Patmalone

I have done this trip twice. You have to get a mini van to Nong Khai with others and let the driver know you want to go to Bueng Kan ( pronounced Bung Garn). He will drop you off at a little bus stop next to a coffee shop ( the chocolate cake is sooooo yum). The trip takes about 2 hours. The mini van will drop you off in Bueng Kan or at the place your staying, if you know where it is. The One Hotel is right next to Tesco and is fairly cheap with breakfast included. They were building another hotel last time I was there in May, up the road if you turned right at the intersection. Hope this helps. The vans leave nearly every 2 hours or when there is enough people.

My brother has a Isaan partner and i agree with the OP, she is loud, it seems she thinks I am across the road when talking to her. I am in QLD.

Wat Phu Tok. Google it under images and if you are fit enough and not scared of heights I would highly recommend it.

I have looked into getting trees into Thailand and the way I see it is,

1 There must be a grower that has AQIS accreditation. It is better if the plants are not growing in soil but in another growing mix.

2 The plants must be inspected by AQIS just before transport and given the approval

3 It doesn't matter if there is 1 plant or 100, It costs the same if not more if the inspection goes overtime. ( I think the charges are high)

4 You have to watch what plants are coming into Thailand, some of them are not permited.

The trouble you have to go through to get plants into Thailand is not worth it. It is probably better to find a fruit tree that grows well in the area your in.

Good luck, if you do find a way of doing it let me know

If his brains were dynamite it wouldn't blow the part in his hair.

This man is depriving a village of an idiot.

Her is a link to the people doing it in the Daintree, north of Cairns QLD. http://www.daintreevanilla.com/ It takes a Looooooong time to produce the end product.

Don't know about that particular hotel, but a few of the farangs have a Sunday session beside the pool at THE ONE HOTEL. Not too much happens in Bueng Kan other than festivals. I doubt you will get any other replies as the Farangs that live there are not on TV. One of the guys with his Thai wife has a fertilizer shop next to the Mazda showroom if you need any more info.

How long is a piece of string?

Twice as long as half it's length.

excuse my ignorance but i've never heard of coconut sugar.as I have lot's of coconut trees on my land would

it possible to make it myself

It could be PALM SUGAR.

I borrowed this from someone in Hong Kong, she has 2 children and doesn't want all of the crap that comes in ice cream these days.

Where in the original story does it say he was drinking?  You only assume he was drinking, Assumptions are the mother of all  (insert word here).

I wish I had the ability like some of the people on TV, they see a person in the back of an ambulance and say he was drunk, 221b Baker St is where they should be living. He may not have been wearing his seat belt, but who does in Thailand. I had been driving for about 2 weeks while on a holiday and it felt uncomfortable not to wear one, it was just habit to put it on when I got into the car. Why is it not compulsory. The car should be left there for everyone else to see what high speed can do. Was he drunk, tired, swerved to miss something on the road (bike with no lights). He or the police are the only ones who know.  Maybe if he reads TV he will let us know.

Polymer notes are fine when their flat, trying to flatten one out after it has been folded in half or curled up is hard and you can not iron them cause they will melt. The Thai currency has the Kings image on it, defacing anything to do with the King is frowned upon, so why are people allowed to deface the the Kings image by writing on the notes.

Soak bread in water and leave in a shallow dish.

Wat Phu Tok (Baan Kum Kaeng Pattana, Moo 6, Na Saeng subdistrict, Si Wilai district. Open daily 6:30am-5pm, closed Apr 10-16 of every year) is perched on a sandstone hill surrounded by dense forest. The temple was founded in 1969 by a revered Buddhist monk, Ajarn Juan, and the most memorable landmark is its very unusual minimalist chedi (or stupa). Once there, make sure you make the pilgrimage to the peak of Phu Tok Noi, a sandstone hill inside the temple grounds. A rickety wooden walkway with seven stops takes you on a heavenly path without the need for hours of meditation. Each stop features a different theme aiming to teach Buddhists all about nirvana. The creepiest exhibit has to be the skeleton of a man who died from cancer standing in a glass case, acting as a gentle reminder that nothing lasts forever. The sixth stop is a whole lot more rewarding, though, offering a panoramic view facing east and over the trees, making it the best spot to capture that Instagram-perfect sunrise.

If you see any children on the street begging, give them some food not money. If you buy a cheap meal from a street vendor then you make two people happy and not the person who puts the children out on the street.

So where is the new driving test? and has anyone done one?

Taking a leaf from a page from another country with less fatalities on the road would be a great improvement, If they do keep their driving test as is, I wish they would make the diagrams a bit more legible.

I heard that there are no drop bears in Thailand, that's why I'm moving there.

Is anybody growing Bearrs Limes in the Isaan area? if so is there a nursery to purchase them at?

Thanks Barry I will keep it in mind. After reading a lot of posts I have come to the conclusion that renting would be a better idea, for at least 6 months, then I can look around at other houses, I don't believe in building too high as when I get older it will be just that much harder to climb the stairs. If I do eventually build, I would want a house that is comfortable to live in not for someone else too look at.

I have just returned home to Aust from Isaan. I live in Cairns and at times it can get a bit warm and humid but nothing like where I was in a small village outside Bueng Kan. When the sun hit the roof it heated up the ceiling, I put the overhead ceiling fan on only to get warm air blowing on me, not to mention the whole house being 5 degrees warmer than outside. Has anybody considered building the outer and inner walls out of styrofoam paneling like they do on coldrooms. I work in a very big one that holds about 400 pallets and it has been through a couple of cyclones without any bother. The benefits would be a faster build, no painting the walls and a cooler house. Does anyone know of any supplier in the region.

Maybe I'll be the only Farang in the village.(Little Britain)

Giday, I have been exploring the possibilities of retiring in Bueng Kan in a couple of years time, I have some Thai friends about 20 k from Bueng Kan they were in Aust for a couple of years (only the kids know enough English to talk to them 1 x 13 1 x 9 but they don't know about housing/units etc). I would like to co teach in the smaller primary schools, I do not need the money so would do it for free, just to have something to do and it would be only to help the Thai teachers. I don't have TEFL and not really interested in taking the course. I wanted to know about housing in the area, even as far as Seka, there is not much info on the net. I am visiting in about 1 weeks time for a couple of weeks staying in the friends village. Any info you could give would be gratefully accepted.