jay-uk

Anyone visited the new Sunee Grand Hotel yet in Ubon? It looks great on the website I'd be interested to hear about their food in the restaurant and quality of rooms for future reference:

Sunee Grand Hotel & Convention Center

512/8 Chayangkul Road, Muang District, UbonRatchathani Province 34000 Thailand

Tel : +66 45283999 ,45352900 Fax : +6645352999

http://www.suneegrandhotel.com/main3.php

Ubon Ratchathani province, one of E-Sarn major cities, the center of Buddhism, the cauldron of old civilization with its diverse cultures and races,

the fields of wild flowers and the forests bordering, Lao and Cambodia, especially the first daylight in Thailand.

Sunee Grand Hotel & Convention Center central is located in the center of the city, just only 2 kilometers from the International Airport.

Graceful interiors complement the picturesque richness of the hotel’s luxury, 219 guest rooms feature while room amenities offer all the comfort of home and

the biggest Convention Hall total 2,592 square meter with convenient access to the Shopping Center, Water Fun Park, Bowling and Entertainment complex.

Hotel Rooms : 219 rooms

Meeting Rooms : 11 meeting rooms include 1 Convention hall

Risotto...is that the place on the corner by the Lai thong hotel?

It was -10c here in UK last night. The coldest night since 1996 apparently on the news. I'd rather be in Isaan right now.....

my in-laws often send us items by registered Thai mail from Ubon to UK and in 8 years never had anything go missing. should be fine if you send by thai mail as long as you pack it well.

If you want to know how life will turn out in the long term with a thai wife then spend a little quality time first with her family. If they are decent hard working people then stands a chance your furture wife will be also. If you do not, you may live to regret it as there is no escape from money grabbing in-laws if you marry into the wrong family. Case and point, for every happy farang here in UK who has taken his bride to a foreign land there is another sad story of how an unhappy farang felt the pressure from back in Thailand to keep sending money was too much to bare. If you want this to stop at point of marraige then you have to make it perfectly clear that you will only be sending money on your terms, if necessary, after the wedding when living overseas. Otherwise as many of the posters have written you will be on a looooooooong road to nowhere with much of the same requests month in month out to send cash everytime the thai family squeal. Remember dowry in some thai families are a face thing and given back after the wedding to a thai groom's family so why would they expect so much from you. How much you pay is upto you but you must put a stake in the ground about your future as the requests will get out of hand and you will be stuck with no way of saying no as the presidence has already been set.

One final question after two years. Would she be with you if you did not shell out this much money every month and if you are togther on a regular basis then test the water to see how she can manage with less. If you are pleasently suprised that she can get by on less money when needed and attitudes don't change then maybe all is well and it is a relationship built on love. A true test of marraige is not how happy both can be when they have money but how happy you can remain without it if and when you fall on hard times. Remember...."For richer for poorer!".

My wife and I have had some real problems over nine years both financial and physically with our son's health. Most women who would have been around for money would have bolted for the door by now but a strong relationship has pulled us through the hard times. I sincerely hope you have met the right lady as when you have there is nothing finer than the feeling that someone is truly in your corner but if you have not then life could get a whole lot tougher and more complicated. Don't rush into anything and spend more time learning about each other and in particular her family.

More information on Ubon can be found on the following website:

http://www.weloveubon.com/ubon-expat-hangouts.html

I am gald the bike shop was of use it's a great little place.

Jay

Hi Sanuk

Welcome to Ubon. We have friends in Amant from UK who love the place and travel between there and BKK often. There is a great little mountain bike shop on the same side as Makro shopping mall in the city. It is located a few hundred yards away on the main road. This is the same road as the bus terminal and it is close to a tyre fitting shop i recall. Don't drive by too fast or you will miss it but I've been in myself a couple of times and the owner is a keen cyclist along with his wife and they have a number of well known cycle brand types both mountain and touring inside. This place is small but much better choice than the usual suspects Big C and Lotus that stock only cheap and chearful kids bikes.

Hope this is useful

Jay

That pool is no more than 2 mins drive from our house in Ubon and until seeing this I did not know it existed. I will certainly have to take my two boys there next time around.

no photo attached BlueScouse

There are two types of Isaan girl seen here in the UK which may help the opening poster with a decision to move or stay. In UK you see Thai ladies who have immersed themselves into the culture of UK and find that the respect given by employers and opportunities to work open up possibilities to earn sums of money which would not otherwise be achiveable back in LOS. We have two Thai friends who studied here and learned to work within schools or nursing positions and proud that they have not had to get a masters degree to get there. Then you have a larger number of Thais who appear not to want to better their eductation but still like the idea of earning money to send back home so they do what they can in terms of employment cleaning or factory work. The latter still earns reasonable money as factory work with overtime pays to one friend £300/week net (16,800 baht @ todays rate). I read some government statistics somewhere that upto 50% of Thai arrivals return within first year but likelyhood of them returning significantly diminishes after that as years pass by. Some arrive here and their partners expect them to adapt to a life in a council house so even Thais are not stupid that life on the dole is not much better than back home so they leave but for most they enjoy life and would not want to leave. Something to do with once they have had a taste of what they can earn they know any return to Thailand means a life of just getting by day-to-day unless they return with a wealthy farang of course who has the funds to last the duration. There is good and bad to be found in both countries. I love the feeling of holidays in Thailand and Isaan's people's attitude to life is to be admired but when the holiday is over it is a place which does not support people to get on financially so most do not get the chances we get in the west unless born into a wealthy Bangkok family. The numbers of Thais entering and staying in the UK is growing faster than the return rate so I guess that speaks volumes.

I've never heard about this place where is it located and do you have any photos as I might take my two children there next time. The pool we were using was at the Nevada hotel on the roof which was fine.

This mirrors our previous post and the thoughts of my wife & I. As much as I love the thought of moving there in my old age with my wife there are so many other factors to consider in future. The economy is driving interest rates down not up around the world, house prices are sliding fast, pension funds are suffering and currencies are weakening against the baht. This all affects the viability longer term for Thailand as it becomes more expensive to travel or live there when compared against other countries. I can't believe for one minute that the people already retired there living on offshore savings are not sweating at the moment with the current economic climate. All said and done the real reason I could never stay in Thailand well into my old age would be health care. After seeing my son become sick in UK it made me appreciate how important your health is. Most take chances living out in Thailand without cover only to return back to the west when their health runs into more serious problems. We know a couple of people who have had no choice but to return to Uk with heart problems as they could not afford treatment locally. No matter what cover you have the Thais will always find a way out of paying if you do not use a reputable company. Even if you can get cover initially most insurers will not cover you into your late 70's anyhow so how long can anybody really stay there unless you throw caution to the wind. Let's face it how many 80/90 year old farangs do you see walking around, I've not seen many in Thailand. I've seen people in the 50's, 60, and a few in there 70's but older than that they are not to be seen much. You can only draw public pensions now when you are over 65 in UK so unless you plan to retire early off your own savings then most would have difficulty funding a move to LOS. However, I still dream of spending more time there in future but sadly feel those chances are fast slipping for the masses who have not already made the move before times go bad.

It's easy to come up with numerous reasons not to settle in Thailand, especially if you are not keen to do so, as it would appear you are not. If you wanted to come, I'm sure you would not find it that difficult. Health care is important, and insurance IS available for life, even if you turn 100. The cover I have is not age related, you remain at the same age for premium purposes as you were when you started. I drink every week with a farang well into his 80's (he's as fit as a fiddle) How many golden oldies do you drink with in the UK? Most people that age in the UK, are huddled around the fire wondering how they are going to pay all the bills, and no doubt just waiting to die. If you own your own home in the UK, then even with diminishing prices, with the average value around £200,000, that would give you 11 million baht, more than enough for a great life, and with the state and any other pensions to come at a later date, assuming you are currently under 65.

But turning to the thread subject, my wife realises that life overall here in Thailand, despite it's many problems, is far better than it would be in the UK or Europe in general, with its exhorbitant prices, and has no wish to leave, other than for a short holiday.

IMO this is not totally true of everyone's circumstances and if you are single with no pre-existing health issues then yes you are probably insured well and easy. However, BUPA Thailand quoted me 30,000+ baht per month cover for my family if we were living in LOS. On your assumption that a choice few may own the whole of their homes without mortgage and can retire with £200K in the bank generating @ 5% per annum interest then they would enjoy upto £833 (45,000baht)/month less the 30,000 for inssurance leaves only 15k baht to exist. Sorry but even if I was fortuante enough to have 200K in the bank then that would still not be enough to insure my family and live comfortably over in Thailand. There are members of my wife's family who use local Thai insurers but one has already had her fingers burnt with them not paying out on a claim so only reputable companies could be used I feel and they usually are costly. Everyone's different with different circumstances. I love Thailand too but would find it difficult to retire there fiancially with two children that need educating properly and if all my budget was set aside for insurance then how would we find it possible to pay tuition fees at a decent local school in future. It is OK for the single guy or couple who have kids that have already grown up but for younger children and famillies there is more to consider than having enough money each day to sit at your local watering hole.

Interesting topic.

My wife moved with our daughter and me to Ireland about 10 years ago. We made a long term plan to work and live here till kids (now 2 girls) finished college. Wife has many friends through collecting kids from school etc. Years ago we used to romanticise about returning to our house and farms in Khon Kaen. All that slowly changed, every time she rings home she hears more negative news about corruption, crime, economy etc. She would much prefer to stay here (different crime I guess!!). Her Thai friends all feel the same. They get tired of the constant reminders from relatives who genuinely need money to survive.

So now, my wife and all her Thai friends here have no desire to return to Thailand.

Bad luck for me as I know I would be very happy and relaxed in our affordable retirement there. Retiring in Ireland, and maybe most of Europe, is not an attractive proposition.

This mirrors our previous post and the thoughts of my wife & I. As much as I love the thought of moving there in my old age with my wife there are so many other factors to consider in future. The economy is driving interest rates down not up around the world, house prices are sliding fast, pension funds are suffering and currencies are weakening against the baht. This all affects the viability longer term for Thailand as it becomes more expensive to travel or live there when compared against other countries. I can't believe for one minute that the people already retired there living on offshore savings are not sweating at the moment with the current economic climate. All said and done the real reason I could never stay in Thailand well into my old age would be health care. After seeing my son become sick in UK it made me appreciate how important your health is. Most take chances living out in Thailand without cover only to return back to the west when their health runs into more serious problems. We know a couple of people who have had no choice but to return to Uk with heart problems as they could not afford treatment locally. No matter what cover you have the Thais will always find a way out of paying if you do not use a reputable company. Even if you can get cover initially most insurers will not cover you into your late 70's anyhow so how long can anybody really stay there unless you throw caution to the wind. Let's face it how many 80/90 year old farangs do you see walking around, I've not seen many in Thailand. I've seen people in the 50's, 60, and a few in there 70's but older than that they are not to be seen much. You can only draw public pensions now when you are over 65 in UK so unless you plan to retire early off your own savings then most would have difficulty funding a move to LOS. However, I still dream of spending more time there in future but sadly feel those chances are fast slipping for the masses who have not already made the move before times go bad.

Our story is the reverse of what many have said here. My wife moved to UK 8 years ago and has settled into life here with a small circle of friends both Thai and English, she drinks tea every day (Probably because she has seen my mon & dad drinking 20+ cups a day), drives our son to school each morning and knows exactly which shops have all the best ingrediants to make thai food when she wants (Isaan stinky sausage was prepared for her friends only last night). Our two boys are divided in their tastes as one loves English food and the other only likes Thai food. In fact she has settled so well to the point where I have a hard time getting a holiday over in Thailand with the family as she rarely wants to go back. She loves her family back in Ubon as most Thais love the family they leave behind but she feels life in the UK is better for us as a family. We both would like to retire over in LOS once the children have grown up but other than that I would say it is me who pushes us to visit every year or so and my wife would be quite content staying in the UK or decorating our bathroom as she is painting today to tidy up down stairs. I'm no good at DIY so she has give up waiting for me to ask a painter and decorator to come and do the job. I'm very proud that she has adjusted to life here. At this point I would say she likes UK more than I do at present but not all Thais find it easy to adjust. We do see many Thais here that do not like the life with long cold wet winters but they usually return back home in a short space of time. If they have no love for their partners then they are usually on a plan faster than you can imagine staright back to Thailand. If you do not have a strong bond then life in the west can be just as tough but in other ways. Cost of living is so high that it puts a lot of pressure on famillies here to cope especially when household utility bills and mortage payments are so high these days.

More information on the link below:

http://www.ubonhash.com/Remembrance/Service2008.html

Maybe a good time soon to sell off anything owned in LOS and bring funds back to UK. Under current ex-rates the assets are worth more sold now than before so some people may think of selling houses and land at a profit providing there is a buyer locally left to make a sale.

Typical 1 million baht house last week would have been worth £15,384 @ 65 baht/£1

Typical 1 million baht house today is worth £18,867 @ 53 baht/£1

Sounds good in theory but buyers are not easy to find when recession hits the wider economy. Now you need a Thai to buy rather than looking perhaps for another farang.

I'm sure there is also a small laywers/solicitors office on the same road as WrongWay opposite side on Padang road.

http://www.wrongwayhome.com/images/Wrong_W...ocation_Big.jpg

Here's how they left one unsuspecting farang robbed at the side of a Khon Kaen main road. Cruel bast.'ds.....!

Who's told them all foreigners eat baked beans and fart.

Only joking not wishing to offend as I am sure it is probably very serious but saw this picture and couldn't resist.

Back in February I had an aircon problem I thought with my Toyota pickup. There was water on the passenger side mat coming from under the dash when I went around corners so it appears to be some kind of aircon leak. I went to the new Toyota garage in Ubon off the chayangkul rd and they re-gassed the aircon for me at no charge. Never had a problem since. If I had taken the car to a back street garage they would have found work for themselves by makiing a problem out of nothing in order to squeeze some baht out of me. I was pleasently suprised with the Toyota dealership and their atttitude to looking after customers. The point is that it is false economy to think sometimes that the smaller guy with a breakers yard up an alley or mechanic shop off the street is any cheaper than the main dealer. For me it was a lesson learned as the same happened with my father-in-law's Nissan when they re-charged his aircon after a service and decided to throw that in for nothing. The main dealerships are very helpful and have well trained staff but most think they are too expensive to use for minor mechanical problems or repairs.

sounds like they are both to blame:

He is treating women like a commodity and she is too desperate maybe to leave Thailand. In situations like this when people pair up too quick without spending enough time together to learn about each other they always end up in a mess.

some useful information on the link below:

http://ubonmap.com/car.html

not everyone contributing to this post will have had their in-laws pressuring them into a house build. i decided to build a house some years ago because i had the expectation of living in Isaan with my wife 6 months out of 12 between overseas work. this plan never came to light as our son became sick and we could not visit as often as we would have liked. the house was empty at the time and we were worried about leaving it for long periods as it would have invited thieves if the word got around. we asked my in-laws to go and stay there to live and look after the place for us and that was 5 years ago. the rest is history. i asked them to move into our house to keep it secure and maintained not because it formed some part of a sin sot or dowry. i have never done anything financially with thai family that i was not happy to do in the first place and my wife funny enough has never had to ask. i do what i can when i can afford it because i feel good about helping people less fortunate up the ladder but as for been soaked in some way well i am certainly not. i respect my wife's parents as my own and could not have wished for a better family to have married into. they never ask for anything and if they needed something i would most likely help out anyway, because i could when others could not. i actually feel that if the tables were turned they would probably help me out aswell more so than my own family here in the uk who i rarely see at all and doubt would help with anything.

not sure shrek why they don't play on your pc but on mine they open fine and the various radio stations or at least some will play through media player. do you have an upto date media player on your pc, if not try to update it on the microsoft site.

Here's one also for Ubon:

http://www.prd.go.th/link_radiothailand/ra....19.49.139:8032

On one holiday my wife and I decided to take her mom and dad around bangkok to see the sights for a few days. When we checked into the hotel to stay over night her Mom and Dad put their shoes unknown to us outside the room in the corridor. Next day they asked us what had happened to their shoes and we found staff at the hotel had thrown them out in the rubbish. Next day first job for us was to go down the market to buy a couple pairs of shoes for the inlaws. I think they left them outside the room thinking they were at home and good manners to leave dirt outside the door. Tickles me sometimes what they get upto....