Living in a quiet Issan village

[Isaanbiker]

   We moved to the city after a year and I couldn't live in the village anymore.

 

 

[Yinn]

Good morning Colin.

your village have the Yaba problem (alcohol also). Sure 100%

Before have same problem in village near my village. Everyone know about not go there, danger.

 

About 10-12 year ago the Pooyai Baan bought the urine drug test, same the police use. Then the volunteer police check all the time. The teenager especially.

Important to stop the teenager. If they know will be test, they scared to do it.

 

They not go to jail. But the volunteer police and the family bash the kid if have purple urine. If seller, they bash and call the jail. 

Maybe it sound terrible way, but now the village ok. The kid know will get test, will have problem. 

South people are famous for ruthless. But it work, sure. Better than waste life, better for the village.

 

[LukKrueng]

On 12/22/2019 at 8:06 AM, Ventenio said:

bigger cities have what we need........police presence.  Sure, they might not take our side, but they might.  in small towns, there is no police and it's all drug smuggling and self-imposed laws.  kids get bored and own the streets, usually drunk which leads to bad decisions.  

 

in a big city like Chiang Mai, tourism still means something and the police know it.   

I'm wondering which small towns you refer to

[John1012]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:50 AM, cyril sneer said:

i think when people say 'quiet' they usually mean lack of things to do, which ironically seems to cause more noise

 

when the speakers come out these villages are louder than most cities

I love living in the middle of no-where...had to go to Pattaya on business for a couple of days...road works and incredible traffic congestion, hated it...the only drawback, as mentioned is the 300 decibel speaker addiction, death,marriage, barfday, new house occurrences. Mostly it is very quiet and civilised, people are friendly and polite...except for my wife...reasonably decent vet within 12k..local hospital 12k, decent private hospital 35k, tesco, big C, good dog food suppliers 12k..I have plenty to do caring for my canine tribe, bed before 21.00 rise a 05.00....I have a good internet connection, for news, online books and torrents, True tv...(for what it's worth)...95% reliable electricity supply...very rare traffic problems. I like it.

[djayz]

45 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

I'm sure we have neighbors out there somewhere.

 

Gorgeous photo... 

[Tambs2020]

Well, In our little village in issan it kicks off every morning around 4am !

 

neighbours rooster starts his <deleted> and we start throwing things...It’s a terrible state of affairs!

[Elzear]

Would be nice if name(s) of villages were mentionned. Might help to draw a map of which villages are noiser/calmer than others. Mine was Phon Charoen ... nothing much happens there except some farang would return home from the local pub swearing and what have you much after dark... His missus, although embarrased vis à vis the neighbours managed to quiet him down and make a good pet out of him, for his betterment, mind you. As for me, I was shown the door and moved on to highway 222 ! 

I do love Issan though 

[Bangkok Barry]

On 12/22/2019 at 7:56 AM, justaphase said:

If I lived in a small community in Isaan I would constantly be on the guard for thieves

 

We got robbed by a member of the wife's own family who had stolen a key to the house. I was away working at the time, but I'd banned the good-for-nothing nephew after he kept coming to the house, hanging around without speaking to anyone, helping himself to snacks. Maybe as revenge, he let himself in late at night, stole a phone and even a second phone and her purse beside her in the bedroom as she slept.

Of course we knew it was him as there was no forced entry, but it was dealt with in the Thai way, even though wife's brother is a policeman. Nothing was said openly. but the moron was sent off to the military for a year. That sorted him out and he's a changed person, although he still isn't welcome in the house.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, Mbaki said:

The smaller the community the more people look out for each other, I can leave my doors and windows open without any problems, if I did the same back in Australia my place would be emptied. Must say I feel a lot safer here than there.

 

I had a friend who died in Rawei (Phuket for the unaware). Within a couple of hours his house had been stripped by a crowd of human locusts, even stealing his SUV and the bed he died on. Maybe the crowd were all Australians.

[Denim]

Very quiet in our village home but we are on the edge of it not in the middle. Had the wifes land been in the middle I would not have agreed to build our home here. As it is our compound is at the end of a side road where nobody keeps chickens and there is no tannoy system. Occasionally someone dies and a dirge of sad music wafts across the farmland but not in your face and quite pleasant. Big Big C 3 kilometers down the road so no food shortages either.

[Bangkok Barry]

26 minutes ago, Tambs2020 said:

Well, In our little village in issan it kicks off every morning around 4am ! neighbours rooster starts his <deleted> and we start throwing things...It’s a terrible state of affairs!

 

The family next door to me when I lived in Bangkok had roosters. They were more of a problem than the roosters next door to me in Issan. But they were right next door there, and 100 metres away where I am now. Strangely, I had more snakes around the house in Bangkok - the cute and harmless green tree snakes - than I see where I am now. Have a large family of these that live behind a cupboard out the back of the house. Been there for a couple of years, sometimes up to six there. I like 'pets' that I don't have to feed, and even the dogs leave them alone.

[NCC1701A]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:33 AM, colinneil said:

Last year we had a murder directly across the road, chaos going on most nights,

Colin you are a brave man. You have a tremendous amount of guts and will power. I was very impressed by the story that was done on you. It is a miracle to me you are able to stay positive. I would have folded up by now.  You are a great inspiration to others. 

 

you, like other great men and heroes are highly influential and unique individuals who, due to their natural attributes, such as superior intellect, heroic courage, or divine inspiration, have a decisive historical effect.

 

and that is what i really want to talk to you about today. actually not talk, it will be shamelessly pandering, but you see i need your endorsement for POTY.

 

As you know we are in a battle for the soul of the forum. An endorsement by a great leader like you will push me over the top in this close race.

 

And while I am here, I just want to remind all of the forum members who will be visiting this very popular topic to please vote for me.

 

Thank you Colin for your time and consideration and I just want to say you are very handsome too.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

I have it good out here in the sticks. We're on a fairly busy road which passes through the village on its way to Mukdahan and Laos, but it's dead at night except for the occasional moron on a bike that makes so much noise you can hear it a kilometre away, They're around 24 hours a day.

Nine km one way we have large Tesco and Big C supermarkets - something of a miracle considering the nearest large town is 40 kms away. There's a large wet market area, a couple of 7-11s and a small Tesco that pre-dates the supermarket. We even have a Betagro which are not that common, and all the banks. Nine km the other way, similar without the banks and supermarkets. The small Tesco and the 7-11 there are 24 hours.

 

A couple of km beyond that is a restaurant that is run by someone who once worked as a chef at the best hotel in Manchester (UK) which produces many fine dishes at half the price I'd find in Bangkok.

 

I have a large house, four bedrooms, which I bought when the pound was at its highest and is probably worth 5x more in baht and 10x more in sterling, after I spend a million modernising it. We have ample water from an underground source which appears to be unaffected by any dry 'wet' season, and reliable 200/200 internet from 3BB. I also have access to all the tv I want, principally UK news and football.

 

Quite a contrast to when I first visited the area around 25 years ago (did I mention my wife comes from a village 1 km away and has many - many! - family members there). To make a phone call within Thailand we had to go to a local shop, and to book a call elsewhere we had to go to a larger village. Television consisted of two or three Thai channels. When I knew I'd be moving up here I started stockpiling hundreds of dvds to watch as I thought I'd have nothing to do. I also planned to buy a large chest freezer, believing we'd have to make a 250 km round-trip to Khon Kaen to shop in a supermarket.

 

I would never have dreamed that everything would now be on my doorstep. And most of the dvds have remained unwatched.

Even the local hospital appears to be well-run. I have to go there, 10 km way, to see my drug dealer, a doctor who 'sells' me drugs to ensure my blood pressure etc remains good. One visit coincided with them rehearsing a major incident response, where volunteers suffering from various 'injuries' were brought in my ambulance. Quite impressive to see how it went, complete with someone videoing the whole exercise.

 

The only cloud is wondering what the government will come up with next regarding immigration/visa/insurance policies.

[ancharee]

On 12/22/2019 at 7:56 AM, justaphase said:

If I lived in a small community in Isaan I would constantly be on the guard for thieves

Been living in a small village in issan for 7 years only time I have locked doors or windows in my house would be if we were going away for a week. same with my car and bike never lock it also never heard anyone being robbed, can get noisy at times parties and music, I just put my beat wireless headphones on solves the problem. 

[30la]

I am sure that finding a calm and silent place in Thailand is practically impossible, the Thai people love the noise at any time, whether it comes from a temple, a school, the street or a private house does not interest!
Put simply: Thai doesn't give a damn about his neighbor and other people, you don't like noise, get out of the way!

[owl sees all]

On 12/22/2019 at 7:56 AM, justaphase said:

If I lived in a small community in Isaan I would constantly be on the guard for thieves

Watch out for family and extended family.

[jimn]

It is my version of hell reading these posts about living in Issan. Whetever its the madness as described by the OP or deafly quiet. Give me my gated community on the outskirts of Pattaya anytime. The only thing thats good about Issan is the young girls who choose to come to Pattaya to work. They are are the one and only thing thats good about Issan.

[Neeranam]

On 12/22/2019 at 7:07 AM, Matzzon said:

Ok, the excuse for your situation and condition I can understand, due to the extreme costs that would follow a move.

However, the talk everybody have regarding that their Thai wife refuse to move is just silly.

Anyway, It must be terrible for you. I hope you get a good and peaceful christmas anyway. New Year is terrible anywhere in Thailand, unfortunately.

I have lived in Isarn for many years and would never dream of living in a village.

One should be married for at least 5 years before building a house and live here for 5 years before getting married.

 

So many, usually retirees, are totally under the thumb from rural Isarn women.

 

My wife is not from Learn and followed me, you should see d the reaction on the faces off some of the local women, who think all foreigners are naive newbies.

 

 

[SteveK]

Village life is amazing. If I wake up in the morning and decide to lie in the hammock listening to podcasts all day - no problem! Or do some gardening, walk the dogs, go fishing. Or buy a bottle of Blend 285 for a whopping 260 baht and drink with the neighbour. Family bring round food in the evenings. It's 100% stress free.

 

It's safe, quiet and friendly. If you need go-go bars and western food, it's obviously not for you.

[Tony125]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:45 AM, colinneil said:

Why? Because my wife was born here, and will not move, in my condition it would be impossible for me to move without her.

Also as the house has been adapted for me, winches, wheelchair ramps, kitchen work heights, accessible bathroom.

Moving would have to be to a new house built to suit my needs or a house suitable for me.

Sorry to hear your still having propblems (read the story about you) and don't understand an educated woman like your wife refusing to move a short distance away to a safer area. Could always move back when you pass. I have known my wife almost 20 years and told her when first dating I'm a city boy and would never live in village but her village is nothing like you describe. It's in Phichit Province. Still has large family home there that her and 3 other siblings have keys for and can go there whenever they/we want. Recently everyone chipped in and renovated the place with airconditioning , large TV, cable .refrigerator, painted. 

My wife and I drove up one night without informing family/friends in village and when dogs started barking  a dozen people had come out to see who was at the house. We said  "it's just us" and so everyone said Hi and went back to bed. None of the stuff has been stolen , it's quite when we are there  (except funeral/wedding) Her dad bought old property he formerly owned and I said is he going to sell home in Bangkok move back? She said No we keep family home in Bkk for family/kids who need go to college have place to stay---- home in Phitchit for family gatherings. I stay in Bkk house or my personal home in Pattaya ,travel and stay with her siblings in Rayong, Pak Chong, Jomtien or Phichit house.

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

Village life is amazing. If I wake up in the morning and decide to lie in the hammock listening to podcasts all day - no problem! Or do some gardening, walk the dogs, go fishing. Or buy a bottle of Blend 285 for a whopping 260 baht and drink with the neighbour. Family bring round food in the evenings. It's 100% stress free.

 

It's safe, quiet and friendly. If you need go-go bars and western food, it's obviously not for you.

I could do that in the centre of Khon Kaen city. A nice village(moo ban) with security is so much better. It's nice to visit a friend  in the villages every now and then to hear them complain about everything Thai, as they think that the whole country is like their local neighbor.

The strangest thing is that nearly all the guys who are under the thumb don't learn how to converse with the villager locals, totally isolating them. Many become recluses and alcoholics.

 

[DJ54]

I live just outside the village 1/2 km so hear a lot of noise.. if you 

go into the village during Songkran on when they drive thrust the village with the big with speakers for some festivities it’s loud for 

sure... 

 

no problems with break ins or that pretty peaceful all in all.

[CGW]

Define "village life" in Thailand? its nothing like the UK with a lot of retirees seeking the good life that's for sure!

Village life in Thailand tends to consist of a lot of low income folks trying hard to eke out a living while living in what would be classed as a slum in most parts of the world, the streets are never swept, there will be street dogs every where and lots of noise, consumption of alcohol or drugs pretty much mandatory if you wont to escape the reality of daily life! Thai's as a nation are bred with no consideration for others, village life amplifies this selfish attitude.

Not a pleasant life, I find it hard to believe people choose to live where their wives are from, especially when its a dump!

The present "government" is doing all it can to maintain this "status quo" suits there needs ???? 

[NoshowJones]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:39 AM, Matzzon said:

Why in the world are you punishing yourself by staying there, if it is so bad?

As I have been reading your posts for quite a long time, it´s not the first time you bring up how terrible it is and how unsafe you are feeling in your village.

If you have been reading Colins posts for as you say, quite a long time, then you would know what happened to him.

Colin has a lot of equipment in his house, because he is disabled from the waste down, it would not be practical for him to move house, also his wife has a responsible job in the local school.

[Max69xl]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:45 AM, colinneil said:

Why? Because my wife was born here, and will not move, in my condition it would be impossible for me to move without her.

Also as the house has been adapted for me, winches, wheelchair ramps, kitchen work heights, accessible bathroom.

Moving would have to be to a new house built to suit my needs or a house suitable for me.

There are thousands of small quiet villages in Isaan where nothing happens. So imo your village isn't very normal. But if you need a flak jacket while going to the nearest store, then another village might be a better choice.

[Matzzon]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

If you have been reading Colins posts for as you say, quite a long time, then you would know what happened to him.

Colin has a lot of equipment in his house, because he is disabled from the waste down, it would not be practical for him to move house, also his wife has a responsible job in the local school.

If you read further before you post a comment, you would have been knowing that Cilin managed to answer that all by himself.

[NoshowJones]

Oh right, so one must read so many posts in the topic before they make any comments?

Please, kindly tell me how many posts I should read before making any comments? 

 

[mackayae]

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

 

So many, usually retirees, are totally under the thumb from rural Isarn women.

 

Tomorrow I will be going to a small village in Isan to extract an elderly farang from his Thai wife. If you don't hear from me, then something is amiss.

[Lee4Life]

There's no such thing as a quiet Isaan village...unless the power goes out.

[Max69xl]

56 minutes ago, colinneil said:

You have absolutely no idea about schools here, so why comment?

Possum is only partially correct, my wife is director of a school in Banphai, a good well paid job.

 

Are you saying that a teacher in a village school is well paid? Then you don't know what you're talking about. Almost every village school in Thailand with very few exceptions are total c**p.