New York Times Feature Isaan

[Jezz]

Whist idly surfing the net I came across this article about Isaan in The New York Times from 2010, so I guess some of the info is out of date. Here are a few snips. I'll post the link at the bottom.

... an expanding population of nearly 11,000 foreign husbands in the region, drawn by the low cost of living, slow pace of life and the exotic reputation of Thai women.

“Thai women are a lot like women in America were 50 years ago.”

It is easy to spot the foreigners’ homes, with their sturdy walls and red-tiled roofs, an archipelago of affluence among the smaller, poorer houses of their new neighbors and in-laws.

“There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies,”

“A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani.

“When you get married in Thailand you are marrying the whole family, the whole village,” Mr. Prayoon said. “Often the lady expects that, but the man doesn’t understand.”

There seems to be less concern about differences in age, with many bridegrooms in their 50s or 60s or even 70s.

Source: http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

[Michael Hare]

Is this true? "There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies”.

I have lived and worked in northeast Thailand for many years and never seen these villages. Where are these villages?

and is this statement true. "A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani".

Half the marriages? Where I live in Ubon most marriages seem to stay together.

Perhapos I had better get out more.

[elwood]

Is this true? "There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies”.

I have lived and worked in northeast Thailand for many years and never seen these villages. Where are these villages?

and is this statement true. "A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani".

Half the marriages? Where I live in Ubon most marriages seem to stay together.

Perhapos I had better get out more.

Don't bother about getting out more Michael; you live in the real world of Isaan, the writer was merely writing fiction.

[cbrer]

1/2 the marriages end in separation.....

So it's less than the West then?

[sirchai]

How can you get married with a village? --

[MeMock]

i have to drive through four different villages from mine before finding another house built with sturdy walls and a red-tiled roof.

[GarryP]

i have to drive through four different villages from mine before finding another house built with sturdy walls and a red-tiled roof.

Ubon is not yet a speck on the retiree's map of places to settle down in Thailand. Udon remains the in-place followed, probably, by Surin. So of course there are going to be fewer out of place dwellings.

[isanbirder]

Facile and superficial, but what do you expect from an article describing Isan in a few hundred words?

One point which the reporter should have made, and which underlies much of what he says about the farang husbands not fitting in, is that living in Isan without any experience of living in other parts of Thailand is like learning to swim by going in at the deep end. Some survive; quite a lot can't make it.

Again, living in a city, like Udon, is very different from living in a village.

[roiet]

Is this true? "There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies”.

I have lived and worked in northeast Thailand for many years and never seen these villages. Where are these villages?

and is this statement true. "A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani".

Half the marriages? Where I live in Ubon most marriages seem to stay together.

Perhapos I had better get out more.

There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies.

I have seen these deserted villages, comprising foreign houses. Example: Ban Chan 20km west of Yasothon. More than 40 villas purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies. Falangs gone, Thai men sitting in front of these villas happily drinking beer all day.

[Payboy]

“Age is not a factor here,” said Mr. Davis. “In America if I marry a girl who is 24 years younger than me, all you’re going to get is eyes and bad talk, bad gossip. Here it’s not an issue.”

Here it just happens behind you back, Mr. Davis.

[Jezz]

There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies.

I have seen these deserted villages, comprising foreign houses. Example: Ban Chan 20km west of Yasothon. More than 40 villas purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies. Falangs gone, Thai men sitting in front of these villas happily drinking beer all day.

Maybe the farangs have just gone home to work - all 40 of them. And the Thai men are just looking after the properties until the owners (wives then) return. No? Oh well, just a thought. Edited January 29, 2013 by Jezz

[Gweiloman]

Is this true? "There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies”.

I have lived and worked in northeast Thailand for many years and never seen these villages. Where are these villages?

and is this statement true. "A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani".

Half the marriages? Where I live in Ubon most marriages seem to stay together.

Perhapos I had better get out more.

There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies.

I have seen these deserted villages, comprising foreign houses. Example: Ban Chan 20km west of Yasothon. More than 40 villas purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies. Falangs gone, Thai men sitting in front of these villas happily drinking beer all day.

I wonder if it's possible to pick up some of these houses on the cheap.

[Issangeorge]

In the village I live in there are quite a few houses built from farang money, but not close to half, and I and a German man are the only ones that live here full time. There seems to be a huge building boom going on in my area, but vfor the life of me I don't know where the money is coming from.

[Jezz]

i have to drive through four different villages from mine before finding another house built with sturdy walls and a red-tiled roof.

In my area there's been a surge over the past couple of years of Thais building /buying big new Thai-style homes that line main roads into town. There are also lots of new complete estates/communities, covering many rai, of economical but smart new Thai housing. No doubt there are a few built with sturdy walls and a red-tiled roof by farangs dotted around somewhere.

[GarryP]

Is this true? "There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies”.

I have lived and worked in northeast Thailand for many years and never seen these villages. Where are these villages?

and is this statement true. "A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani".

Half the marriages? Where I live in Ubon most marriages seem to stay together.

Perhapos I had better get out more.

There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies.

I have seen these deserted villages, comprising foreign houses. Example: Ban Chan 20km west of Yasothon. More than 40 villas purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies. Falangs gone, Thai men sitting in front of these villas happily drinking beer all day.

I wonder if it's possible to pick up some of these houses on the cheap.

Quite a while ago a TV member located in Ubol mentioned that there were quite a few finished and semi finished "mansions" that were left to decay when relationships went tits up. Locals were not interested in buying them as they were seen as too expensive for their pockets, so perhaps Thai foreign couples could pick them up relatively cheaply.

I have read that there is a property and land boom in the northeast and land prices are rising rapidly, so some of those places not too far from main roads would be good long term investments.

[meatboy]

48 farang type houses on our mooban[village] 4 foreigners the rest are thai's and only one drinks outside believe it or not.hic hic

[cbrer]

“Age is not a factor here,” said Mr. Davis. “In America if I marry a girl who is 24 years younger than me, all you’re going to get is eyes and bad talk, bad gossip. Here it’s not an issue.”

Here it just happens behind you back, Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis obviously doesn't speak Thai.

[cbrer]

In the village I live in there are quite a few houses built from farang money, but not close to half, and I and a German man are the only ones that live here full time. There seems to be a huge building boom going on in my area, but vfor the life of me I don't know where the money is coming from.

Think of the letter 'P'.

[cbrer]

I have seen these deserted villages, comprising foreign houses. Example: Ban Chan 20km west of Yasothon. More than 40 villas purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies. Falangs gone, Thai men sitting in front of these villas happily drinking beer all day.

Class!

For some reason watching silly Westerners be outsmarted by a couple of uneducated peasants with fresh dirt under their fingernails always makes me smile.

[Jezz]

From the varied subjects covered in The New York Times article, it seems the bit about farang homes caught the most interest. Pursuing that further, I've been musing over the property options available to farangs with Thai partners. Surely factors like age, working abroad or retired in Thailand should influence things like when, what and where should I buy? For myself, I didn't settle in Thailand until I was into my 60's. My choices were limited by lack of wealth and age. I rely 100% on a very modest pension which, sometimes worryingly, is battered into the ground by exchange rates - like right now. I made the choice to modernise my wife's family home, which formerly was a wooden stilt house. The total cost to build a modern home below the old house, to include air con, fully equipped modern kitchen, 5 bedrooms, (3 up, 2 down) 2 bathrooms & toilets with electric showers, (1 up, 1 down) spacious lounge with suspended ceiling and various lighting options, all the furniture, electrical items etc. 700,000 baht. (3 years ago) MIL & FIL live upstairs with their own entrance and, fortunately, are completely non-intrusive, quiet and help when required with the 2 school-age kids. Not everyone's ideal but a very workable solution for me.

On a light-hearted note, the total cost of 700,000 baht, divided by 3 years equals 233,000 per year, equals 19,000 per month. I'd have paid more in rent for a place of similar standard otherwise. So if there's a future problem, or my time comes up, I call that a win, win situation. If you spend millions on your dream home here, it's still not your land. (Some exceptions like condos of course)

But each to their own.

[Jezz]

the total cost of 700,000 baht, divided by 3 years equals 233,000 per year, equals 19,000 per month. I'd have paid more in rent for a place of similar standard otherwise

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this but I just had an email from a friend abroad who claims he's spent more than 700,000 baht on erecting a sturdy wall, plus a gate or two, around a large plot he bought on behalf of his wife for about 3 million baht. Now he's working hard back home to save the money to make the house.

Edited January 29, 2013 by Jezz

[rgs2001uk]

Is this true? "There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies”.

I have lived and worked in northeast Thailand for many years and never seen these villages. Where are these villages?

and is this statement true. "A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce,” said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani".

Half the marriages? Where I live in Ubon most marriages seem to stay together.

Perhapos I had better get out more.

There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies.

I have seen these deserted villages, comprising foreign houses. Example: Ban Chan 20km west of Yasothon. More than 40 villas purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies. Falangs gone, Thai men sitting in front of these villas happily drinking beer all day.

I wonder if it's possible to pick up some of these houses on the cheap.

Yes its possible, bear in mind you will be stuck with it with no chance of ever selling it.

Some of these places are in the back of beyond well off the beaten track.

[rgs2001uk]

the total cost of 700,000 baht, divided by 3 years equals 233,000 per year, equals 19,000 per month. I'd have paid more in rent for a place of similar standard otherwise

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this but I just had an email from a friend abroad who claims he's spent more than 700,000 baht on erecting a sturdy wall, plus a gate or two, around a large plot he bought on behalf of his wife for about 3 million baht. Now he's working hard back home to save the money to make the house.

I can well believe it, especially if he has used stainelss steel, some of those gates can easily cost 100k, 50k is the norm.

[Jezz]

I can well believe it, especially if he has used stainelss steel, some of those gates can easily cost 100k, 50k is the norm.

Well I'll just have to put up with chickens defecating on the porch, dogs and cats intruding in the unfenced homestead. Not to mention the occasional elephant and it's rider en route through the village. Then there's a buffalo or two who break their grazing moorings. Maybe a cow now and then. Edited January 29, 2013 by Jezz

[Issangeorge]

Jezz, a good way of looking at things. I spent 1.25 million baht building my home 9 years ago, That works out to 11,500 a month and of course it is becoming less and less every year. To live in the same sized home in Canada my re3nt would have been well over 50,000 baht a month.

[meatboy]

I can well believe it, especially if he has used stainelss steel, some of those gates can easily cost 100k, 50k is the norm.

Well I'll just have to put up with chickens defecating on the porch, dogs and cats intruding in the unfenced homestead. Not to mention the occasional elephant and it's rider en route through the village. Then there's a buffalo or two who break their grazing moorings. Maybe a cow now and then.

best to have an electric fence around to keep the inlaws out.

[Jezz]

best to have an electric fence around to keep the inlaws out.

An electric fence! What a good idea. But they'd only climb over it or crawl under it. Maybe a multi-strand job, 3 metres high. Hmm. No, on second thoughts I don't mind having the place open. It wouldn't be the same keeping the crowd out. They're quite welcome to pop in and out. It's just a part of village life.

Edited January 30, 2013 by Jezz

[rsokolowski]

best to have an electric fence around to keep the inlaws out.

An electric fence! What a good idea. But they'd only climb over it or crawl under it. Maybe a multi-strand job, 3 metres high. Hmm. No, on second thoughts I don't mind having the place open. It wouldn't be the same keeping the crowd out. They're quite welcome to pop in and out. It's just a part of village life.

Am I the only Farang that likes my Thai in-laws?

[GarryP]

best to have an electric fence around to keep the inlaws out.

An electric fence! What a good idea. But they'd only climb over it or crawl under it. Maybe a multi-strand job, 3 metres high. Hmm. No, on second thoughts I don't mind having the place open. It wouldn't be the same keeping the crowd out. They're quite welcome to pop in and out. It's just a part of village life.

Am I the only Farang that likes my Thai in-laws?

I like mine. But then they were cremated many years ago.

Edited January 30, 2013 by GarryP

[Jezz]

Am I the only Farang that likes my Thai in-laws?

By no means. Mine are great. Perhaps you missed the attempted humour in my remarks about a fence? I get on fine with all the in-laws - in fact most of the villagers too.