Just what is life like in Rural Thailand- ever wondered ?

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Long story short we moved far away so the kid can have a real shot at a good future.

A real sad story is the guy "Ricky in Isaan" on YouTube who had twins and his then wife died of dengue shortly after. He's now trying to raise these two babies in Chaiyaphum and is going about convincing himself how great rural Thailand is but you can hear the doubt creeping in. No idea how he plans to survive but the bar is very low and his kids will suffer for it if you ask me.

[Task Master]

13 years living in Rual Thailand (Esan) it's o.k.

[rumak]

On 5/16/2024 at 12:04 PM, Will B Good said:

I have lived in very rural Isaan for two years. Beautiful home, loving and affectionate wife, beautiful countryside.....her house and land, all bought with her money, not mine so I live virtually 'free'.....and yet I am seriously looking at giving it all up.

the wife as well ??😁   

 I've lived both rural, semi= rural ( close to a major city CM),  and 70 km away from CM  ( turned 7 rai into a nice place ) .   but by that time i didn't feel much like being a country gentleman or farmer .   Each stage of life , if one is adventurous, offers experiences,  good and bad .  This latest stage ( advancing years !)  has me finally accepting that semi-rural is now the best option..and one i liked best in other places.     (that's just me) .    If i had 6 great children that could take care of 30 rai .....planting and having real food .... and a nice swimming pool ... then i could live out in the middle of a coconut grove.  

[NorthernRyland]

This young man is learning some of the lessons mentioned here in real time. The cognitive dissonance is too painful for me, both his stories and in my own life.

 

They're great people, so friendly BUT they burn trash and everything else and smoke you out so don't live near them, they play loud bass music at all hours of the night so don't live near them, they have intercoms in the morning that wake you up at 5:30 so don't live near them, they drive like lunatics and will kill you so be careful... but they're really friendly guys!

 

I can't make the square peg fit in the round hole. If you live with these people long enough I think you'll have a mental breakdown. Doubt this guy survives for longer than 12 months.

 

 

[proton]

'The only thing I really HATE about living here is the fkin music!  '

 

The only thing I love about it

 

 

[pasathai]

lots of busy bodies watching and gossiping 

 

[Hummin]

12 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

When I first built a home on the rice fields some years back I thought is was so awesome. Like I could simply disappear. That feeling as a part timer continued for years. Then, reality sort of kicked in as I'm sitting outside watching the cows being led out to open range feed, then watching same cows being led home in evening. Didn't want the kid going to a local school so education started being a concern as K3 approached.

 

I understand the locals have a hard life but my lady's kid brother had every chance to have an advanced education but couldn't be bothered. Dont get me wrong he works taking care of his family but probably will never bust 20K/month. One of the lady's nieces had a kid at age 15. The cycle of poverty is almost part of their DNA. Now because I worked 12 hr days, 7 days a week for 4-6 month rotations they look to me for help. So and so this, so and so that, tears flow. I'm tired of it.

 

Long story short we moved far away so the kid can have a real shot at a good future.

If I had kid with my wife, I would move to, I see no future countryside for kids. We are fortunate and have no kids, so less worries for both of us

[rumak]

owl sees all has a longgggg running down to earth account of his life in rural thailand

here on AN .......

 Diary of a farang in Isaan

 

[Mark Nothing]

I lasted 2 nights in the village before departing, never to return.  The culture shock was too great.

 

The peaceful tranquility I envisioned was nonexistent.  Noise everwhere all the time.  Chickens crowing all night, neighbors screaming conversation from house to house rather than walking over and talking.  And the morning temple loudspeaker chanting at full volume through a staticky loudspeakers.

 

The neighbor had a pig farm next to where I stayed.  The attrocious smell was appalling.  Bu the aggressive, biting pig flies were worse.

 

We bought a few boxes of thai whiskey and the thai men would come over for a bottle.  All shriveled up, unhealthy looking, like they no longer ate food.

 

The other neighbor strung up a white sheet with flourescent lights to catch bugs in buckets of water.  All the neighbors would eat the deep fried bug bounty.

 

The entire village was one big animal waste pit. Everwhere. No cleaning of any kind.  Buffalo, dog, human waste.  The women would squat in the yards.  They still wore skirts back then.  I asked why they didn't use inside toilet and the reply was too beautiful to soil.

 

The people were trying to be polite, but the difference in culture was too severe.  I got the moring bus out.

 

 

 

 

[Hummin]

On 5/18/2024 at 7:12 AM, NorthernRyland said:

A real sad story is the guy "Ricky in Isaan" on YouTube who had twins and his then wife died of dengue shortly after. He's now trying to raise these two babies in Chaiyaphum and is going about convincing himself how great rural Thailand is but you can hear the doubt creeping in. No idea how he plans to survive but the bar is very low and his kids will suffer for it if you ask me.

At least he is young and creative, I feel with those kids growing up with dysfunctional mothers, families and fathers who cant care for themselves. Who moved here for the paradise and living the dream, ended up as alcoholic in rural villages. 

 

There is a few of them

[Irish star]

Absolute Crap , Wasted 4 years if my life 

[Aforek]

I live in a village, in my wife's familly : 5  houses with mother, brothers and sisters: good place, not noisy, people work, big garden and sala with wonderful landscape and occupation in my every day life, not boring 

"civilisation " is not far, amphoe is at 4 kms, everything ( Big C, Makro, Tai watsadu etc ) inside a circle of 30 kms from my house, Internet, nice house, nice people, I speak and read good Thai

I live here for 6 years already and I don't see why I should go live somewhere else : I have found MY place 

it's not Issan, but not far and I guess life is not too much different 

[Denim]

39 minutes ago, Aforek said:

I live in a village, in my wife's familly : 5  houses with mother, brothers and sisters: good place, not noisy, people work, big garden and sala with wonderful landscape and occupation in my every day life, not boring 

"civilisation " is not far, amphoe is at 4 kms, everything ( Big C, Makro, Tai watsadu etc ) inside a circle of 30 kms from my house, Internet, nice house, nice people, I speak and read good Thai

I live here for 6 years already and I don't see why I should go live somewhere else : I have found MY place 

it's not Issan, but not far and I guess life is not too much different 

 

Sounds like our place in Petchabun.

 

Best of all, few foreign tourists to screw it up.

[NorthernRyland]

38 minutes ago, Denim said:

Sounds like our place in Petchabun.

there's so many small cities in the north and they people aren't anything like the disaster other people report in isaan. For anyone wanting to get out of cities but not suffer with the Isaan folks I would check out all those small cities like Lampang, Phayao, Chiang Dao, Tak, Mae Hong Son, Nan etc... etc...

[In Full Agreement]

On 5/16/2024 at 10:57 AM, Bday Prang said:

It doesn't matter to me were they return to,  but they obviously cannot exist in a totally foreign environment,  living in those places is hardly living in Thailand, when surrounded by other foreigners, with all the western "essentials" close to hand,  Most can't even count to ten in Thai,  truly pathetic  Its obvious you are one of them, like a fish out of water

 

 

What business or concern is it to you where these people live?

 

 

 

"Its obvious you are one of them, like a fish out of water"

Thanks for taking  a  potshot at me when you definitely know nothing about me.

 

 

 

 

[GarryP]

On 5/18/2024 at 8:57 AM, bunnydrops said:

To be truthful. I haven't heard much deeper conversation from the local farangs around here. They put me to sleep with endless talk about golf and Yes how hot it is.

I don't play golf and only complain about the heat in April (this year in particular). 😉

[sipi]

Our house in Isaan is on a few rai, with vege garden and a chicken coop.

Our house in Australia is on a few rai, with a vege garden and a chicken coop.

I see a pattern forming here.

[JimTripper]

I'm not sure how he does that. I lived up there in isaan for several weeks with a GF many years ago and I felt so alone, more so then being by myself. People yammering in Thai was very annoying. The locals were on another level and no real genuine connections felt possible. I started taking long walks alone to get away from people and it was so nice to be alone by myself out in a rice field with nobody around. The Thai's seemingly don't like that and it's hard to get away. Glad it's working for him though.

 

Of course, it could just be me. 😂

[Irish star]

It’s absolutely <deleted>e , 3 years lost in Korat , dragged their by Thai girl not bar girl , the girls in Korat are some of the most selfish drama queens and scammers , Ruthless Avoid 

[JimTripper]

Maybe something similar to this?

 

[Chris Daley]

Go to seven eleven.  Eat disgusting food barely fit for humans.  Wake up at 5.  Finiah work at 7.  Same old <deleted>e but "rural thailand"

[0ffshore360]

I have witnessed  almost  every variant of  above negatives.

Most of them are from people who at some point either rapidly or slowly concluded the rural scene , as they saw it, was  beyond their capacity to tolerate at all long enough to even begin to appreciate anything.

A contrived  internet video of ridiculous  assumed  Filipino equivalence ? May suit the conceptions or preconceptions of the urban addicts etc but hardly typical.

It comes down to a personalized recognition in acceptance of what is reality is a marginal difference in amenities with a greater distance in immediate access .

I genuinely appreciate having the option to visit "city" rather than live in it like a sewer rat.

 

 

[rumak]

On 5/19/2024 at 8:40 PM, NorthernRyland said:

there's so many small cities in the north and they people aren't anything like the disaster other people report in isaan. For anyone wanting to get out of cities but not suffer with the Isaan folks I would check out all those small cities like Lampang, Phayao, Chiang Dao, Tak, Mae Hong Son, Nan etc... etc...

my lady comes from Khon Kaen.   her dream was to meet a farang and live in Chiangmai .    I just happened to be available   555

 

she definitely likes the North more than Isaan .......  prettier, not as much stealing ,  likes the character of northern people more ..

to name a few things.

 

and our house !   what a beauty !

[rumak]

13 hours ago, 0ffshore360 said:

I genuinely appreciate having the option to visit "city" rather than live in it like a sewer rat.

 

gotta agree....     I think many here enjoy the "best of both worlds" .... living 15 or 20 km away from the concrete jungle .    

[rumak]

On 5/22/2024 at 6:25 PM, sipi said:

Our house in Isaan is on a few rai, with vege garden and a chicken coop.

Our house in Australia is on a few rai, with a vege garden and a chicken coop.

I see a pattern forming here.

 

you mean the aussie masters still let you grow veggies and have chickens ? 

 

 

[surreybloke]

Rural life can be so much fun, but your life is never your own.      Trust me   village gossip  is real.    You can almost be the only falang.         

 

Any comments.    

[sipi]

On 5/30/2024 at 4:08 PM, rumak said:

 

you mean the aussie masters still let you grow veggies and have chickens ? 

 

 

With the appropriate government conditions.

[BusNo8]

Hat's off to both of them - and they are true content creators not just walking about with a camera on a stick in a panic over some minor drama.

 

If I was his age (married which I would never be at his age) I could do something like this although it would be down south and much closer to the water.

 

At my age and with urban wife and myself soft and enjoying cheap condo, AC and subway to fantastic malls in minutes it's day has come and gone.

 

It would be fun and you could make it easy. Hobby farm.

[BusNo8]

On 5/16/2024 at 4:28 PM, Lacessit said:

I can hack one or two days in my GF's village, after that boredom sets in.

 

There's also roosters crowing at 2 am, six of the neighbor's dogs setting up a mass howl at 3 am, and caterwauling from felines any time of the night.

 

The temple has loudspeakers, sometimes the monks will be broadcasting at 5 or 6 am. Peaceful my @rse.

 

The police don't come in, the poo yai settles any disputes.

 

It's a barter economy, surrounded by rice fields. Women earn 200 baht a day there, men get 300. Neighbors trade bananas, rice, frogs, chickens, eggs.

 

AFAIK I am the only foreigner there.

 

I think the trick is to not go full local and just keep it a hobby farm on outskirts of a city. Can possibly bring stuff market as well.

[ThaiFelix]

 Just what is life like in Rural Thailand?

 

Never you mind, you wouldnt like it so stay where you are lol!