only be occasional and prolly just beer money.

Lack of Tarts? Not really as WE have a pretty decent relationship. The lack of eye candy is a little troubling as the local village is not overly populated with tender young morsels.

The scenery here would be hard to beat to take it literally. As you've seen with some of the photos it is quite idyllic out here in the boonies.

Basically it comes down to one word RAIN. Flock me, I've lived in some pretty rainy climates, Fiji where it rained every day at 4 PM for 30 - 45 minutes, Phuket which has a long rainy season and a couple of other spots. Never have I seen rain like this place.

It started shortly after Songkran and has just now given us a breather. I kept track of the days without rain from 1 May to the 17 of June. 1 FUCKING DAY! It got a little better after that, we had 3 days from then until 14 of July.

It is a little more complicated than just some rain though so don't call me the 'P' word just yet. I knowingly moved here to an isolated area with the idea that my working with plants ( orchids and vegetables) along with my photography would provide me with the necessary "entertainment". Those activities took up a lot of time and provided great enjoyment until the rains came.

Rain brought an unexpected problem BUGS. My orchids are being eaten alive, the makua has been destroyed a couple of times despite using some of the most effective professional insecticides known to man, the tomatoes were great when I could keep them from destruction. The ONLY way to work with plants that are tender, relative to fruit trees, is to have an enclosed environment. That ain't gonna happen in this area, for me anyway.

In May I kept track of the rain fall, or tried to, using an old rubber process pan that is 4 inches deep. Quite often I had to empty that pan more than once a day.

I've owned a car in Thailand and have found it to be more of a pain-in-the-ass than an asset. Yes, it is nice to be able to drive to wherever you choose, but then you spend twice the time of the commute trying to find a place to park..... Once is enough, I now use local transport for anything outside the immediate area where we use our motosai.

Being without a vehicle in the rain poses a problem, since your house bound most of the day it would be nice to get out for a meal in the evening, just to break the boredom. Well, the nearest decent meal is in Chantaburi 13 K away, not a trip to make on a bike in rainy season. Especially as its along one of the more notorious roads in Eastern Thailand, Rte 317.

Doing the shopping etc was never a problem as we hired the cousin and his songtaew for trips to Robinson, Tesco, Macro and the shops we used in Muang Chantaburi. With a decent local 'General Store' in the village, trips to Chantaburi were only 2 or 3 times a month. (To be continued)

E. G.

[panama hat]

EG, sad to hear you're leaving our area.

With respect to the rain, you do know that the rainy season is almost over in our neck of the woods - then it will be dry for 9 months.

I don't envy your lungs when you move to BKK, but good luck, mate. All the best.

[El Gibbon]

^
Don't bet on the 9 months dry. Your about to endure the 2nd season shortly. That's a small part of the reason for moving. I KNOW it rains just about as much in Sept. and Oct., believe me I moved here at the end of the 2nd season last year.

Even the locals (i.e. rubber growers) plan on it.

I expected the fall season but not the drenching we sustained recently. As a matter of fact three days ago the water had reached my neighbor's base wall on his house and he is worried that this wet season will be even worse. He is a life-long resident in the same house. The monsoon ditches in front of our place were just about overflowing and they are at least 4.5 ft. deep, tried to take a photo of a 2.5 meter cobra swimming for his life but the light was too bad.

We will not be right in Bangers but know what you mean. The air won't be as clean as here but can't have everything.

Good luck to you also, hope the new venture goes well. How's the wife finding Chantaburi?

E. G.

[panama hat]

^
The venture is about to take off - as soon as we get the import permit . . . a lot of pre-sales and demo installations (about 1000 so far). The response is overwhelmingly good and we'd be selling if we had the papers.

Our other product is even more liked, and we can sell it already - just counting the days before one of the big guys has it analysed and copies it.

My wife is busy with the kids and doing the groundwork for her English-language playschool after deciding she can't use her law degree here.

Generally we like it here - and have taken to accept the bizarre driving 'skills' of Thais as well as the dog barking and general me-me concept.

Having said that, we have met some very good people who have gone out of their way to help in many ways.

So far, so good . . . even the bureaucracy isn't that bad.


As for moving to Bangkok from your Moo Ban . . . I'm sure you'll make the best of it . . . though I was looking forward to a coffee and doughnut at Robinson again!

[TizMe]

Basically it comes down to one word RAIN. Flock me, I've lived in some pretty rainy climates, Fiji where it rained every day at 4 PM for 30 - 45 minutes, Phuket which has a long rainy season and a couple of other spots. Never have I seen rain like this place.

But why go back to Bangers? Surely there are other nicer places to go that wont have the rain problem.

I understand that some people actually enjoy living in Bangers, but apart from the rain you have seemed to enjoy living away from the city.

Why not chose another regional area that has a more suitable climate?

[El Gibbon]

^
Bangers is a suitable place for now. It will also make a decent 'base' to travel and check out other places. We are not ruling out the boonies so much as getting out of here, besides, finding a nice place at really reasonable cost close to the city is an advantage.

E. G.

[El Gibbon]

As for moving to Bangkok from your Moo Ban . . . I'm sure you'll make the best of it . . . though I was looking forward to a coffee and doughnut at Robinson again!

We won't desert the area totally, the family is still here and I really do enjoy them. They are a hoot when you get a glass of beer in them. Nice folks really.

I'll contact you if we're in the area and we can still get together for a "coffee" and you can fill me in on the progress made.

As it turns out the family's orchards are not appropriate for you yet, either too old or too young.

E. G.

[buad hai]

Wow, I'm surprised rain is the reason. Here in Korat we're praying for rain. After life on Saipan, this place seems dry as a bone!

[klongmaster]

I empathise with you on the rain thing...EVERY time I've driven through Chan it rains...every time...I've often thought that it would be a shocker of a place to live for that reason alone...and here you are confirming it...

as Marmers said above...make yourself available for a beer or two when you get to Bkk...

[dirtydog]

I think the last 12 months has been really wet for the Eastern Seaboard, my pond which is about 5 meters deep was empty before last years rainy season, this year it never got below 1 meter down from the top.

[Panda]

Moving house/location is a personal choice. I suppose many factors involved. But I would hate to think it was just the bugs and rain that drove you out of somewhere you wanted to live.

As for the bugs, had you considered totally enclosing the orchid area in a bug proof netting like shade cloth? A cheap and effective solution I would think.

Re the rain. Well you cant do much about that. The wife's daughter lives in Chanthaburi and she says this has been a particularly wet year so far. Maybe look into the official records to get an idea of what to expect in future. Prolonged rainy periods can really get you down, but when the sun comes out everything looks so much fresher and brighter. You can get that clear plastic sheeting stuff to put on the orchid house roof so you can get in there during the rain.

You never hear much talk on any of the boards about when its pissing down rain and moving about is difficult. All the posts seem to set on sunny days. But living in a tropical climate involves putting up with the monsoon season too. Good thing its not cold when it rains anyway.

I an one of those people who never intend to drive in Thailand (mainly because of the Farang always pays rule). However I have been tossing up the idea of owning a little second hand sedan for convenience of transport, -- not just in the wet season , but also for getting home late at night when I have been on the piss in town. There is always bound to be a few drivers available in the neighbourhood willing to pick up a days wages for an hours driving.

Just a few thoughts.

[panama hat]

Re the car ownership issue, living in Singapore for the last six years without a car (first time since my 16th birthday), having the freedom here to drive is wonderful - plus there is no effective public transport nor are there taxis.

Now we have one private car and two trucks for the factory - feel like a grown-up again

[peterpan]

Wow, I'm surprised rain is the reason. Here in Korat we're praying for rain. After life on Saipan, this place seems dry as a bone!

Its a bit the same here in Udon, I wouldn't say its as dry as Bone, but as an indicator, I like to take my daughters to school on the MC, only one morning this year have I had to use the car because it was wet.
We do have a bit of rain at night but very rare during daylight hours.

[stroller]

I found Bangkok qite bad for rain, been riding the bike many a tims when I couldn't see the road.
Also, it's always hot, I only noticed the difrenece when I got out and moved to the country where there is a marked difference between day and night, summer and winter.

[Sir Burr]

Whew! Just read this thread in one sitting. Brilliant, greens on the way.

[buad hai]

^Indeed, it's a shame he's leaving. Wonderful photos and great story telling.

[a. boozer]

^Indeed, it's a shame he's leaving. Wonderful photos and great story telling.

I have also been enjoying this thread, but the transience of life.........!

and not forgetting the weather ..........................................


have occasioned this move

Good luck to you E.G. in your new abode in Bang Na.

[El Gibbon]

Well, that was quick. Left the house yesterday at 10 AM. Settled in by 4 o'clock and off to Foodland and back and supper by 6. Not too shabby.

Have an 'office' now also, a shared one with an expat across the hall that had rented another apartment for use as his office. So we are sharing a two bedroom apartment as offices cum storage facility. Don't get much better than that. Fell in crap and came up smelling roses for sure!

Ok to answer some of the observations:

With the geographical location of the village - it is about 50 K from the ocean as the crow flies, behind a range of small mountains, it is ideal for what is often called "Lake Effect, or Shore Effect" weather systems. This is where the prevailing winds cross large bodies of water and then bump up against a range of hills, not sure of the technicalities but weather on the other side of the range is often abnormal. The rain this season has been greater than normal but was totally outside of my initial expectations.

With the expected onslaught of another rainy season as soon as the monsoon switches I bailed.

Panda

As I mentioned early on in the post, the rain is one factor of a complicated situation, I'll flush it out later in another post and try and explain all the inputs to the decision.

As for enclosing the orchids, that defeats the purpose of having them as far as I'm concerned. The idea was to be able to sit outside under the carport/shelter at my table and have my drinks/cocktails and occasional dinner/lunch while enjoying the beauty of these wonderful organisms. Totally enclosing them (which is the only way they would survive as I wanted them) just is not a viable option. I'm not a breeder or collector, I like looking at them.

Stroller

Having lived in Bangers for a year and having spent considerable amounts of temporary time there, I can tell you that the difference in Bangers rain and Chantaburi rain is like standing under a shower and then removing the shower head. Same, same, but different.

S B

Thank you, I enjoy doing it.

BH and Boozer

I'm leaving Chantaburi not the world of TD. Sooner or later I will prolly come up with another idea for a thread re. expats living in LOS. As you might have discerned that I'm an observer and people watcher at the extreme, there are plenty of things to write about here.

I'll continue on with the reasoning for the move during the week. Got to get used to the new surroundings etc. for a couple of days and get the normal moving stuff accomplished.

Interestingly enough we called UBC/True yesterday afternoon, they will be here later this AM to install. Not bad.

E. G.