Ha ha I see  some great animals on the land, even have  a  fair  few otters roundabouts,

Some  of the  critters are  only seen when dead as they are a  bit skittish.

I admire your resolve, unfortunately i need to move around, i need variety.My Iphone i use but my taste of subjects are doubtfull.

1 hour ago, villagefarang said:

The lizards seem harmless and they are difficult to get near enough for them to bite.

Had  staff once  who  could catch them and once they had been caught they would  happily  sit  on your arm, shoulder etc, not the Tokay though

2 hours ago, villagefarang said:

Thank you.  I get the feeling there are more happy expats than one might imagine but they are easily discouraged from posting on sites like this.

There are a lot of happy expats in rural Thailand and I think most of them use TVF to keep up to date.

 

There are a lot less moaners and whiners than happy posters, who have adapted to Thailand and the area where they live.

 

Sadly the moaners and whiners make far more noise and senseless chattering on many of the posts, and they tend to shout louder and more often to drown out sensible and happy topics such as this one.

2 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

 

Sadly the moaners and whiners make far more noise and senseless chattering on many of the posts, and they tend to shout louder and more often to drown out sensible and happy topics such as this one.

As in most societies & politics....

40 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

I have had a few compact cameras in the past but now I use my iPhone exclusively.  I have never been one to go on photoshoots with the sole purpose to take pictures.  I like to go places and do things and if something catches my eye I take a picture.  That is why the iPhone is so great, I have it with me so it is easy.

I need to learn how to do that as easily as you do. A few days ago while exercising I noticed a buffalo in green pasture with a dozen white ibis in shot & thought "That'll make a great photo" but by the time I had finished pratting about the birds had flown & the buffalo had moved!

(I'm hopeless but yours are superb. Thanks for sharing. With a little more practice & getting used to handling a phone on the hoof I may yet get the hang of it ???? )

 

12 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

I admire your resolve, unfortunately i need to move around, i need variety.My Iphone i use but my taste of subjects are doubtfull.

u  need  to try harder, saw  this  in the  gulley by me a  few  years ago............he  looks a  bit wufffffffff

Great pics from a wonderful area of Thailand.  We also live in Chiang Rai and love it.  This is the area where my wife is originally from.  Once in a while I go to Bangkok to spend some time with friends.  It is a short flight.  I could not afford the same lifestyle back in America as I have here.

5 minutes ago, evadgib said:

I need to learn how to do that as easily as you do. A few days ago while exercising I noticed a buffalo in green pasture with a dozen white ibis in shot & thought "That'll make a great photo" but by the time I had finished pratting about the birds had flown & the buffalo had moved!

(I'm hopeless but yours are superb. Thanks for sharing)

Don't feel bad, I have missed more shots than I have taken.  That stuff happens.

 

I used to do a lot of mountain biking in my area and it was hard to transition from the bike to photo.

6 hours ago, ukrules said:

I could live like this these days, I left Bangkok long ago.

 

I do like to go out for some beers in some local bar / sports bar type place once or twice a week, I have a feeling these would be a little rare around your parts.

There are a few pubs in Chiang Rai that are decent where you can get some decent western food and a few pints.

8 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

Don't feel bad, I have missed more shots than I have taken.  That stuff happens.

Sometimes  it  all works  out though, all these at the land as well as kingfishers bright  blue with orange  bills(not shown), they like to catch my  fish as  well as the comorants 

 

Kingfishers are fun to watch as they plunge into the pond and come up with a minnow in their beaks. My local favorites are the Pied Harrier.  The black and white males are stunning and their arial acrobatics as they fly low over the rice fields looking for mice is beautiful.

 

You really need a good telephoto to get decent bird shots as the iPhone just doesn't cut it for that kind of photography. 

Thanks for sharing.

We are in the other boat where we need to live for now in the City & spend some time 

in our village up the hill from Mae Sod . It is also very beautiful & calming.

As long as our health stays with us we should move in a couple of years

20 minutes ago, kannot said:

Sometimes  it  all works  out though, all these at the land as well as kingfishers bright  blue with orange  bills(not shown), they like to catch my  fish as  well as the comorants 

 

I'm often mobbed by Red Wattled plovers (top) if I wander too close to their nesting sites which are otherwise invisible on that same background.

30 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

Don't feel bad, I have missed more shots than I have taken.  That stuff happens.

 

I used to do a lot of mountain biking in my area and it was hard to transition from the bike to photo.

Thanks. Your thread has inspired me to want to study my phone in order to be able to use it properly. I walk regularly & often see something of interest, inc a breadfruit tree (the only one I have ever seen) and a little further afield there are some Cocoa trees that will make a great photo for Easter.

20 hours ago, villagefarang said:

I take a lot of pictures of where I live

beautiful photos. what country is that?

3 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Thanks. Your thread has inspired me to want to study my phone in order to be able to use it properly. I walk regularly & often see something of interest, inc a breadfruit tree (the only one I have ever seen) and a little further afield there are some Cocoa trees that will make a great photo for Easter.

Cropping helps with composition and a couple of tweaks with the photo app and you will be surprised at what you end up with.  Portrait mode on the newer iPhones is fun to play with.

 

 

5 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

beautiful photos. what country is that?

It is clearly not the same Thailand many posters live in.

20 hours ago, Berkshire said:

Very nice photos.

your photos are amazing.. i lived a slightly rural life in nz, now live in a beach condo at pattaya...

your photos make me feel a little envious..your cats and dog are beautiful...

An excellent thread VF , you are obviously living a wonderful, tranquil lifestyle, something that a lot of us yearn for.
Keep up the good work and post more photos of your travels and daily life, they are much appreciated.

Before our last trip to the states my wife researched & bought a new camera to capture shots....I have a decent Nikon but hate toting it around.....

Needless to say, our smart phones were used for most shots.....Her fancy new camera took some nice shots but carrying it & the gorilla tripod lost it's luster while I was hands free......

One of the best captures I

got here was a cats eye moon.....

Thailand is graceful with its photo ops.....Many......

An inspiring post Villagefarang with you having an appropriate TVF member name.

 

I too live in rural Thailand and yes she is very pretty when she's green, sunburnt when she is not.

 

Having grown up near the city of Sydney, I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there and in the rural provinces of Thailand. 

 

I want to say something here for the TVF members that may read this; you have all heard the saying, "life is short" well let me add another saying from a wise and noble man; "we are not living, we are dying". 

 

Back home I left a lot of mates who were hard workers, some had businesses and others working and earning $200k AUS plus before tax, that was a little over 3 years ago and when I return to Sydney for a brief visit every 12-18 months and see them, they are all complaining that there is not enough time, or business is tight, or they speak very fast and you can see their frustrations coming out through their facial expressions, I can't believe I was once like that, for what, to make money to survive in a very very expensive place to live and raise children, and crowded with the usual traffic problems. I did the sums, and found out that the money that I earned, 6 figures after taxes and levies, it was survival money, the only way I made some money, not a lot in anyone's language, but enough to retire here comfortably and not have to work another day in the slave trade.

 

My new lease of life has shown me that it's ok to go at my pace (Thai time), although I have to admit it was frustrating in the very first year, because the gear I was in, was the same gear I was in for the first 55 years of my life, well, from when I started working at 16 at least.

 

I have nothing negative to say about Thailand, it is a much cheaper alternative to LIVE, and at a pace life was meant to be LIVED, the countryside is beautiful either when she is green or sunburnt as I refer to it.

 

I feel sad for my friends who are back in the old country, because I know they are being punished to survive, as I was to earn a $, but having met my Thai wife 12 years ago, who is an absolute angel, has shown me, that for someone who had nothing all her life, that it was ok to let go and just chill, like I said, took about a year.

 

Now I just maintain my investments because you have to produce to survive, although I could live on just having the money in the bank till I am 100, without boasting, I enjoy making money when I can, as opposed to watching my life savings go down, that said, so far so good and being able to buy things here as opposed to thinking twice/three times back in Sydney makes you feel those comforts are ok to have, because you earned them, that said, we don't throw money, we live the same as we did in Sydney and a little better, the house cost us 1/10th what it would cost us back in Sydney.

 

When comparing ourselves to how Thai's live in rural Thailand, makes you kind of feel guilty but we don't throw it in peoples face, we are not Hi-So, my wife is still a village girl and mixes it up when at the local markets, most scared to talk to her at first because she has a farang husband, but know she is the same girl she always was.

 

I suppose what I am trying to say is, we all have choices, and for me, that choice was the right choice, no neighbours near us playing music, no traffic, no aircraft noise, towns within 15 minutes away, airport within an hours drive, home country within a 9 hour direct flight, and all the things I could get back in Sydney, I can get here, a little pricier but that ok, and a few local water-holes that I frequent makes it good when you want to socialise with X-pats.

 

What do I hate the most, is the fact that Thai's in general (not knocking them), just stating my opinion, only care for themselves, and their government is reluctant to enforce laws to reduce a lot of things like, accidents, burning of crops, etc, etc, etc, but I don't want to spoil things as your posts is not one for negativity and I am a guest in this country, so I have to just accept what I have to accept and assist where I can assist.

 

The only thing I miss is the beach, but we go at least twice a year on holidays and plan to move to a coast here in Thailand when the boys now 15 complete school in 3 years and go to work, i.e. stand on their own two feet, or relocate with us, "up to them" as the Thai's say.

 

Also great photos, very professional to say the least, keep up the good work and keep those positive posts coming, remember, "were dying, not living", so make the most of it, I know you are, but hope others will take the step and join in too ????

 

 

Wonderful photos @villagefarang inspiring in fact. I've been pondering for a while about a few months out of the city. Give the liver  bit of  rest, enjoy some fresh air. few months of cheap living too.  Was considering Nong Khai, might just have to put Chiang Rai on my short list too! Thanks!

2 hours ago, villagefarang said:

It is clearly not the same Thailand many posters live in.

The thread you kicked off has been a refreshing change from the norm, and I have relaxed over a great cup off coffee whilst sucking in the excellent photos which have been posted by everyone, and the overwhelmingly positive comments which have come out.

 

I think you should be congratulated on creating an enviable lifestyle for yourself and family, in an idyllic part of the world.  Good things don't always come easily and it is clear that you have put in the necessary effort to get a commensurate return.

 

Your animals are delightful and look to be extremely content with their lives.  One minor criticism, though, I would refer to them as "family" and not as pets. ????

18 minutes ago, allanos said:

The thread you kicked off has been a refreshing change from the norm, and I have relaxed over a great cup off coffee whilst sucking in the excellent photos which have been posted by everyone, and the overwhelmingly positive comments which have come out.

 

I think you should be congratulated on creating an enviable lifestyle for yourself and family, in an idyllic part of the world.  Good things don't always come easily and it is clear that you have put in the necessary effort to get a commensurate return.

 

Your animals are delightful and look to be extremely content with their lives.  One minor criticism, though, I would refer to them as "family" and not as pets. ????

They are usually referred to as family, I assure you, but I have found some parents are offended by me calling them my children.  

 

Just the other day I was driving Cookie (GR) to the veterinarian in town.  At one of those police checkpoints the policeman asked where I was going, so I rolled down the back window and told him I was taking my daughter to see the doctor.  He looked in, saw her and laughed.  Then he asked if she was OK and what was wrong.  I explained she is getting old and having some eye problems and no she didn't have a run-in with a snake.  After a brief exchange I was on my way.????

21 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Nice pics and the pets are adorable! 

Makes me want to get up country more but I still have that city man blood in my bones so three or four days are enough. But as you said that can change in ones life. I live in Bangkok 1/2 the year and very near Boston the other half and I like to go up to the Green mountains in Vermont to see what I always thought was the most intense green I have ever seen, but your sweet pics show that I can see that in Thailand as well. 

VF got his priorities right staying in the north chiangrai area with the rolling hills ... and a short stop from the airport to Thai cities.

That is also what I had in mind in my later years .i plan to stay some time in Bangkok, chiangmai and chaiprakan . I got a small piece of land in chaiprakan to build a cottage or two to enjoy the mild winter before the burning. Missus is of Yunnan stock so many relatives staying around that area. I also have abode in Australia, Korea, China , Singapore and Malaysia.  I see VF having one of the best balance of life here among the expats. Good for him! 

2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

An inspiring post Villagefarang with you having an appropriate TVF member name.

 

I too live in rural Thailand and yes she is very pretty when she's green, sunburnt when she is not.

 

Having grown up near the city of Sydney, I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there and in the rural provinces of Thailand. 

 

I want to say something here for the TVF members that may read this; you have all heard the saying, "life is short" well let me add another saying from a wise and noble man; "we are not living, we are dying". 

 

Back home I left a lot of mates who were hard workers, some had businesses and others working and earning $200k AUS plus before tax, that was a little over 3 years ago and when I return to Sydney for a brief visit every 12-18 months and see them, they are all complaining that there is not enough time, or business is tight, or they speak very fast and you can see their frustrations coming out through their facial expressions, I can't believe I was once like that, for what, to make money to survive in a very very expensive place to live and raise children, and crowded with the usual traffic problems. I did the sums, and found out that the money that I earned, 6 figures after taxes and levies, it was survival money, the only way I made some money, not a lot in anyone's language, but enough to retire here comfortably and not have to work another day in the slave trade.

 

My new lease of life has shown me that it's ok to go at my pace (Thai time), although I have to admit it was frustrating in the very first year, because the gear I was in, was the same gear I was in for the first 55 years of my life, well, from when I started working at 16 at least.

 

I have nothing negative to say about Thailand, it is a much cheaper alternative to LIVE, and at a pace life was meant to be LIVED, the countryside is beautiful either when she is green or sunburnt as I refer to it.

 

I feel sad for my friends who are back in the old country, because I know they are being punished to survive, as I was to earn a $, but having met my Thai wife 12 years ago, who is an absolute angel, has shown me, that for someone who had nothing all her life, that it was ok to let go and just chill, like I said, took about a year.

 

Now I just maintain my investments because you have to produce to survive, although I could live on just having the money in the bank till I am 100, without boasting, I enjoy making money when I can, as opposed to watching my life savings go down, that said, so far so good and being able to buy things here as opposed to thinking twice/three times back in Sydney makes you feel those comforts are ok to have, because you earned them, that said, we don't throw money, we live the same as we did in Sydney and a little better, the house cost us 1/10th what it would cost us back in Sydney.

 

When comparing ourselves to how Thai's live in rural Thailand, makes you kind of feel guilty but we don't throw it in peoples face, we are not Hi-So, my wife is still a village girl and mixes it up when at the local markets, most scared to talk to her at first because she has a farang husband, but know she is the same girl she always was.

 

I suppose what I am trying to say is, we all have choices, and for me, that choice was the right choice, no neighbours near us playing music, no traffic, no aircraft noise, towns within 15 minutes away, airport within an hours drive, home country within a 9 hour direct flight, and all the things I could get back in Sydney, I can get here, a little pricier but that ok, and a few local water-holes that I frequent makes it good when you want to socialise with X-pats.

 

What do I hate the most, is the fact that Thai's in general (not knocking them), just stating my opinion, only care for themselves, and their government is reluctant to enforce laws to reduce a lot of things like, accidents, burning of crops, etc, etc, etc, but I don't want to spoil things as your posts is not one for negativity and I am a guest in this country, so I have to just accept what I have to accept and assist where I can assist.

 

The only thing I miss is the beach, but we go at least twice a year on holidays and plan to move to a coast here in Thailand when the boys now 15 complete school in 3 years and go to work, i.e. stand on their own two feet, or relocate with us, "up to them" as the Thai's say.

 

Also great photos, very professional to say the least, keep up the good work and keep those positive posts coming, remember, "were dying, not living", so make the most of it, I know you are, but hope others will take the step and join in too ????

 

 

Telling it as it is... warts and all. A sincere post about rural Thai living by a farang and his Thai wife. 

1 hour ago, allanos said:

I think you should be congratulated on creating an enviable lifestyle for yourself and family, in an idyllic part of the world. 

Some of the comments on here remind me of my late parents as, when someone would say what a wonderful person my Father was, my Mother would say:

 

You don't have to live with him!

To me there are two sides to Thailand .

 

Side One: is what Joe Public thinks about Thailand when someone mentions it down the pub:

All the old cliches come out, ladyboys, fat balding foreigners with girls half their age, sex shows where darts and ping pong balls are used in a different manner from their intended purpose, motorcycles everywhere .

 

Then there is Side Two: Buddhist monks, beautiful scenery, hot weather, amazing temples, simple country folk making a feast from simple ingredients to appease the weary foreign travelers , locals tending to their rice, or tea , or corn , or buffalo etc etc .

 

Obviously there’s many more sides which come to mind when talking about Thailand, some good, some not so good , and I’ve just scratched the surface by putting it very simply.

 

Most of us tire of Side One rapidly and as the years go by and older age creeps up on us we seek a more serene lifestyle and then start to realise how wonderful Side Two is !!

 

I’m happy to say I’m in the Side Two camp and am finding great pleasure in the simple life that comes with retirement.

A bit of gardening, a ride out on the bicycle through the labyrinth of concrete paths between the rice fields, a drive up country and stopping to admire the views and sip on an iced green tea, a photo of everyday folks in everyday situations.

 

What seems like a dreary existence to others is my idea of heaven and I think VF has summed it up with this thread, life is only as good as you make it and if you seek simple pleasures in life Thailand is an excellent choice.

 

Right now me and the good lady are going to the local temple so she can say her thanks and then we will feed a few bananas to the turtles !!

 

 

On 1/25/2019 at 6:50 PM, villagefarang said:

A few more pet photos.

 

 

 

 

 

The dog looks happy the Cats, well they are cats ???? so you never know.  I was the same way until we built our retirement home in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, surrounded by rice - have ben the only foreigner for miles and miles around for years and don't mind it a bit.  But every once in a while, I travel an hour North to Cao Lahn to see 'the city'  They have a Jollie Bee's there to get Jolly Bee chicken for the fast food junkie fix.     Good for you, no stress, cleaner air, will add ten years to your life.