Really cheaper there in issan?

[Rigger]

I don't care where I live as long as the Midget is happy

That wears off about 10 years

[Marmite the Dog]

That wears off about 10 years

Normally 2 for me, but no sign of that happening yet. 10 might be a push though.

[Chairman Mao]

What is Roi Et like ?

Nice.

[OhOh]

At that price it clear nobody want to live there.

possibly the "farang" has not shown up in numbers to raise the local prices

[OhOh]

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.

Pictures please, and reasons to want a tractor if you can.

[Panda]

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.

Why your post of course. Your inference is quite clear and comprehensible.

Playing all coy and innocent when challenged doest wash.

[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.

Why your post of course. Your inference is quite clear and comprehensible.

Playing all coy and innocent when challenged doest wash.

A large number of the expats up here are retired, drink too much and are probably alcoholics. Those that are not have probably managed to motivate themselves to do other things. I'm glad that I work full-time so I don't have time to get bored and consequently don't waste much money on booze.

[Panda]

A large number of the expats up here are retired, drink too much and are probably alcoholics. Those that are not have probably managed to motivate themselves to do other things. I'm glad that I work full-time so I don't have time to get bored and consequently don't waste much money on booze.

Thanks for clarifying that. I can believe it too, as when I was up country (short term) there wasn't much else to do except drink and sleep. Internet would provide some relief, but was not available at the family residences on occasions when I was there.

Would be different if I had an immediate family there, internet and a meaningful job I suppose. Still falls short of the mark with health care, western food and interaction with other westerners though.

[Rural Surin]

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.

Your sincere attempts to codify a flatlander existence are quite admirable, Sabang.

[sabang]

^ Umm, care to decodify that RS?

reasons to want a tractor if you can.

As a toy. Gradually wanna turn my little patch into a veritable cornucopia of produce, and have some fun doing it. It's only a toy tractor btw- KRT140 I think it's called. Certainly not to make money, I'm not a commercial farmer & not bothered becoming one.

[Norton]

What is Roi Et like ? I've been putting off going up there for a while now.

Quiet, clean, friendly, hassle free. Three or four good farang restaurant/bars. Good clean inexpensive hotels. Short on farang "nightlife" but plenty of local nightlife opportunities. Some really great inexpensive Thai restaurants. Lots of shops where you can get most anything you need.

Plenty of interesting places to visit in and around Roiet but it is not a tourist attraction for either farangs or Thais by any stretch.

If I had to characterize Roiet would say it's a damn good place to raise a family. Good schools, good hospitals and pretty much crime free.

Nice.

In a word.

[padeedy]

It may be that Isaan is the cheapest place to live, But I find it is the most expensive place to visit, if your wife happens to have a large extended family who are flocking to see you! (But she's worth it.)

[OhOh]

It's only a toy tractor btw- KRT140

Toys for boys! Are felangs allowed to operate a tractor?

Impressive. What is your daily rate?

[koman]

A large number of the expats up here are retired, drink too much and are probably alcoholics. Those that are not have probably managed to motivate themselves to do other things. I'm glad that I work full-time so I don't have time to get bored and consequently don't waste much money on booze.

Thanks for clarifying that. I can believe it too, as when I was up country (short term) there wasn't much else to do except drink and sleep. Internet would provide some relief, but was not available at the family residences on occasions when I was there.

Would be different if I had an immediate family there, internet and a meaningful job I suppose. Still falls short of the mark with health care, western food and interaction with other westerners though.

It really depends on where you decide to live. I found living in a village totally mind numbing after a few months, but some farangs seem to adjust. Maybe they just go numb--and ... numb = happy? I eventually settled in Khonkaen and find it to be a nice place to live.

You have many of the advantages of BKK and you can still be close to the paddy fields. There are plenty of things to keep an average farang sane without the gridlock and expense of Bkk. Decent medical facilities, good golf courses, a reasonably impressive shopping center, movie theaters with English movies, and the usual big box stores...Tesco, BigC Makro, Homepro etc. You can find most things that us farangs think we need.

As far as living cost is concerned; again it depends on what you want. You can buy a nice small house for 2 million----or a crap small house for 1 million. You can rent a two storey 3/4 bed house for 5000 thb ....or one that would not frighten your dog for 10-12K up. No shortage of car dealerships, motorbike shops etc.
I lived in Hua Hin for 2 years and find most things (other than housing) to be about the same price here. (I actually spend more here but I had no car in HuaHIn...I now operate a new 4 x4 Pickup and I bought some pricey medical insurance)

If you need a beach it's a bit of long drive, but there are fishing holes here and there that some people use. None of the ex-pats I know here are big drinkers (but apparently there are plenty that are). They have hobbies and interests to keep them busy and they have enough income to live well and just bugger off somewhere for a couple of weeks if they feel any boredom creeping in.

I can say with complete honesty that I have never been bored here----except for the village part mentioned above. On those occasions when the wife drags me back to her village, I take a good book and my notebook...which is equipped with an aircard so I can access internet from under a tree if I want. Stay connected---stay sane.

[chitown]

a reasonably impressive shopping center

Fairy Plaza?? That cracks me up!

[koman]

a reasonably impressive shopping center

Fairy Plaza?? That cracks me up!

When were you last in KK?? We have "Central Plaza" now, where some of the shops are bigger than Fairy Plaza... so I understated the case...we have two reasonably impressive shopping centers....

[chitown]

^ Nothing to do with you or the size of the mall or anything like that. Whenever I think of KK, Fairy Plaza comes to mind and I chuckle. Come to think of it, I can picture Butters doing a shop and drop there!

[Marmite the Dog]

We have "Central Plaza" now,

Quite an impressive building for a dusty village in Isaan...

We've got Central doubling the size of the mall here in Udon. Can't work out why, as the old one was never that busy.

[koman]

We have "Central Plaza" now,

Quite an impressive building for a dusty village in Isaan...

We've got Central doubling the size of the mall here in Udon. Can't work out why, as the old one was never that busy.

Probably the same logic as raising the asking price on the house to 5 million when its still sitting there after 2 years at 3 million.....

[Travelmate]

We have "Central Plaza" now

I have been there. Rather pleasant actually.
Thanks to very few people being there, prolly due to the fact that so few could afford to shop there.

[koman]

We have "Central Plaza" now

I have been there. Rather pleasant actually.
Thanks to very few people being there, prolly due to the fact that so few could afford to shop there.

Depends on the day. It does get quite busy at times, weekday mornings it's pretty quite and good for looking around.

I go once a week on average and over the past year it seems to have picked up quite a bit, but I don't know how many of the smaller shops survive. There are a good many that opened with the mall and closed already, but the big stores seem to do OK.

There is actually quite a bit of money floating around in KK. Many of my Thai neighbors seem to be quite loaded...or at least have good credit ratings....

[koman]

. Come to think of it, I can picture Butters doing a shop and drop there!

Well, there are some things that might prompt me to leave this area........

[sabang]

I like to push the 'in the sticks' angle here- and looking out from my place you can well believe it. . But actually Ubon is 30 minutes away, which has the usual city stuff like shopping malls. Our newest mall came with the new Sunee Grand hotel, and has a Fresh mart supermarket, and an IT arcade. Anyone who's been to the aussie outback would snigger at what i call remote. But it's the feeling that counts.

I suppose the purchase of my latest toy is another example why it's not neccesarily cheaper living here than down south. There are actually two westerners that live within about 2 km of here that do not have a car- they have motosai's, and generally catch the bus into Ubon. I wouldn't fancy that but they are happy enough.

[sunsetter]

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.

wot he said

[sabang]

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.

wot he said

True.

Obviously generalising, but where you are living in Thailand is probably for one of three reasons-
Because of where you work, or the availability of work
Because of where your wifes family is from or
A 'safe' compromise- you wanna live in Thailand, but want the usual western amenities on hand too. And in the case of the mongers, a commercial sex scene. So usually either pooket, pattaya, bk, udon or maybe samui.

The concept of being happy or unhappy because of where you live is nonsense. People who say that just like moaning- I mean if you don't like it, change it. I'm happy here in Ubon- but if the wiff happened to be from say Kamphaeng Phet so I'd moved there instead, would I then be 'unhappy'. Course I bladdy wouldn't.

Then of course there are the standard farang stereotypes. Farangs living in Isaan are all impoverished and henpecked- and it goes without saying the Mrs is ex-bar. Farangs living in Pattaya are, of course, all whoremongers &/or chav scum. Hint: that orifice you are using wasn't actually designed for speaking.

Good craic though.