Living In Ratchaburi

[riepan963]

Can anyone living in the RATCHABURI or NAKHON PATHOM areas give me any info on what it's like for ex-pats. I mean getting around, crime stats, entertainment, shopping, house rental availability/price range etc. Thanks

[Spoke]

I live in Nakhon Pathom province although in a rural area of it. I do most of my shopping at Lotus or Big C with the occasional trip to Makro for cheese. All of them are in Nakhon Pathom city. I go to the local market for fruits and vegetables. If you need something which is only available in a big mall then The Mall Bang Khae on the western edge Bangkok is not far away. Entertainment options are fairly limited. There are several movie theaters and Thai style bars but a lot of expats head into Bangkok for a night out. Overall it's a good place as you're not breathing the fumes of Bangkok and do not have to deal with its traffic but if you really need something from Bangkok like a trip to the embassy or airport then it's only 60km away.

[DEREK-C]

Spoke covered Nakhon Pathom and I would add that the Immigration Office that covers Ratchaburi is now in Nakhon Pathom. The stores he mentioned I also use the Macro, the only downturn is the Nakhon Pathom Macro has stopped stocking English bacon, sausage etc. The Mall Bang Kae is an excellent shopping Mall (I was there yesterday.

Ratchaburi cantre has 3 large supermarkets, Robinsons (a mall type with a Topps supermarket), Bic-C and Tescos. Nearly all the Ampurs in Ratchaburi have a small Tescos. Ban Pong which is probably the largerst amphur has a Small Tescos in the centre, with a large one on the main road and a Big-C almost opposite.

I would think that crime is a lot lower than other major expat areas. Of all my friends in the area I know of only 4 instances where it effected them personally. One had a break in where he disturbed the intruders, another had money stolen from a wallet left on a downstairs table whilst he was upstairs, and another had problems due to a jealous local Thai. I had 2 attempts to get into the grounds of my house, but with the attention of my dogs (2 Rotts) and a possee of locals all I was left with was some damage to my wall. The most common crime that has effected me is the stealing of telephone wires. I'm in a very rural area and there can be quite a lot of lines in "blind" spots. It's happened about 5 times in the last few years and a lose the phone and internet for a day or so. It last happened a week ago and the local TOT office have informed me that they have installed a new system (They spent 5 days doing it). If there is another attempt to steal cable, they are in for a shock.

There are quite a few expats in central Ratchaburi, I believe they meet on a friday in a bar opposite Tescos with others dotted about the rural areas. The same goes for Ban Pong which has quite a number of expats. The meeting place is again on a friday at 14:00 at a coffee house. By far the biggest expat population is based in and around Kanchanaburi. This is also the main area for tourists and nightlife. Look up some of KANWIN's posts for details about Kan.

It really depends on what you mean by entertainement. I occasionally meet up with people in the bars in Kan and Ban Pong. It's a fantastic area for golf with many championship standard courses. There are also many good fishing locations. Ban Pong has several swimming pools and a ten pin bowling alley and many other facilities. Days out sightseeing can be great, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, hot springs and many other attractions.

I can realy only speak for Ban Pong regarding housing, but probably the same applies for most locations. There are many houses to rent and quite a few of my expat friends are renting in Ban Pong. The price can vary, but for example one friend rents a town house with a large open plan ground floor with separate kithen and bathroom, with one large bedroom, 2 smaller ones and a bathroom upstairs, for 2,500 baht per month. Another touched lucky gand got a large ger detached house in it's own grounds for 5,000 per month. The Bangkok Bank has a property section with details of what's of available, mainly to buy, but also rental.

Hope it has given you some idea, if you have any specific questions please PM me.

[riepan963]

I live in Nakhon Pathom province although in a rural area of it. I do most of my shopping at Lotus or Big C with the occasional trip to Makro for cheese. All of them are in Nakhon Pathom city. I go to the local market for fruits and vegetables. If you need something which is only available in a big mall then The Mall Bang Khae on the western edge Bangkok is not far away. Entertainment options are fairly limited. There are several movie theaters and Thai style bars but a lot of expats head into Bangkok for a night out. Overall it's a good place as you're not breathing the fumes of Bangkok and do not have to deal with its traffic but if you really need something from Bangkok like a trip to the embassy or airport then it's only 60km away.

Thanks for the info -- will pm you at a later date