Really cheaper there in issan?

[sabang]

do shopping malls and car dealerships resides in slum areas?

Most of the city is an endless tenement- so yes, it's quite common to have 'upmarket' places shoulder to shoulder with slums and grubby soi's. Leave Emporium, and you're soon enough in slumland again. The exception might be Silom- although of course, Patpong is still close by. It'll do (it's all we've got as a big city in Thailand anyway), but now that the 'wild west' days are gone, and the place aspires to be a 'serious' city, well it hardly gets mentioned with the likes of HK & Singapore does it? It's OK for a few days though.

The tone of the city seems to me to be set more by the Chinese community than anything, and pleasant, clean cities are not exactly their strong point. Neither is urban chic, but hustle on the streets and a general buzz is.

Grew up in Oz, born UK.

[Travelmate]

there are places fuck wits will never dream of going.

Such as? I have to point out, some of the biggest twats I've encountered in Bk are in those glossy faux upmarket places. Bangkoks lack of any real intellectual life, and the boring smarminess of it's mostly Chinese affluent classes really keeps it off the radar as any sort of world city, and holds the whole country back imo. We all know what the place is well known for internationally, namely cheap sex.

then you know better than I do since obviously you tend to know where fuck wits congregate

[Travelmate]

Leave Emporium, and you're soon enough in slumland again

You go to Emporium? Slumming it indeed.

Grew up in Oz

Ah yes....

[sabang]

^Well, if you're happy to describe the place as some sort of cool metropolis more power to yer elbow. In the financial community, it's not exactly where we sent our hotshots, but a get together of a few of our people there made sense because of ir's central location and cheap prices. I went there plenty during the 90's, in fact the Rembrandt apartments became like a second home, because we put together a fairly complex merger there. Certainly had some fun too. You certainly don't need to justify your lifestyle choice to me.

Isn't this thread about Isaan anyway? If Bk interests ya, start a thread.

[Travelmate]

but a get together of a few of our people there made sense because of ir's central location and cheap prices. I went there plenty during the 90's, in fact the Rembrandt apartments became like a second home

You haven't been in the area recently have you?

[sabang]

you tend to know where fuck wits congregate

Well, as i said only from observation, but mainly in those faux upmarket places.
I recall there was a decent bar in a private hotel on Silom, membership place, that was OK- not full of wannabe's, and quite liked the nearby Sukhothai.
I don't think city dwellers really visit Bangkok for 'upmarket' though.

[sabang]

Sigh. If Bangkok besots you, start a thread. You're boring.

[Travelmate]

Sigh. If Bangkok besots you, start a thread. You're boring.

Sorry you remain out of tune. This ain't the 90's any more.
Areas around the Emporium have become quite expensive. Having just experienced a hefty afternoon lunch/drink tab.
Not sure why you mention the Sukhothai, that ain't slumming it either. Having lunched there recently. Thank god it was the Japanese colleagues turn to pay.
Silom is very much a prime area to live, work and socialise in. But it is pricey. Patpong? Who goes there? You?

Bangkok ain't great, but fok it better than the rest of the country for conveniences & trying to maintain some semblance to a certain quality of life.

[sabang]

Sorry you remain out of tune

No I don't- this thread has a specific title, which is nothing to do with Bangkok.

Not sure why you mention the Sukhothai,

Style- it has some. Few sundowners there, meal at Zanotti's, then back to that members bar was an Ok night out. Cowboy was the fleshpot soi of choice actually, and close to our digs. Every foreign business visitor, it seemed, wanted too go there or Nana or Patpong- lets face it, thats what Bk is famous for. Became a bit of a drag frankly.

Bangkok ain't great

It's OK. I just personally don't see any reason to live there, unless I had to or wanted to work. Prefer to visit the place.

[shaggersback]

[quote=Norton;1716999
Good point. A man's gotta have his stuff. Without our stuff it is always going to be boring no matter where you are.[/quote]


Would be nice to have a bigger shed tho..

Rent here is cheap , where else can u get a 3 bedroom , two story , fully furnished house for 3000bpm ?
Food is cheap also , 25baht gets u most thai dishes with an egg on top , 55baht beers (leo) at most eateries , so , this aint Issaan its central north but I found Surin to be more expensive for everything .

The roads around Surin are boring , so I couldnt live there.

Spent a few nights in Kon Kaen and its certainly got more buzz than Uttaradit , Farang bars and food made it an expensive weekend.

Chiang Mai seems to have it all and If I could thats where I would set up Digs in Thailand.
Chiang Rai a close second ...

[Marmite the Dog]

Yup that why we have all the fancy restaurants, high end shopping malls, exotic car dealers, motorcycle dealers, and so forth. We're poor in Bangkok all right

Ducati just opened in Udon. Must've targeted the rice farming set.

[Rigger]

Harley Davidson opened in Khon kaen. Must be just for show

[sabaii sabaii]

Hi guys. I hear time and time again that Issan is place to be if you are on a budget. Is it really that much cheaper than let's say Patty? I'm talking about housing, booze, women and so forth. Want to hear from 1st hand experiences from people that actually live there. How are things over there ? What is it like to live there compare to other cities?

As has been said, property wise, it is much cheaper in Isaan than Bangkok or Pattaya.

As for cheap food and drink, I can get a beer here in BKk for 50 baht and the street food is as cheap as Isaan. But the main thing for me is the availability of farang food( I gotta have one roast dinner a week). Plus the Indian Chinese, Italian, Lebanese restaurants, steak houses, I could go on and on

Then there's the entertainment,nightlife, vicinity to the airport , short drive to the beaches, water parks, cinemas, bowling alleys and hundreds of attractions.

[Travelmate]

Ducati just opened in Udon

Prolly cos the Ducati's franchise owner's Mia Noi resides there and thus will need parts close by to keep the damn thing starting reliably, just in case the real wifey need him pronto
It ain't for the locals dat for sure.

[Travelmate]

Harley Davidson opened in Khon kaen. Must be just for show

Well Harleys are ridden by 50+ geriatrics so it make sense.

[heythere]

Plenty of Isaan ST houses. Usually staffed with young Lao. Probably 200-400b.

Are you referring to ban sao? somebody once told me about them.
Thank you all for your input...really chok dii heythere

[Travelmate]

Rent here is cheap , where else can u get a 3 bedroom , two story , fully furnished house for 3000bpm

At that price it clear nobody want to live there.

[shaggersback]

Rent here is cheap , where else can u get a 3 bedroom , two story , fully furnished house for 3000bpm

At that price it clear nobody want to live there.

Could always live in a Tent at Bira I guess.

[sabang]

Really can't think of a single place I'd prefer to live than right here frankly. Hope you're as happy wherever you are. Off to buy a tractor tomorrow, then I need to get a local to show me how to drive the bastard.

[koman]

Really can't think of a single place I'd prefer to live than right here frankly. Hope you're as happy wherever you are. Off to buy a tractor tomorrow, then I need to get a local to show me how to drive the bastard.

Don't forget to get a black balaclava and a big straw hat to go with it.....oh and wellington boots are preferred footware....better and safer than the standard flip-flops...

[Panda]

No way I would want to live in a remote village up country. The boredom would drive me crazy. But hell, living in that madhouse called Bangkok would be worse!
I am not a city person. I cant stand endless days of looking at tar and cement. However I do understand that Bangkok may suit some peoples needs for work, and some people raised in the cities know no different. There are certainly worse and more expensive cities to earn a living.

For me, as a pending retiree, the priorities are, --
1. cost of living;
2. proximity to good quality health care;
3. proximity to recreational opportunities such as fishing and beaches;
4. availability of western food and western company;
5. proximity to tourist facilities such as bars, girls and booze occasionally ;-).
6. home security and safety should be a consideration in there too.

Thats just my personal list of priorities, I know its going to be different for others depending on personal tastes, Thai family commitments and work/income status.

And to top it off, I dont even intend to live in Thailand full time anyway. Maybe half the year. All the things listed above that are important to me are available right here in Oz (except for the girls). Cost of living is going to be about the same in Thailand once airfares to commute and general expences including health insurance are taken into account. But of course my Thai wife wants to retire to Thailand to be with her family, and thats probably the biggest factor in me becoming a part time expat rather than an occasional tourist.

Cheap living alone does not always provide the best quality of life. Its more what gives you as an individual the things that provide quality of life within your allocated budget

[Marmite the Dog]

I think most places are probably boring if one is only waiting for the bars to open.

Personally I don't care where I live as long as the Midget is happy and as long as I'm in this general time-zone and have decent internet.

[Panda]

I think most places are probably boring if one is only waiting for the bars to open.

Personally I don't care where I live as long as the Midget is happy and as long as I'm in this general time-zone and have decent internet.

What makes you think anyone who doesnt have the same priorities as you are only concerned about what time the bars open? There are many factors that influence where people want to live. Bars are a factor to some and irrelevant to others who may or may not share some of your own influencing factors.

[Marmite the Dog]

What makes you think anyone who doesnt have the same priorities as you are only concerned about what time the bars open?

What makes you think that I think that?

I know you're an Aussie, but surely a simple sentence like that should be comprehensible to you.

[sabaii sabaii]

What is Roi Et like ?

I've been putting off going up there for a while now.