JanAndersLarsson

Interesting thread this one... After reading this thread I just had to comment on some of the statements made. (apologising for my comment below beforehand as I'm new here)

I always hate to see people judging or stereotyping people. Judge yourself not others.

There are many reasons why people come to this lovely country and I believe most are seeking one common goal: happiness.

Well yes ! But remember that according to the Americans "Paradise" was closed about 7000 years ago and Adam and Eve and their offspring had to go abroad to Taiwan, Singapore South Korea, Dubai and so on to make their living. Some of them even go to Sweden to pick blueberries !! Otherwise; Welcome to you ! Make the best out of your life as all other of us try to do ! Isaan is not too bad !

Long live

No ! There are nobody here. We are celebrating the new year. I suggest you go on and do the same ! Have a good new year 2009 all of you !

Gospodin komissar. Strazvuitee ! Sawasdee phi my !

Prakhon Chai is close to Ban Kruat with a lot of nice germans and other farangs ! The family of my wifes daughter in law have a nice shack just outside the center of Ban Kruat. Wooden planks with lots of space between each plank. If it is not too windy and no rain and not too many mosquitoes (malarial) maybe yoy could manage. It is a very poor part of the world even compared to some parts of Africa. "Piss poor" as the aussies say. Nothing else about the aussies. They might be a little bit rough but otherwise I guess they are OK.

When in Ban Kruat I always see to that we go home long before dusk. If I forget our daughter in law reminds me. She and her younger sister lives close to my house far away from Ban Kruat. They can't stand it in Ban Kruat. If it is because of the village or because of their parents I am not sure.

But to be serious ! I guess a decent rent for a house with aircon should be 3500-5000 bath for just one month. In Isaan there is no high season.

It is high season all of the year !

If it is your first visit to the area I would say that Prakhon Chai is the best.

By the way. Excuse me if I am nosey. Where do you come from ?

Have a good one!

Merry Kit maak!

Cheers

It is Christmas !! No "kit maak" !! The Tomte is doing that for all of us. Now and until next year.

Anyway "Merry Christmas to all of us"

Speaking of cold Canadian winters, I was born in Regina Saskatchewan during the winter of 1947, which I believe was called the winter of the century.

No wonder why I never get even the slightest bit cold in the LOS!

BTW, the temperature at this very moment in Regina is -29C and 16 km/h winds (windchill: -40C)

Yes it was cold (sometimes very cold) those years. In southern Sweden we had to stay at home from school at least 2 weeks every year because of all the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas just like the ones I used to know.

Merry Christmas to all of you !!

Take some books with you ! You will always have lots of time in Isaan.

Panom Rung is very nice.

You have started the same topic in two different threads. It is a little difficult to follow ! But really a lot of money. What did the girl do before that she met up with you ?

Sorry about the double-posting - I was trying to edit a typo, and the forum software decided I was trying to post twice, heh. And I can't figure out how to merge or delete, worse luck.

She worked in a bar when we met, of course. Things developed over time, then she left the bar and we've been together ever since - two years, now.

Mayhaps the moderator can do something.

It is OK with a bar. I met my wife 11 years ago on Phuket. She was there to find a farang husband. We have been married now for moe than 8 years in live in peace together here i Buriram.

hi,

at first i thought the police were overeacting,the longer the concert went on i totally agreed with the police heavy handed approach.i must admit i have never seen so many drunken village idiots trying to punch on, they wouldn't been able to punch on with my grandmother as they were pathetic.overall the vast majority of the crowd were well behaved unfortunetely for a small percentage of the crowd stuffed a good concert.as i was leaving the venue i witnessed groups fighting amongst themselves and i was told this morning one person was killed outside the venue.judt let me know if any of you guys were present.cheers.

What you describe is to common everywhere nowadays also in the small villages of Isaan. Lot of drunks (youths) destroying all fun for other people.

I know you're just trying to help Vegemite, but you're also being too protective like an overbearing parent. Why not let him discover the joys, trials and tribulations of staying in a village all by himself? Just because you have a delicate constitution and it doesn't suit you, then that doesn't mean he is not going to fall in love with the place and pace of village life; honking pigs, crowing chickens, grinning grannies, roasted rats, warts and all. A bit of hardship and deprivation from the luxuries of modern life never hurt anyone and in fact, can do many people a lot of good. Just let him go and discover it without all this "great white adventurer" and nannying bull. We're all so impressed with your Ray Mears-like ability to survive in deepest, darkest Isaan.

Congratulations!

And what difference does it make how many times I've "done the village thing"? How does ten years plus sound? Make you feel any better?

Beaue pen yang ! Don't get upset it is Christmas time. Let's see if we can come together in MahaSarakam in middle of February and try to meet Kimamey and listen to his experiences so far. It could be nice being welcomed by the expat community here. I think he will do.

Merry Christmas to all of you. And welcome to Kimamey !!

P.S.

Don't count the years ! You only realize how old you are.

Idea.... why not organize a dinner with farang in Mahasarakham?

If so I will come.

me too !

And !! Beware of that guy with the reindeers ! He is renegade from the tomtefamily. Don't trust him ! He is really no good. He eloped to the US with a thai and tons of lao cao !!!!!!

Surely you don't want to deny him that "great white adventurer" feeling you had? Now you've been a whole 3 times to a village and have conquered Isaan, seen the fried insects and heard the cock crow at 5.00 am, I guess there's no point another farang repeating your epic journey, eh?

True there are still a lot of adventures to have in Isaan.

My friend Claudio was here many many years before we had telephones and internet. He comes every year. Still I am not sure that he always knows his way around.

As I told before: You keep us updated. If necessary we will organize a rescue operation to save you.

Which injections?

Agree ! What injections ? An up to date tetanus protection should be enough to worry about.

If you are healthy otherwise it would be a waste of money to take extra injections.

Maha Sarakam is quite healthy all around the year. When you come in February the weather will be very nice. No rain ! No humidity. Maybe in Bangkok but not up here.

Some day in the near future I will go to Buriram for shopping. Books, coffee, fresh bread, pastrami and so on. I guess I will try one of the establishments mentioned above.

By the way ! Where is the nearest MacDonalds in Isaan ? I haven't seen one in the last 6 years !

I guess this is a grandgrandfather of Bergen.

I know what Index 4-storey building you mean. It is on the left hand side when you come from KhonKaen, Phon..

Ours was on the left hand side when you travel from Korat and then to KhonKaen. If there is any better in Buriram now then it is very good. You know Buriram some years ago. Well !

PS !

What I want to say is that solid wood and good workmanship is important. Not the vendor.

PPS.

I know what Index 4-storey building you mean. It is on the left hand side when you come from KhonKaen, Phon..

Ours was on the left hand side when you travel from Korat and then to KhonKaen. If there is any better in Buriram now then it is very good. You know Buriram some years ago. Well !

We need a couple of beds and if I was still in Pattaya I'd go to Home Pro or Home Works or even perhaps Index but in Buriram where can I go ?

I'm not buying one from BigC's car park or some of the rubbish you see in the Thai shops where it could be anything. I see a Home Pro in Korat but anyone know anything else ?

All options considered.

Thanks

In Korat when you drive direction KhonKaen 4-5 km after the big bus station there is an Index (Living Mall ?). They have a lot of good quality beds (massive wood) and of course a lot of other furniture.

We bought our bed there and they did not overprize us for the transport to our house.

I'm supposed to be going back down South to Bangkok / Pattaya and was going to leave today but obviously with the loonies closing the airports there are no flights. I can't see PB Air flying Saturday so we're into next week and who knows when things will get back to normal ?

I used NCA a few years ago from Korat and presume they go onto Buriram as well. Their website has been broken for years so no timetables available online from them. Anyone have another source ?

Don't really want to use them as I don't like leaving luggage in the hold but perhaps no other choice.

Any information appreciated. Best seats etc.

Are you travelling alone or with company ? Maybe rent a minivan with driver is the best option.

Say hello to Santa Claus boys !

It is for real. It is the same when a cow has given birth. Myself I haven't tried it but my wife gets lyrical.

I'm from UK and this will be my first visit anywhere in Thailand. I've only had Thai food in Thai restaurant in UK and I'm not expecting it to be anything like that. As for where I'm sleeping I don't want to tempt fate but I think it will be in a normal bed.

As I said I think this will be a culture shock but at least I'm prepared for that and I'm looking forward to the callenge although that may change when I get there. I think it's a case of not knowing til I try and I think if I was absolutely sure of how things were going to go then I could end up being totally shocked if it turned out different.

Thanks for the welcome.

Please keep us informed ! We are all very nosey and eager to know what happens. Have a good time.

No the village is off road number 2040 to Wapi Pathum but never mind the town is not very big. I guess there are some hotels of different standards because of the town administration and the university. Take advice !

Oh well! He would come in from that village on the Roi Et Road then, need to turn right when he hits the canal and arrive at the Taksila from the other direction. The hotels I mentioned will still be about the nearest in town.

True ! And the ways out are the same. PBAir from Roi Et or Thai Airways from Khon Khen.

A previous poster said. "The village is just a short bit away from the town and you better stay in a hotel and go visiting when the lady is home from work."

This is probably good advice. My first visit to the Maha Sarakham area was in late March and I had to move to a hotel for a couple of days to take advantage of the aircon and recover from the heat. February won't be as hot but, as has been said, there may be other advantages to being in an hotel. The hotel I ended up at was the Vasu, which was a bit run down, but had a very interesting Thai-style cafe with singers in those days. I think the Vasu has been renovated recently (and the cafe closed) but there is general agreement that the Taksila is the best hotel in town now.

http://www.taksilahotel.com/

This hotel is very nice and shouldn't be too much over 1000 baht per night. The nearby New Phattana (same owners) or the Vasu remain alternatives in the mid-price range. All these hotels are close to the bus station and the many tuk tuks gathered there. The Vasu is past the hospital along the canal in the direction the Bangkok buses will have come in. The other two are near the canal in the opposite direction, past the big department store, Serm Thai.

If you want something cheaper, the training hotel at the Rajaphat, Suan Warun, offers very good value. See also:

http://hotel.rmu.ac.th

http://www.tourismthailand.org/accommodati...akham-44-1.html

I think your village will be off route 23, the Borabue Road, and this last hotel is less convenient for that than the others, but it is near many of the better restaurants and bars discussed earlier in the thread. When I last visited a few months ago the new training hotel at MSU was still not open, and this is even more out of the way from your point of view. One advantage of being in town is that vaguely western-style food, internet cafes, the Bangkok Post and the possibility of a few beers will all be at hand.

No the village is off road number 2040 to Wapi Pathum but never mind the town is not very big. I guess there are some hotels of different standards because of the town administration and the university. Take advice !

Hi

I'm pretty new here so if I get things wrong please tell me. I will be offended but I've been married so I can take most things.

I have recently met a woman on the internet and I will be making my first visit to Thailand on 5th February 2009 til 22nd to meet her. She is coming to BKK to meet me so at least that should avoid me making a mess of things with my limited Thai language skills. Although exact dates haven't been decided we will eventually end up in her village 'ban dong noi' about 4.5km southeast of mahasarakham. For part of this time she will be at work so I will be able to find out first hand what it is like to be alone in the village.

Although she speaks reasonably good english I think she may be an exception in her village. She studies at the university and works at a local education centre that seems to focus on vocational skills such as carpentry, electrics and that sort of thing. This may be why she speaks good english although we can still hit a bit of a brick wall sometimes even if I can find the word I'm looking for in my phrase book.

I don't know if anyone knows this village, unfortunately it's just outside of the higher resolution area on Google maps so I can't even see how big it is. It would be good to meet another english speaker but as yet I'm not really sure how I would manage this.

I think this could be something of a culture shock but as they say " what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" so here's to strength or death.

It is your first visit to Thailand and if you stay alone in the village you will be an easy pry for all those "nice" guys who want free drinking or who want to "borrow" some cash from you. I guess most of us "farang" out here have been fooled one way or another during our first visits to the villages.

In the village you are totally in the hands of the lady and her family whom you don't know at all.

There are many questions. Do they for example have a bed you can sleep on or do they expect you to buy new furnitue ? Better have a look first.

The village is just a short bit away from the town and you better stay in a hotel and go visiting when the lady is home from work.

It is easier to spend time alone in the town than in the village and you can easily invite your gf and her family to eating and sightseeing in town with no other obligation than that you have to pay for them when they come.

If things doesn't work out the way we hope it will it is much easier to get away back to Bangkok from the town than from the village where you must find somebody to help you.

Good luck to you.

I understand that you have to ask for permission

I guess you want to buy a big one .