Focus

So what?

Goodbye everyone,

I'm leaving this forum. From time to time, there is some good advice and some good dialogue. However, lately this forum has an overly negative slant to it, in my opinion, from disgruntled westerners who come to this part of the world with their own personal agendas and rigid value systems and base a lot of their opinions about the culture based on their experiences with bar-girls or alcohol oriented people. For example, I post a simple question about building a house or buying a ring for my wife and I just get negative feedback about how dishonest and dangerous the people are here.

Yeah, I know all that, but that wasn't my question.

Later,

Focus

Hi,

Can anyone recommend any good jewellery stores, or jewellery districts, in Bangkok? I need to buy a silver or gold wedding band for the missus.

Thanks.

I've heard about a scam in Laos whereby a dishonest seller will sell one piece of land to two unsuspecting buyers, each thinking he/she is the sole owner. I hear this sometimes happens to unsuspecting Lao people. Has anyone heard of this and if so, do you know how it can be avoided?

HappyAussie, what I meant by saying "I reckon it's one of the nicest city parks in Thailand" is that it appeals to me and the things I appreciate: small size, used a lot by local folks, surrounded by water, simple, a few outdoor places nearby where you can get a cold beer and sit, lots of locals feeding the fish and such things.

Try the AP Court Hotel in Loei. NIce place. Loei has a charming city park, one of the nicest in Thailand, I reckon.

Hello TheGhostWithin,

Are you sure the Top Mansion is quiet? Are we talking about the same place? Or maybe it has changed. The noise from that rave disco behind the guest house drove me away. I'm not talking about the Udon Day and Night, the falang hangout next door, which is quite tame and generally quietens down at a decent hour. The last time I stayed at Top Mansion, a couple of years ago, the noise from the disco kept me up most of the night/morning and I swore I'd never stay there again, even filling out one of those little suggestions/comments slips and popping it into the box at the front desk, not like it's the Top Mansion's fault. I told them the noisy disco was bad for their business; maybe they took some action. ?

Anyway, yeah, Charoen is a bit overpriced for what you get but it's not so bad. Nice swimming pool/garden area, and CIA ghosts lurking about.

In Udon Thani you can stay at the Charoen Hotel for about 1,300 baht per night. Or you can stay at the Top Mansion for about 350.

In Nong Khai I can recommend the Kiang Khong guest house, about 350 to 400 a night. If you don't want a guest house and want to go up a bit, you can try the Pantawee Hotel; I'm quite sure they are in the 800 to 1000 baht range, maybe less.

Focus

Callao, Ok, good luck with the electricals; Lovelaos seems to have some good connections with electriciamens, so maybe you can get in touch him

Wow! You've got a place on the river? Nice! My place isn't on the river but the surroundings are not bad; it's not my dream location but the land came to us. I understand that area, between the roundabout (route 13 south and road 10) for about another ten kms towards Thangon, is slated to be built up and developed as a new government district, many ministries building new headquarters etc... and that a new internatinoal airport will be built on route 13 near the stadium.

Thanks, Lovelaos,

How do I PM?

Although the brother in law is a an electrician, with EdL, but a bit iffy, so I might need the English bloke.

Where in Thangon are you? You like it? That's an up and coming place, ain't it?

Thanks. The village is really a dusty, shabby hamlet sort of thing about a k off the road to ThaNgon, about 10 k before the bridge. I'm looking to build Lao style but with western quality, hopefully.

Thanks, Lovelaos,

But how do you have a Thai house construction gang build a house in Laos?

I would like to build a house about 30 kms outside of Vientiane. Can anyone recommend a good builder, local or falang?

Thanks,

Focus

The scenery in Vang Vieng looks amazing.So I'm wondering, just how bad is it there?

Ow, the scenery IS amazing.

But the town itself IS bad. I really hated it ( drunk hippies, shouting and screaming, walking semi naked in the streets and then going to watch Friends in a bar lying on coach ...<deleted> ? Man you're in Laos and you're watching American TV in a bar ?)

My advice would be to rent scooters and go around explore caves and scenery like we did.

And not to stay in the town itself.

Drunk Hippies?? I beg to differ -- more like drunk Yuppies.

Not much between Vang Vieng and Vientiane. If you want a quiet place, try the Nam Nung River, tributary of the Mekong. Check out Ban Pako, or Ban Keung (not sure about the transliteration) near Vientiane.

Or check out Pak Lai in Xanyaburi province, about a hard day's journey from Vientiane and on the Mekong.

I recommend not going to Vang Vieng unless you want your soul wounded.

focus

After ten years in Thailand you haven't kicked the western (falang) food?

Hello.

Is there an express, VIP, bus from Udon direct to Suvarnabhumi airport? I prefer a day bus.

Thanks.

focus

Hello.

Is there an express, VIP, bus from Udon Thani directly to Suvarnabhumi Airport? I prefer a day bus.

try the 7-11. Great Twinkies.

I would suggest you go straight to Luang Prabang - very interesting place - unlike Ventiane which has nothing (might as well stay in Udon as very similar !)

Whoa! "Vientiane has nothing; might as well stay in Udon as very similar"

Now what do we make of a statement of like that?

"Vientiane has nothing... might as well stay in Udon..."

First, whoever said that surely has no appreciation for the Mekong River, which does not flow through Udon. Or no appreciation for a low keyed commercial environment, which Vientiane enjoys and Udon does not.

What a comparison-- you cannot compare VTE and UT.

I would suggest you go straight to Luang Prabang - very interesting place - unlike Ventiane which has nothing (might as well stay in Udon as very similar !)

Whoa! "Vientiane has nothing; might as well stay in Udon as very similar"

Thanks everybody for the input. You've given me some great ideas.

Love,

Focus

You might also consider hopping over the border to Thailand -- to the Tesco Lotus in Nong Khai, or just 50 kms down the highway to Udon Thani for an even wider selection of goods. On the other hand, Home Ideal as the post above mentions might serve you well and you avoid the border crossing.

focus

Interesting subject. Can you give a brief idea under which circumstances a farang can buy, lease land , or house.

Long term visa a problem?

Thaiphuket,

Thanks for the input. A farang cannot buy land in Laos, but that was not my original question anyway.

I've got the land sorted out (secret). I'm only interested in building a little house on that land and I wanted to know if 10 grand is enough to build a little house.

focus