Isaan hard to like after 3 months

[bignok]

3 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

I could happily live the rest of my life on food from 7/11. Never known a bad cheese and ham tostie. Carbonara if I'm feeling more sophisticated. Their cakes and biscuits are fabulous. Hot and cold coffee delicious.    

Low risk of food poisoning.

[KhunLA]

46 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

I could happily live the rest of my life on food from 7/11. Never known a bad cheese and ham tostie. Carbonara if I'm feeling more sophisticated. Their cakes and biscuits are fabulous. Hot and cold coffee delicious.    

What's not to love ... all the food groups & alcohol ????

 

Thankfully another western concept, they didn't copy.  USA 7-11 were terrible & overpriced except for the few, 'get you in' staples.

Edited June 3, 2023 by KhunLA

[bignok]

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

What's not to love ... all the food groups & alcohol ????

 

Thankfully another western concept, they didn't copy.  USA 7-11 were terrible & overpriced except for the few, 'get you in' staples.

Well yes. Thai ice cream, beer, rum, Thai food, western food, Thai snacks, phone assessories. Cheap prices.

[jerrymahoney]

5 hours ago, sidneybear said:

Yeah right. And Westfield in Sydney or Stratford. 

Westfield in Sydney or Stratford. Whatsamatter -- can't make up your mind?

 

But after 20 years living here I just take it that any way they choose to run their country is OK by me.

Edited June 3, 2023 by jerrymahoney

[sidneybear]

26 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Westfield in Sydney or Stratford. Whatsamatter -- can't make up your mind?

You've run out of points to make, so why say anything? Fact is that shopping malls are boring and the same all over the world. I'll bet you spend a lot of time in the McDonalds, because you like familiarity.

Edited June 3, 2023 by sidneybear

[sidneybear]

2 hours ago, bignok said:

Thai food in the west is nothing like Thailand.

Depends where you go - some Thai restraurants do authentic Thai food, but they're few and far between and you won;t find them in shopping malls. Mind you, Thai food in Thai shopping malls isn't the best either.

[jerrymahoney]

6 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

I'll bet you spend a lot of time in the McDonalds, because you like familiarity.

You lose your bet. But I like the familiarity of MAKRO when it opens at 6 AM.

 

I just don't find it expeditious to be in a country like Thailand and think that Thailand should do something different than what they are doing.

Edited June 3, 2023 by jerrymahoney

[bignok]

1 hour ago, sidneybear said:

You've run out of points to make, so why say anything? Fact is that shopping malls are boring and the same all over the world. I'll bet you spend a lot of time in the McDonalds, because you like familiarity.

What is exciting to you? 

[sidneybear]

6 hours ago, bignok said:

What is exciting to you? 

Experiencing foreign cultures and traditions. You won't find them in a Starbucks.

[jerrymahoney]

1 hour ago, sidneybear said:

Experiencing foreign cultures and traditions. You won't find them in a Starbucks.

https://thesiamsociety.org/

 

The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage was established in 1904 with a mission to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts and natural sciences of Thailand as well as those of neighbouring countries.

Edited June 3, 2023 by jerrymahoney

[bignok]

3 hours ago, sidneybear said:

Experiencing foreign cultures and traditions. You won't find them in a Starbucks.

What is culture?

[The Fugitive]

1 hour ago, bignok said:

What is culture?

Gets confused with architecture.

[jesimps]

On 5/27/2023 at 8:46 PM, CharlieH said:

One man's feast is another man's poison, you gotta do what's right for you. We are all different. ????

 

just find what makes you happy and be glad you did.

Arrived in Pattaya 16 years ago and although I've visited other areas of the country, there's nowhere I'd rather be than my little bit of paradise, just up the coast, but within a thirty minute drive of central Patts which has everything you could wish for in entertainment. Why isolate yourself in the jungle/desert or in a boring, smog choked place, when you can live in a beautiful area, but within a short drive of civilisation.

[AloisAmrein]

Isaan is my prefered area of Thailand and it has the best food of Thailand and the most beautiful women.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, AloisAmrein said:

Isaan is my prefered area of Thailand and it has the best food of Thailand and the most beautiful women.

9 out of 10 women in Pattaya are from Isaan

[jerrymahoney]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

9 out of 10 women in Pattaya are from Isaan

30+ years ago, when I first started visiting Pattaya, if you asked the girls where they are from they would say: Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai.

 

When one girl said Udon Thani I said: Where is that?

 

In those days there was a ThaiAir ticket office at the Royal Cliff so I would stay nearby to arrange my onward tickets and spend a few days indulging in the Pattaya fauna.

Edited June 10, 2023 by jerrymahoney

[EVENKEEL]

4 hours ago, AloisAmrein said:

Isaan is my prefered area of Thailand and it has the best food of Thailand and the most beautiful women.

Tell me more about the best food in Thailand, beautiful women I understand, not the food.

[BritManToo]

"Isaan hard to like after 3 months"

 

OP is clearly a 'hard man', I only managed 3 nights near Korat before I ran away to Pattaya.

 

Hotter than hell, the only meat in the market was chicken feet, and no Sour cheese and onion LAY in the 7-11 which was a 15Km drive away.

Edited June 11, 2023 by BritManToo

[glegolo18]

On 5/27/2023 at 8:40 PM, chalawaan said:

We left CM for reasons not related to pollution, we used to just bolt to a random non tourist beach for a few months.

 

Long story short, we were abroad for a year testing that out, then back to rent my wife's besties place in Korat. A great deal, but it was under lien to the bank, which we knew. 

We intended to find another Korat rental, and rent our two places in BKK and CM.

 

Well the rental idea didn't work in CM and were just done painting BKK, so that wasn't any ROI yet, then the bank took the besties place back much quicker than anyone expected, and we had to find a new rental in Korat (wife's family all there) but by then, we too were homesick for CM, especially the wife! Our house there is paid off, and is far superior to anything we were prepared to pay for in Korat.

 

So we bit the bullet and packed up again, and in spite of the disruption and expense, we could not be happier again. 

Lanna is cooler too, even right now in May. And the well water in Korat was atrocious, the bathrooms were all coated in lime scale. 

Come home, mate! ????

Yes a great comparizon, NOT...... You compare your paid off HOME with rental crap that is absolutely nowhere to be called home in any meaning of the word..

 

Sorry but you shoot over the target this time...

[JimTripper]

Does anyone know if there are foreigner enclaves in Thailand like they have in Mexico, for example the Guadalajara lake area.

 

I’m feeling like I want to live in a nice gated community just around foreigners. Where locals just come in to work or serve, or not at all. But it’s cheaper, the food and everything I need is there. A cheap Florida basically.

 

I have lived locally here a long time and just want a relaxing change. The only area I can think of is maybe those estates in Phuket or cape panwa but I think those bump it up to expensive private estates on the ocean which I cannot afford.

Edited June 11, 2023 by JimTripper

[ThaiFelix]

On 5/28/2023 at 7:31 AM, sirineou said:

We also lived in Florida before we came here. (Palm Coast) weather very similar to Thailand and many Thais , Cambodians, and Vietnamese. living there. We actually had two  cambodian supermarkets in our area, and a few in Orlando.  I must admit , IMO, Thai food was better there than it is in Isaan. We were near the ocean  but I always thought about acreage near Ocala. Not much different here. I have my challenges here  I wont lie, but in the balance I like it better here. I like the freedom to do whatever I like in my property. Back in Florida , by the time I got permits. licenced tradesmen, and plans stumped by an engineer....

As far as food in Isaan, both me and the wife are very good cooks, she takes care of the Thai cooking (to my liking) and I whip up a western meal on accession. Probably no different than most others here. 

 

NO!  Never admit you can cook or wash dishes and if you are ever coerced into trying, make sure you accidently set fire to the kitchen so you are never asked again!  Guys like you spoil it for the rest of us.

[sirineou]

58 minutes ago, ThaiFelix said:

NO!  Never admit you can cook or wash dishes and if you are ever coerced into trying, make sure you accidently set fire to the kitchen so you are never asked again!  Guys like you spoil it for the rest of us.

My apologies, I did not read the "Guy Handbook"  as closely As I should have. Im my defence , having grown up with three sisters,  I had to develop survival strategies.

Initially I had read some place that when attacked by bears to  lay down in a fetal position  and play dead and thought it would also work with sisters considering the similarities between the two ,

  Sad to report that it did not work with my sisters and in retrospect  I suspect it does not work with bears . So I thought that if I fed them, the sisters not the bears, They might leave me alone. 

Though the strategy was successful to a point , as displayed by the fact that I am still around to talk about it , I am sorry to admit that  that I did not consider the effect such strategy might have on other man

  But as one men suggested to another when confronted by a bear, that they make a run for it, and the friend objected that they could not outrun a bear , The first friend explained that he did not have to outrun the bear, all he needed to do was outrun the other man. 

    Moral of the story is that when it comes to bears and women you are all on your own ????

Edited June 14, 2023 by sirineou

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, ThaiFelix said:

NO!  Never admit you can cook or wash dishes and if you are ever coerced into trying, make sure you accidently set fire to the kitchen so you are never asked again!  Guys like you spoil it for the rest of us.

Im not sllowed to coock, clean or do laundry, it is a womans work! 

 

Live like a king

 

Im allowed to do steak, 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Hummin

[Scouse123]

Love ISAARN,  love isaarn food.

 

Built houses here 20+ years ago and no plans on moving.

 

I can get to Roi Et in 50 minutes and fly to Bangkok in 50 minutes and from Don Muang to Vietnam, Cambodia,  Malaysia  etc

 

Not everyone's cup of tea, and sometimes the stupidity of locals cheeses me off, but better than a wet Wednesday in the UK.

 

Roi et a good city to visit as is Mukdahan,  also handy for Laos. Khonkaen nearby, good highways.

 

Loads of good food in Isaarn.

 

You create your own environment!

[Hummin]

6 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Love ISAARN,  love isaarn food.

 

Built houses here 20+ years ago and no plans on moving.

 

I can get to Roi Et in 50 minutes and fly to Bangkok in 50 minutes and from Don Muang to Vietnam, Cambodia,  Malaysia  etc

 

Not everyone's cup of tea, and sometimes the stupidity of locals cheeses me off, but better than a wet Wednesday in the UK.

 

Roi et a good city to visit as is Mukdahan,  also handy for Laos. Khonkaen nearby, good highways.

 

Loads of good food in Isaarn.

 

You create your own environment!

A good dose of positivity and also get up in the morning, work for yurself, your wife land, and early night with good sleep. 

 

And at once you get tired of Isaan, get out and go somewhere. Perfect

 

Just one thing, do not make yourself stuck with no options out! 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Hummin

[findlay13]

On 5/28/2023 at 8:36 AM, NanLaew said:

Didn't get out much then while you were here? There's a whole different social scene once you escape 'Soi Sampan'.

 

But first, you have to try and escape.

I spent  good times with friends from Udon ,I was based in KK then and most weeks we'd meet up,  ride our big bikes around the area NongKhai, Loei  etc. then back to the Udon  entertainment which was much better in the days before Central and Soi Sampan IMO.There were lots of good farang bars with good food Steves Harry's bar on the ring road  and Soi Farang opposite Robinsons.It lost a lot of it's appeal IMO when Central was built and the bars moved.

[glegolo18]

On 5/27/2023 at 8:20 PM, bignok said:

The food can't match the north. The nightlife is very limited. Nice drives here and there but so much of the same same. I've tried hard but the Lanna food kills Isaan food and apart from Loei and Bueng Kan it is just dry and dusty.

Always entertaining to see all you "Tourist-guys" opinion about the country-side and all these efforts you make to establish yourselfs, NOT......

[geisha]

I could never live far from the sea. An evening walk and a sunset , the fresh air and even waves and colder weather, nothing makes me happier. For craziness, I go to Bangkok , I love it there, exciting modern and exotic all in one. A week there is great, wakes me up, I’m always discovering somewhere, a road a temple or a view. 

[itsallmine68]

I have lived all over the world and every place was fantastic. I live in Udonthani and it is fantastic

You make it for the great things it has to offer.

Food, Family, seasons, warmth, no snow to shovel, no unsettling weather patterns, and so on 

[Humpy]

Most of these comments refer to local food. Is anybody forcing you to eat local food ? I've been living in Isaan for over 20 years and I have all the English food I could ever wish for , thanks to the Britshop and other suppliers.