Thai towns

[Sparktrader]

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

You should consider a boat.

Buy me one

[markwhite]

14 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Whats NST like???

I've lived in a small town about 30km outside NST town for 14 years.

 

TLDR; You need to like the quiet life, Thai style.

 

So there's not lots of amenities that can be found in more popular farang haunts in the country: 3 cinemas, a large mall and a couple of smaller ones, and literally a handful of restaurants offering non-Thai food (couple of decent pizza places, same for Japanese, one almost-fine-dining European cuisine, and some fast-food staples). Apparently there's a golf course inside the army base but I've never been. And that's about it.

 

It does have lots of good quality Thai restaurants (and a fair few bad ones) at proper prices with real Thai food, few foreigners (I think there are 4 or 5 regulars in the town where I live) though there are a fair few teachers in the main town, few foreign tourists at non-COVID times, limited English speaking locals, 30-60 mins from nice beaches, an hour from the ferry to Samui/Pha Ngan, a couple of National Parks and waterfalls, and no seasonal burning.

 

If you need nightlife, a large social circle of like-minded people, or a variety of provided entertainment, it's probably not going to be a good fit. If you're happy to make your own entertainment, are okay going months without having a conversation in English, and can eat Thai food everyday without feeling like you're missing out, then it's as good a place as any I guess. It suits me but it's not for everyone.

[VocalNeal]

35 minutes ago, markwhite said:

If you need nightlife, a large social circle of like-minded people, or a variety of provided entertainment,

Drive South to Songkla and join up with Songkla Hash House Harriers, every Saturday

Edited August 18, 2021 by VocalNeal

[MarcelV]

Narathiwat Town in the deep south. But Sparktrader, you don't want to live here.????

[Sparktrader]

2 minutes ago, MarcelV said:

Narathiwat Town in the deep south. But Sparktrader, you don't want to live here.????

Thanks

[Stocky]

8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

You should consider a boat.

Trang to Chiang Mai by boat would be some feat

[Sparktrader]

4 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Trang to Chiang Mai by boat would be some feat

Yes need James Bond machine

[markwhite]

7 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Drive South to Songkla and join up with Songkla Hash House Harriers, every Saturday

It's a kind invitation, thank you, and it is nice to be asked. But I won't pretend I'm likely to follow it up.

[DaLa]

We have a few places, the main one being Nonthaburi, great for getting into town and all the facilities, very welcoming and efficient immigration. Downside is very few farang here that I see never mind converse with.

So I prefer our house down in Cha Am, great beaches / mountains up in Kaeng Krachan / air / better value for money / plenty of ex-pats / quieter and less busy.

 

 

 

Downside is our house has no garden, immigration is full on twits and we can’t earn a living down there.

Wife is from Krabi, has land there and when I first came out here I quite liked the feel and ambience of that place.

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by DaLa
unnecessary word

[Sparktrader]

1 minute ago, DaLa said:

We have a few places, the main one being Nonthaburi, great for getting into town and all the facilities, very welcoming and efficient immigration. Downside is very few farang here that I see never mind converse with.

So I prefer our house down in Cha Am, great beaches / mountains up in Kaeng Krachan / air / better value for money / plenty of ex-pats / quieter and less busy.

 

 

 

Downside is our house has no garden, immigration is full on twits and we can’t earn a living down there.

Wife is from Krabi, has land down there and when I first came out here I liked the feel and ambience of that place.

 

Krabi better than Cha am. Xha am has little charm

[DaLa]

4 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Krabi better than Cha am. Xha am has little charm

I'd agree, however 3 hours versus 10 hours wins in terms of practicality.

[Sparktrader]

2 minutes ago, DaLa said:

I'd agree, however 3 hours versus 10 hours wins in terms of practicality.

Krabi has airport

[Denim]

Down in the jungle

Living in a tent

Better than a condo

No rent

 

Edge of village of 6000 souls in lower Petchabun.

Pros. Very quiet no noisy neighbors dogs or cocks. Fields and ridge view out back, thick tamarind trees out front. 3 kilometers from Big C , 6 kilometers from nice little town. 1 hour from Petchabun city center. Friendly natives. 500 meters from main road with a few decent mum and pop shops.

3 hrs from Bangkok.

 

Cons. Fewer medical facilities than Bangkok. When I want to see a doctor or dentist we go to private hospitals in Bangkok rather than use the big local one which is ok if you dont mind long queues.

[metisdead]

Some posts that went into the gutter have been removed. 

[captainjackS]

On 8/17/2021 at 5:48 PM, BritManToo said:

10Km from the centre Chiang Mai, all the facilities of a big city.

With the mountain views and jungle of a rural environment.

The only con being dense smog for 2 months of the year.

 

 

If i move out of my apartment 2km from city center, i plan to live near @BritManToo. I don't know exactly where you live, but I think i recognize this view from cycling on farm roads.

[newnative]

      My partner and I live in Pattaya and have a getaway condo in Bangkok.  We like living in a beach city and Pattaya is the ideal size for us--big enough to have good malls, good restaurants, good health care, good recreation, good big box stores like Index, Chic Republic, Home Pro, Baan and Beyond, Boonthavorn, etc., but not too large a city.  A big plus for us is the expat community living in greater Pattaya--we have nice friends we have met scattered all over the area.  Being less than 2 hours from Bangkok is another plus. 

      There is a wide variety of housing to choose from--everything from nice condo projects on the beach to a big selection of housing estates at all price points all around the city.  We like that there are distinct neighborhoods to choose from--Wongamat in the north has a different vibe than Jomtien in the south.  And, the Darkside offers a whole other choice of lifestyle with Pattaya just a few minutes away.  

[Tedly]

On 8/17/2021 at 6:48 AM, BritManToo said:

10Km from the centre Chiang Mai, all the facilities of a big city.

With the mountain views and jungle of a rural environment.

The only con being dense smog for 2 months of the year.

 

 

Looks like you might not be too far from me, judging from the view

[rughead]

khuan niang

 

40 km from hat yai 

 

100 % with stocky comments 

 

except never worried about muslim extremists 

[elcaro]

On 8/17/2021 at 6:45 PM, Sparktrader said:

Anyone live in Chiang Rai??

5km from the city

[wwest5829]

I was planning to retire in 2011, so I made two monthlong visits to Thailand both in 2009 and 2010. I traveled around the country looking for where to settle. I am inclined toward the mountains more than the beach. I had contemplated continuing to teach a bit also after 41 years as an educator. After touring around, Chiang Mai just felt that it fit my desires. I could find anything I wanted in the way of food, supplies, etc. but not the metropolitan Bangkok. Then, there were five universities where I might continue working with students. After a decade, I am still well pleased to be here with the noted exception of the annual health threatening air pollution. Easy enough to get around the city and have access to trips in N. Thai mountains, or to Laos. Having the airport connections also should be considered. Oh, and pre-Covid an active Chiang Mai Expat community.

Edited August 19, 2021 by wwest5829

[TooBigToFit]

My area was formed by the spooge that slowly flowed out of Bangkok as it expanded. Now, it's just a crowded overpopulated mess like all the other sprawl near Bangkok. Stay away from Rangsit and Prathumthani for your health and mind. At one time there probably was a wall between Bangkok and the neighboring provinces and they would toss their rubbish and buckets of human waste over that wall. Stay safe, live away from the overcrowded, congested, messed up areas. I even suggest staying away from Thailand too but most people like to dream and gamble.

 

 

[kingstonkid]

Rangsit pathum thani.

 

Close enough to bkk but not the cost.

Has everything you need

BTS access is easy

6000 baht for 3 bdrm garden home

 

Con none to me

 

[IraqRon]

On 8/17/2021 at 7:02 PM, toofarnorth said:

YES.......well no really . I live somewhere smaller and quieter . No far from there though.

Same same here, did live actually in the city but found it crowded, lacked public spaces in the city to sit and enjoy, heavy traffic on substandard streets, most neighborhood rife with chichens, rooster, crowing all hours,. Northern thai people generally not friendly , sort of stuck up I found.  Little english spoken outside of the farang bar area and even there it is not very fluently spoken.  The thai food not all that great, some good northern thai dishes and a few good western aiming restaurants, but covid has closed many.   Moved to the country 25 km from city center.  Not much of an improvement in most areas as little if any english spoken as Issan and Lao prominate here.

I look back on it all with quite a bit of regret now, only stay for my 13yr old daughter and she wants to go to America to live, she thinks!!!

[VocalNeal]

16 hours ago, markwhite said:

It's a kind invitation, thank you, and it is nice to be asked. But I won't pretend I'm likely to follow it up.

I've never been there. It was a suggestion, rather than an invitation, for someone wishing to occasionally meet up with some mates.

[SAFETY FIRST]

I live south pattaya 

1km to Pattaya beach 

1km to Jomtien beach 

Always lived close to the beach 

Not as good as the ozzie beaches but better than nothing

Love the beach, ride past everyday, its soothing

It's great to be alive 

????

[Nemises]

This country has too much to offer to be stuck in just one location. I have places & cuties in BKK (lower Suk), Phuket & Isaan.

 

Variety is the spice of life…
 

[CM Dad]

29 minutes ago, IraqRon said:

Same same here, did live actually in the city but found it crowded, lacked public spaces in the city to sit and enjoy, heavy traffic on substandard streets, most neighborhood rife with chichens, rooster, crowing all hours,. Northern thai people generally not friendly , sort of stuck up I found.  Little english spoken outside of the farang bar area and even there it is not very fluently spoken.  The thai food not all that great, some good northern thai dishes and a few good western aiming restaurants, but covid has closed many.   Moved to the country 25 km from city center.  Not much of an improvement in most areas as little if any english spoken as Issan and Lao prominate here.

I look back on it all with quite a bit of regret now, only stay for my 13yr old daughter and she wants to go to America to live, she thinks!!!

I have lived in the North for more than 30 years and I find the people quite friendly.  I have no problem finding great Thai food either.  If you have a 13yr old daughter, you must have lived here for a long time.  Why haven't you made an effort to learn to speak Thai?  Perhaps then you would not feel so isolated and filled with regret.  I am very happy here.  I have not been to my home country, the US, since my mother passed away 15 years ago, and I seriously doubt that I will ever go back again.  Happily, I have made a nice life here and have no regrets.  I began learning Thai the day I arrived and have many Thai friends.  I don't find the need to speak English very often.  I try to avoid the Farang bar scene which seems to be filled with complaining, unhappy, old men.

[Stocky]

2 hours ago, rughead said:

khuan niang

 

40 km from hat yai 

 

100 % with stocky comments 

 

except never worried about muslim extremists 

Doesn't worry me either, I just knew that if I didn't mention the southern separatists somebody would pipe up with 'but what about the bombs'. 

[Almer]

Khonkaen  Airport, Mall, excellent hospitals both private and gov, not to many falang, 6 hours by road to , good golf.

Edited August 19, 2021 by Almer
Additional thoughts

[Almer]

14 minutes ago, CM Dad said:

I have lived in the North for more than 30 years and I find the people quite friendly.  I have no problem finding great Thai food either.  If you have a 13yr old daughter, you must have lived here for a long time.  Why haven't you made an effort to learn to speak Thai?  Perhaps then you would not feel so isolated and filled with regret.  I am very happy here.  I have not been to my home country, the US, since my mother passed away 15 years ago, and I seriously doubt that I will ever go back again.  Happily, I have made a nice life here and have no regrets.  I began learning Thai the day I arrived and have many Thai friends.  I don't find the need to speak English very often.  I try to avoid the Farang bar scene which seems to be filled with complaining, unhappy, old men.

I agree with the unhappy whinging old men bit.