I never cease to be intrigued by all these people (expats) who decide to make house right out in the sticks of the provinces. I realise it would generally be the result of the Thai wife getting her way and living close to her relatives, but don't these expats eventually get bored absolutely witless? How many of them, I wonder, move to the wife's local village and see their days out there - not too many, I'd wager?

We have a lot of land in the sticks and I'm gonna be building a small 3 bed bungalow. But no way, no how am I gonna live there full time. It'd drive me potty

Different horses for different courses.

I dream of one day living out my days in the sticks....in whatever country.

But then, I did grow up in a very isolated place....I imagine it would be hard to get so isolated again. What you see as "right out in the sticks of the provinces", I might consider to be barely isolated enough!

As long as I had internet

Mind you......I have a back-up fiance (and a cat) to consider now. She may very well have different ideas.

sceadugenga lives happily in the sticks.

He's lived in cities, boy has he lived in cities, and would be curious to know what Ping thinks he's missing out on living in the sticks.

?

Different horses for different courses.

I dream of one day living out my days in the sticks....in whatever country.

But then, I did grow up in a very isolated place....I imagine it would be hard to get so isolated again. What you see as "right out in the sticks of the provinces", I might consider to be barely isolated enough!

As long as I had internet

Mind you......I have a back-up fiance (and a cat) to consider now. She may very well have different ideas.

Spend your time yodelling on the top of the Matterhorn?

Or clearing the snow from your mile-long footpath up the side of the Alp-of-choice?

hmmm....Switzerland would be nice to visit........ but snowy wilderness is not my style. I hope that sits ok with you Patsy.

Different horses for different courses.

I dream of one day living out my days in the sticks....in whatever country.

But then, I did grow up in a very isolated place....I imagine it would be hard to get so isolated again. What you see as "right out in the sticks of the provinces", I might consider to be barely isolated enough!

As long as I had internet

Mind you......I have a back-up fiance (and a cat) to consider now. She may very well have different ideas.

I consider where I live, "out in the sticks".

Not too far, but far enuff.

=================================================================

BTW, Harcourt, mite be a small BBQ at my place Sat and watch Super 14, if ya wanna pop around.

Karaoke too after game, ...... Keep watching.

Kewep watching.

Cool....I've got my boy with me this weekend, but he may have plans.....if he goes off somewhere, I'll bring my best singing voice.

sceadugenga lives happily in the sticks.

He's lived in cities, boy has he lived in cities, and would be curious to know what Ping thinks he's missing out on living in the sticks.

?

Oh, I don't know - a life?

sceadugenga lives happily in the sticks.

He's lived in cities, boy has he lived in cities, and would be curious to know what Ping thinks he's missing out on living in the sticks.

?

Oh, I don't know - a life?

How so? Millions of people live in rural areas, some very isolated, many by choice.

Why am I lacking a life? Do I go with out books and movies? Friends? Exotic foods? Trust me it's all here.

I'm not a theatre buff, the last play I saw was at high school; I can be in one of the worlds largest cities in two hours, amongst my family in nine.

Tell me what's great about cities? Clubbing? You can keep it. Larger choice of boozing spots? Not interested.

I'm waiting to hear what I'm missing out on.

Edit: Do you see this out of your bedroom window?

No, don't get me wrong. No argument from me. After all, you've got all your lovely books to read and, if you decide to you that you would like to visit civilisation every couple of months... well, it's only a two hour drive away. Yes, nothing wrong with that lifestyle.

Now, why don't you sit down and enjoy a nice cup of Oh - you've already had your coffee. Well how about you, ah, um... Yes! Finish that lovely book...

Still waiting....

^I hope you've got a work permit for that...

Cities are more of a young people thing, oldies move to the country to get away from them.

When asked about city life, the young guy says, "I like to go out" (why would you want to stay home in your cramped 1BR flat anyway).

My response to this is "I've been out".

Edit: Accept my apologies if you have a cramped 2BR semi-detached.

From The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayam:

"A flask of wine beneath the bough,

A loaf of bread, a book of verse and Thou

Beside me, singing in the wilderness,

And the Wilderness is Paradise enow."

When I did live out in the boonies, it was fine at first, I had the wife and step-daughter, and a large assortment of dogs, the isolation was not a problem as I was never really alone at any time, plus I had the internet.

When wifey developed her little gambling problem and basically ran away, then it became a very different matter, and after a year or so of living by myself I was slowly going crazy, that was why I moved into the town proper.

I can see how country life is not for everyone, but as long as you have the right family and friends around you, I would quite happily do it again.

I think that the keyword here may be "thou".

Which brings us to the OP, who paints this vision of geriatric farang men being dragged like trophies to some isolated Isaan village totally unaware that a life of chicken watching and cold water showers awaits them.

Most of us have tried many other places in Thailand on a short and long term basis and started off holidaying in their village on visits to wives families. The decision to settle there permanently was invariably ours.

Most expats outside of Bangkok and Patters live in or on the outskirts of the larger provincial cities.

I seriously suspect that "the sticks" no longer exists in countries like this.

Lotus or Big C is usually less than an hours drive away and satellite dishes surround even the humblest Farang abode.

Will I last it out personally?

Dude, I got nowhere else to go.

Lotus or Big C is usually less than an hours drive away

And that is one of the reasons it'd do my head in. That ain't no convenience store, not in my book

I was in the Village just over a week ago. There is another Farang in the Village (he's not really my cup of tea) but he goes more insular every time I see him.

Lotus or Big C is usually less than an hours drive away

And that is one of the reasons it'd do my head in. That ain't no convenience store, not in my book

I was in the Village just over a week ago. There is another Farang in the Village (he's not really my cup of tea) but he goes more insular every time I see him.

Well if you said hello to me occasionally I might stick my head out of my cave.

Lotus or Big C is usually less than an hours drive away

And that is one of the reasons it'd do my head in. That ain't no convenience store, not in my book

I was in the Village just over a week ago. There is another Farang in the Village (he's not really my cup of tea) but he goes more insular every time I see him.

Well if you said hello to me occasionally I might stick my head out of my cave.

That's the difference you see. You expect people to say hello to you first. Why can't you be the one to say hello. Joking aside, he is really like that but I'm not putting that down to him living in a Village, he's probably just a cock

I live in a small town of about 12k pop...does that count? I find that observing rural life can be endlessly fascinating...

ran outta vodka last week and couldn't find an available niece to go to the shop down the market so I had to go meself whereupon the 7 y.o. niece fell into step and took my hand...we emerge from our small soi almost onto the full glare of the local market and some of the vendors were hailing my niece with salutations...she was skipping along an' lovin' it sayin' ' he's my uncle!'...I don't go out much...

then there is the Robinson Crusoe syndrome; saw a falang at the checkout down the local tescos at 9 in the am and knew he had to be a local and I hid back in the aisle...after a few seconds I thought what the hel_l I should say hello but when I came out he had disappeared...he was as apprehensive as me...

there are always family matters to consider; looks like the MiL will be moving back in but the 15 y.o. niece has disappeared again and will have to be disciplined when she returns...she has already received a warning...

never a dull moment...

then there is the Robinson Crusoe syndrome;

Yes there certainly is. You see them in the supermarkets and malls of rural Thailand, eyes down, teenage girlfriend in tow, usually being dragged by the hand, rummaging through the fridge cabinets in search of Gorgonzola Piccante and bloc de foie gras and refusing to acknowledge anything around them short of a tactical nuclear explosion.

Interesting and suprising. I would have thought that if you were to bump into another farang in an isolated village, you'd walk up to him and greet him like your long lost brother - yet the opposite seems to be the case. Rural folk (at least in Oz) are usually quite the opposite. I would assume that rural Thais are as well. Perhaps it's the stranger in a strange and isolated land syndrome? I feel some sadness for these people - even if they, themselves are okay with it.

Cool....I've got my boy with me this weekend, but he may have plans.....if he goes off somewhere, I'll bring my best singing voice.

BUGGA.....double.... bugga.

Me mate Kumar has a do at his place, skittled my plans.

Always a nuvva time.

Always another time...no sweat.

Interesting and suprising. I would have thought that if you were to bump into another farang in an isolated village, you'd walk up to him and greet him like your long lost brother - yet the opposite seems to be the case. Rural folk (at least in Oz) are usually quite the opposite. I would assume that rural Thais are as well. Perhaps it's the stranger in a strange and isolated land syndrome? I feel some sadness for these people - even if they, themselves are okay with it.

Yeah, it is odd. My ex's town/city is Uttaradit...a fairly substantial metropolis. In 2 weeks there, I saw 2 farang, and both of them ignored me, even though I was quite happy to catch their eye as a prelude to a "Hi".

Back in Fiji, it was a bit the same....but the few farang I came across didn't have a chance because I would foist myself upon them. After breaking the ice, they usually melted.

I wonder if it has something to do with a mindset of "I have come here to get away from it all, I don't want any connection with the West"?....or in the case of Sceadugenga's example of those with a teenager in tow, perhaps they are embarrassed?

I know I would be embarrassed to be seen holding hands with a teenager.

Interesting and suprising. I would have thought that if you were to bump into another farang in an isolated village, you'd walk up to him and greet him like your long lost brother - yet the opposite seems to be the case. Rural folk (at least in Oz) are usually quite the opposite. I would assume that rural Thais are as well. Perhaps it's the stranger in a strange and isolated land syndrome? I feel some sadness for these people - even if they, themselves are okay with it.

Yeah, it is odd. My ex's town/city is Uttaradit...a fairly substantial metropolis. In 2 weeks there, I saw 2 farang, and both of them ignored me, even though I was quite happy to catch their eye as a prelude to a "Hi".

Back in Fiji, it was a bit the same....but the few farang I came across didn't have a chance because I would foist myself upon them. After breaking the ice, they usually melted.

I wonder if it has something to do with a mindset of "I have come here to get away from it all, I don't want any connection with the West"?....or in the case of Sceadugenga's example of those with a teenager in tow, perhaps they are embarrassed?

I know I would be embarrassed to be seen holding hands with a teenager.

Don't knock it until you've tried it.

I tend to force contact if I'm in the mood, I've noticed farang women can be pretty stuck up too unless they're tourists, and the younger ones usually don't like making eye contact with old farang men anyway. I suspect a lot of the resident women I see up here are missionaries or their ilk who suspect the motives of sceadugenga-like men for living up here. (Both suspicions probably unfounded but why deny me an occasional paranoia attack).

Mrs sceadugenga speaks several European languages and often strikes up conversations in coffee shops with tourists. I even caught her prattling on in Swiss Deutsch once.

Smart ass b*tch.

I have been in a bit of a slump financially recently and because of this I haven't been able to get out of my apartment as I would like.

At times like this I wish that I was out in the sticks because it would be easy for me to go for a walk or go rummaging about in the undergrowth looking for wildlife etc (I am a bit of a wannabee David Attenborough). I do enjoy going for a walk but a stroll down Sukhumvit, for example, is not my idea of a good time.

I have been in a bit of a slump financially recently and because of this I haven't been able to get out of my apartment as I would like.

At times like this I wish that I was out in the sticks because it would be easy for me to go for a walk or go rummaging about in the undergrowth looking for wildlife etc (I am a bit of a wannabee David Attenborough). I do enjoy going for a walk but a stroll down Sukhumvit, for example, is not my idea of a good time.

I hear ya.

yew guys don't unnerstand...when I say Robinson Crusoe it's the alarm associated with finding another inhabitant on what was previously considered to be an uninhabited island...I always thought that I was the only falang fer miles...

I've said hello to other westerners at the big tescos up in changwat suphan but that's different...outside of my patch, so to speak...

'hi!...howdewyewlikeit?...'

'it's hot...'