Hello folks.
After 10 years of living in Phuket, me and my wife decided it would be the right time to relocate to Korat. The main reason is her parents getting old and father has dementia so she wants to stay closer to family. Also Phuket getting quite expensive and russian hordes make me sick.
Family lives in a little village in Phimai district which I visited a few times and really enjoyed my time there, however I can`t imagine to live there. So we came to a compromise to move to Korat city which is about 70km away from her family. Im in my mid 30`s and I would describe myself as a not demanding person. I`m looking for a safe, quiet area where I can rent a detached house with little garden up to 15k/month. I prefer a little bit outside crowded areas and decent gym would be big bonus for the area. My wife suggested me few areas where to look, but since she has not lived there for a very long time I would like to hear from an expat point of view what areas I should look for. Also I know there are concerns about flood so please tell me what areas I should definitely avoid. We mostly cook at home, so Makro or some markets would be nice to be not far away.
We dont have a car, because in Phuket I dont see any practical reason to buy one since island is small and with motorbike its more convenient to avoid traffic jams, but what about Korat - to have a car there is a must?
Sorry if its hard to read what I wrote, English is not my native language, still learning.