Moving to Korat

[aluc]

Hello folks.

After 10 years of living in Phuket, me and my wife decided it would be the right time to relocate to Korat. The main reason is her parents getting old and father has dementia so she wants to stay closer to family. Also Phuket getting quite expensive and russian hordes make me sick.

Family lives in a little village in Phimai district which I visited a few times and really enjoyed my time there, however I can`t imagine to live there. So we came to a compromise to move to Korat city which is about 70km away from her family. Im in my mid 30`s and I would describe myself as a not demanding person. I`m looking for a safe, quiet area where I can rent a detached house with little garden up to 15k/month. I prefer a little bit outside crowded areas and decent gym would be big bonus for the area. My wife suggested me few areas where to look, but since she has not lived there for a very long time I would like to hear from an expat point of view what areas I should look for. Also I know there are concerns about flood so please tell me what areas I should definitely avoid. We mostly cook at home, so Makro or some markets would be nice to be not far away.

We dont have a car, because in Phuket I dont see any practical reason to buy one since island is small and with motorbike its more convenient to avoid traffic jams, but what about Korat - to have a car there is a must?

Sorry if its hard to read what I wrote, English is not my native language, still learning.

 

 

[KhunLA]

Personally I'd rather be in PhiMai than Korat.  Never was much of a fan of Korat.

 

Phimai does have a Lotus's, and L'expresses.  For ease of daily living, depending how much time wife plans on being with the family, Phimai may be a better choice, and save Korat for once or twice month stocking up on western food items/ingredients.

 

Can't help with housing rec, as never peeked at the market or the area in that way.  Korat does get its share of flooding, so need to pay attention with that one.

 

Good Luck.

[bignok]

Mid 30s wife too? Parents be 60. Not old. Korat is ok, Phimai is boring after you do ruins. Khon Kaen is better.

 

You should hire a car for a week and look around.

[aluc]

Wife is 37, Im 34.

Her parents are close to 70, but working all their life in rice field did some impact on their health.

I agree that Phimai gets boring very quickly, its just not much to do there. However Korat made a great first impression to me, food was great, cheap beer and kind local people, have some nice bars with live music like Tawan Deng.

Maybe I should ask where are majority of expats community located in Korat?

[NoDisplayName]

Phimai has a new Hokee big box store with a newly-opened Swenson's in the mall area.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, aluc said:

After 10 years of living in Phuket, me and my wife decided it would be the right time to relocate to Korat.

I have to admit I am stunned by this and similar posts.

 

If you would not be married, would you ever have thought about moving to Korat? From Phuket?

I find it very hard to imagine such a move.

So let's assume without the wife you would never move to Korat. Are you sure you want to change your whole life, possible for decades, according to what your wife wants?

Maybe she is the greatest wife of all times, and you do everything for her.

But I wonder how long it will take before the resentment takes over. I am only in this place because of you...

Somehow I see difficulties in the future. But maybe that is only me.

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by OneMoreFarang
spelling

[aluc]

The answer is no, I would not move to Korat if Im not married to her. But on the other hand Phuket was never a place where I wanted to spend rest of my life. Yes, its nice here, I live 800 meters from a stunning beach, but when years go by it does not mean too much for me, Im going to beach maybe 4-5 times per year.

Also I grew up in a little town with about 8000 people there and spent a lot of time with my grandparents in a country side where nearest neighbour was about kilometre away.

So its a not a big deal for me to move to lets say a little bit undeveloped location. I enjoy fishing, hiking, camping and other similar activities in a country side.

You might be older and more experienced than me and giving me a good advice, but I still feel its right decision and it didnt came just like that. Me and my wife have been talking many times about this and she never had pushed me to make that move.

[youreavinalaff]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I have to admit I am stunned by this and similar posts.

 

If you would not be married, would you ever have thought about moving to Korat? From Phuket?

I find it very hard to imagine such a move.

So let's assume without the wife you would never move to Korat. Are you sure you want to change your whole life, possible for decades, according to what your wife wants?

Maybe she is the greatest wife of all times, and you do everything for her.

But I wonder how long it will take before the resentment takes over. I am only in this place because of you...

Somehow I see difficulties in the future. But maybe that is only me.

 

You clearly didn't read tge whole OP.

 

He quite clearly gives his own reasons for moving. Also mentions he likes Korat.

[OneMoreFarang]

13 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

You clearly didn't read tge whole OP.

 

He quite clearly gives his own reasons for moving. Also mentions he likes Korat.

And he writes just above your comment:

2 hours ago, aluc said:

The answer is no, I would not move to Korat if Im not married to her.

 

[bunnydrops]

I live near Phimai and if you are the kind that needs to have to have yourself entertained everyday, this is not the place for you. I would look more at Khon Kaen. It is about 2 hrs north of Phimai. University town, lots more do there. I don't really care for Korat much.

[KhunLA]

35 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

I live near Phimai and if you are the kind that needs to have to have yourself entertained everyday, this is not the place for you. I would look more at Khon Kaen. It is about 2 hrs north of Phimai. University town, lots more do there. I don't really care for Korat much.

That would be more that 2x as far from wife's family, if living near Phimai town, than Korat is.

[bunnydrops]

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

That would be more that 2x as far from wife's family, if living near Phimai town, than Korat is.

Yes that is true, the reason why I mentioned the time. But he hasn't said how often he would have to make the trip. Khon Kaen is a bit more "modern" than Korat, great outdoor places to the west of the city.

[youreavinalaff]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And he writes just above your comment:

 

Indeed he did say that. However, he has also made it quite clear it is a joint decision.

 

My wife would not have moved to UK if she wasn't married to me. That's not to say it was my decision and she moved against her will.

[jts-khorat]

7 hours ago, aluc said:

The answer is no, I would not move to Korat if Im not married to her.

Either way, you are moving there to help taking care of her parents; however, you have not mentioned their living circumstances. If at all feasible, I would at first move in with them -- I know, I know, I hear the hordes screaming -- to first see, if you are at all able to mingle with them. Beginning dementia could easily mean, that driving to Phimai from the city will become a very regular exercise or far removed living domiciles might be quickly become impossible.

 

Secondly, you can explore the area(s) where you might want to settle at leisure. Maybe Phimai itself is not so bad to live there for a while. Give yourself room for an informed decision and set yourself a deadline of a few weeks to make a final move.

 

And thirdly, you might observe, if your wife is actually able to stay close to her parents. In theory she should, but you mentioned that she has not lived there for a long time herself. I have seen it many times that women living in the more exciting tourist areas of Thailand actually have issues re-settling back in a more rural region where work is very difficult to find and emotional pressures from the family might be imminently put to bear on her (this point obviously a generalization, as you mentioned nothing about either your wife or her family, but you would know yourself if it could be true).

[scorecard]

Just wondering if you should compromise to let your wife be closer to her parents. 70K is not a 15 minute drive especially if she needs sometimes to get to parents quickly.

 

Good luck.

[BritManToo]

Don't do it, or you'll be sorry!

[norfolkandchance]

14 hours ago, aluc said:

Wife is 37, Im 34.

Her parents are close to 70, but working all their life in rice field did some impact on their health.

I agree that Phimai gets boring very quickly, its just not much to do there. However Korat made a great first impression to me, food was great, cheap beer and kind local people, have some nice bars with live music like Tawan Deng.

Maybe I should ask where are majority of expats community located in Korat?

 

[sammieuk1]

I ended doing a 10 stretch in Chiang Mai for a similar reason I advise don't do it could only break free when they all died but each to their own ????

[Pumpuynarak]

Well i live in a suburb of Korat and have done for the last 16 years and yes the reason for choosing Korat was the fact that wifey wanted to be close enough to her aging moma who is not in the best of health in case of emergencies. We live 80kms from her moma's village and can get there in circa 50 mins (i drive pretty fast when the need arises lol)

Now knowing what i now know about living in a Korat suburb or anywhere in Isaan i would'nt choose it as my 1st choice, Hua Hin would be my choice.

 

Having said that where we live is very peaceful with good neighbours and all the facilities we could need only a stones throw away and getting into the town takes 20 mins.

 

There are certainly better places to live than Korat but it ain't all that bad.  

[KhunLA]

28 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Well i live in a suburb of Korat and have done for the last 16 years and yes the reason for choosing Korat was the fact that wifey wanted to be close enough to her aging moma who is not in the best of health in case of emergencies. We live 80kms from her moma's village and can get there in circa 50 mins (i drive pretty fast when the need arises lol)

Now knowing what i now know about living in a Korat suburb or anywhere in Isaan i would'nt choose it as my 1st choice, Hua Hin would be my choice.

 

Having said that where we live is very peaceful with good neighbours and all the facilities we could need only a stones throw away and getting into the town takes 20 mins.

 

There are certainly better places to live than Korat but it ain't all that bad.  

Yep, that pretty much mirrors my Udon Thani existence for 16 yrs.  Made the best of it, but hindsight, and even while there, wouldn't be my first choice.

 

Also lived 20 ish minute out of town, which provided almost everything.  UT, KK, Korat or anywhere in the NE/Isan wouldn't be my first or top 100 places to live in TH.  Half a year of air pollution is enough reason not to live there.  If forced to live there, I'd probably leave the country, and my wife is from Nong Bua Lamphu.

 

OP is in for a culture & lifestyle shock, coming from Phuket.  Only positive, less congested traffic, if not living in the city.  I don't see this ending well.

 

Good Luck

[ThaiLawOnline]

i lived from 2005 to 2022 in Korat. For me, the nicest area is Nong Phai Lom (near the lake) but it is quite expensive now. Another place is Pradok (not sure I write it correctly) famous for Kanom Jeen.

it depends what you want, your budget and you are still young at 34. Visit several places that I call villages or moo ban, with projects. The floods in Korat are almost controlled. Around 2011 there was a big one. After that, near Saveone was a problem after the 80th year stadium for the king’s birthday was built but they worked on that park last year.

 

Avoid Jamjuree in Hua Thale. Actually Hua Thale has more floods than other places. Behind the Mall was flooded few years ago. But now, near Suranaree 2, there are many projects. If you have 8 million or more, near Venice Park is nice because you are near many restaurants like far boy tavern, some Japanese, the Mayfair market. You are also near the Mall and ina good location. 
 

korat is not a bad city. Very similar to the 4 big in Isaan, Ubon, udon, KK and Korat. But there is a non official rules that say you should live at least 2 hours or scooter from the family to avoid problems.

i always followed that rules except once, and yes, it made a mess!!!!! 17 years in Korat….I think I know the city a little. I prefer mountain near Wang Nam Khio but land is not cheap…

 

learn “Meang Ying Kla, Pha Maa dee, Mii Korat, Prasat Hin, Din Dan .kwien” and all Korat people will love you. It is the slogan. Translated it means the city of the brave lady (yamo), the nice silk, the noodles of Korat, Phimai temples and the soil of Dan Kwian (for pottery).

 

another in Korat language is “Korat Baan (h)Eng”. Not sure if you pronounce the H. It means Korat is my home, or my house. That’s what Korat people say. Enjoy Smaz Bistro, Run Juan bar, Space Bar, Some .might Say draft beer, 8 bistro, Fat Boy Tavern, Rong Lao Mittraphab (the best bar at the moment) the Thao Suranaree festival from March to 23….I think 23 is her birthday. I love thé BBQ festival in November. Have lunch at Maze Kitchen, dinner at Ton Sabiang, pizza at .fat Boy 

tavern, the grill room on the 20th floor of Kantary hôtel and you will see that Korat is not Phuket, but you can have a good life…and cheaper than Phuket.

 

 

 

[djayz]

On 6/17/2023 at 7:00 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

But maybe that is only me.

"maybe"? 

[South]

Go where your gut tells you where to go, not your heart, sorted!