What's life like for a single older expat in isaan?

[youreavinalaff]

5 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

 

Many areas besides Bangkok and Isaan. It's nice to live in an industrial area where so many have good jobs. Being around poor people all the time is depressing.

Your impression of Isaan is outdated. It's not "being around poor people all the time". Besides, those that I know that are less fortunate money wise are not depressing.

[youreavinalaff]

3 hours ago, LaosLover said:

This is the saddest story I've ever heard:

 

Unable to get an English teaching job in Central Bangkok, a job I've seen drunks with stained pants doing, and falling off of a log to get..

 

For 5 years, he toiled, far from Bangkok's golden spires, hoping, like Jude The Obscure, to some day prevail. But he still couldn't cut it; when he got a generic, low-ball offer from dumb-land, he was off like a shot.

 

Sorry, this does not qualify as an I moved to Issan because that tree in a field was calling to me account.

Oh dear. You clearly misread what I wrote.

 

 

[youreavinalaff]

5 hours ago, bignok said:

Negatives: Less English in Isaan. Less western food. Far less nightlife. Less farangs to talk to. Less diverse culture.

Less English, yes. No problem if one can be bothered to learn Thai.

 

Less western food, there are 4 restaurants and 5 suppliers of western food in our small provincial town.

 

Less diverse culture, up here it's in bundles.

 

Less nightlife, hadn't noticed.

 

Less farangs, probably.

[EVENKEEL]

5 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

I told you already. I stayed past the original 3 month because I liked it in Isaan. I didn't meet my wife until I'd been her over 2 years.

 

Daughter has now finished her education and has a good job. Isaan education served her very well. Our provincial hospital is excellent. 

Please define or further explain what a good job is in your eyes for your daughter. I'm not trying to judge, just gauge my reasons for leaving Isaan for my kid's education.

 

My kid is only P6 so way to soon to plan but i'd like to see a 100K/ mo for the kid after a good college. To start with, is this expecting too much??

[youreavinalaff]

1 minute ago, EVENKEEL said:

Please define or further explain what a good job is in your eyes for your daughter. I'm not trying to judge, just gauge my reasons for leaving Isaan for my kid's education.

 

My kid is only P6 so way to soon to plan but i'd like to see a 100K/ mo for the kid after a good college. To start with, is this expecting too much??

My daughter is working in health care.

 

100k a month? 99% of the population don't earn that.

[bignok]

2 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Less English, yes. No problem if one can be bothered to learn Thai.

 

Less western food, there are 4 restaurants and 5 suppliers of western food in our small provincial town.

 

Less diverse culture, up her it's in bundles.

 

Less nightlife, hadn't noticed.

 

Less farangs, probably.

What town is this?

[youreavinalaff]

Just now, bignok said:

What town is this?

Buriram.

[EVENKEEL]

22 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

My daughter is working in health care.

 

100k a month? 99% of the population don't earn that.

Guess she'll shoot to be a 1%er

[jerrymahoney]

When I went into the US Embassy - Bangkok at age 70 to get the affirmation-to-marry, the older American consular official looked at the form checked SINGLE and asked:

 

Are you sure that went you want to swear to that you have NEVER been married.

 

So after 16 years in Thailand as a single (but usually attached) older expat in Isaan, that ended now almost 2 years ago.

[Hummin]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I guess not too many farangs look for women 40-45 years old living in a village within 120km of Khon Kaen.

Or, more likely, you will be the only one ever with those criteria.

But is that is what you want, good luck! 

You have to accept people are different and not everybody looking for the lost teenager. 50 years old women is attractive to, just not to you and yours. Same goes for choice of destination where we going holiday, what we like to do, and food we eat. 

 

 

[Hummin]

5 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Some folks like the mountains, some the ocean and some the true Isaan farming style. We're all just prisoners  (visitors) here of our own device.

Living in Isan gives oppertunities to travel and explore more, and where else can you get 10 rai and a small farm with big house, kitchen indoor and outdoor 70m2, gym, big garage, large parking, for less than two million bah not surrounded by neighbourst and with a great mountain view?  Living cost is 30k a month pluss minus, 

 

I call that freedom

 

The only downside is, it is not yours on paper, but even after 5 years it is a decent rent for a chef, cleaner, lover, best friend, and after 10 years the land is worth more than what we invested in the first place. 

[StayinThailand2much]

23 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

What about older expats single who live in isaan country areas ,is there any ?

I mean it would be a lonely life living by yourself on a farm or house in Nakhon nowhere 

Must be very lonely and boring, a bit like living like a monk in a far-away area, unless you can make friends with local people. Living on a farm or house (who owns it?) far from big supermarkets, and restaurants serving Western food, you would possibly need to get used to mostly eating local food, only watching Thai TV, and having slow internet. Can't imagine why one would do this.

[Hummin]

5 hours ago, Denim said:

At least three of those are positives in my book.

 

Less westerners

Less night life

Less English

 

Plus , less tourists, less traffic , quiet and easy immigration office.

Healthy lifestyle, up with the sun, and down with the sun, for those who do not choose to do a slow suicide and eat, drink and smoke themselves to death. Old foreigners who never smoked before, seems to found a new way to escape the reality they find themselves in. 

 

Isaan as well "Pattaya" is not for everybody 

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Must be very lonely and boring, a bit like living like a monk in a far-away area, unless you can make friends with local people. Living on a farm or house (who owns it?) far from big supermarkets and restaurants serving Western food, you would possibly need to get used to mostly eating local food, only watching Thai TV, and having slow internet. Can't imagine why one would do this.

There is city centers in Isaan that flourish with foreigners, and Popular cities I know is, Loei, Khon Kaen, Korat, Udon Thani, and easy to meet women on dating apps, especially during covid and after covid. 

[puchooay]

18 hours ago, LaosLover said:

I was once on a first name basis with Nobby, the Germanic smoke house god in Nong Khai, In a perfect world, he'd weigh in.

Such a good basis you got his name wrong.????????????????.

 

His name was Norby. I knew him when he was in Surin.

[puchooay]

13 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Must be very lonely and boring, a bit like living like a monk in a far-away area, unless you can make friends with local people. Living on a farm or house (who owns it?) far from big supermarkets, and restaurants serving Western food, you would possibly need to get used to mostly eating local food, only watching Thai TV, and having slow internet. Can't imagine why one would do this.

I think you are  out if touch with the development of the North East region of Thailand.

[bignok]

40 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Guess she'll shoot to be a 1%er

Dreaming.

[bignok]

15 minutes ago, Hummin said:

There is city centers in Isaan that flourish with foreigners, and Popular cities I know is, Loei, Khon Kaen, Korat, Udon Thani, and easy to meet women on dating apps, especially during covid and after covid. 

I want to check out Loei. Phu Ruea looks good.

[Hummin]

12 minutes ago, puchooay said:

I think you are  out if touch with the development of the North East region of Thailand.

Great infrastructure in Isan and even your big shopping mall is 1 hour and 30 min away, you learn to make shopping list of what you need for a week or two, and also have stock of basic needs. 

[recom273]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

Less English, yes. No problem if one can be bothered to learn Thai.

 

Less western food, there are 4 restaurants and 5 suppliers of western food in our small provincial town.

 

Less diverse culture, up here it's in bundles.

 

Less nightlife, hadn't noticed.

 

Less farangs, probably.

I lived in Hat Yai for 12 years, now in Khon Kaen - western restaurants in Issan? there are more western restaurants than I have ever seen in the last decade.

 

I am starting to sell my Italian basil harvest to restaurants, I find a new Italian every week! There are two (BIR) Indian restaurants in town, one is part of an expanding chain of 3-4 throughout Issan, and the food is excellent. Lets not even mention Japanese or Sushi.

 

Buriram has changed a lot, so I gather - but I loved my visits there, the sports bar, the Irish bar (and Im not a drinker) - you have the most excellent Buriram Pie man, im sure others, as you mention. 

 

Westerners - Going to Big C in KKC, there are more westerners pushing shopping carts than Thais.

 

Nightlife - I wouldn't know, but if im driving through any city on a weekend night, there are countless places - small western dive bars, big Thai live music venues, they are packed and buzzing.

 

Anyone who thinks of Issan as some backward Hicksville needs to catch up. 

 

 

 

 

[recom273]

32 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Must be very lonely and boring, a bit like living like a monk in a far-away area, unless you can make friends with local people. Living on a farm or house (who owns it?) far from big supermarkets, and restaurants serving Western food, you would possibly need to get used to mostly eating local food, only watching Thai TV, and having slow internet. Can't imagine why one would do this.

Where do you get these ideas from?

 

Ever heard of freezers, growing your own and home cooking? Like broccoli, that's a plant, you can grow it yourself, it's the same thing if you are in the city or country. 

 

Do we not have the same high speed internet as the rest of the country? Do we not get the same video streaming / pirate services / free IPTV over VPN as the rest of the country? 

 

 

[MJCM]

42 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Isaan as well "Pattaya" is not for everybody 

+1

 

I used to live in Pattaya and moved out 7 years ago to Isarn.

 

Was back in Pattaya last month (hospital care is there unfortunately much better there then locally (only reason why I would move back)) and was glad that I was back home (in rural Isarn)

[ubonr1971]

23 hours ago, Keep Right said:

I knew a guy that was very happy to live in Issan. He bought a house for his tee luk and even started farming with a water buffalo.

Attractive old guy  with ordinary young village girl. Pricelessssss

[owl sees all]

Just do it!.

 

Solar cell stuff can turn a difficult existence into a comfortable one. Grow yer own food and get 10 baht water delivered once a month. Get a cat or two and start enjoying life like the good lord intended us to.

 

Don't need cars or wifi. Be at peace with yourself. As for women; the dinosaur types, not the modern ones with beards; they will come to you for comfort. But learn to do yer own cooking and yer don;t even need them. Well perhaps to do the washing up.

 

If there is WW111, Isaan is as good a place as any to be. But not next to that VoA transmitting place on the 2022, which is sure to get a nuke. But if you think that way, then get provisions underground

 

 

 

[ArnieP]

Udon Thani has a considerable number of elderly single men (of which I’m one). Many are seen daily in restaurant/bars either with regular drinking pals or sat nursing a beer on their own.

 

A poster who joined here only last month and seems very like Sparktrader has posted a lot of wrong information about Udon. Rooftop bars and restaurants for instance? I’ve lived in Udon Thani for ten years and never seen one.
 

Udon’s a small city enclosed within a ring road and there’s very little of interest to expats. It’s urban, not picturesque and is largely devoid of culture and entertainment apart from some kinos and two small bar areas. Most of the colourful entertainment got closed by the military in January 2015. 
 

 

 

 

[stereolab]

I know only 1 older,single farang who lives locally, about 1.5 hours from Udon. He stopped drinking recently, is a chain smoker and lives with 2 dogs, he is ex military, and is finding life a bit of a struggle, particularly with the recent heatwave. I am married and live near him, I visit Udon once a week, 2 hours and I am fed up with it, the noise, heat and driving conditions. Nong Khai ,being much closer has a number of amenities, but is not really geared up for farang. The key here is to wake up each morning and have a task to complete, we have extensive gardens that keep me well occupied. As a non-drinker, non-smoker the thought of living in Udon, Bangkok etc in a condominium and spending my days at a bar is too difficult to contemplate.

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, puchooay said:

I think you are  out if touch with the development of the North East region of Thailand.

Maybe. Not that I cared...

[bignok]

1 hour ago, recom273 said:

I lived in Hat Yai for 12 years, now in Khon Kaen - western restaurants in Issan? there are more western restaurants than I have ever seen in the last decade.

 

I am starting to sell my Italian basil harvest to restaurants, I find a new Italian every week! There are two (BIR) Indian restaurants in town, one is part of an expanding chain of 3-4 throughout Issan, and the food is excellent. Lets not even mention Japanese or Sushi.

 

Buriram has changed a lot, so I gather - but I loved my visits there, the sports bar, the Irish bar (and Im not a drinker) - you have the most excellent Buriram Pie man, im sure others, as you mention. 

 

Westerners - Going to Big C in KKC, there are more westerners pushing shopping carts than Thais.

 

Nightlife - I wouldn't know, but if im driving through any city on a weekend night, there are countless places - small western dive bars, big Thai live music venues, they are packed and buzzing.

 

Anyone who thinks of Issan as some backward Hicksville needs to catch up. 

 

 

 

 

Ao Nang has about 30 Indian  restaurants

[save the frogs]

6 hours ago, LaosLover said:

Sorry, this does not qualify as an I moved to Issan because that tree in a field was calling to me account.

Maybe it's because you don't know how to read?

He said he hated Bangkok.

Which part of that don't you get?

[puchooay]

18 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Maybe. Not that I cared...

Why post incorrect, outdated information if you don't care? Strange.