Issaan.

[473geo]

20 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Dont spoil the myth. They are all out to get you and rob you blind. Especially the "family" with their sick buffalos and relatives. 

Dont forget all the locals who despise and ignore you and will drive you out. 

  

Well now you come to mention it we did have cow die recently, it provided two excellent breeding heifers one of which we put to the bull just the other day so it did, well but yes cows/buffalo get sick and in this case died. We have since replaced with a bought in cow, in calf, to keep momentum of increasing the stock level. So yes if one is not prepared to invest a bit of cash on farming then it possibly ain't going to go so well for you in Issan.

Stay in Bangkok/Pattaya/Hua Hin where you are safe from vets bills and dying cattle!!

[Kadilo]

Mate the village my Mrs is from has gotta be among the crappiest places I have ever been to.
 
Litrually 10 metres from there house an old hag starts burning stuff in a field.
 
Their farm is 450 metres from the house the opposing farms either side are enemies of her family and steal/kill chickens etc the brothers a lazy sod their cousin who lives next door with Mrs aunt is the same but stupider after 2 nights on yaba 10 years ago he's been crazy ever since. Her auntil knows one word in English; lottery ( hard working woman though) and of the population of her village (1500) 10% are her relatives and yet they all seem to dislike each other. Can't even trust her mom to buy food have to ship it to her, have to video call her too and make her show us the weight scales so we can be sure she is eating the food. The mom has to lock the upstairs whilst she's in the house! All that is the tip of the iceberg just off my head. Good job my Mrs is worth it but distance has certainly played a part there is no doubt about that where the family and village people are concerned.

Fair enough. Sounds horrific. I can't say my gf's small village resembles that at all but if it did I would be off in the blink of an eye.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

36 minutes ago, 473geo said:

Never get the feeling of being an ATM we have a joint bank account and my wife handles transactions  I've said it before, she is better with money than I am  We always discuss any potential major outgoings, just the other day we were offered some soil to raise some land for a project, my wife consulted with me, and had informed the seller that if I agreed, she would let him know, so we talk all the time. Mostly about plans for the future, immediate, and further ahead, you know as married couples do? 

Good for you, I hope it continues and you stay upcountry and remain happy.

Not what everybody's experience is though. Look through some other TV threads...

 

[Rc2702]

Just now, Kadilo said:

Fair enough. Sounds horrific. I can't say my gf's small village resembles that at all but if it did I would be off in the blink of an eye.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Yh man it's grim but her parents are nice enough they are just from a different time I guess. Living off land etc and not knowing/learning anything else. They are happy though they lived there whole life in that village. Her mom has never been 50k from the village lol

[Kadilo]

Just now, Rc2702 said:

Yh man it's grim but her parents are nice enough they are just from a different time I guess. Living off land etc and not knowing/learning anything else. They are happy though they lived there whole life in that village. Her mom has never been 50k from the village lol

It amazes me how little the old folk move. In the past 4 years I've been with my gf I can't recall her father ever going further than the local fields to walk and feed his buffalo.  Not. even to the local village 3km away. 

And her mother. We took her to Udon once (2hr away) and she slept on the hotel floor lol, bless em. Like you say, happy in their own environment leading a very simple life. 

Good for them 

 

[mstevens]

1 hour ago, Kadilo said:

How many expats living in Issan do you actually know. You say the "feeling" you had. Based on what?


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I used to travel through Issan a lot and took many road trips through the region.  I have friends in Khon Kaen, Udon and Kalasin, all of whose homes I have stayed in.  I know people in other provinces, but would not call them friends i.e. I might meet them for a meal but I have not been to their home.  I have visited every province in Issan and stayed overnight in most (but not all) of them.  I have not travelled through Issan since 2013 so things might have changed, but I stick to my observation that most people I know / met / conversed with who live in Issan moved to the area because that is where their girlfriend / wife is originally from.  It's a neither here nor there observation, but it is what I observed.

[473geo]

6 minutes ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Good for you, I hope it continues and you stay upcountry and remain happy.

Not what everybody's experience is though. Look through some other TV threads...

 

I agree, and right now it is all good for me, I am fortunate.  But perhaps rather than moan and whinge people better to roll the dice again, be it Thailand or elsewhere, in the snakes and ladders game we call life. I too had a learning curve to negotiate been associated with Thailand for over 30 years  

[Kadilo]

2 minutes ago, mstevens said:

I used to travel through Issan a lot and took many road trips through the region.  I have friends in Khon Kaen, Udon and Kalasin, all of whose homes I have stayed in.  I know people in other provinces, but would not call them friends i.e. I might meet them for a meal but I have not been to their home.  I have visited every province in Issan and stayed overnight in most (but not all) of them.  I have not travelled through Issan since 2013 so things might have changed, but I stick to my observation that most people I know / met / conversed with who live in Issan moved to the area because that is where their girlfriend / wife is originally from.  It's a neither here nor there observation, but it is what I observed.

Fair play. I'm not disagreeing with you just interested in how you came to your observation. 

[Rc2702]

Just now, Kadilo said:

It amazes me how little the old folk move. In the past 4 years I've been with my gf I can't recall her father ever going further than the local fields to walk and feed his buffalo.  Not. even to the local village 3km away. 

And her mother. We took her to Udon once (2hr away) and she slept on the hotel floor lol, bless em. Like you say, happy in their own environment leading a very simple life. 

Good for them 

 

We have a laugh when we send them food. We send her mom stuff and she rings up panicking as she does not know how to eat it. I took them to a hotel close to hospital when our son was due as they looked shattered after 2 days of labour. First time they stayed in a hotel they were well chuffed.

[Kadilo]

4 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

We have a laugh when we send them food. We send her mom stuff and she rings up panicking as she does not know how to eat it. I took them to a hotel close to hospital when our son was due as they looked shattered after 2 days of labour. First time they stayed in a hotel they were well chuffed.

When I'm there I go to Tesco Lotus and buy chicken breast and Pork and they will cook some nice meals and we will all sit down to eat and they will be picking about some tiny fish and scraps while we are tucking into the meat. 

You cant teach an old dog......bless em. Cracks me up. 

Edited December 30, 2017 by Kadilo

[473geo]

4 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

We have a laugh when we send them food. We send her mom stuff and she rings up panicking as she does not know how to eat it. I took them to a hotel close to hospital when our son was due as they looked shattered after 2 days of labour. First time they stayed in a hotel they were well chuffed.

So many memories and experiences  when our son was born my wife stayed on the general maternity wing along with the other new mothers, I was invited to stay too, a mat was provided and while my wife and child slept, I slept under the bed. Only popped home to shower buy food and returned. Happy days 

[Rc2702]

Just now, Kadilo said:

When I'm there I go to Tesco Lotus and buy chicken breast and Pork and they will cook some nice meals and we will all sit down to eat and they will be picking about some tiny fish and scraps while we are tucking into the meat. 

You cant teach an old dog......bless em. Cracks me up. 

Yh they are mad for fish my Mrs lot but I honestly think it's more the idea of fish than the taste. They feel better eating fish I'm sure of it. It's got some glamour for them. I paid 5k to build a toilet on the farm so that means 2k spent on toilet and 3k pocketed. In 7 months no one used it so everytime I'm there I'm using it big time. I even walk up there to use it rather than use the one in their house. It is more peaceful but a bit hot.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

7 minutes ago, 473geo said:

I agree, and right now it is all good for me, I am fortunate.  But perhaps rather than moan and whinge people better to roll the dice again, be it Thailand or elsewhere, in the snakes and ladders game we call life. I too had a learning curve to negotiate been associated with Thailand for over 30 years  

Yeah, I've been here as long but with a few enforced family breaks, like educating my son in England.

Where you live in Thailand is a personal choice. If the family is good why not if you want to live in the sticks.

Some people don't want to live on a farm. I don't want to live in a tourist area as I prefer city life.

My 1st words were "horses for courses" and if it works for you fair enough.

 

 

[473geo]

1 minute ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Yeah, I've been here as long but with a few enforced family breaks, like educating my son in England.

Where you live in Thailand is a personal choice. If the family is good why not if you want to live in the sticks.

Some people don't want to live on a farm. I don't want to live in a tourist area as I prefer city life.

My 1st words were "horses for courses" and if it works for you fair enough.

 

 

I've never lived here full time  I think that's probably one reason why the money side has never bothered me as much perhaps as some others, used to come and play a lot. Now I feel in my wife I have found somebody and some place I want to spend the rest of my life. Have great children too!! My wife has given me a new direction I never had before I like it. Three years max will be here for good, if my company decides I'm getting too long in the tooth and a bit of down sizing is in order, maybe sooner  I'm easy go with flow no rush.

[473geo]

12 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

Yh they are mad for fish my Mrs lot but I honestly think it's more the idea of fish than the taste. They feel better eating fish I'm sure of it. It's got some glamour for them. I paid 5k to build a toilet on the farm so that means 2k spent on toilet and 3k pocketed. In 7 months no one used it so everytime I'm there I'm using it big time. I even walk up there to use it rather than use the one in their house. It is more peaceful but a bit hot.

My son goes out fishing on the farm for small fish, sometimes in the pond with a rod, mother on law goes hunting land crabs, about 60 baht a kg if I recall correctly. My family enjoys fish and prawn tom yum it is a favourite. Although when we go to town always KFC.

When I got married at the Amphur some of my family came over, and because of arriving in the night it was decided to save on hotel and stay with the mother in law for the remainder of the night, as we lived with her at the time.

When we arrived I noticed a change, my mother law had added a European style sit down toilet to the house, no prompt from me at all. What a pleasant thoughtful surprise 

[Rc2702]

Just now, 473geo said:

My son goes out fishing on the farm for small fish, sometimes in the pond with a rod, mother on law goes hunting land crabs, about 60 baht a kg if I recall correctly. My family enjoys fish and prawn tom yum it is a favourite. Although when we go to town always KFC.

When I got married at the Amphur some of my family came over, and because of arriving in the night it was decided to save on hotel and stay with the mother in law for the remainder of the night, as we lived with her at the time.

When we arrived I noticed a change, my mother law had added a European style sit down toilet to the house, no prompt from me at all. What a pleasant thoughtful surprise 

Similar story actually, when I arrive at the village they make sure toilet roll is in the house lol. True.

[473geo]

1 minute ago, Rc2702 said:

Similar story actually, when I arrive at the village they make sure toilet roll is in the house lol. True.

It took a while to get to grips with the squat toilet for sure. It was a balancing act with the dish of water going everywhere!! Got to say it was speed crapping, no squatting reading a book or newspaper.

Eventually I just learnt to combine a crap with a shower  easier!

[473geo]

Thinking about it I guess you could say many of us with homes in Issan are upbeat guys who enjoy a challenge.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

9 minutes ago, 473geo said:

I've never lived here full time  I think that's probably one reason why the money side has never bothered me as much perhaps as some others, used to come and play a lot. Now I feel in my wife I have found somebody and some place I want to spend the rest of my life. Have great children too!! My wife has given me a new direction I never had before I like it. Three years max will be here for good, if my company decides I'm getting too long in the tooth and a bit of down sizing is in order, maybe sooner  I'm easy go with flow no rush.

Again I will say good for you, but living in Thailand permanently has pit falls. It is very different to work with westerners 10 months of the year to living in a village in Isaan for years of retirement on even a substantial pension. Have you assessed the cost of educating the children, and where to find stimulating conversation for instance? (don't rely on TV)

I know guys that are very happy and successful and others that have had insurmountable problems despite no money worries who had to escape after 20 or 30 years of marriage.

Plan carefully is my advice.

 

[473geo]

1 minute ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Again I will say good for you, but living in Thailand permanently has pit falls. It is very different to work with westerners 10 months of the year to living in a village in Isaan for years of retirement on even a substantial pension. Have you assessed the cost of educating the children, and where to find stimulating conversation for instance? (don't rely on TV)

I know guys that are very happy and successful and others that have had insurmountable problems despite no money worries who had to escape after 20 or 30 years of marriage.

Plan carefully is my advice.

 

The careful planning has been going on for 10 years 

I really enjoy every moment in the company of my wife and children, stimulating conversation for me is about real life, as I said, day to day on the farm, and planning the future. The soil we just put in place is to 'grow things' I have discussed with my wife offered suggestions that we have 'greenhouse' and part of the land we raise will be for this purpose,  another string I have in my bow from a youth taking care of plants in my fathers greenhouse.

Education, well I am an advocate first of allowing my children to be children until their teenage years, second ,the aim of my wife and I is to provide a home for each, and enough land to be self sufficient. If they choose to go into further education no problem, if they wish to go and work in a factory in Bangkok no problem. If they choose to avoid corporate slavery and open a stall to sell farm produce and be their own boss no problem. I do not believe following a rigid western 'education map' is necessarily the best option. I am a very relaxed kind of guy, my main thing regarding my children is they know they will always be welcome and looked after at home. So whatever path they choose they have a safety net.

[Nemises]

Compared to Patong, Hua Hin, BKK & Pattaya.....No traffic. No tourists. Cooler temperatures. Less expensive. Less corrupt police.

 

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

3 hours ago, Kadilo said:

It amazes me how little the old folk move. In the past 4 years I've been with my gf I can't recall her father ever going further than the local fields to walk and feed his buffalo.  Not. even to the local village 3km away. 

And her mother. We took her to Udon once (2hr away) and she slept on the hotel floor lol, bless em. Like you say, happy in their own environment leading a very simple life. 

Good for them 

 

Security - we also have a mostly quite pleasant village with a lot of family around. The family here are accustomed to the security of having each other. If someone is sick and in the hospital, there will be twenty relatives there to help. When my niece was ill in the hospital as an infant, not only was there plenty of family sitting with her but every time I returned to the village for supplies, there were twenty people waiting for me with food, fresh clothing, and simply willing to help in any way possible. 

 

So far, I am more involved with helping than needing help, but the rare morning when my battery died, my brother in law pops it out and takes it to be charged and puts it back, ready to go - and I barely have to ask, if he sees a problem, he takes care of it. Everyone helps out and that is why they feel little need to venture into the outside world. Moving would never even be a consideration, though the younger folk go off to work in big cities and other countries. Then they come home and farm. 

[metisdead]

As the OP has opened a new topic on this:

 

 

This one is now