Bicko

Thanks for the info Gimbo. My wife and i are in Indonesia at the moment but she has been very concerned about the welfare of the family if they have a poor crop again this year.

Whereabouts is your place. We are near Lam Plai Mat so hope it is raining there too

Cheers

We are just a bit north of you, in Putthaisong :-)

Cheers, Bicko

Snake steak ---- aroi maak maak

Thanks for the info Gimbo. My wife and i are in Indonesia at the moment but she has been very concerned about the welfare of the family if they have a poor crop again this year.

Whereabouts is your place. We are near Lam Plai Mat so hope it is raining there too

Cheers

Thanks Guys. good info. My sister and her husband are visiting later this year and they are both golfers so is this handy for us.

By the way TBWG I would not like to fly in your aeroplane!!!!! probably get air sick.

Hi Mike,

I also missed your post and just picked it up as it came to the top of the Isaan page.

A good link for info is the Farang Connection hyperlink at the top of the page. Although this is in Surin it is a good source of info for the Isaan area and gives info on the likes of plane and train connections etc, plus house rentals, car hire etc.

I live myself in Buriram province, about 50kms away from Buriram town, going roughly south to Prakhon Chai. I fly regularly with PB air between Bangkok and Satuk and it is a good little airline, but only flies 4 days a week at present. There are no other airlines currently flying into or out of Buriram airport (Satuk).

I cannot help you with spas or the likes in Buriram town, as I frequent Surin more at the moment due to better shopping facilities, although that could change with the new Big "C" and Makro going up in Buriram.

Golf courses, there are 3 in the vacinity, one just outside Buriram town on the way to Prakhon Chai, one in Surin and one over near Panhom Rung temple site. They are all 9 hole army type courses and the one in Buriram is considered to be the best one in the area. There are also a couple of driving ranges dotted around.

Builders and swimming pools, well I have both and my builder has just finished a house in my village for a New Zealand guy, is about to start another for a friend from the UK and has numerous other local farangs clamouring for him. There is also an English guy (Alan the Builder) who can be contacted via the Farang Connection. If you wish to see my pool, well you are welcome to visit any time, just PM me and we will arrange a meet.

Hope this helps..........

Cheers Rayban. That golf course just out of BR on the Prakhon Chai road, just past the old temple appears to be part of a private residential complex. Can outsiders go in there?

I have a guy thats drawing plans up for what i would like to build , yes it wood house no concrete .

JB

JB you might be hard pressed to find that amount of good quality teak timber around Buri Ram. It is not grown commercially in our area. The place for teak is in the mid north around the city of Phrae where there are huge forests of teak and merchants have a license to log and mill.

There are many people there who will build your house in prefabricated form, truck it over and erect on your building site.

Incidentally they will also design for you.

It's well worth a drive up there if you can.

There is also heaps of furniture and artifacts in that town at a fraction of Chatuchak prices. All the Bangkok retailers buy there.

Hi lots of questions for you very helpful Buriram ex pats :

I see PB air fly from BKK but is it to Satuek or a different airport?

Some say Thai Airways fly to Buriram but their website does not acknowledge this??

Looking to rent a house 3 beds, nice modern place around Buriram any leads or contacts? My wife will be in Buriram next week or week after and would like to look at some houses for rent wih a view to securing something from December 1st this year if anybody has a property or could put us in touch with someone that would be great.

Fitness centres/spas? ( BTW saw a nice open air pool in Lam plai mart)

SCB bank in Buriram is where in the city? (near to/ opposite etc)

Golf: Went to the 9 hole course near the lovely large buddha, but was wondering if any other courses say within an hour (the Korat courses seem superb but too far away), apparently a 9 hole in Surin, worth a visit?

Architect/builder/pool design + build - any reputable names worthy of passing on?

Many thanks in advance

Mike

Mike sorry i did not see your post before today. Thai do not fly to Buri Ram. The service was apparently discontinued some time ago. There is quite a good travel agent in the square where the nightclubs are and they gave me a brochure about the termination of services to BR.

There is an excellent VIP daily bus service to BR and also the train (2 services each day) is not too bad if you take the 3 coach air conditioned fast train. Bus and train takes 5 to 6 hours from Bkk.

i live near Lam Plai Mat. Where did you see the outdoor pool?

If you are looking for real estate a good starting point is to talk to some of the high profile Chinese merchants around town. Building materials suppliers seem to be a good source of info and a lot of the Chinese Thais speak English. There is also a Farang bar at the traffic lights on the main road from the night market up to the night club square. (Look for the bamboo clad walls)Someone there may be able to help. Also lots of Farangs at the big shopping centre on the main road coming into town from Lam Plai Mat. Stop and talk to some of them.

Sorry i can not be more helpful. We go there shopping fairly often but have had no reason to make any contacts other than the travel agent.

Green curry is a bit messy between slices of bread and butter

My Thai wife and I travel a lot for my work. In recent weeks we have been on the move consistently and the first thing she looks for on the hotel menu is lamb chops. She is totally hooked on NZ gae. We spend a fair bit of time in Arab countries and if no lamb she will eat goat - and that is pretty good eating let me tell you.

So gae or pae is OK with my Thai girl.

Cheers Bluescouse. I am a third generation Aussie from Welsh stock. I am a bit (a lot) ignorant of the ways of a Welshman. Is there is something I should be aware of here????

In our little village in Buri Ram there are 3 distinct groups of people - old folk, children and layabout teenage boys. The majority of the men and a lot of women are away working in other countries, Bangkok, Pattaya and the likes.

The unfortunate thing about that is that many of the women that are working away have babies and send them home for Grandma to look after and many of them do not send money to support Grandma and the kids. This leads to all sorts of problems and in my particular case many of the old Aunties in our extended families are really doing it tough, many of them not eating themselves in order to keep their sons and daughters kids fed.

It really bothers me and we do what we can and put on a decent meal for the village kids every week when we are home, My wife makes sure they get a decent feed of rice and vegetables and meat or fish but hey what about the parents? It is a terrible situation and it appears that it is quite acceptable to have babies, shrug your shoulders and give the responsibility to bring them up ,feed them and send them to school to somebody else.

Is this common in other upcountry Thai villages.

My wife is in her mid forties and she tells me that this is a relatively new thing. When she was a girl they were all very poor but everyone got looked after and there was always enough food to go around. The younger women and girls looked after their Mums and their Grannys.

What does all this lead to in another generation or two.

Our 15 year old daughter is the quite the young madam and there is no way that she is going to work out in the rice padi up to her knees in mud planting rice. That's the legacy of course of giving her a good education but the reality is who IS going to plant and harvest the rice when the current generaion of oldies have gone? I often talk to our old head monk about this and he just shakes his head in bewilderment.

The local motor cycle dealer came to the village a few weeks ago and repossessed several motor bikes from the boys. Great - no mad kids tearing up and down night and day. Can you believe within a couple of weeks they are all on new motorbikes again. Who are these people who "sell" things to poverty stricken Thai people knowing full well that they can not pay and how on earth do these companies stay in business.

Or maybe it is me that is crazy and old fashioned but I believe in the old adage that you have to work to survive and get the things that you want.

OK OK I am a dumb so & so. Should have opened the site before i made my post!!!!!

We have a pinned weather topic on this forum but I was just looking at it and it hasn't had an entry since Christmas.

The wife and i are working over in Aceh at the moment but would really like to know what the weather is doing as the family rely very much on a reasonable rice harvest.

We live near Lam Plai Mat in Buri Ram province. We had good early rain and the rice nurseries all got a good start.

Can anyone living in that area tell us if there has been reasonable follow up rain in the last 2 or 3 weeks please.

I guess DHL would be too expensive. They have an office in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) which services Isaan. They are on the internet.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Bangkok and noticed a furniture removals trucks stand on the side of the road. There were several decent new trucks there. My wife said that they had big signs up looking for cargo. It was in Laksi not far from Laksi IT plaza. I can give you some directions if that is of interest.

Cheers

Hey Vegemite good pictures mate. Is this Roi-et?

My step sons girlfriends parents live over there. Thinking about driving over sometime to see them so this info is helpful

Cheers,

Bicko

I' ve had a PSI satellite seeking dish in my front garden for more than 2 years. i originally purchased the system from the local PSI agent for a once off payment of a bit over Bt20,000. That included a large screen TV set, the dish and the installation and a monthly catalogue. It's easy to use and program and I seldom have problems. I receive all Thai channels, BBC World, Australia network channel, Al Jazeera and a few other English speaking channels and then a whole host of chinese and arabic channels. ESPN sport is in Chinese but I do not use the commentary for motor sports, football, rugby etc.

On the odd ocassion that I've had a problem I take the receiver box to the agent in Buri Ram and he programmes it for me. He comes out occasionally and adjusts and upgrades the dish.

The PSI agent in Buri Ram is easy to find- on the Left hand side of the main road coming in from highway 226 near the Mazda showroom and about 1/2 kilometre before the big shopping centre.

Hope this helps someone

I am still working full time so my time during the week is limited but I plan to do episode 2 of my contribution at the weekend. Just wanted to say that the "bush telgraph" in upcountry Thailand is incredible. By simply sitting on my front verandah and talking to the neighbours and villagers as they wander past I can get a full run down on the activities of every Farang that lives within 20 kms of my house. Yep I know who the drunks are, who are the cheap Charlies, who gets along with their wife/GF and who does not and so on. I guess they also know all about me.

To macb and the many many people who have subscribed to this string i have been completely engrossed all weekend reading your stories on and off between meals, a few beers and watching some TV. Like many of you I live upcountry and we are in a small, village called Kuksart about 15 kms south of Lam Plai Mat in Buri Ram province. Lam Plai mat is on the main railway line about 3/4 way from Korat to Buri Ram and we are just a short drive off the road from LPM to Nang Rong.(Phanom Rung country)

You know the one thing that is very obvious from almost every story in these 23 pages is "it's all in the attitude!!!" Some live in what many people would consider less than desirable circumstances but write glowing reports on how much they enjoy their lifestyle whilst many others have created their own little piece of paradise. I don't think that there can be any doubt that with the right attitude and approach, a bit of good old plain commonsense and a desire and the committment to get on with it we humans can achieve anything we want and this string shows exactly how so many of us have done exactly that.

I met my Thai wife 5 years ago, a couple of years after the death of my first wife of 4 decades. My grown up daughters and grandchildren are very supportive and love their step Mother very much. i am 68 years old (young) and still working in the Humanitarian Aid business and Sawai is with me - currently in Aceh Indonesia. She is in her mid 40's and is the most incredible, caring, sensible and smart woman. i am a lucky man. She has a 22 year old son and 15 year old daughter from 2 previous relationships. They both are in Bangkok - him working and Pan at high school. Both of her parents are dead.

Anyway as i said i am a Humanitarian aid worker and was working in Afghanistan when i met Sawai. I was on R & R in Thailand and met her and her sister at a restaurant. I had just flown in from a conference in California and was completely shagged with jet lag so after a bottle of good red wine was chirpy enough to get talking to these two lovely ladies at the next table and found the partner that I will spend the rest of my days with.

Not long after wards I contracted pneumonia (Afghan winter of -10degrees C) and was medevaced to Pakistan. The Doctor there suggested i get into a warmer climate and of course Sawai and Thailand came to mind. My daughters in Australia were both working and it would have been a problem for them. Sawai had built a small one bedroom house herself in Kuksart which was only used by her once or twice a year when she came home for Songkran. She offered to take me there and look after me until i was fit enough to get back to work. That meant she had to stop her job - she had a food stall near Don Muang airport- and I agreed to pay her for the time she spent with me. Of course that resulted in the beginning of what has become a very sound and magnificent relationship.

She now travels with me on my work to many countries and I have taken her to Australia 3 times to meet my family. Many of my family and friends from Oz and UK (My late wife was Scottish) have visited and stayed with us at our beautiful house in Kuksart. We had the traditional village marriage a couple of years ago and the official marriage last Christmas.

I think that is enough for instalment 1 but keep the string going guys and gals. It is the most refreshing reading i have had in years.

I have got plenty of good stories to tell about life in a small Thai village in upcountry Isaan.

Cheers,

Bicko

As an aged and disabled pensioner , recieving both a UK and an Australian pension, we find that Centrelink are trying to make it extremely difficult for you to be out of australia for more than inofficially 13 weeks, normally we inform them we are leaving for 26 weeks, that is allowed without getting penalised , but now after 14 or 15 weeks they send you letters informing you to come to your local office for an urgent interview, failure to comply would incur financial penalties,The first time this happened we flew straight back, to find out we had to give them details that they already Had. The second time we took the letter to the Australian consulate in Town , we were told that this is becoming common practise now,So to quote Confucius Fxxx Em!!, no skin off our nose!! we changed our way of life, with all these air lines fighting for our custom 13 weeks in thailand 13 weeks on Bribie island is no hardship and getting the best of both worlds, and just to make sure that centrelink dont forget where we are , we get the head of department to sign an affidavit , that if they have anything to discuss with us they will wait until we return after 13 weeks Nignoy

Yes mate you are right and exactly my sentiments. I spent my entire working life paying a high level of tax only to run up against these restrictions when I married and made the decision to live in N.E. Thailand. For example my Australian wife passed away some years ago. I remarried to a Thai lady and found to my dismay that being married does not entitle me to more but in fact to less and I lost my benefits (medical etc). My wife has no income whatsoever.

I am OK because i have chosen to forego the pension and go back to work so it's a matter of just stashing it away for a rainy day.

Here is a point that I often wonder about. What about our millions of old time migrants. There must be huge numbers of old timer Italians, Greeks, Dutch, Maltese and others who migrated out to Australia after the 2nd world war. These people contributed enormously to our country in the last 50 years. I imagine that a high percentage of them return to their home country to retire and enjoy their families, grandkids etc. They should not be penalised but it seems that they are. What a sad endorsement for "the lucky country!!!!"

There is a hotel/spa/resort in Thatum around 55 km from Surin:

www.banlang-hotel.com

The Majestic hotel at the bus station is a very good hotel and just a few minutes walk from the Farang connection retaurant /bar for good steaks, wines and company.

Give it a shot.

Bicko

Hi

Don’t know where to put this; the farming section seemed like overkill so Moderators feel free to move it if necessary.

There is a magnificent mango tree right near us that this year is weighed down with fruit.

If I plant one of the fruits will it grow into a tree?

Should I plant the whole fruit or just the stone?

When should I do this?

Ms D says I should wait till the fruit turns yellow and falls off sound OK to me but is that the best way?

I realise this would be a long tem project but I like growing trees and have stared several from just picking up fallen seeds.

Like someone once said: Take a wife – Raise a Son – and plant a Tree.

and cut off a

Hey DD,

Yes you can grow from the seed but it may not grow true to form. The best way to maintain the true form of your good tree is to take a cutting from the good tree. Cut a branch back past the current new growth, about as thick as your finger or a little more.

Cut it off about 30 cms long and plant that in wet soil, water it regularly. Make sure you get it the right way up.

Cut across the wood at an angle of about 45 degrees top and bottom. You can leave some leaves on but cut them in half to reduce the transpiration. Best time to do this is after fruit is finished and rain starts,

Good luck,

Bicko

D.D.

My (Thai) wife and I are humanitarian aid workers. I am on a 12 month spouse visa in Thailand but Immigration are not concerned if I do not report in every 3 months if I am out of the country. Currently we are working in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and probably move to Vietnam in 4 to 6 weeks. Previously Afghanistan, Pakistan and east Timor.

We have a great house in Isaan near Buri ram which is locked up when we are away. Wife's niece next door looks after the ranch when we are away and car is locked up and covered under the side verandah. Get home every 6 to 8 weeks for 7 to 10 days and great to have such a good refuge - mow the lawn, prune the bushes, drink some cold beer, eat good ahahn, have a few parties with the family and just relax. Mind you I have a great missus. She has travelled all over the world with me and is a pretty smart switched on chick. That helps believe me.

This is a very important thread. It could save lives.....thanks mate.

Yep it's true. I took delivery of a brand new Toyota Vigo 4 door 4wd pickup in Bangkok. On the way home to Buri ram hit a fair bump on the road at about 100 klicks and nearly lost the car. The back jumped out and the car was headed for the bush. Fortunately i managed to get it back on the road and reduced my speed for the last 200 k's. Bought a Michelin tyre pressure gauge when i got home and the pressure was well over 40 psi.

Tyre inflation stickers on the inside of the door frame show clearly 29psi. Not real smart and has not given me a very good impression of Toyota servicing.

When I dropped the tyres back to 29psi it drives like a dream.

Watch those tyre pressures or you could be in deep s**t

When we do all meet up(sooner or later gonna happen) IT WLL be a good jolly up me thinks.

Drink the place dry!! wahay sounds fun to me.

delboy

Drink Chaiyaphum dry? There's what - 5 of us? What will we do for the rest of the day?

Hey guys i just live down the road near Lam Plai Mat. You probably need a couple of Aussies to introduce a bit of couth into the company. What about an invite.

Cheers,

Bicko

I like watching tourists speaking English slower and louder so that people who don't speak a word of it will understand them better. (Never seen the French, or the Germans do this)

Oh, cdnvic, I hate to break this to you but my mother-in-law does this. Except she doesn't bother to slow down, she just says it louder and even faster than the first time

OK, my list:

I love sitting on the beach in front of our place just after the sun has set and watching everything turn a golden color.

I love watching my dogs go fishing in the sea

I love listening to the doves going whoo whoo so gently

I love hearing how beautiful I am from the Thai ladies, esp when I don't feel particularly beautiful that day ("oh you have such lovely white skin )

I love going to some big social event and all the relatives coming up to me "Na, where have you been, we haven't seen you in so long" Its nice being missed by my husband's ten gazillion relatives

I love it when my mother-in-law drops off some of her yummy homemade khanom

Yep how could you not love the place. I made my decision to spend the rest of my days in Thailand a long time ago and I have no regrets. I love the place and everything that goes with it. I made a total committment some years ago - married my wonderful lady, long term visa, driving license, built a decent house, adopted my wifes daughter, manage the family farm, bought a decent car and so on and so on. My wife and I regularly drive from Buri Ram to Chiang Rai and I enjoy driving in this country very much - take it easy, enjoy the incredible scenery, experience the little out of the way country hotels and local food, courteous, decent people, cold beer and all the other good things that make up this wonderful country. I wouldn't give it up for all the tea in China as they say.

A string like this in the forum tops it all off and makes it all worthwhile knowing that there really are others out there who share similar values -particularly after reading some of the garbage that goes on on the forum.

I am currently working in Sumatra and let me say that there is no comparison between Thailand and indonesia. Thailand is paradise.

Cheers,

Bicko