Living In The Countryside Of Isaan

[wingcommander0]

i bought a piece of land 3 years ago 30km east of Ubon ratchatani and have not decide if im gonna start building a house there. i have a girlfriend i love and she have all her relatives in a small village 50m from the land (about 1 rai) there is absolutely no shops, 30km to town of ubon ratchatani only ricefarms. i stayed there now for 1 month and sometimes you can miss some action and shops from the citylife. is there anyone that has build and stay in isaan village a bit from civilization and what do you do for killing time cause sometimes it gets kinda boring.

My girlfriend wants to build a house about 3 room house her me+2 kids) for about 600 000 bath total i think around 1 million bath. but im not sure i can handle the quiet life, we have a small building on the ground that we planning to use for internet cafe and hair saloon and also have some plans to buy some more land for ricefarming or other things.

i am 48 years and have some time for pension and maybe it is to soon to start build for something u cant use more than top 3-4 months a year

thankful for some tips or ideas

[bergen]

I settled down in Ubon province 7 years ago (then 49y). My wife (and her family) had land 110 km south of Ubon city, and a 20 mins walk from the Dong Rak mountain range bordering Cambodia.

During these 7 years we've built a small farmstay/resort/fruit farm with a restaurant and some other amenities.

This keeps my wife happy/busy and gives me the freedom to (in between) explore the surroundings. (which I'm allowed to)

I have mobile internet, True Vision Satellite tv, a bicycle and a car and usually makes the 1 & 1/2 hr drive to Ubon city a couple of times a month. There I normally stay the night and catch up with friends.

I like the quiet life on the farm, with the possibility to seek action when needed.

Ubon Hash House Harriers (www.ubonhash.com) has a run on the first Saturday of every month, and is one opportunity to socialize, and meet some possible friends!

[Jerrytheyoung]

personnally (I am in a similar situation) what is worrying me is the too close proximity of the in laws: they are nice people but a clear trend to take me as a bank, which is not correct because I am not rich.

i would prefer to be at some distance....

[Atmos]

^ proximity to in-laws

We settled on 200km, about 2 1/2 hours drive away from 'family'

Close enough to eg head up Friday evening, back Sunday, or there's a minivan option for 100 baht.

Far enough that none of them will visit unexpectedly, no 'pop-ins'.

A happy middle-ground.

Yet to be tested, but I notified a three-day limit on guests.

Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.

Benjamin Franklin

[surayu]

Welcome to the forum WingCommander0

For some reasons your post reminded me of a television advertisements we had running years ago on national tv, it was sponsored by the government and basically the slogan on it was " have more interests in your life, as it is in your own interest to have them".....don't you have any hobbies? there are gazyllions of things you could do as gardening, growing your own veggies & fruits, have pets and train them or some farm animals that can give you food too, dig a fish pond or have them indoor, keep growing your knowledge in new fields using the internet, keep yourself fit with or without a gym, learn to cook something new, do birdwatching, swim in your pond, start playing a musical instrument, go exploring other locations and use your home as a base, create your own drinks, have an interest in the night's stars or just ask if any of your neighbours is called "Dao".....should i go on or do you think is enough to start with?

[zzaa09]

personnally (I am in a similar situation) what is worrying me is the too close proximity of the in laws: they are nice people but a clear trend to take me as a bank, which is not correct because I am not rich.

i would prefer to be at some distance....

Living close to the family, one must lay out the ground rules early.

Aside that, every situation of village life will be different from the next.

We live about a half-a-kilometre from her folks and about 15 kilometere circumference from 90% of blood and extended family. For they've never been like that to begin with, we don't have those problems. Quite comfortable and stable, and get on with all the family quite well.

A tonne of property that is worked keeps everyone busy. We do have the "drop-ins", but doesn't bother us as the good missus has set perimeters. But unlike most Farang residents, I'm reasonably social with my surroundings and don't go out of my way to despise the locals and life.

Edited August 16, 2011 by zzaa09

[jamescollister]

Hi there wingcomander

I live in a village, with the in-laws, one aunt and at this moment a brother in-law and his wife. Long story and I will tell you village or rural life is not for all. In fact it is for very few. I would suggest you try before you start spending.

I will give my blog a plug here. If you have an hour our so have a read, it's how I ended up here, may just give you a few ideas as to what you will be in for Jim

http://jamescollister.blogspot.com/

[transam]

I know a couple of guys that live in the sticks and they hate it. If they had their time again they would set up home in Ubon town vicinity.

Must add, a near 80 year old farang l know lives out the way but he loves it. Sits in a chair all day looking at the horizon.

Edited August 16, 2011 by transam

[happyaussie]

What your girlfriend wants is the same dream for all Thai girls, especially from Isaan.

I would suggest that what's equally important is the strength of your relationship.

I live 20km from Loei and love it. Not in a village or rice farm, but in a jungle setting with my wife and kids. She has family close by, but not in our laps. It works really well.

I don't get bored but there are challenges. Mainly interlectual. Conversing in pigeon English gets rather tiring. I miss not having a pub or bar near by and to chat to other English speakers on occasion would be great TESCO opened a few months ago and that's been a god send.

In a nutshell you need to be the right type of person to enjoy Thai country life. Living in a dusty village with dogs barking and the inevitable drunken brawls doesn't appeal to me. But each to their own.

I say drunken brawls because over the years I have visited several villages and experienced many fights. They are fueled when the lads have a session on Thai whiskey. How anyone drinks that poison is beyond me.

600,000 will build you a modest house and if your only visiting for short periods maybe you'll enjoy. But be prepared to walk away from your investment when things go pear shaped.

[zzaa09]

Hi there wingcomander

I live in a village, with the in-laws, one aunt and at this moment a brother in-law and his wife. Long story and I will tell you village or rural life is not for all. In fact it is for very few. I would suggest you try before you start spending.

I will give my blog a plug here. If you have an hour our so have a read, it's how I ended up here, may just give you a few ideas as to what you will be in for Jim

http://jamescollister.blogspot.com/

To reiterate, Jim - lovely homspun blog. Keep up the good work!!!

[jamescollister]

Hi there wingcomander

I live in a village, with the in-laws, one aunt and at this moment a brother in-law and his wife. Long story and I will tell you village or rural life is not for all. In fact it is for very few. I would suggest you try before you start spending.

I will give my blog a plug here. If you have an hour our so have a read, it's how I ended up here, may just give you a few ideas as to what you will be in for Jim

http://jamescollister.blogspot.com/

To reiterate, Jim - lovely homspun blog. Keep up the good work!!!

Thank you. Jim

[Patriot]

Hi there wingcomander

I live in a village, with the in-laws, one aunt and at this moment a brother in-law and his wife. Long story and I will tell you village or rural life is not for all. In fact it is for very few. I would suggest you try before you start spending.

I will give my blog a plug here. If you have an hour our so have a read, it's how I ended up here, may just give you a few ideas as to what you will be in for Jim

http://jamescollister.blogspot.com/

To reiterate, Jim - lovely homspun blog. Keep up the good work!!!

Seconded; I love the observation on your father-in-law's business acumen! Every couple of months I drive down your way, JC, on a Dtai Oratai spotting safari. I'll come armed with beer next time and stop by.

WningCommander; IMHO I would initially rent a place within twenty minutes or so from Ubon and get the lay of the land first before committing yourself to building a primary residence in the in-laws' village.

Most importantly, as zzaa09 said, set the rules with the family at a very early stage!!

[Vegemite]

Welcome to the forum WingCommander0

For some reasons your post reminded me of a television advertisements we had running years ago on national tv, it was sponsored by the government and basically the slogan on it was " have more interests in your life, as it is in your own interest to have them".....don't you have any hobbies? there are gazyllions of things you could do as gardening, growing your own veggies & fruits, have pets and train them or some farm animals that can give you food too, dig a fish pond or have them indoor, keep growing your knowledge in new fields using the internet, keep yourself fit with or without a gym, learn to cook something new, do birdwatching, swim in your pond, start playing a musical instrument, go exploring other locations and use your home as a base, create your own drinks, have an interest in the night's stars or just ask if any of your neighbours is called "Dao".....should i go on or do you think is enough to start with?

Either that or suicide.

[jamescollister]

Patriot, come any time, I could do with a bit of company. This time of year I am pretty well house bound, due to the non stop rain and I have to say it gets a bit much at times. Be prepared to stay, there is only one way in and out .You have to cross 3 bridges and they can be a meter under water in an hour. PM me when you want to come on over and I will give you a phone number. Jim

[kwonitoy]

Wingcommander

I'm about 120 km NE of Udon Thani. When we lived in Pattaya and came up for a visit (1998 and on) I was bored out of my mind and hated it. Mostly to do with staying in the old broken down house and getting eaten alive by bugs, no AC in the heat, cold water showers, no phone service (at that time) no TV, and people looking at me like I was from Mars. The first night I came up there was a drunken fight next door and a guy was knifed to death. I thought to hell with this place.

It doesn't matter to me where I live as I work in the oil industry and all I need is phone/e-mail contact with my office and access to an airport. When we decided to move up here in 2005 (had enough of Pattaya) I sat down with the wife and we laid out how we would do it. Firstly the house had to be built and completed before we moved in.

She owned land in the village in amoungst a bunch of cousin's by a busy road. I said no way, we'll buy on the edge of the village, outside of walking distance but ok with a motorbike. Stops casual drop-ins. And build a big wall around the place. AC in the bedroom, Satalite TV and internet. We built a nice house and at that time I was in and out on work rotation so that helped to keep me grounded, I didn't go "native" in one go.

Since coming here we've gotten into rubber by buying and planting a piece every year, starting small and working our way up. I'm busy,busy, and find there aren't enough hours in the day. All in all it's the best thing I've done, and wouldn't change it for the world, but I've seen a lot of foreigner's come and go. I find the city folks from Europe don't last long at all up here. I'm looked on as a local by most folks in the village but I can see the newcomers getting eyed up and judged on arrival.

As Jim says it's not for everyone and I wouldn't commit whole hog, test the waters and see what will work for you.

Ken

[PEP]

Must add, a near 80 year old farang l know lives out the way but he loves it. Sits in a chair all day looking at the horizon.

Hey! Shame on you Transam. You said you would not tell anyone about my habits. Besides that I AM 80 year old and you forgot to mention that during daylight hours I ALWAYS have a cold beer in my hand. The other 12 hours are for sleeping and the very occasional horizontal exercise. :lol::lol:

[kdc1899]

You might want to marry her and be married for a while B4 you continue spending money on things that can not be in your name.

The rural life ain't bad. Not having internet sucks but the net is sooo slow outside of central BKK that it's not much of a loss.

Make sure you have enough amps (at least 15) to run all the modern stuff you shouldn't do without.

If the locals get too needy just have your better half ask a bunch of them to help plow a field; or something obscenly labor intensive and without shade. The one's who show up are now on the dole list. All the others usually want to save face and wont bug you for money anymore.

GET A GENERATOR (preferably diesel).

Have enough drinking water for at least 10 day and enough food for a week. It's hard to completely protect and prepare for the inevitable mai ben rai-isms but you have to try (wherever you settle reside in this 19th century land of asian laissez-faire).

You could also rent a new modern house in Ubon city for almost 11 years and still not spend 1 million baht.

[puchooay]

You might want to marry her and be married for a while B4 you continue spending money on things that can not be in your name.

The rural life ain't bad. Not having internet sucks but the net is sooo slow outside of central BKK that it's not much of a loss.

Make sure you have enough amps (at least 15) to run all the modern stuff you shouldn't do without.

If the locals get too needy just have your better half ask a bunch of them to help plow a field; or something obscenly labor intensive and without shade. The one's who show up are now on the dole list. All the others usually want to save face and wont bug you for money anymore.

GET A GENERATOR (preferably diesel).

Have enough drinking water for at least 10 day and enough food for a week. It's hard to completely protect and prepare for the inevitable mai ben rai-isms but you have to try (wherever you settle reside in this 19th century land of asian laissez-faire).

You could also rent a new modern house in Ubon city for almost 11 years and still not spend 1 million baht.

I was going t reply with the"if you don't like it then go somewhere else" type post. Instead I would like to invite the poster that I have quoted to explain some of his findings.

Generator? How many gallons of diesel you gonna have laying around?

Internet only good in central Bangkok? I live outside of central Buriram and get 6mb. Is that soooooo slow?

Drinking water for 10 days? Food for 1 week?

OMG. The end of the world is nigh!!!!!!!!!

[zzaa09]

You might want to marry her and be married for a while B4 you continue spending money on things that can not be in your name.

The rural life ain't bad. Not having internet sucks but the net is sooo slow outside of central BKK that it's not much of a loss.

Make sure you have enough amps (at least 15) to run all the modern stuff you shouldn't do without.

If the locals get too needy just have your better half ask a bunch of them to help plow a field; or something obscenly labor intensive and without shade. The one's who show up are now on the dole list. All the others usually want to save face and wont bug you for money anymore.

GET A GENERATOR (preferably diesel).

Have enough drinking water for at least 10 day and enough food for a week. It's hard to completely protect and prepare for the inevitable mai ben rai-isms but you have to try (wherever you settle reside in this 19th century land of asian laissez-faire).

You could also rent a new modern house in Ubon city for almost 11 years and still not spend 1 million baht.

Sounds as if you've found your paradise

You must fit in quite nicely amongst your community.....

[zzaa09]

You might want to marry her and be married for a while B4 you continue spending money on things that can not be in your name.

The rural life ain't bad. Not having internet sucks but the net is sooo slow outside of central BKK that it's not much of a loss.

Make sure you have enough amps (at least 15) to run all the modern stuff you shouldn't do without.

If the locals get too needy just have your better half ask a bunch of them to help plow a field; or something obscenly labor intensive and without shade. The one's who show up are now on the dole list. All the others usually want to save face and wont bug you for money anymore.

GET A GENERATOR (preferably diesel).

Have enough drinking water for at least 10 day and enough food for a week. It's hard to completely protect and prepare for the inevitable mai ben rai-isms but you have to try (wherever you settle reside in this 19th century land of asian laissez-faire).

You could also rent a new modern house in Ubon city for almost 11 years and still not spend 1 million baht.

I was going t reply with the"if you don't like it then go somewhere else" type post. Instead I would like to invite the poster that I have quoted to explain some of his findings.

Generator? How many gallons of diesel you gonna have laying around?

Internet only good in central Bangkok? I live outside of central Buriram and get 6mb. Is that soooooo slow?

Drinking water for 10 days? Food for 1 week?

OMG. The end of the world is nigh!!!!!!!!!

Not to woory, Puchooay. Some will never get it. Disconnected.