As the cities develop more and more, Thailand gets in bed with China with huge mega-projects that will increase pollution and congestion, will rural Isaan be the only safe place to live in Thailand in the next 10 to 20 years?

 

Looking ahead exponentially from where Thailand has come the past 10 to 20 years, will Bangkok and other cities in Thailand succumb to massive pollution and over-crowding (even worse that it is already)?

 

Issan, to me, doesn't seem to have moved much from the stone ages with no industry except the farm processing plants here and there.

 

Air is still good quality, lots of farm products, however lack of water is becoming a huge issue.

 

In the future, will this be the best area to live?

 

 

 

 

The Isaan is one third of Thailand. It depends where you want to live. 

I think the north isn´t more unsafe. I read very rarely about crime in Chiang Mai. But the pollution is a huge problem between middle of December till May.

"Isaan, to me, doesn't seem to have moved much from the stone ages"...... you think it has even advanced as much as that.

22 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Looking ahead exponentially from where Thailand has come the past 10 to 20 years, will Bangkok and other cities in Thailand succumb to massive pollution and over-crowding (even worse that it is already)?

I thought you were an old bloke same as me.

Looking ahead more than 5 years seems a bit pointless ..... we won't be here.

Hardly a safe place, Dogs, Pickup trucks, Chikungunya, Dengue, Kids on Yabaa, Grownups drunk senseless...

The occasional horny elephant too.

To me i like to be here in Isaan! Every city has problem , depens what kind life you want! If city life (Udon, Khon Kaen)not much different only food is not as good than south. Many area they not speak Thai. They know how speak and listen to you but when they speak you don't know sht what they talk! I'm more coundry life man so i like in here small town ( LOEI) , have partment here and village house in real village 65 kilometer from here. I like but depens what you want!

Safe if you have good earplugs or like loud noise.

7 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

Hardly a safe place, Dogs, Pickup trucks, Chikungunya, Dengue, Kids on Yabaa, Grownups drunk senseless...

The occasional horny elephant too.

LOL yeah have some elephant problem! In family rupper farm in mountain have 2 different wild elephant herd. Proke everything! And only 4 kilometer from our house was 4 wild elephant to proke houses lol. Only life.

Better than some crazy shoot you in  Bangkok soi.

Safer I guess but still plenty of problems.....AQ is horrendous during sugar cane burning....the rest if the year they burn anything they can find. Dogs are a pain, temple loud speakers, drink drivers and SFA to do. Bangkok every time.

9 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Safer I guess but still plenty of problems.....AQ is horrendous during sugar cane burning....the rest if the year they burn anything they can find. Dogs are a pain, temple loud speakers, drink drivers and SFA to do. Bangkok every time.

Bangkok, once shes got you, she wont let you go!!

52 minutes ago, dick turpin said:

"Isaan, to me, doesn't seem to have moved much from the stone ages"...... you think it has even advanced as much as that.

Can you remind me what cities are in Issan; are they 'stone age'?

 

Your comment is, without doubt, laughable.

Cheap Charlie's are abundant in Issan ..

 Seems to attract the wrong type of farlangs ...

  

Edited July 23, 20205 yr by elliss

46 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

Hardly a safe place, Dogs, Pickup trucks, Chikungunya, Dengue, Kids on Yabaa, Grownups drunk senseless...

The occasional horny elephant too.

Except for the horny elephant part, that sounds exactly like my village in the far NE. 55

31 minutes ago, faraday said:

Can you remind me what cities are in Issan; are they 'stone age'?

Your comment is, without doubt, laughable.

Plenty of people still living in stick huts outside the cities.

You're right about the future of Bangkok. 

For years, the elite 6% of this county's population, who allegedly own 60% of the country's wealth, have been buying up large areas of land around Pak Chong and its surrounding areas. 

 

the capital has  to be moved at some time to combat flooding so maybe outside BKK is a good idea for the future

36 minutes ago, elliss said:

Cheap Charlie's are abundant in Issan ..

 Seems to attract the wrong type of farlangs ...

  

So you  came, you saw, you went?

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

Safer I guess but still plenty of problems.....AQ is horrendous during sugar cane burning....the rest if the year they burn anything they can find. Dogs are a pain, temple loud speakers, drink drivers and SFA to do. Bangkok every time.

Everything nice in your ivory tower? Good filter that you not get nothing "smell" in your golden toilet?

Don't go out or some can be wrong person for you! Or maybe Bangkok , once in lifetime somebody can have dog or drink and drive LOL

Edited July 23, 20205 yr by 2 is 1

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Plenty of people still living in stick huts outside the cities.

Pictures please. I am looking  for  designs.  Been collecting sticks  for years  too !

17 minutes ago, northsouthdevide said:

You're right about the future of Bangkok. 

For years, the elite 6% of this county's population, who allegedly own 60% of the country's wealth, have been buying up large areas of land around Pak Chong and its surrounding areas. 

At the end of 2018, the top one percent (1%) held 67% of Thailand's wealth.

  https://www.aseantoday.com/2019/01/thailands-wealth-inequality-is-the-highest-in-the-world-what-does-this-mean-for-upcoming-elections/

 

One year later, that number was almost 70% [I cannot find the reference at the moment]

 

The top ten percent (10%) held 86% of the wealth.

 

Then there is corporate ownership:

Quote

 

Some 36% of Thailand's corporate equity is concentrated in the hands of just 500 people.

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1773024/just-500-people-own-36-of-the-equity-in-thai-firms

 

 

 In 2012, an even more stunning statistic was revealed:

Quote

About 0.1% of the Thai population are so rich that they own 46.5% of all of Thailand's total assets while nearly one in four Thai people, 23.5%, live in poverty.

 

http://www.masci-sis.com/component/flexicontent/8-event/283-richest-0-1-of-thai-people-own-half-of-the-nation-s-assets.html?view=item

Point one percent. That is serious concentration of power.

 

My wife has a house in rural Isaan and a condo in Pattaya. We spend time at both locations but even my wife gets bored in Isaan after 3-4 weeks and we head back to Pattaya.  Air quality was bad when we were there earlier this year - burning cane and they have a fondness for setting small fires and burning waste plastic, rubber etc..

I don't think anywhere in Thailand is particularly safe.

Safe......well they still have roads there,it's the only thing i fear for my safety.here

regards worgeordie

 

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I thought you were an old bloke same as me.

Looking ahead more than 5 years seems a bit pointless ..... we won't be here.

Sure you will!

2 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Safer I guess but still plenty of problems.....AQ is horrendous during sugar cane burning....the rest if the year they burn anything they can find. Dogs are a pain, temple loud speakers, drink drivers and SFA to do. Bangkok every time.

Your are not thinking far enough into Isaan!

2 hours ago, faraday said:

Can you remind me what cities are in Issan; are they 'stone age'?

 

Your comment is, without doubt, laughable.

We are not talking about cities.

 

Got it now? 

5 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

We are not talking about cities.

 

Got it now? 

You don't even live here.

1 hour ago, faraday said:

You don't even live here.

I've done the 'traditional' foreigner trip through Korat to meet the hired helps family, 10Km down a dirt track from the nearest main road.

Holy poop .........  after two nights I ran.

 

Then once again near Lomsak .......

Corrugated iron hut 15Km from the nearest paved road, no doors or windows, just openings, no running water or toilet, just a communal shower hut in the jungle. Couldn't enter the house in the day unless you wanted to cook.

Lasted 2 nights before leaving forever.

 

One final go, Nan looks nice ...........

Slightly better ........ wasn't quite so hot ...... nothing to do but watch the corn field grow.

Edited July 23, 20205 yr by BritManToo

10 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

The Isaan is one third of Thailand. It depends where you want to live. 

I think the north isn´t more unsafe. I read very rarely about crime in Chiang Mai. But the pollution is a huge problem between middle of December till May.

We are not immune to the air pollution from March to the end of May either.. (Kalasin).. until about 2 or 3 years ago years ago it was OK here.. but with more sugar cane burning we now have an air quality problem.. Khon Kaen is especially bad..  The Kalasin area is blessed with the Lam Pao dam which irrigates a huge area.  Often when coming back I see other areas parched and dry.. Kalasin seems like an oasis.  Climate change and change to the monsoon pattern has made the dam storage unpredictable but so far it has been well managed and there has been a summer rice crop every year. There is no knowing what the future might be like.  For anyone addicted to the bright lights  (and other attractions)  of a city.. forget Issan. But we do enjoy a good quality of life here. Twelve years ago we didn't have a supermarket.. we now have Tesco, BigC & Makro in Kalasin.. other places have Robinson's and the other big ones.  There are good restaurants but you need local knowledge to find them.  It isn't for everyone but I like it here. 

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I thought you were an old bloke same as me.

Looking ahead more than 5 years seems a bit pointless ..... we won't be here.

Some people care about their kids future and think about that.

14 hours ago, dick turpin said:

"Isaan, to me, doesn't seem to have moved much from the stone ages"...... you think it has even advanced as much as that.

Tractors in just about every village. Combine rice harvesters, health clinics and schools available for all.

 

Reliable electricity and water supplies and internet everywhere. Most families have some means of private transport and the roads are pretty good nowadays.

 

To which 'stone age' is it you're referring to?