Thread: Living off the land in rural Laos - a new project

WTF?!! But Simon, I thought you were off to Myanmar to teach at a school again?


Well, that was my plan, but as things panned out, it wasn't the plan of the Burmese authorities, who once again declared me Persona Non Grata. It's not that they have a particular problem with me (I think), but rather that they have a problem because I'm British, and the UK and the Burmese don't see eye-to-eye right now, (an understatement).


They might actually have an issue with me because of my charitable efforts to help with education in Myanmar, which apparently contravenes one aim of the junta guys which seems to be to arrest any teachers that refuse to teach in the government schools, or arrest anyone who provides private/free education for Burmese students. And if that doesn't work, then simply bomb, behead and burn the innocent kids and their teachers....


Faced with this situation and very much aware of my recent cancer scare, continual lung issues and near-death experience with a box jellyfish in Kok Phangan, I did some very serious thinking a few weeks ago and decided that God was trying to get a message through to me along the lines of "Fcuk it Simon, time to relax". So I heeded that message and decided to do a soft-retirement, only teaching online as necessary to provide an income (my UK state pension starts in 2 years from now).


My recent trip to the UK convinced me that it was not the place to grow old (for me). Too cold, too expensive, too nanny-state etc. We all have to die sometime and I'd rather die (hopefully many years in the future) in a warm country with the minimal number of female lard-buckets to spoil the view.


Where to retire to? For me the answer was obvious >> Luang Prabang in north Laos. These are my personal reasons for choosing that location:


- I worked there in 2013, and then lived there from 2019-the end of 2021.


- A retirement visa costs $500 a year, with no financial requirements (that's an unofficial retirement visa, but one which is readily accepted by immigration).


- The police are very friendly - my personal joke, but the problems that I encountered last time with the police bigwig was more to do with my Lao work permit and the fact that I wasn't actually working. This time I only need the visa and no WP


- The cost of living can be low, if one doesn't splash out on western foods/goods, girlfriends/boyfriends/sex dolls.


- The pace of life is slow (Lao PDR means Laos please don't rush).


- Wonderful nature, rivers, mountains, fauna, flora etc.


So it was off to Luang Prabang for me. But where to live/rent? Since the railway line opened, the number of Chinese tourists has increased exponentially. Not all are bad of course, but I decided to try to live in a village outside the town of Luang Prabang, where house rents should be cheaper.


Especially, I wanted to find a small house with a large plot of land for my radio antennas/science projects, as well as offering the chance to cultivate my own fruit and vegetables. With my UK state pension of about $1,000 USD a month I wanted to find out if I could actually live happily on that amount. (Of course, I still have my online teaching income of about $2,400 USD per month), but I wanted to see if I could still live here if I were not earning an income.


Typical house rents in the town of Luang Prabang are about $450/month for a small house, falling to $350 in villages outside the town. Could I find something even cheaper?


Well, the answer is yes! I rented a motorbike and drove around looking for 'for rent' signs. There were several potential houses just outside the town, but they were too close to the radio transmitter for Laos Radio. This strong signal would interfere with my own radio projects.


What did I find to rent? I present to you 'The Lao Cowshed'. Set in half a rai of flat land, some 200 metres from the Mekong river and just 10 minutes from the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls.




The monthly rent? $138 USD a month, with no deposit required. The house has a large bedroom, larger living room with kitchenette, separate toilet and separate shower room. The land is walled and secure, with views over the tiered paddy fields to the far mountains.



Piped water, electricity and sewage tank are all installed and working. The soil is fertile and ready for my green fingers (I actually have never grown any kind of flora in my life, but the challenge is there and since making the decision to soft-retire I feel wonderfully at ease.


The internet signal from 2 mobile networks is strong and I can therefore teach online from this house


I'll update this thread and with more photos as I improve the house and land. I'm moving in tomorrow

Originally Posted by Simon43

that God was trying to get a message through to me

Good luck buddy however remember Sam Goldwyn's advice

"Leave messages to Western Union"

Originally Posted by Simon43

lard-buckets to spoil the view.

Nice to see a lean Ham

You'll be ok on a "bent visa" until you are not, prices similar in rural thailand without Chinese communists, we have bungable Sino Thai/Say no more capitalists here.

Your location looks ideal for a young virile farmer for an expat who may need modern medical attention give me the private Thai Hospitals every time

Look forward to your progress and excellent photos.

After all you have written having a ham radio seems like asking for trouble IMHO.

Be interested to know what this offers you cannot find across the river in Thailand with $3400 a month no have visa issues. It does however sound wiser than Burma at present.

I should imagine that plot of land will keep you busy living the good life Simon.
Any plans for some chickens?
A dog or two for security ? I know a man who knows a man

I'd avoid going down the fish breeding pond route unless you want feet like mendymaybe frog breeding.
No not shagging mademoiselles on the backstreets of Marseile type of froggies
Will you be able to rent that property for over a year at that rental price?

Hi Simon. You really should write a book of your memoirs/ exploits - maybe several books!

Re: rural Laos, it does seem a safer bet than Myanmar at the moment. I agree with David44 that operating your ham radio is asking for trouble, but it's up to you.

Re: the pension of $1,000/ month, I know that a foreigner can survive on that in PH, as long as he lives in rural areas & does not have a lavish/ foolish lifestyle. One can rent a small 1-storey apartment for ~100 usd (maybe 3.5*8m or 4*8m in size). For ~200 usd, you can have a 2-storey apartment (same measurements as previous but double-storey, similar to the UK council housing that I've seen on YT). That price won't include A/C - you'll have to buy your own A/C unit. If the landlord provides it, then the rent will increase. Just providing numbers for comparison. There are lots of vids on YT from expats in PH with the title: can you live on $1000/ month? The answer is yes, but it will be a frugal lifestyle in the countryside. I think the numbers are similar for Vietnam - also for rural living.

Re: Luang Prabang, I hope it suits your needs and that it's easy for you to hop on a plane to Vientiane or BKK in case you need medical care.

Given your proximity to China, will you be ordering a Candy v2 or v3 again? Lol.

Best of luck to you!