ArnieP

True. Here in Udon it’s 400฿ a day for male labourers on construction sites, 300฿ for female.

These are actual people in Udon. Not made up, imagined, or fantasy earnings: Hospital nurse (Govt) 19,000฿ per month Bank clerk 19,000฿ per month 7-11 worker 11,000฿ pm (doing 12 hour daily shifts) Teacher (state school) 15,000฿ per month

Good interesting pics. re spacing: agreed, but one can click on one pic and when it enlarges, use the left/right arrows to continue to view the others individually.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9766885/A-lots-changed-55-years-hurt-Tickets-cost-10-shillings-squad-earning-2-800.html

Despite what another poster claims that “the riders had figured out how to collect two or three orders and make your food cold and wait way too long”. This is not so. When the app confirms someone’s order is out for delivery an information graphic (the letter i inside a circle) appears next to “Out for delivery” if the rider is making multiple deliveries. You are also advised that there will be a delay to receipt of your order. Additionally a delivery time is provided. The progress of the Grab rider can be followed on the live road map which is also provided. As for the post where someone sarcastically said they’d now go to a particular plaza to tell Grab riders that rain isn’t nuclear, that would be very difficult as poster appears to not currently live in Thailand. Also he reckoned delivery costs 40฿ or whatever. They are in fact a lot, lot less - see the attached screenshot. Grab’s a great service and doesn’t deserve being berated by people who either don’t live in Thailand and or have never used nor or possibly ever seen the Grab app. Grab Food is a way of life here in Udon Thani, the service is excellent and the number of food suppliers increases almost by the day.

Seems unlikely that anyone here has a WISE business account connected with their Thai business/company. As the previous poster suggested, may be best to contact WISE directly. This may be a starting point: https://wise.com/help/articles/2977974/can-my-business-use-wise

Same here. Ads need to scrutinised carefully to check this very issue. Also you often don’t know when the item’s likely to be arriving when being ‘delivered by seller’. It’s a nuisance but sometimes can’t be avoided if they’re the only place that has exactly what’s required or provides the best price.

The OP appears to be coming on a Tourist Visa then at a later date acquiring an Educational Visa. He plans on getting a retirement visa next year but wants to bring the booth now. Doesn’t look like something that can just be wheeled onto an aircraft but a ship may be OK. Also it may not qualify as personal belongings if the OP isn’t retiring here until next June. Might be an idea to contact a shipping company, Seven Seas or similar, and ask their opinion.

Robinsons in Udon went several years ago, it’s rebranded Central (on all floors). There are several large night markets in the city including Center Point near the station, UD Town and the large walking street night market alongside Nong Prajak Park. Loads of shopping of all kinds exists all around Udon as does food selections but quality varies. Seriously . There are are kids activities on the 4th and 5th floor at Central and in Nong Prajak park. Farang nightlife in Udon can be hit and miss - but still much better than in KK. The railway service between KK and Udon is okay, delays inevitable because TIT. First Class with aircon not worth it IMO, just travel standard class.

Well you’ll possibly have to wait till Covid restrictions are over if you’re thinking of coming to Udon or KK to get sorted. Even then don’t hold your hopes up too high.

The Irish Clock is a pub/restaurant. Used to be very smart decorated in Dublin green and dark polished wood but is now decked out in what looks like white garden furniture. Meals are expensive. Nearby but on the other side of the soi is a farang-run restaurant, Brickhouse. On the same side as Brickhouse is a German restaurant/bar and coming back to Soi Prajak (the road that comes up from the railway station and leads up to Central Plaza and beyond) there are a couple of small places. At the top of the soi, the non Soi Prajak end, is Wattanuwang Road where Viking Bar sits on the right-hand corner. Turning left and walking a bit further up on the opposite side is a an Italian restaurant, The Little Italian. The fourth floor of Central Plaza harbours a whole host of restaurants, mostly Thai, Chinese and Japanese. There are also quite a few restaurants in UD Town, again with more than a small quotient of Japanese. The majority of bars in Udon have been closed since March 2020 but a few are chancing it now. The main bar area is Soi Sampan, a long road very near Central Plaza. There’s also a small collection of bars under the banner ‘Nutty Park’ (which is neither nutty nor a park) not far from there. Some individual bars have re-opened recently in both Soi Sampan and Nutty Park. Day & Night, pic attached, is a complex of 20 bar units - none is an enclosed bar, they’re all large open booths - and a handful appear to be trading at the moment. Up and down Soi Sampan and Nutty Park bars that are open one day might not be the next, it’s all to do with COVID. Nightclubs. Tawan Daeng behind Central Plaza and Yellow Bird behind Charoen Hotel, Posri Road are the obvious ones. There are others of sorts including Thai karaokes away from city centre. COVID has affected many places and this in turn has impacted their opening, or otherwise. Markets. More than a few. There is a very large night market near Nong Prajak Park selling anything from plants to clothes, food, bric a brac and loads of money wasting products. However, because of the virus it may not always be open, at least not to its fullest. UD Town hosts a number of shopping areas both in UD Town itself and in Center Point. Center Point is a fairly large covered market although there is a significant presence of outdoor stalls and eateries along side, behind and beyond. There’s a lot of food and veg markets too, small and large and they’re dotted all over the city. If this all sounds like Udon Thani is some sort of luxurious all-encompassing fun city, it’s not. More recently in the city centre things have smartened up with a remodelled food centre (a food court mostly doing noodle and rice dishes), a convention centre and a smart new hotel, The Moco. Sure, you can go to Nong Prajak Park, hire a bike or a tandem (or even a triple) and cycle round the lake for an hour or more then go to one of the hole in the wall restaurants at the side of the park. Or perhaps take a massage, there’s a whole stretch of traditional Thai massage shops beside Nong Prajak. Udon offers shopping, and it really can be a shop-till-you-drop place, including computers, accessories and mobile phones at Tucom/Landmark Plaza (an unusual piece of architecture), eating, movies at Central or at Big C Nittayo Road, tenpin bowling upstairs at Central, horse racing at the track on the edge of town, and drinking with elderly farangs in dreary bars. This is is of course dependent on things being open!

Something’s awry. I normally receive transfers in seconds but today there’s an unexplained delay. Currently getting this message: “Your money’s taking longer to pay out. Sorry for the wait - we need a bit more time to process your transfer.” Wise are Eastern European. Perhaps the Russia sanctions being imposed by the West are impacting upon them ????

Not exactly an ex-pat group but good if looking for accommodation. Nong Khai Accommodation to Rent or Lease: https://web.facebook.com/groups/770961086446854