Phrae Is Where To Find Real Thailand

[Nakham Kevin]

I have lived in the mountains of Phrae for close to three years now. Several people have told me in blogs that Phrae is too remote, my house/resort/farm is grossly overbuilt for the area, and that most tourists don't come to Phrae. Yes, yes, and yes; and I would not change a thing!

I agree with all those points, and let me tell you why. I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads. On a normal trip up to the mountain I am waved at by no less than 10 people. All the kids who see me, my wife, or my two kids yell "Hello Farang!" or "Ban Farang" and wave their hands. I also have to stop almost every trip for a farmer crossing the road with his herd of Thai cows, or a herd of Kwai. If I choose to stop at the local store for a Chang, Hong Tong, or even an occasional bag of Lao, I am never told it’s a Holiday, or it’s the wrong time to sell this. I am just greeted by the lady at the store, asked about the wife or kids, and chit chat for a few minutes. At times, as I am driving by, the store owner waves me down to tell me that someone was asking about Ban Farang or something else relating to our families life. Sometimes I am stopped to be told "The kids were driving a little fast yesterday", or "I saw a girl on the back of your son's bike. Does he have a girl friend?"

When I get home, I relax on my Sala, enjoy a cold beer while gazing at the mountains that surround me, and wave or say hi to farmers as they return home from their fields. Some farangs may worry about being so far in the mountains, or about their safety here or about crime. Well to give you an idea, a few years ago, I purchased a pick-up truck for farm duties. It has sat in my parking lot, unlocked, with the keys hanging in the ignition for over two years now. When we leave to go to Bangkok, or out of town, that truck still sits there, with everyone in the village knowing the keys are in it, unbothered until we return. If I am occasionally in Phrae after dark, I will always get a call from one or more people from the village asking if we are out of town, or something is wrong,; all because, the lights are off at Ban Farang. We have several ladies from the village who, several times each week, bring pumpkins, fish paste, cooked bamboo, or other items they just want to share. They don't want money, or things in return, they are just stopping by to say hello!

We have no gates, or high walls on our property. In over three years we have never had anything ever stolen from inside, outside, or around our property. The locals are great people who love farangs. Local kids on field trips, or local VIP's always stop to say hi, and get their pictures taken at Ban Farang.

We did have one encounter with the Police though! The only way I knew he was a police officer was that he had his gun on, and showed ID. Yes, there are fat Thai Police, and they don't always wear uniforms. He had hear that new people had bought the place, and he wanted to stop by say hello, and give us his cell phone if we ever needed him. Oh, and of course, he wanted a picture with the farang family in front of Ban Farang.

To answer the posts about the house being overbuilt. Your dam_n right it is overbuilt! My house/resort/farm is not just overbuilt, it is larger than any other house in the sub-district. It dominates the hillside and village. You can go to anyone within a 20 km radius of the house and ask where is Ban Farang, and you will be pointed there. Even when my family and I are shopping in Phrae it is not at all uncommon to hear kids whisper "Ban Farang" to their parents. Sure maybe the place is reminiscent of the middle-age castles overlooking the village below, but I love it. I love the high profile!

I have spent most of my life working very hard. If I was still in the United States, I would be in a small house in suburbia, have a house payment, and be driving an older car. Just waiting for my turn to die. If I had settled like many others in Bangkok or Chaing Mai, I would be in some little gated community, hiding behind high walls, guards, and high gates. I would know very few of my Thai neighbors, would eat farang food, socialize with farangs, and try to understand what is so great about Thailand anyway.

I don't want to be one of hundreds of other little ducks in a very, very big pond, I want to be the only duck in a very little pond.

I love living in Phrae, and even though I have to sell my house/resort/farm in the mountains, (the web at nakham, which is a dot com),I will live in Phrae the rest of my life. I would not trade Phrae for anywhere, else on earth.

If you want to experience real authentic Thailand, and learn the wonders of real Thai people, you can't do it hanging out with other farangs in Bangkok, Chaing Mai, Pattaya, or some other big city. Cities which long ago had its, and its peoples culture, bastardized and sold out in the pursuit of the all mighty dollar.

If you want to really see what is so special about Thailand, and see why it's the land of smiles, then come to Phrae. You will find that, yes, it is remote, but remote in a very special and magical way.

Quack, Quack!

[jamescollister]

Ditto, except for the big house and resort, Lao land border, mountains and jungle. First farang here over 10 years ago and still the only farang. No front or back door, big open living area.

Not a life for most, isolated from the rest of the world, but don't really care about the rest of the world. Jim

[Nakham Kevin]

Truely a man who understands what Thailand is really about!

[rgs2001uk]

I feel the exact same about Chanthaburi.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

"I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads."

Sounds good.

But hold on.

How far do you have to go to get a can of beer when you run out? Or a fresh hot pizza when you're feeling peckish and dont want to cook? Or even a bowl of seafood noodle soup?

And how long will it take you to get to hospital if one day you need to in a hurry?

From my condo in 5 minutes I can walk to the beach, to 3 supermarkets, to at least 200 restaurants and other eating places of all types and nationalities and price ranges from 20B to 2000B per meal, and I can get on the direct air-con bus to BKK airport which will whisk me there in under 2 hours for 135B. And there are dozens of hospitals and clinics within a 10 minute drive.

And unless I'm very much mistaken I'm still in Thailand. Do I hear you ask if it is real? It feels real enough to me and I suppose that's all that matters.

[BrianCR]

I have lived in the mountains of Phrae for close to three years now. Several people have told me in blogs that Phrae is too remote, my house/resort/farm is grossly overbuilt for the area, and that most tourists don't come to Phrae. Yes, yes, and yes; and I would not change a thing!

I agree with all those points, and let me tell you why. I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads. On a normal trip up to the mountain I am waved at by no less than 10 people. All the kids who see me, my wife, or my two kids yell "Hello Farang!" or "Ban Farang" and wave their hands. I also have to stop almost every trip for a farmer crossing the road with his herd of Thai cows, or a herd of Kwai. If I choose to stop at the local store for a Chang, Hong Tong, or even an occasional bag of Lao, I am never told it’s a Holiday, or it’s the wrong time to sell this. I am just greeted by the lady at the store, asked about the wife or kids, and chit chat for a few minutes. At times, as I am driving by, the store owner waves me down to tell me that someone was asking about Ban Farang or something else relating to our families life. Sometimes I am stopped to be told "The kids were driving a little fast yesterday", or "I saw a girl on the back of your son's bike. Does he have a girl friend?"

When I get home, I relax on my Sala, enjoy a cold beer while gazing at the mountains that surround me, and wave or say hi to farmers as they return home from their fields. Some farangs may worry about being so far in the mountains, or about their safety here or about crime. Well to give you an idea, a few years ago, I purchased a pick-up truck for farm duties. It has sat in my parking lot, unlocked, with the keys hanging in the ignition for over two years now. When we leave to go to Bangkok, or out of town, that truck still sits there, with everyone in the village knowing the keys are in it, unbothered until we return. If I am occasionally in Phrae after dark, I will always get a call from one or more people from the village asking if we are out of town, or something is wrong,; all because, the lights are off at Ban Farang. We have several ladies from the village who, several times each week, bring pumpkins, fish paste, cooked bamboo, or other items they just want to share. They don't want money, or things in return, they are just stopping by to say hello!

We have no gates, or high walls on our property. In over three years we have never had anything ever stolen from inside, outside, or around our property. The locals are great people who love farangs. Local kids on field trips, or local VIP's always stop to say hi, and get their pictures taken at Ban Farang.

We did have one encounter with the Police though! The only way I knew he was a police officer was that he had his gun on, and showed ID. Yes, there are fat Thai Police, and they don't always wear uniforms. He had hear that new people had bought the place, and he wanted to stop by say hello, and give us his cell phone if we ever needed him. Oh, and of course, he wanted a picture with the farang family in front of Ban Farang.

To answer the posts about the house being overbuilt. Your dam_n right it is overbuilt! My house/resort/farm is not just overbuilt, it is larger than any other house in the sub-district. It dominates the hillside and village. You can go to anyone within a 20 km radius of the house and ask where is Ban Farang, and you will be pointed there. Even when my family and I are shopping in Phrae it is not at all uncommon to hear kids whisper "Ban Farang" to their parents. Sure maybe the place is reminiscent of the middle-age castles overlooking the village below, but I love it. I love the high profile!

I have spent most of my life working very hard. If I was still in the United States, I would be in a small house in suburbia, have a house payment, and be driving an older car. Just waiting for my turn to die. If I had settled like many others in Bangkok or Chaing Mai, I would be in some little gated community, hiding behind high walls, guards, and high gates. I would know very few of my Thai neighbors, would eat farang food, socialize with farangs, and try to understand what is so great about Thailand anyway.

I don't want to be one of hundreds of other little ducks in a very, very big pond, I want to be the only duck in a very little pond.

I love living in Phrae, and even though I have to sell my house/resort/farm in the mountains, (the web at nakham, which is a dot com),I will live in Phrae the rest of my life. I would not trade Phrae for anywhere, else on earth.

If you want to experience real authentic Thailand, and learn the wonders of real Thai people, you can't do it hanging out with other farangs in Bangkok, Chaing Mai, Pattaya, or some other big city. Cities which long ago had its, and its peoples culture, bastardized and sold out in the pursuit of the all mighty dollar.

If you want to really see what is so special about Thailand, and see why it's the land of smiles, then come to Phrae. You will find that, yes, it is remote, but remote in a very special and magical way.

Quack, Quack!

Best post ever on Thai Visa and the way many ex-pats living in rural Thailand think! I live in Chiang Rai and along with my m8's can really echo what you are saying - well done!!

[BrianCR]

"I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads."

Sounds good.

But hold on.

How far do you have to go to get a can of beer when you run out? Or a fresh hot pizza when you're feeling peckish and dont want to cook? Or even a bowl of seafood noodle soup?

And how long will it take you to get to hospital if one day you need to in a hurry?

From my condo in 5 minutes I can walk to the beach, to 3 supermarkets, to at least 200 restaurants and other eating places of all types and nationalities and price ranges from 20B to 2000B per meal, and I can get on the direct air-con bus to BKK airport which will whisk me there in under 2 hours for 135B. And there are dozens of hospitals and clinics within a 10 minute drive.

And unless I'm very much mistaken I'm still in Thailand. Do I hear you ask if it is real? It feels real enough to me and I suppose that's all that matters.

Ah, but can you buy REAL black pudding? We can make it here in rural Thailand, eat it, have a drink and all without the sounds of drunk ex-pats fighting amongst themselves and their hosts!

[Nakham Kevin]

I am not to popular for my honesty; however, I do feel it is how most ex-pats I have talked to feel. Seems I hit a raw nrve with some!

Kevin

[jamescollister]

"I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads."

Sounds good.

But hold on.

How far do you have to go to get a can of beer when you run out? Or a fresh hot pizza when you're feeling peckish and dont want to cook? Or even a bowl of seafood noodle soup?

And how long will it take you to get to hospital if one day you need to in a hurry?

From my condo in 5 minutes I can walk to the beach, to 3 supermarkets, to at least 200 restaurants and other eating places of all types and nationalities and price ranges from 20B to 2000B per meal, and I can get on the direct air-con bus to BKK airport which will whisk me there in under 2 hours for 135B. And there are dozens of hospitals and clinics within a 10 minute drive.

And unless I'm very much mistaken I'm still in Thailand. Do I hear you ask if it is real? It feels real enough to me and I suppose that's all that matters.

Pizza, love pizza, 140 km drive for a pizza, it's a once a month thing. There are things I really miss, real cheese, salami, olives, real sausages.

I'm salivating now, will just have to wash the thought away with ice cold beer, plenty of that here. Jim

[TommoPhysicist]

You have lived there all that time, and yet you are still the farang.

I would have thought it was time they learnt your name.

[Nakham Kevin]

You have lived there all that time, and yet you are still the farang.

I would have thought it was time they learnt your name.

Of course they know my name! I was simply saying they have given my house the name of Ban Farang, and that is how it is know in the area.

Thanks,

kevin

[simple1]

Your post reads like an advertorial.

"even though I have to sell my house/resort/farm in the mountains, (the web at nakham, which is a dot com"

Edited February 21, 2013 by simple1

[Nakham Kevin]

Your post reads like an advertorial.

"even though I have to sell my house/resort/farm in the mountains, (the web at nakham, which is a dot com"

It may read that way; however, it is an advertorial.

I already have the house listed all over the Internet as well as ThaiVisa.

This was just a post to clear the air about how I really feel about living in the mountains of Phrae, and how dearly I love Thailand!.

Kevion

[nongsung]

Since 3,5 years we live in a small farmers village in the mountains 50km from Mukdahan. And yes, Ban Farang is here known too, the biggest and nicest house of the village.

Nice and friendly people and no jealousy (as I know of). Never thought I would be able to live in such a remote place, I nicknamed it Ban Boring but over time I started to love the place.

Where I escaped to Bangkok on regular basis I now just want to avoid crowded places like that. Nature, friendly people, freedom, nice climate and a steady relationship for over 12 years, life couldn't be better. Home finally!

Of course there are disadvantages; I have to travel regularly across the country to get my cheese, salami, canned veggies and so on. But that does not really bother me.

And for pizza (I love a nice Italian pizza), Pizza Company isn't really appealing to me, neither does KFC so I'm ok without it.

In a radius of 50km there are some farangs to be found but till now none of my liking.

I have not gone native, hardly speak the local lingo (too old for that I think) but I like to think that I'm well accepted in our village. It's the life I have always dreamed of.

Nongsung

Edited February 21, 2013 by nongsung

[PattayaPhom]

Sad fact but "Real Thailand" 21st Century if what the Thais like is driving to Lotus in their latest Ford/Vigo/Fortuna eating at McDonalds, KFC, Pizza or Burger King and then home to watch TV while the kids play on their latest smart phone/IPad.

[Crossy]

Not really real estate related, let's try the pub for better coverage.

[TPI]

Hi Kevin, I've got a place in Thung Kwao Moo 4, about 10 rai, half a kilometer of klong, 3 buffs and 11 dogs. Pizza 5 minutes away (very expensive) hospitals up the gazooga, who wants to eat in a restaurant when you've got the best cook in the world at home? Let the city boys have their bottle...chasing the floozies...breathing cancer! Phrae must have the cleanest air in Thailand and the friendliest people, markets everywhere, it'll do!

[StreetCowboy]

I feel sorry for all the Thais who must, like me, live in Bangkok instead of the real Thailand, to earn a crust and pay their taxes to support their national government.

Still, I suppose it's better than working in the West to support pensioners one way or another

SC

[Falcon01]

"I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads."Sounds good.But hold on.How far do you have to go to get a can of beer when you run out? Or a fresh hot pizza when you're feeling peckish and dont want to cook? Or even a bowl of seafood noodle soup?And how long will it take you to get to hospital if one day you need to in a hurry?From my condo in 5 minutes I can walk to the beach, to 3 supermarkets, to at least 200 restaurants and other eating places of all types and nationalities and price ranges from 20B to 2000B per meal, and I can get on the direct air-con bus to BKK airport which will whisk me there in under 2 hours for 135B. And there are dozens of hospitals and clinics within a 10 minute drive.And unless I'm very much mistaken I'm still in Thailand. Do I hear you ask if it is real? It feels real enough to me and I suppose that's all that matters.

Sounds good. Where are you talking about?

[diddums]

The guest cottages look a bit spartan.

Why sell ?

[candypants]

Not really real estate related, let's try the pub for better coverage.

it could not possibly be more real estate related, the guy is selling a house and land.

[StreetCowboy]

Not really real estate related, let's try the pub for better coverage.

it could not possibly be more real estate related, the guy is selling a house and land.

Maybe I should start waxing lyrical about the charms of the East End of Glasgow, to try and get rid of my slum tenement flat

SC

[HeavyDrinker]

Sounds perfectly dreadful!

[rgs2001uk]

"I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads."Sounds good.But hold on.How far do you have to go to get a can of beer when you run out? Or a fresh hot pizza when you're feeling peckish and dont want to cook? Or even a bowl of seafood noodle soup?And how long will it take you to get to hospital if one day you need to in a hurry?From my condo in 5 minutes I can walk to the beach, to 3 supermarkets, to at least 200 restaurants and other eating places of all types and nationalities and price ranges from 20B to 2000B per meal, and I can get on the direct air-con bus to BKK airport which will whisk me there in under 2 hours for 135B. And there are dozens of hospitals and clinics within a 10 minute drive.And unless I'm very much mistaken I'm still in Thailand. Do I hear you ask if it is real? It feels real enough to me and I suppose that's all that matters.

Sounds good. Where are you talking about?

Sounds like Pattaya to me, if it is yes it sounds too good to be true, whats missing from the precis, hookers, hawkers, peddlars, ladyboys, pickpockets, jet ski scammers, non metered taxis, baht bus rip offs, overpriced hospitals, traffic on a par with Bkk, Russians etc etc.

Hardly the quaint, rustic, idyllic fishing village by the sea.

Sounds like a living hell to me, wonder where Dante would rate it.

[loong]

Having lived in Amphur Song in Jungwat Phrae before, I didn't find it any different to any other parts of Thailand that I have spent time in. That was 10 years ago and I was only there for 4 years.

Mind you, as the area produced a lot of Lao Kow, was able to take a 1.25 litre coke bottle to the distillers and get it filled for 20 Baht. So there were even more drunkards in the area.

[davejones]

Why are you selling? And where will you live when it's sold? What's the price? Might be a bit difficult to sell something so remote, but good luck with it. Sounds like a nice place, but I'm a city person. Remote places drive me crazy.

[TommoPhysicist]

Why are you selling? And where will you live when it's sold? What's the price? Might be a bit difficult to sell something so remote, but good luck with it. Sounds like a nice place, but I'm a city person. Remote places drive me crazy.

I'm guessing he got tired of being called 'farang' and living in 'ban farang'

Could have been worse ....... living in 'ban mia farang' is a lot ruder.

[StreetCowboy]

Why are you selling? And where will you live when it's sold? What's the price? Might be a bit difficult to sell something so remote, but good luck with it. Sounds like a nice place, but I'm a city person. Remote places drive me crazy.

I think he's wanting to relocate to Glasgow. Great investment opportunities there, by the way. Especially now with the strong baht.

[davejones]

Why are you selling? And where will you live when it's sold? What's the price? Might be a bit difficult to sell something so remote, but good luck with it. Sounds like a nice place, but I'm a city person. Remote places drive me crazy.

I think he's wanting to relocate to Glasgow. Great investment opportunities there, by the way. Especially now with the strong baht.

Even making it the European Capital of Culture didn't convince people. I went there once, and that was enough. Grim is a word that comes to mind.

[davejones]

Not really real estate related, let's try the pub for better coverage.

it could not possibly be more real estate related, the guy is selling a house and land.

Maybe I should start waxing lyrical about the charms of the East End of Glasgow, to try and get rid of my slum tenement flat

SC

I'm looking forward to your post.