looking for away from home

[slonic]

Hello all,

We are a retiree couple from Canada.Currently my wife and I are living in Chiang Mai for almost one year, and we came to recognize that city is not the best option for us.

We love nature, slow pace of life and want to get out from city to the countryside of northern/north-east Thailand. Our needs are few as we are not city people and not concerned about shopping malls and bars. Online search and real-estate folks are of no much help in this case.

So we are asking our fellow expats seniors who are living in rural areas to share your experience and advices to find a long term home in a country-side.

Highly appreciate your suggestions and help in this regard.

slonic

[sceadugenga]

Would you be looking to buy or a long term rent/lease slonic?

Usually we advise people to come up for a few days, book in a hotel and look around.

There are certainly rural properties around but you usually have to "know someone" to hear about them.

[villagefarang]

Your plan sounds rather problematic in my opinion. I was sitting here trying to imagine you living in our village, 55km from Chiang Rai, and it wasn’t a pretty picture. If you made such a move, I fear before long you would be making a similar observation, that rural life is not your best option.

My suggestion would be to move to the outskirts of Chiang Mai. Find some quiet soi and avoid the areas of Chiang Mai you don’t care for. If you are old and don’t speak Thai, being close to hospitals and easy shopping is going to become increasingly important as you age.

[sceadugenga]

Let them live a little, somewhere about 10-20 kms out like I am with all the necessities less than half hour's drive away.

How much Thai do you need to live in the sticks?

There's always someone around with a little Canadian and in emergencies the basics get through very quickly.

They may be younger than you think, people retire early these days, I know I did and I suspect you weren't exactly geriatric.

[salapau]

Interesting post. I'm Engilish, been here 4 years now. Live in the Northwest in Mae Sariang, small but growing town. Not many foreigners living or visiting here. I live on the edge of town in a lovely quiet area. Mostly farming land here but much more productive than the Northeast, with crops reaping 2 to 3 harvests a year. Property is much cheaper to rent or buy here compared to Chiang Mai. Infastructure is ok but with a growing town it can cause some problems with power cuts. All in all, I prefer it to city life but miss the decent medical facilties and being able to buy some western food. Relaxing area, not too much hastle, but still have to contend with the terrible riding/driving by the Thais.

[dao16]

I won't go as far as recommending a place, but I will say that, in many places, there are little enclaves inside of towns that feel really rural and isolated....then you get on your motorbike for about 2 minutes out to the big road and you are in the city. Essentially living rural life in the middle of a town. I drive by a place like that every day. Otherwise, like some have noted, a lot of medium sized towns (where you can get stuff you want at Big C, foreign food or just a hospital) really dissolve into countryside very, very fast. Try hitting some towns in the north or Isaan (sorry, don't know the south well enough, but it seems similar), grab a hotel room and rent some bicycles or motorbikes and ride outside of town. In lots of towns, you make the jump from cars, train stations, schools, big box stores, etc., to countryside in no time. I always joke about the place where I live, saying that 5 mins on a motorbike in any direction and you are living village life (a lot less, sometimes). It has been that way in many place I have visited, too.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to Bangkok, but I have seen some VERY quiet parts of Chiangmai. Since that isn't rural enough for you, though, try one of medium sized towns and get 5 mins outside of town. To find a place, you will need to speak Thai and do the rounds (even in Thai, not all the places for rent have signs posted--have to ask people) or a Thai person to come and help you find a place.

[maybefitz]

Have a look in the Phrao area, north of Chiang Mai. I live on the way to Phrao, just 30 k short of the small but bustling town. The Tambon of Long Khod has some outstanding scenery, and the nicest people on the planet. I've lived here 12 years, totally accepted in the community. It's just an hours run to the city, I go usually once a week for shopping, banking etc. Otherwise, Phrao small=town meets our needs with an excellent fresh market. There are some nice properties for rent, but I suggest you are accompanied with a Thai speaker as English not spoken much; and a Thai will be able to go village to village and ask around. There's a couple of small guest houses in Phrao, stay for a week if you can and really research the area. Indeed, anywhere on the road 1001 north of MaeJo is worth looking at. Best of Look, 5555

[maxisrael]

We live 12 kilometers from the highway 11 in Doi Saket area in the middle of rice fields and We love it ! always a nice breeze no bad smells and noise from tuk-tuk's an cars and for doing our shopping we don't need to even cross the highway 11.........

[mcsromeo]

Hello Slonic,

I lived near Kaset Sombun, Chaiyaphum for almost 6 months in 2012 while helping to build a small, but new home for my future wife's family on their existing land. Their village was of a population of about 150 and they had the usual rice, sugar cane, fish farm, cattle raising going on with a bit of silk spinning, mat making, a local wood working shop and three tiny little convenience stores selling ice, shampoo and other junk foods. Only the main roads in the immediate village and the main road that connected various towns were paved, all the rest were dirt road, but nice for a morning bike ride through the farms:) Watch out for the cattle though, sitting up on your bike, you look big and the males oxen will try to intimidate you and I've even been chased by one:) LOL crazy! No, but really, if he caught me, I guess it's plausible that I could have been killed.

The nearest Tesco Lotus was 50 Kilos away, movies 120 Kilos in Khon Khen and of the two closest towns (population of maybe 300), only one had a 7-11 which had fresh milk, eggs and bacon, but that was the only place inside of 50 Kilos that you could get that unless you visited farang motel.

No one speaks any English! No one, really, NO ONE! I spoke about 30% Thai when I arrived and that helped tremendously. My wife did the rest. I found that being near and around my wife's family was challenging because they were always telling us how the village was thinking and how they talked about us, good and bad, but really, I didn't care to know and so that stressed my wife a bit and made the time there tiring at times.

We thought long and hard about buying some land closer to the mountains outside the village where we could live in somewhat of isolation, but after living 6 months up there and even having my wife to help me through life there, I felt totally isolated and she felt totally invaded by her village. I am 35 years old, modestly active socially and I like the nice italian restaurant sometimes and the beach. I am an OCEAN LOVER TO heart and to not have that was tough too. We substituted those things with long bike rides through the mountains, swimming the cool springs and visiting national parks. Much of the rest of the time was spent improving their home before our wedding and our eventual departure to America.

We've been here for 14 months now and she feels like I felt in the Village:) I guess an outsider from Thailand could easily say to me right now " Sum Num Na" or Serves you right:) Looking back on the experience, I would have to learn fluent Thai, start a real business and build real relationships with Thais for me to begin to feel accepted and included in the community. Maybe one day, but for now is the opposite. My wife is becoming fluent in English, finishing her schooling here and working for the an hourly wage that she used to get paid for a 12 hour long day of labor at the hospital.

Moving onward and outward! Best of luck, Chok Dee Krup!

Mathew Shankweiler

[thongsuknork]

Yes Chaiyaphum and surroundings are quite nice i live near Buayai quite nice place may be no farangs and tesco very near come to Buayai awesome place to live Welcome

[Bpuumike]

For a complete change, check out Mukdahan and it's surrounds.

[ozyjon]

I also lived near Chaiyaphum and used that city as my base as there was nothing near my home, had to go there regularly to go to Tesco and Big C, i have lived in many rural towns all over Thailand and to me they mostly replicate themselves, nothing new, one town much looks like the other, so my biggest concern is (1) Safety, if you are isolated on your own,, get dogs (2) proximity to Hospital,,, or someone to drive you there (3) Proximity to shops,, BigC and Tesco Lotus,, i have never craved KFC as much as i have when i lived in the rural areas, now that i am back in my western country i would not even look at the place, why is that i wonder,,, and as far as buying a house,, remember you are in Thailand, rent to save your sanity, we cannot own property in Thailand the same as in western countries so don't go there, rent, don't like move, don't get angry at barking dogs, neighbors playing their boom boxes at 3 in the morning, bad smell from the street, mosquitoes from the unkept pond in the neighbors house next door,,, JUST MOVE, take your sanity and your money with you, and when it really get bad, JUST LEAVE and take your sanity and your money with you....

[DGIE]

mcsromeo said:

Posted Yesterday, 20:36

Hello Slonic,

I lived near Kaset Sombun, Chaiyaphum for almost 6 months in 2012 while helping to build a small, but new home for my future wife's family on their existing land. Their village was of a population of about 150 and they had the usual rice, sugar cane, fish farm, cattle raising going on with a bit of silk spinning, mat making, a local wood working shop and three tiny little convenience stores selling ice, shampoo and other junk foods...

Interesting!

[villagefarang]

I don’t wish to come across as overly pessimistic, but then again it is hard to know what the OP means by rural living or a home in the countryside. My observation is that most foreigners who live far from town, do so with a Thai partner who can help navigate the intricacies of village life and act as translator.

Those who do not have a Thai partner, and many who have, tend to live closer to town, especially if they do not have or can’t afford their own transportation. While I understand the majority of expats don’t speak Thai and are adamant there is no need to do so, some people might find the broken english, exaggerated expressions and hand gestures less than satisfying as a means of communication with the local population.

Thailand has always been easy for me so I am basing my comments on observations of others rather than on personal experience, after all not many people retire to Chiang Rai after living in Bangkok for 30 years. As for my use of the word “old” in my post above, for me it has more to do with ones vitality and mindset than ones numerical age.

[slonic]

hi there, thanks for your comment though and here is our agenda in brief: we're looking for a place to rent at the moment and we want to see how it feels living here. we are from country-side in Canada, from Beautiful British Columbia on the west coast (not far from Whistler), got spoiled living surrounded by forests&lakes and certainly cities are not our cup of tea. for that reason we are searching for the right house to rent for long term - either on the mountain hills or on the rice paddies but not in moobaans nor in city. as of today we're in ChiangRai and we'll spend few days staying in resort or guest house and keeping our search going. wonder if you can share with us more information who to contact, or maybe you are the One who "knows someone"? greatly appreciate any tips and advices.

sincerely

Lena&Baba

our email: [email protected]

tel 082-6644700

Would you be looking to buy or a long term rent/lease slonic?

Usually we advise people to come up for a few days, book in a hotel and look around.

There are certainly rural properties around but you usually have to "know someone" to hear about them.

[slonic]

hi there, thanks for your comment though and here is our agenda in brief: we're looking for a place to rent at the moment and we want to see how it feels living here. we are from country-side in Canada, from Beautiful British Columbia on the west coast (not far from Whistler), got spoiled living surrounded by forests&lakes and certainly cities are not our cup of tea. for that reason we are searching for the right house to rent for long term - either on the mountain hills or on the rice paddies but not in moobaans nor in city. as of today we're in ChiangRai and we'll spend few days staying in resort or guest house and keeping our search going. wonder if you can share with us more information who to contact, or maybe you are the One who "knows someone"? greatly appreciate any tips and advices.

sincerely

Lena&Baba

our email: [email protected]

tel 082-6644700

Would you be looking to buy or a long term rent/lease slonic?

Usually we advise people to come up for a few days, book in a hotel and look around.

There are certainly rural properties around but you usually have to "know someone" to hear about them.

[slonic]

yep we managed to retire abit early than average farang, so we are in our mid-fifties and so far in a good shape. rural area- tha best, cause thats where we came from. 50klicks away from city not a problem at all. though internet is essential for sure. and we do speak+understand some Thai. share more tips with us please. we are in chiang rai now

Let them live a little, somewhere about 10-20 kms out like I am with all the necessities less than half hour's drive away.

How much Thai do you need to live in the sticks?

There's always someone around with a little Canadian and in emergencies the basics get through very quickly.

They may be younger than you think, people retire early these days, I know I did and I suspect you weren't exactly geriatric.

[slonic]

we might pop up in north-west as well. maybe see you there for a cup of tea. thanks for sharing your experience

Interesting post. I'm Engilish, been here 4 years now. Live in the Northwest in Mae Sariang, small but growing town. Not many foreigners living or visiting here. I live on the edge of town in a lovely quiet area. Mostly farming land here but much more productive than the Northeast, with crops reaping 2 to 3 harvests a year. Property is much cheaper to rent or buy here compared to Chiang Mai. Infastructure is ok but with a growing town it can cause some problems with power cuts. All in all, I prefer it to city life but miss the decent medical facilties and being able to buy some western food. Relaxing area, not too much hastle, but still have to contend with the terrible riding/driving by the Thais.

[slonic]

we might pop up in north-west as well. maybe see you there for a cup of tea. thanks for sharing your experience

Interesting post. I'm Engilish, been here 4 years now. Live in the Northwest in Mae Sariang, small but growing town. Not many foreigners living or visiting here. I live on the edge of town in a lovely quiet area. Mostly farming land here but much more productive than the Northeast, with crops reaping 2 to 3 harvests a year. Property is much cheaper to rent or buy here compared to Chiang Mai. Infastructure is ok but with a growing town it can cause some problems with power cuts. All in all, I prefer it to city life but miss the decent medical facilties and being able to buy some western food. Relaxing area, not too much hastle, but still have to contend with the terrible riding/driving by the Thais.

[villagefarang]

It seems hard to imagine someone would leave beautiful British Columbia but I left Hawaii in my youth, so go figure.

Usually emails and phone numbers are not shared on the open forum but are shared more privately through the PM function. I can’t remember if there is a rule against it or not but we will no doubt find out soon.

I had to build a place to get what I wanted but you may just get lucky and find a place that works for you. I am not in the real-estate business, like some, but I do know there is nothing for rent in our village. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Bpuumike]

I have an almost-completed house in Khao Wong,roughly half way between Kalasin and Roi Et. Also 2 hours from Khon Kaen.

I call it the Bermuda Triangle. If you want village life you got it, but also large hills around.

Drawbacks are lack of good medical facilities and 1./2 hour drive each way to get your vehicle serviced by the dealer.

My level of Thai language is moderate but get along fine and everyone is friendly and helpful.

If you want mountain scenery check out Khao Jai, north of Surat Buri and almost on a level, but East of Korat (never actually looked at a map). It is becoming a bit upmarket and expensive though. Always good for a visit to the major National Park if you over that way.