rickudon

I have lived in Udon Thani for 13 years, and it has everything i need. Airport on the edge of town, lots of flights, railway station, a couple of bus stations and quite a few hospitals. I find the Udon General acceptable if a bit lacking in english signage. Not many people seem to upsticks and leave.

The financial markets understood how good an idea Brexit was - they devalued the GBP by 15%.  Obviously most effects didn't kick in until we actually left , and then Covid added to the chaos. All we can say, is that probably 95% of the UK population are worse off - go on, name a success story.

Sometimes i despair about democracy. Most voters are sheep, lead by judas goats.

In upper Isaan have had a lovely 3 day DRY period for once.

Cherm Chim was started by a chap called John. He sold it on after a couple of years, new owner died about a year after. Stayed derelict for years. John is on his 3rd or  4th business  now since then (quite successful, but sells if a good offer is made).

There is free childcare - our daughter went to a government nursery school, free. We did try a private nursery, but daughter was abused because she wouldn't sleep. Government nursery was much better.

The wet season Starts earlier in the North. In Udon Thani (NE), the wet season starts in May to June, at its peak July to September, and usually ends in October. So when you say it has just started, we say it is just ending!

I didn't watch the video, but i do not like big cities. Too crowded, too polluted and often more expensive. I was brought up in outer suburbia and then lived in small towns, villages and work camps for the next 45 years. And i can count the number of nights i have spent in Bangkok in the past 13 years on my hands - usually because my kids visited and wanted to look around it. Only value to me is the international airport - and leave it ASAP - even if it means taking a night bus.

I live in Udon Thani, and it was the first place i ever stayed in Thailand. i was talking to a girl on the internet while in the UK, because divorce pending and just made redundant. She lived in Udon Thani, so i researched it. Found excellent local forum which provided me with all i needed to know. As a result first visit to Thailand it was straight off the plane and catch a train to Udon. Never did meet that girl..... but within 3 days i had been offered a cracking waitress as a wife by the hotel owner! Unfortunately was only there for 10 days, and did the decent thing and turned her down (which i now regret!).

Back in those days (2008) a single farang male in Udon didn't last long before you were caught. My mistake was going to a fishing park where the manager was a young woman..... the rest is history. Still here 15 years later. 

Hate big cities, like Bangkok. Only ever visit when i have to. Was Udon a good choice? Yes and no. Loving loyal wife, my own fish ponds, grow veggies in winter. BUT climate change definitely an issue, now too hot half the year to enjoy outside,

Khun LA complained about the air quality, but he lived in town. i lived just outside and the only air quality problems were jai burning leaves every week (now stopped). i did buy a air purifier after a few smoky days one year, but rarely use it. 

We have  plenty of good restaurants, fast food, farang foods, only thing missing food wise is Indian - Hobsons choice in Udon. Want for very little.

OH sorry, Udon is terrible! Do not come!  Yiu might spoil it!

Wet season in Udon Thani was a bit slow to start with between May and July, but plenty enough for rice. Last 2 months exceptionally wet - possibly most in the last 4 years. Roads in and out of the village have been flooded numerous times this last month. Should end soon, hopefully, then i can get the veggies growing.

What i would like to know, is what the GDP would be if we take out inflation. Surely if you measure GDP purely as the total value of production, it will go up when inflation is high. As can be seen in this link, UK is STILL below 2019 GDP.

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/gdp-per-capita-ppp#:~:text=GDP per Capita PPP in,of 30867.17 USD in 1991.

Unemployment - Nephew and his girlfriend both graduated from Rajahabat in last few years, supposedly with qualifications good for government jobs - jobs promised but never fulfilled. He now kills chickens and she is going to return to her home to work in family shop (he may follow if business can accommodate him). That's the problem, lack of good jobs. Many of the workers laid off from tourism during Covid came back home to Udon and set up small roadside businesses, most are still here.

For many Thais, no future, just living from day to day, month to month. 

In our extended family, 3 retired, 2 teachers, 2 retail employees, 6 self employed in selling things in markets or home shops.

Actually, i think the issue with the Fukishima releases is more about Tritium. Most other radioactive elements can be removed using ion exchange filters, and i believe that has happened to most of the waste water. But tritium is just Hydrogen, so cannot be removed easily. Even so, you could probably dump the entire contents of all the reactors into the Pacific and after dilution would still be below danger levels.

For most of us, will not break the bank even if taxation applied to ALL income. I did the tax assessment on the link posted earlier, and on an income of 55,000 baht a month i would pay 19,000 a year. As most of my pension IS covered by the UK/Thailand taxation treaty (ex-government employee) probably very little or nothing. Being married with children helps a bit.....

Not as severe as Loei, but here just outside Udon Thani, for the first time in 2 weeks the garden is no longer flooded and only one of 3 routes out of the village is still  under water. Ponds have been overflowing also. Overall, just as wet as last year (and maybe not finished yet).

Meanwhile, in Central Thailand supposedly still suffering from a lack of water.... wish i owned a pipeline for exporting water!

Insects and other invertebrates are plentiful .... too plentiful in the case of mosquitos and ants. Quite a few reptiles, and lots of frogs. Birds = quite a lot, but more in the UK - may be more species here but numbers are low. Rural Thais still mist net and eat wild birds. Wild ducks rare. Wild mammals nearly non-existent. In 12 years at home, on the farm and out and about have only seen rats, white squirrels (dirty white) and .... a skull of a shrew. Everything else eaten long ago. There are a large variety of fish, but many are on the edge of extinction - again over exploitation. It is quite educational to see Thais during the dry season pump out small ponds and remove ALL the fish, larger bodies of water are netted.

Also, in the last 10 years,  variety of wildlife has diminished. Rarely see tokays now, or larger insects other than butterflies and dragonflies. Rice fields do not support much diversity.

You can buy dried haricot beans in Makro. However, even after soaking overnight and cooking for 45 minutes they were still like bullets...

Was taken there in 2021 - I know it was the pandemic but it was a boring sh*thole then and I was expected to pay for it. Most exciting thing was a fish swimming around.

There have been a whole spate of corruption cases in the news the last few days, a coincidence? Not sure if it is the old government letting these go forward so that Srettha cannot claim credit for prosecuting them, or if the prosecutors feel there is a chance that they will not be penalised for publicising them, now that the government has changed (a bit).

I only drive a car, and in over 12 years of driving in Thailand, have only ever had a few parking scrapes or wing mirror bumps (although 3 times the parking scrapes were Thais hitting my car!). In my Thai/UK family, during that time, motor bikes have caused :-

 1. wife had one fall (mud) with daughter. Fortunately only scratches.   

2. Son while holidaying here borrowed wife's bike to drive around the village; had helmet but wore flip flops. Fell off on bump and ended up with 27 stitches in his foot and could hardly walk for a month.

3. Nephew and Niece hit car while going to school, only minor injuries but had to pay the car driver....

4. Above niece drove into a metal pole and broke leg.

5, Another Niece run down while turning right in traffic. Arm broken.

6. Another Nephew 2 accidents including a broken arm.

Also, at least 3 people from the village have been killed by trucks on the main road only 500 metres away.

You may be lucky, but riding bikes is dangerous.

My rules for car driving:-

1. All other road users should be assumed to be out to get you.

2. Speed - drive in Kmph what you would in mph back home - gives you that extra bit of reaction time.

3. Assume that the person on your left side will be turning right, and vice versa.

4. At traffic lights, always allow space for motorcycles in front of you - they sort out the red light runners.

5. Never trust a turn signal on another vehicle until they actually turn.

6. And, of course, ALWAYS put that seat belt on before you reach the road (in UK definitely saved me from serious injury twice).

On 9/4/2023 at 1:17 PM, Tropposurfer said:

An appropriate name for a missile owned by the ORC Master. 

 

I have a gut feeling his own Generals will murder him before he had any chance to issue a launch order. They know the consequences of such an action and they aint' wedded to this nitwit, only to their status and perks.

Mushroom clouds would spoil their Black Sea holiday plans, and regular high price hooker visitations markedly.

Do Not rely on the generals. The recent Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian airbase 700 km from Ukraine, made Shoigu  convinced that it was a NATO attack, and wanted to retaliate. Putin had to talk him out of it. There is mad, and stupid, which is worse....

Never found an actual Thai news channel in English. If they had an actual brief news in English slot i never found it. (PSI).

Since internet got to the village gave up looking - we now have AIS that does include a number of International News channels.

If i want Thai news in English, i use ASeannow.....

If Thailand can win 17 awards, it tells you that other ASEAN countries are doing nothing.

India's ban on exporting rice and the Ukraine war affecting grain prices, means rice is selling for more on international market. Hence more is being exported.