Clubs For Farangs, In Your Town, How Dos It Work?

[MarcoH]

Hi Guys

i know u know me by now and i was just wondering how come every place what i look at farangs clubs or meetings working well but never in ubon,,i have tried few times but it's just not lighten up,, so what you guys doing there,,let us know so we can blow to same "coal"

i know that im away some time of the year but that is something what i do,, but it should not be that all effort dies while im gone and ppl just dont do nothing....Isaan is laid back place but still we have lot's of common and should not isolate our self’s, TH is nice place to live but can be nightmare as well and one can have a lot of problems and then help from friendly farang is more than helpful and most of the cases life saver.

Also there should be communication between provinces and kind of organized competitions, like what we have in our own countries,,, football(soccer), Volleyball, Pool, darts, snooker,,etc.....

how we can make this worked out?

too much jealousy around here or what?

[Thaddeus]

Also there should be communication between provinces and kind of organized competitions, like what we have in our own countries,,, football(soccer), Volleyball, Pool, darts, snooker,,etc.....

how we can make this worked out?

too much jealousy around here or what?

We tried football...... once..... nearly died from dehydration.

Ok, let's explain it like this. Locally there are about a dozen of us that meet regularly. Every Sunday is 9 Ball Pool night at the house with the pool table, 6 people constantly take part, the others vary.

In the area there are at least another dozen farangs that we never see, they are imprisoned in their jade palaces by an evil princess, either because they have no desire to socialise, or the evil princess doesn't want them to find out what the true cost of living here is.

The chances of getting the ones that do socialise to travel to a different province for a meet and greet and game of pool are very slim, I think I can speak for most of them and say that we are quite happy with our social lives in the immediate area, and travelling quite a distance to do what we already do would be pretty much pointless....... it isn't a case of jealousy at all.

I've never been to Ubon, what happens there, are there many ex-pats, is there a regular ex=pat watering hole? ..... if not, start one, if that can't be done organise a BBQ, get some invitations printed and ask your significant other to distribute the cards to the better halves of the other ex-pats (if you make it, they will come) see if the offer gets reciprocated later, if it does great, if it doesn't you are quite welcome to come around here.

[phibunmike]

I've never been to Ubon, what happens there, are there many ex-pats, is there a regular ex=pat watering hole? ..... if not, start one,

Actually there is quite an active ex-pat scene in Ubon, in my opinion. Marco, I know you are away a lot and perhaps that is why I never see you around.

[jay-uk]

Here's my take on Ubon and expats meeting. Since travelling there over the last seven years my wife and I have struck up friendships with quite a few people we have met both western and thai alike. Some of the people we have met keep in touch when they are either in UK and/or LOS and have visited our main home on a couple of occassions in UK when on holiday bringing my wife much needed fresh papaya, chillies and "the dreaded mud fish" (yuk!). However saying that, there are also others I have met which I class as "fair weather friends". These are the people who are much more difficult to work out and understand as they do not know if they want to be friends or not. You know the kind who have mood swings misserable one minute and full of laughs the next. The kind of people who walk around the supermarket and look the other way if they see a farang or attend group meetings just to sit and not talk to anyone. The fact is the long standing friendships are more difficult to find as most like minded individuals stay in small groups close to people they trust and have fun with. The small minded biggots usually keep to themselves and never find happiness just loneliness moaning on about the thais and life in LOS. Needless to say I've met a few people also who I thought were friends initially only to find they offer advice and help at a price to benefit themselves financially.

Finding people to socialise with in Ubon is still relatively easy. Finding genuine friends you can rely on and trust is more difficult!

This sort of thing will sort itself out eventually as more expats start to live in and around the city. At the moment even though Ubon is expanding rapidly there is still a shortage of places where expats can go and a shortage of expats who do not have to travel to far from surrounding towns/villages. The bigger the expat population gets in years to come the more fun it may be to stay there eventually. The pace in which things are moving there it should not be too long before you see more farangs living there.

[billd766]

Well in my area of the central region I am the only permanent farang in a 20km radius. I socialise with KhonWan who is only 70km away, RCM who lives in Nakhon Sawan 125km away and RamdomChances who is 165km away on the other side of Nakhon Sawan. The guy nearest me doesn't seem to want to know that much.

There are no bars as such around here though 65km away in Khampaeng Phet there may be.

While I am not a recluse or a hermit I am happy enough being with my family and meeting the guys now and again.

[thaibites0]

Having been here a few years I can tell you that the number of Farangs now here in Ubon has increased exponentionally over the years and a lot of them are willing to meet and greet, meeting people in 'Tesco Lotus' or 'BigC' is not the same as a group get together where you can forge long term friendships.

There will ALWAYS be the guys that are insular and here to just live out a sad live to completion but there are also guys that would love to meet other Farangs outside the confines of 'swing' on the main road. We have other Falang places that we are not allowed to mention because the Falang owners will not sponser this site.

Do you think that living in Ubon as a Falang makes anybody different to living in Surin and going to FC?

OK, I will organise a get together similar to the last one - got 2 choices for venue, the same as last time where the guy now does an all you can eat buffet (so many choices of dishes I couldn't list them - Farang food too!) for B95 or 'Staff City' with standard 'Korean beef' fare and cocktails at a charge per suit.

I will organise transport where needed and lodgings where needed - sort out the venue for special considerations if we get enough takers. Anybody interested? Sometime next month on a weekend? Name the day and I will see what I can do - I ALWAYS say hello in Tesco Lotus and agree that most people look at the floor with a mumble and move on! Not my fault.

I went to AOD (the last get together) with my wife on Saturday night to eat my fill of the buffet and greeted the single Falang in there - got a mumble and an eyes down!

Lets see who's up for a get together here! Marco is somewhere screwing penguins inside the antartic circle? How you doing Marco? You never phoned me for the coffee!

[Vegemite]

Last year I visited a farang resturant and bar north of Ubon.

It is a long way from Bangkok or any other place in Thailand that farang visit and an eternity from where I was born.

My wife and I sat there alone and were pretty much ignored.

It was a bit of a let down but I guess that if you live in a small or remote area anywhere ( almost ) in the world, the local people will take some time to get to know you.

How long is what matters.

[downtown]

I think y'all are generalizing a lot about the ones who "appear" not to want to socialise. Thats your perception of them, which could be wrong.

I'm a miserable anti-social git both in the UK and thailand, yet if you met me in Ubon you would assume I'm one of these *jealous* types..

[MarcoH]

I think y'all are generalizing a lot about the ones who "appear" not to want to socialise. Thats your perception of them, which could be wrong.

I'm a miserable anti-social git both in the UK and thailand, yet if you met me in Ubon you would assume I'm one of these *jealous* types..

hi thax for taking up this issue again,, what makes u think that u r "Anti-social person? i mean like in Ubon we haev few permanet member's but only for drinking,, but what about those who like to have something else, like day time activities,, for families example,,,,

We have lot of plases where families can go and spend time but so far Ubon has not found the "Spark"baybe in next 10yrs...never know

[Gary A]

Before I tell my story, I'll tell you that if anyone had told me a few years ago that I would be living out in the boonies of Issan I would have told them they were crazy. That said, I happened to meet the right woman. I really had given up finding a wife after so many years in Thailand but when I least expected it, it happened. I had and still have a nice one bedroom condo in Jomtiem. I socialized in Jomtien every day. After a couple of years going to the same bars and listening to the same guys and the same bullshit every day I knew I was missing something. I was burned out on socializing. I wanted a little shop, a dog and a garden. My trips to socialize with farangs grow farther and farther apart. I moved to the boonies. I'm content for the first time in my life and can take or leave farang socializing. To belong to a farang club and have regular meetings is just not going to happen.

[Mike45]

The last time I was in Thailand( Jan 07) I went on a "road trip" with some of my new Thai family. We drove from Pitsanulok to Chiang Rai to Ubon. I saw many farang on my trip.

I won't call it "anti-social behavior" but I can tell you that even my Thai brother in law noticed how other farangs just were not interested in being friendly. It became a running joke.

Except for one guy. All we did was nod and say hello from a distance and good bye when he left but it definitely seemed friendly. He was with what appeared to be his wife and two small children. He was in the KFC at the Big C in Ubon. Maybe there is hope for Ubon yet!

Mike

[phibunmike]

I think I am quite a social person, but I must say that if someone chooses a fairly solitary life-style, and moves to a remote rural area to persue that life-style, I would respect that and not necessarily consider them "sad". Often people like to sit alone and read, or go fishing alone, or walking alone - if they are happy with their own company then good for them.

I did not used to go out of may way to talk to other farang in Tesco or BigC, because I did not think them being white made them special; having read comments on here, I realised that my behaviour perhaps seemed unfriendly to some, so now I do smile, nod and say hello to complete strangers in the supermarket.

As for "club" activities, I think some people are the social club type and others are not. I have never been much of one to join social clubs (there have been exceptions), and usuaully prefer to organise any activies with my friends and family. For those who like knitting clubs, walking clubs, baby clubs, etc., that is fine - each to his or her own.

Cheers,

Mike

[bergen]

Maybe that's what's missing...................UFKC

Ubon Farang Knitting Club - meetings at...KFC

[phibunmike]

Maybe that's what's missing...................UFKC

Ubon Farang Knitting Club - meetings at...KFC

:D Excellent Trond !

Let's set it up and start making sweaters (I think Songkran is going to be chilly....)