On 4/24/2026 at 10:59 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Surely, there are some members who live high in the mountains, far from the “normal” Thai world that most of us know.

I did in Lanna for many years before moving across Northern Thailand to live in the much less remote Province of Khon Kaen.

Lanna village - Ban Pong Tham, (Pong's Cave) tucked away in a valley among mountains.

Nearest town, Wang Nua about 14kms.

Nearest City, Phayao 50kms.

Nearest 7-11 about 14kms.

My vehicles, a Toyota Fortuner SUV and a Nissan King Cab pick-up truck.

Edited April 27Apr 27 by Burma Bill

1 hour ago, Burma Bill said:

I did in Lanna for many years before moving across Northern Thailand to live in the much less remote Province of Khon Kaen.

Lanna village - Ban Pong Tham, (Pong's Cave) tucked away in a valley among mountains.

Nearest town, Wang Nua about 14kms.

Nearest City, Phayao 50kms.

Nearest 7-11 about 14kms.

My vehicles, a Toyota Fortuner SUV and a Nissan King Cab pick-up truck.

It's surprising how many Farang living in Thailand don't known much about the "Lan-Na Kingdom."

It is even mores surprising that they do not know the word for 1000 which is lan, and the Thai word for field, or rice field, which is na.

Then, it is also weird that these two simple words written in Thai script is also inaccessible to them, because they can't even read the simple and basic Thai alphabet, sort of like kindergartners in the USA who are unable to know their ABCs .

How do they even get along living in most of Thailand, and I mean anywhere outside the main Tourist areas.

On 4/26/2026 at 12:14 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Sounds rather idyllic.

Especially if you have reliable electric-power delivery, plus a fast fiber internet connection.

How much might it cost, per month, to rent a house in your small village?

Say, about 140 square meters?

Maybe a bit too close to BKK, though.

Mountain living is preferable for me.

There are mountains all around us. Bangkok is about 280km away, which is close enough for when we need to take flights, it takes us 4 hours to get to Swampy by taxi. Electric supply is as good as it gets for Thailand and we have 3BB internet, so internet is fine and I watch lots of free internet TV. I also have a DTAC annual unlimited data sim in my phone for when I'm away from home and out of distance for the 3BB reception. Don't rent the house as it's my wife's home, which we built about 10 years ago, it's smallish but very comfortable and we have all the modern appliances.

On 4/26/2026 at 12:28 PM, Rockyroad said:

At 78yo you probably don't need much. A shower and a toilet.

Hi Rockyroad. Every morning after my shower and toilet I go for a 6 km walk, I'm a keen photographer so I'm always on the lookout on these walks for interesting subject matter. After I get back home and have breakfast I work on the internet for several hours as I run a specialist blues/R&B/Jazz music blog. A couple of evenings each week we go to our local restaurant and enjoy a tasty seafood dinner and I'll knock off a couple of big Heinekens. We're big on trips and holidays and frequently take motoring trips around Thailand, we've criss-crossed the whole country several times, and frequently we have one or two week holidays in the neighboring SEA countries, most recently we were in Danang/Hoi An in Vietnam, and at the present time we're halfway through a 3-month holiday in Perth, Australia.

On 4/26/2026 at 12:15 PM, Rockyroad said:

Some 78yos do lots of stuff. Many dont. The average person is dead. Average man lives to 71.

Well that is the vaguest answer from you. Average person is dead at 71, in which countries, male or female?

Thailand is 77.1 & 81.4. UK is 79.4 & 83.2.

12 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

How do they even get along living in most of Thailand, and I mean anywhere outside the main Tourist areas.

I came to live in my Mrs village in 2016 after 6 years working in Pattaya.

Some people are good at learning languages, some are not. I learned French and German O levels, and then a few years in Scandinavia I could speak and understand most, except Finnish.

But as one gets older the ability to remember diminishes, so I find Thai very difficult. Our home is 35km from Phitsanulok, nearest 7/11 is 13 km away.

I have never been unable to make myself understood, especially now with Translate available on both sides.

4 hours ago, grain said:

There are mountains all around us. Bangkok is about 280km away, which is close enough for when we need to take flights, it takes us 4 hours to get to Swampy by taxi. Electric supply is as good as it gets for Thailand and we have 3BB internet, so internet is fine and I watch lots of free internet TV. I also have a DTAC annual unlimited data sim in my phone for when I'm away from home and out of distance for the 3BB reception. Don't rent the house as it's my wife's home, which we built about 10 years ago, it's smallish but very comfortable and we have all the modern appliances.

When you say "all the modern appliances", you sound like one of those Post WW2 newsreel reports about modern life in America, and how great the average USA housewife lives.

But, sounds good when you say you have good 3BB internet.

DTAC: I wonder if this is good enough for fast and high quality Google MEET video conferencing.

4 hours ago, grain said:

Hi Rockyroad. Every morning after my shower and toilet I go for a 6 km walk, I'm a keen photographer so I'm always on the lookout on these walks for interesting subject matter. After I get back home and have breakfast I work on the internet for several hours as I run a specialist blues/R&B/Jazz music blog. A couple of evenings each week we go to our local restaurant and enjoy a tasty seafood dinner and I'll knock off a couple of big Heinekens. We're big on trips and holidays and frequently take motoring trips around Thailand, we've criss-crossed the whole country several times, and frequently we have one or two week holidays in the neighboring SEA countries, most recently we were in Danang/Hoi An in Vietnam, and at the present time we're halfway through a 3-month holiday in Perth, Australia.

You are one of the very few around here who are living the good life, and it's obvious.

2 hours ago, wil iam not said:

But as one gets older the ability to remember diminishes, so I find Thai very difficult.

Are you joking?

Do you believe that it is simply because you are getting older that you find Thai intimidating?

No.

Thai is a very difficult language to learn, due to 73 consonants and vowels, and also the COMBINATION of consonants and context rules, etc.

Most Farang are unwilling to put in the effort. They might talk about learning Thai, but rarely have the backbone.

Also, Thai has 5 tones, and Mandarin only 5.

MinNanYu has 5, as well.

MinNanYu is more difficult than Mandarin.

But, Thai, with its writing system and with its tones, and with its different forms of speach, formal, informal, official, etc, is more difficult.

Do you really think the difficulty of learning Thai, for you, is due to you being older?

Such a good excuse.

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Are you joking?

Do you believe that it is simply because you are getting older that you find Thai intimidating?

No.

Thai is a very difficult language to learn, due to 73 consonants and vowels, and also the COMBINATION of consonants and context rules, etc.

Most Farang are unwilling to put in the effort. They might talk about learning Thai, but rarely have the backbone.

Also, Thai has 5 tones, and Mandarin only 5.

MinNanYu has 5, as well.

MinNanYu is more difficult than Mandarin.

But, Thai, with its writing system and with its tones, and with its different forms of speach, formal, informal, official, etc, is more difficult.

Do you really think the difficulty of learning Thai, for you, is due to you being older?

Such a good excuse.

A rather confusing answer, you saying why it is difficult to learn, and me saying that I find it difficult. I shall stick to my excuse.

However it cannot be SO difficult as my grandson has picked it up very well!

5 hours ago, wil iam not said:

Well that is the vaguest answer from you. Average person is dead at 71, in which countries, male or female?

Thailand is 77.1 & 81.4. UK is 79.4 & 83.2.

He did say "man"..................but your point is valid.

17 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

A rather confusing answer, you saying why it is difficult to learn, and me saying that I find it difficult. I shall stick to my excuse.

However it cannot be SO difficult as my grandson has picked it up very well!

Infants, and young children before the age of 4, compared to adults, learn language in a completely different way.

There is really no comparison.

Adults learning an L2 learn use a very different way, and the strategies for learning an L2 are very different, and not the ones that very young children depend on.

So, your grandson learning Thai has no bearing on your unwillingness to learn passa Thai at your older age.

Edited April 28Apr 28 by GammaGlobulin

23 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

However it cannot be SO difficult

You have no clue whatsoever.

In order for you to be qualified to make any statement about the relative difficulty of learning passa Thai, you must first learn it.

Then you will have some idea.

However, as of this moment, you have no idea, and are not qualified to provide any opinion here about this.

On 4/25/2026 at 5:05 PM, fredwiggy said:

Why you are so bored. Nothing to do.

I think your assumptions top your negative score total.

If you must know, today I woke up at 5, made breakfast for my daughter and I. She watched a kid's movie, and after we ate, I finished painting my porch. Then ate again, researching hunting leases and looking at the nonsense you posted, thinking all I do is burn cd's, and sit here. Then I made banana and peanut butter ice cream, which was eaten while watching Last Blood.

After this, I will mop my floors, feed the dogs that think my house is home, and water my trees.

I will later call my daughter so my daughter here could talk to her sister, and catch up on things back home in Texas. Later I will make dinner for us, and we will watch another movie, likely Sicario-Day of the Soldado. After this give her 5 more English words to learn, then test her on those from yesterday. Then it's bed, while watching music videos together and catching up on the daily news and sports scores. Not bored, even though I'm living in one of the most boring areas on earth.

And yet there is no gym there , surely you can start one , all I ask is you walk everyday please

8 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

And yet there is no gym there , surely you can start one , all I ask is you walk everyday please

8 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

There is a gym in the nearest town, and I do walk everyday.

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

There is a gym in the nearest town, and I do walk everyday

Oh there's no need for that attitude,all I ask is you be civil .

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

There is a gym in the nearest town, and I do walk everyday.

Sounds amazing. Walking everyday.

4 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

He did say "man"..................but your point is valid.

Worldwide the average man lives to 71.2 yo. If you apply a 10% standard variation living past 79yo you are doing well.

2 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Worldwide the average man lives to 71.2 yo. If you apply a 10% standard variation living past 79yo you are doing well.

Thailand it is 77!

average life expectancy in Thailand - Search

Edited April 28Apr 28 by scottiejohn

31 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Thailand it is 77!

average life expectancy in Thailand - Search

I posted that ten hours ago.

35 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Sounds amazing. Walking everyday.

Why are you always such a jerk? I too walk everyday. Heading out right now to do 3.5k in the heat. Meeting up with 3 friends and we will walk and talk and enjoy. Exercise and some conversation in real life is fun. Perhaps you should try it. a cold beer tastes extra nice upon finishing that is for sure.

You are lucky where you are its not so hot right now. This is the only time of year where walking is rough.

4 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You have no clue whatsoever.

In order for you to be qualified to make any statement about the relative difficulty of learning passa Thai, you must first learn it.

Then you will have some idea.

However, as of this moment, you have no idea, and are not qualified to provide any opinion here about this.

What a crazy answer...you say I must first learn it to know how difficult it is ....FOR ME.

And GG, I am qualified to provide any opinion I have on any subject whatsoever, the same as you seem to do.

By the way, why did YOU not learn that Thai Visa changed to Asean Now a few years ago.

Edited April 28Apr 28 by wil iam not

Average Thai man lives to 72.9 years of age.

4 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

And yet there is no gym there , surely you can start one , all I ask is you walk everyday please

Every Thai town has a gym. The best gym I went to was in a small town.

12 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

I posted that ten hours ago.

Some guy quoted me 8 days after I said something.

Edited April 28Apr 28 by Rockyroad

7 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Average Thai man lives to 72.9 years of age.

If you stopped putting people on ignore you would know that the figure is wrong!

Edited April 28Apr 28 by scottiejohn

6 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Some guy quoted me 8 days after I said something.

Why shouldn't they?

Not all AN members are on here every day from 3AM-8PM Thai local time every day!

10 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Some guy quoted me 8 days after I said something.

Oooh you lucky man, 555

1 minute ago, wil iam not said:

Oooh you lucky man, 555

Some strange people on here.

1 minute ago, wil iam not said:

Oooh you lucky man, 555

Must be one of its stalkers that it is always complaining about!