On 11/5/2020 at 4:24 AM, NCC1701A said:

By the way, your wife will want a Isuzu pickup.

Asian trucks only...no dirty falang vehicles...after all the locals will gossip about it...  ????

On 11/5/2020 at 6:37 AM, owl sees all said:

The wife.

How much money you can count on

Your health.

Rule no 1..ignore #2 and 3...3rd verse same as the 1st...

On 11/5/2020 at 8:34 AM, olfu said:

Even GF cost arm and leg. 

I stay in US because its cheaper than Thailand.

May even cost you your 3rd leg if she catches you cheating!

 

I live in LOS as i find the US too $$$$$....how do you explain US being cheaper than LOS???..maybe midwest

On 11/5/2020 at 11:40 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Don't make any plans till you have lived in the area for about a year.

Don't be building any houses.

Don't be buying any thing that you can't take away on the back of a pickup

Rent a one room place so the family can't move in with you.

Don't expect to make a living off growing things.

 

 

Looking forward to the farming life of fast-growing stuff, our own chickens/ducks. Selling fish to local shops. Just slap a house down, small pool, live in a peaceful, quiet area, live a different life.

LOL.

Read the Farang in Issan thread on the Farang Pub sub forum.

This is a re-occurring theme. Farangs settling in a rural environement, knowing that after buying into a "Farm-Situation" in connection with their Thai wifes, their liquid financial resources are not the same as before and as originally planned. Hoping that the "land" will produce enough revenue to bring the original "retirement plan" back on track.

 

As it were, unless very large Farms were inherited over generations, farming is a very difficult way to accumulate wealth. In Kansas as well as in the Isan. Middlemen and food processors are making the money, not the farmers.

 

So, hoping that the revenue of "the family land" will eventually make up for the initial investement of the Farang to compensate for otherwise "missed investement opportunities" rarely pan out.

Like tbl said above: "Don't expect to make a living off growing things".

 

Must be. Haven't met a Thai Lady, in a proffessioanally secure position, yearning to marry a Thai farmer. Rather marrying a BKK Taxi Driver instead if an Isan farmer.

 

But as soon as a Thai lady, in a proffessionally UNsecure position, mentions to a Farang that the "Family" has land "maak maak" somewhere in the Isan, some Farangs become mesmorized.
With predictable results.

2 hours ago, ChakaKhan said:

May even cost you your 3rd leg if she catches you cheating!

 

I live in LOS as i find the US too $$$$$....how do you explain US being cheaper than LOS???..maybe midwest

Yes, its cheaper in US if you do it right. First of all be single so you control money, second move to warm area to remind about LOS, third save money and wait for economy to crash, then build your own house for retirement or profit. Dont cook--supermarkets sells cooked food.

And be what you are--nobody.

48 minutes ago, olfu said:

Yes, its cheaper in US if you do it right. First of all be single so you control money, second move to warm area to remind about LOS, third save money and wait for economy to crash, then build your own house for retirement or profit. Dont cook--supermarkets sells cooked food.

And be what you are--nobody.

Live in a trailer park,  cheep as hell, and good solid neighboorhood as well, where everybody care for everybody

To add to the above, I suggest you think twice about a swimming pool. It sounds like a brilliant idea, but anyone with a swimming pool in the north becomes obsessed with fixing pumps and keeping it clean. It really is a lot more trouble than it's worth, and any town worth its salt usually has swimming pools available which are completely empty outside of school hours.

People are right about the loneliness however independent you are. 

I speak Thai but the Thai sense of humor, and talking about the price of rice or rubber gets very boring after a while. Also I don't enjoy alcohol so watching the Thais rolling around drunk, or high on yaba in the village is not very impressive.

Having said all that I love living in Thailand and would certainly suggest you consider a previous posters idea of having two homes.

On 11/5/2020 at 4:24 PM, NCC1701A said:

i live i two place now. Hua Hin for starters and now Bangkok. 

I go back and forth.

 

my suggestion to you as someone from Los Angeles but had property in Montana is that you have two places. One up north and one somewhere else like Bangkok or Pattaya that has more activity. Think of it like living in Montana and going to Arizona for the winter. 

 

i sold everything i owned. all of it and came to Thailand with a few bags of clothes. It was a amazing experience to sell everything and live very simply for the first few years. no car. no sofa. no flatscreen. but after seven years i found myself in the Ford dealership in Bangkok last week looking at FX4 pickup trucks.  Don't need a truck, but no matter where you go there you are. By the way, your wife will want a Isuzu pickup. This may be the first true test of your marriage. haha.

 

just don't think in absolutes. 

 

Agree, I am the Same split my time between our farm near NamNao

( beautiful place /climate /clean air) and Bkk

Plus go touring on my Motorbike . This keeps Bordem away.

At 70 still cant stay  stationary long for periods lol.

Well, when that is said about living two places, same as we did, nothing have done my gf better as a gf staying back home with her relatives. She is much more happy, much more energy, and the relationship is better because of that. Im very happy to see here in her own enviroment thrives and entusiastic here we are building our home. 

 

Nice appartment, hotels, restaurant can not make my gf happy, only a home close to her relatives have done that job, even we had a good life in Hua Hin, and travelling alot, its getting boring after awhile as well. But, I do miss sitting at the beach restaurant at Centara, Beach Club, Lets Sea, or just simple restaurants with cheaper food in the 94 as an example, which was just two minutes down the road. But I can tell you, those restaurants taste so much better now, and coming to BKK, wow, NO IDEA restaurant is heaven, and cant wait for next time we get out of here to experence that one again. 

 

Swimmingpool, just forget it, to much dust and dirt, and in the rain season, god forbid. Use the money on trips and hotels instead. 

 

I have an outside bath tub and freesh bore hole water,, cant go wrong with that. 

 

It is possible to create a paradise in a rural village, but it is completely up to you. I was not ready for this two years ago, and finely I realised the possibility with cheap land, cheap buildings, aircons, gym, big kitchen inside and outside, bbq smoker, toys, and much more to make it interesting enough to try. But you have to thrive in your own company, thats rule nr one. If you have drinking problems, Im sure it will not be easier to live in a village, and maybe make it worse. You have to be deducated and structured enough to get up on the morning, and get going, if not, I doubt you will survive long.  

On 11/5/2020 at 4:51 PM, 473geo said:

Well here is the thing, during covid lockdowns in the UK it became easy to appreciate life without the everyday noise and pollution of vehicles, aircraft and the like, in a society that has forgotten how to walk. Hence I am very pleased that my arrival in the peaceful setting of Isaan is not too far away covid willing.

 

Enjoy

I am presuming you mean the Thai society has forgotten how to walk-Have you noticed how short Thai peoples legs are getting? From a very early age Thais are sat on a motorcycle, I am sure that future generations will be born without legs as they will not need them to walk.

On 11/5/2020 at 5:20 PM, Saltire said:

Good advice earlier to have 2 places in Thailand, one in the village and one somewhere with a bit of life about it.

 

Wife and I in tha village 3 years now (not Issan but similar) and yes it can be mind-numbingly boring and covid scuppered our plan of having a break somewhere every 4 or 5 weeks.

 

Plan B is now when her father pegs it (he's 96) we will find somewhere, probably in Hua Hin, to rent for longer breaks from the village, maybe alternate months.

 

Comments about fish agree, been there done it, not worth the effort I'm afraid.

 

 

 

Very similar to me Saltire, I do miss my fortnightly visits to Chiang Mai as it is not worth the bother with not many people around. I manage well with the isolation but one or two arguments with my Thai wife leave me feeling that I need a break from the family for a few days when I realise that there are not many people in the village I can talk to apart from a guy from Singapore but he is deeply Buddist and he does not drink.

9 minutes ago, keithkarmann said:

Very similar to me Saltire, I do miss my fortnightly visits to Chiang Mai as it is not worth the bother with not many people around. I manage well with the isolation but one or two arguments with my Thai wife leave me feeling that I need a break from the family for a few days when I realise that there are not many people in the village I can talk to apart from a guy from Singapore but he is deeply Buddist and he does not drink.

I get you completely - I am the only farang in the village, even the closest town an hour away has only one or 2 foreigners, and never see them anyway.

 

Congratulations though on finding a Buddist that doesn't drink!

 

 

13 minutes ago, keithkarmann said:

I manage well with the isolation but one or two arguments with my Thai wife leave me feeling that I need a break from the family for a few days

Get yourself a Gik, not that expensive and restores your happiness in under an hour.

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Get yourself a Gik, not that expensive and restores your happiness in under an hour.

The whole village will know in 20 minutes after you left

There are so many possibilities in Thailand as to where to live a quiet lifestyle, without living in some remote village. Not saying living in a small village an hour away from nearest 7-11 is bad but it's not necessary.

On 11/5/2020 at 7:44 PM, maulibels85 said:

Looking forward to the farming life of fast-growing stuff, our own chickens/ducks. Selling fish to local shops. Just slap a house down, small pool, live in a peaceful, quiet area, live a different life.

I am where you are coming from so to speak, although I am not into farming to say the least. Have been in Isaan for 5 years, been coming to Thailand since 2005, then the planning started, retired at 55. 

 

Just be careful you don't get hit with working as the Thai's might put you in for working without a work permit, could create issues, so maybe let the wife do the selling, mine has a business and I help her with the deliveries, although I don't touch anything, just drive her from point A to point Z and it works.

 

On 11/5/2020 at 7:44 PM, maulibels85 said:

The heat bother me at times,

Look out for summer in Isaan as she gets into the 40's and no seabreezes afterwards to cool you down.

 

On 11/5/2020 at 7:44 PM, maulibels85 said:

The the other issue is the cost of healthcare in USA

Private healthcare here is a must, albeit it outpatient care is not really required as it's cheap enough to pay for it yourself, but for emergency or elective surgery you want good doctors and hospitals, recommend you talk to AA Insurance Brokers, they will find cover for you at no charge, I went with David Shield as they covered my pre-existing condition for a smaller extra amount per month which is worth while for me. If you want to wait for hours on end to see a doctor in public hospitals, your choice, but don't say I didn't warn you, the other alternative is to self insure, put 100,000 baht aside a year and let it build up, just hope nothing transpires for a few years as it could cost you in the hundreds of thousands of baht or millions at worst.

 

On 11/5/2020 at 7:44 PM, maulibels85 said:

we'll keep the house for a few years, maybe come back for 6 months, fix it up and sell it.

I did just that, but the reason I sold it within the 6 months was that I would be up for 1/3 of the rent in taxes, and no deductibles allowed as my residency status changes to that of a foreign resident and I would therefore also be up for capital gains tax when ever I sold it, and if that wasn't bad enough there was something in the pipeline that I knew about and they made it into legislation a few years later, i.e. removing the capital gains tax from when you first started renting the property i.e. (when you moved overseas), to, from the date you purchased it, yep, right up the sh-t shoot, e.g. if you purchased it for a mil and sold it for 2 you would be up for $420,000 or 42% tax.

 

The above said, talk to an accountant and see what complications there might be if you hand on to it, or if you do decide to sell up as you say, then make the money work for you as opposed to bringing it here with you, see if you can invest in tax free environments, like the stock market, ever country has different rules and your accountant will know best, you would think, but also do your own research, its worked nicely for me, albeit stocks are down thanks to Covid but what isn't down, that said, have enough in reserves in the bank for times like this and you won't need to sell for at least 5 years, that is, unless you really want to, by then stocks will be back up and you would have been living off the returns in the meantime.

 

On 11/5/2020 at 7:44 PM, maulibels85 said:

Thailand has its tradeoffs, as does any SE country or rural area. Looking for a new life and change of pace and different scenery.

You will have that, the good with the bad, just don't let it get to you.

 

On 11/5/2020 at 7:44 PM, maulibels85 said:

Wife is a bit younger than I and a great woman and the prize of my life. I can be alone 99% of my time. I can keep busy alone 99% of the time (excluding wife's time).

Good man, just remember (I say respectfully), only invest as much as your prepared to lose, 10% should cover that, I have a great wife as well, but my assets are mine, the house is hers as it's on her land, the new car I put in her name although I could have put it in mine as I have a yellow book, but if things went south, she gets the lot, I believe very strongly our relationship will never end until one of us departs, me first I hope, then she gets it all in the will.

 

Last but not least, if and when you do build, make sure you insulate the place as good as you can as there is nothing worse than sitting in a hot house (oven), for me, a little extra expense and the house is as cool as it can be, with just a fan when required or air conditioning in the late afternoon and when we go to bed.

 

The forum is a great place to get and give information and abused from some of the older senile TVF members, so humor them when they serve you one, as the reason for their harsh comments could come from the difficult journey in their lives here, rock and a hard place, can't go back, pensions reduced, wife left them etc etc etc, you know, they blame everything and everyone else for their downfalls.

 

Apart from that, enjoy Thailand when you get here, make TVF your second home as it fills in the boredom every now and again, especially for some now that Pornhub is out for them ????

 

36 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

as the reason for their harsh comments could come from the difficult journey in their lives here, rock and a hard place, can't go back,

Why would anyone want to go back?

It's even worse there, and most of the countries want to lock you up at home for the foreseeable future.

Probably not as bad as a farm in Issan though, I only managed that for 2 nights (Korat), never to return.

Tried it again outside Issan (LomSak) to see if it was any better, nope, only managed another 2 nights.

Then a lady took me up to Nan for 4 nights, just as bad, but at least not quite so hot.

 

I want a city, bars, restaurants, swimming pools, Tesco, Makro, 7-11, BigC all within easy reach.

The first and only post of a newbie and 8 pages of replies. Good job!

32 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I want a city, bars, restaurants, swimming pools, Tesco, Makro, 7-11, BigC all within easy reach.

It seems some people think if the next 7-11 is within half an hour motorcycle distance that is "easy reach".

I have lived in an Isaan village for 10 years. Fortunately Udon Thani is only 2 miles away so shopping, bars etc. available.

 

It was tough at first because no mains water, no air-conditioning, no internet and only thai language TV. Fortunately all those things now available, in all but the most remote villages.

 

Heat - yes, can be a problem. And i find it worse now than 10 years ago, maybe age, but climate has changed too. So whatever you build, think about that first. 

If you are not a barfly, can be a bit boring. The internet and Netflix are a great help. Try to make a small group of friends, and try to meet up regularly - it certainly helps your sanity!

 

Apart from this, yes you need some hobbies - i do gardening, fishing and aquaculture. AND ALL ARE CHALLENGING.

 

Gardening - mainly a couple off hours in the morning, then too hot. Cool days are not common. Weeds grow really fast, and many (mainly grasses) have deep underground roots. A cleared plot can become a rough lawn in a month in wet season.

 

Fishing - the locals will strip any public pond or canal bare of fish very quickly, hence usually no fishing allowed in public parks. Most lakes and ponds have an owner, so do not assume you can fish there even if it looks deserted. Fishing parks have some fish, but often poorly stocked. We have some ponds which are available for fishing, but when you open, busy for one month - after that most of your fish have gone!

 

I have done the growing fish in a pond idea (and still try!) but yes, it is hard to make money. Last year spent 9,000 baht on fish food and got 3,000 baht for fish back ..... Your family will not have a clue how to do it commercially and will overstock if they get a chance. So your fish farm  needs a lot of planning and firm management. Most of us just end up with a pond for family fish consumption.

 

Have done ducks - just about broke even (my labour free).

 

So all these activities are frustrating, and non-profit making, but can keep you busy!

 

I do enjoy life here, but if i wished for one thing, it would be for temperature to be 5 degrees cooler.

On 11/5/2020 at 3:52 PM, bodga said:

I  would bank on none of that  happening, peaceful and quiet in the country is  not so peaceful, youll get weekly thud  thud  music  coming from miles around, the fish you wont make money on recently had someone come get ours and it was a  total waste of  time, I have them for pets, they are worth nothing. Itll be different alright, be prepared for the endless  gossip and BS about what youve been up to, any problems the finger  will  point at you......repeatedly

3 meter walks and get ear plugs at drugstore before you come , set up some frozen Farang food Companies Korat Chef etc , you should be 2 hours from family so not begging all the time 

Just now, Ireland32 said:

3 meter walks and get ear plugs at drugstore before you come , set up some frozen Farang food Companies Korat Chef etc , you should be 2 hours from family so not begging all the time 

3 meter walls and double glazed windows 

On 11/5/2020 at 4:23 PM, Phoenix Rising said:

"I guess I've (and wife - Thai Issan) have decided to move to Thai Isaan and farm and build a house in a handful of years."

 

My deepest condolences. I sincerely hope your ability to cope with boredom is immense!

I went for 3years uggggggg, Never Again give me a condo on 30 th floor 

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Why would anyone want to go back?

It's even worse there, and most of the countries want to lock you up at home for the foreseeable future.

Probably not as bad as a farm in Issan though, I only managed that for 2 nights (Korat), never to return.

Tried it again outside Issan (LomSak) to see if it was any better, nope, only managed another 2 nights.

Then a lady took me up to Nan for 4 nights, just as bad, but at least not quite so hot.

 

I want a city, bars, restaurants, swimming pools, Tesco, Makro, 7-11, BigC all within easy reach.

Korat was dreadful, Bore 

Dont build a swimming pool in the village you will get no peace 

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems some people think if the next 7-11 is within half an hour motorcycle distance that is "easy reach".

I've got 2x 7-11, BigC mini, and a swimming pool within 200m of my front door.

Too many booze shops and mom and pop stores to count.

 

If I expand my range to 1Km, I can include an Olympic pool (MaeJo uni), another 5 7-11, and a Tesco.

I can't think of anything worse. 

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems some people think if the next 7-11 is within half an hour motorcycle distance that is "easy reach".

One hour it is 

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I've got 2x 7-11, BigC mini, and a swimming pool within 200m of my front door.

Too many booze shops and mom and pop stores to count.

 

If I expand my range to 1Km, I can include an Olympic pool (MaeJo uni), another 5 7-11, and a Tesco.

That's nothing.

According to Google Maps I live in 11min walking distance to Nana and 15min to Soi Cowboy. ????

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's nothing.

According to Google Maps I live in 11min walking distance to Nana and 15min to Soi Cowboy. ????

Thank god I live in Isan, protected from every sin city close by