Will I survive in Issan?

[NeverSure]

A significantly increasing number Hotrod. Several hundred farang residents in Amphur Kantharalak these days I reckon - at least double/treble the number 5 years ago. . 3 within 1 click of me. Many more good luck stories than hard luck stories amongst Issaan falang IMO.

Really.

I have a very good friend in Kantharalak. She has a master's degree and teaches school in a village about 25 kms away. The village is small enough that kids from another village are bused there for school. One village speaks "Isaan" and the other Khmer. They have a dorm for everyone to stay in during the week. It looks like a shack to me - a long row of rooms - but it has good internet and hot water.

This is the school that I've told about before that has another very pretty teacher just over 30 years old. This teacher is married to a Thai. But she plays on the dating sites and meets men who come to visit her. When I was there, there was a Dutchman visiting her. Her Thai husband likes it because she collects a lot of money.

NO ONE in the school seemed to care, and no one told the Dutchman. My friend told me the whole story. I don't speak Dutch and I was never alone with the guy so I didn't/couldn't tell him. He was being asked to fund a new restaurant.

This kind of krap scares the sheet out of me and I would never build a house or a restaurant for a Thai. If all they want me for is money, then ---- them because that's what I'm really there for anyway.

Edited March 25, 2014 by NeverSure

[MJP]

A significantly increasing number Hotrod. Several hundred farang residents in Amphur Kantharalak these days I reckon - at least double/treble the number 5 years ago. . 3 within 1 click of me. Many more good luck stories than hard luck stories amongst Issaan falang IMO.

Really.

I have a very good friend in Kantharalak. She has a master's degree and teaches school in a village about 25 kms away. The village is small enough that kids from another village are bused there for school. One village speaks "Isaan" and the other Khmer. They have a dorm for everyone to stay in during the week. It looks like a shack to me - a long row of rooms - but it has good internet and hot water.

This is the school that I've told about before that has another very pretty teacher just over 30 years old. This teacher is married to a Thai. But she plays on the dating sites and meets men who come to visit her. When I was there, there was a Dutchman visiting her. Her Thai husband likes it because she collects a lot of money.

NO ONE in the school seemed to care, and no one told the Dutchman. My friend told me the whole story. I don't speak Dutch and I was never alone with the guy so I didn't/couldn't tell him. He was being asked to fund a new restaurant.

This kind of krap scares the sheet out of me and I would never build a house or a restaurant for a Thai. If all they want me for is money, then ---- them because that's what I'm really there for anyway.

It's routine.

My Thai neighbours are quite open about. She has an Australian husband and her Thai husband disappears for the period the Aussie is visiting.

[daboyz1]

how many on this topic have or will live in sisaket...seems quite a few...i lived in sirratana sisaket for 4 years..still got friends there...

I'll be living in Sila Lat or Rasi Salai.

[daboyz1]

I hear what you are saying but if you go to a farhang bar anywhere in Isaan and talk to 10 expats my guess would be 50% will have bought land, built a house, lost a motorbike to lay about brother in law, paid for sick buffalo then walked away from the lot. Wish I had a pound for every time I had heard this story.

Sent from my very clever thingy that uses battery far too quickly

Funny thing is there's probably a lot of farangs in Bangkok that have never even seen the house they unknowingly built. Even more men in western countries that are one of 5 different farang boyfriends the girl has on the hook. Pretty funny watching the girls scramble when they would have two of them coming to Bangkok at the same time.

[billd766]

Great post

Its obvious that Loles has been burnt in the past.

Of course you are 100 % right, and not only me have been burnt but I know many many similar stories. More than enough. And I'm only 36 not 175 yrs old.

BUT don't be worry at all, if you are willing to be a walking ATM machine, and you are over 70 with a nice last will to them, you are especially favorite and high loved there. Anyway they laugh about yourself behind your back but you have bought many many illusions and the illusion is an expensive good ...

Some people are lucky and some are not. The lucky ones outnumber the unlucky ones.

The difference is that the unlucky ones post about it and the others mainly don't.

Of the 25 or so people I know who are married that live both in Thailand and abroad only about 2 or perhaps 3 marriages have failed. The nationalities that I can remember are American, Austrian, Australian, Belgian, Brit, Canadian, Danish, Isreali, Scots, and probably a couple more that I have forgotten. Some live in the city, some in the countryside. Most are professionals, engineers, explosive experts and some other jobs. Some are old like me and some are 20 or more years younger. Some have wives closer in age and some like me have a 21 year age gap.

None are bitter, none that I know of are ATM machines. Some have their own families, some are step parents, some have no kids. Most of us with wifes in the countryside KNOW and understand that the land belongs to the wives but don't care about that. Some have houses or condos. All of us have transport of some sort and lives of our own and with our families.

Please DON'T assume at 36 you know everything because you don't. I am 70 in May and I DON'T know everything either. I doubt very much if the wives laugh at us behind our backs nor have I personally bought many illusions

You speak of your experience and it didn't work out that well for you. I am sorry to hear that.

I speak of my experience and it is the oppisite for me. I have known my wife for 21 years and have been married for 15 of them next month. I fully expect to be married to the same wife as I currently have until one of us dies, probably me first.

[Jip99]

Great post

Its obvious that Loles has been burnt in the past.

Of course you are 100 % right, and not only me have been burnt but I know many many similar stories. More than enough. And I'm only 36 not 175 yrs old.

BUT don't be worry at all, if you are willing to be a walking ATM machine, and you are over 70 with a nice last will to them, you are especially favorite and high loved there. Anyway they laugh about yourself behind your back but you have bought many many illusions and the illusion is an expensive good ...

I hope your bitterness disappears, otherwise you will turn into a sad old tw4t before your time.

[PMNL]

Yeah if you are a city type of guy it might be tough. I like to get out and about and do things. walk and have a lok around and meet some people and have a yarn. I dont mean bars and stuff every day.

I went out to the girlfriends village for 10 days and it was one of the most boring things I have done in Thailand.

No one spoke English and I dont speak thai much so that was that. internet was not much good and really there was nothing to do at all. Crap toilet, had to sit on the ground to eat, hot. you think it muight be quiet out there but noise all the time.

The girlfriend suggested later that we should build a house and live there near her family. I laughed so much it hurt my stomach. I felt bad I luaghed at her but it was funny she could even ask me. I pay most of the bills so we'll be staying the places I like,

I know some people like the village and maybe they were country boys or something but if you are used to the city life it is as boring as watching paint dry. You are 70 mate and you must know by now what type of life you want.

Why should locals speak English when you are in Thailand? You are living in Thailand and it surely is expected by foreigners that live in Australia to speak at least basic English.

Regarding you had to sit on the local toilet or you had to sit on the floor during eating. You could have just go to the local wat and borrow yourself a plastic chair for the 10 days you were at that village. Is money is not a problem for you you could have just bought for 100-150 Baht a cheap plastic chair.

I have been working in Bangkok over 20 years, KL 4 years and Singapore 2 years plus assignments in HCM City, Beijing, Shanghai, Jakarta and Dubai and I appreciate village life also of course I do have air-cons and all the likes I bought that can keep myself up to the life in a big city. I miss really nothing that a city can provide me here in a village. 16km away is a Tecso, 50km away I have my tops supermarket.

I wake up with the chickens and go sleep at 10pm. Internet could be quicker but then again 7.2Mb is not bad at all for village life.

I think the most important factor is if you partner (GF or wife) is a good match. If it is a good match and you have no stress coming from either your partner or her family life can be great.

A lot of you blokes down in issan land are very very sensitive it seems like.

Where did i say they have to speak English? Its their village they should speak what they want and i dont expect them to speak Englaish. Like i said i want to speak English with people and i dont get that in a village. im not going to struggle along in some issan language. As for foreigners in australia i dont care what they speak but if they want to come to me and ask something they'll have to speak english if they want my help.

the chair like i said I wouldnt want someone bringing a chair to my place saying your furniture is no good so i wouldnt do that to them. Thats how they eat but and i dont want to do it like that and i dont need to do it like that. It dont matter it was 10 days and i'd never live back in that village for more than a few days ever again.

its a very common mistake that a lot of guys like you make. Just because you live in thailand that doesnt mean you have to do everythign a thai person does.

Sounds ignorant to me: If you do suffer with their ways of eating /toilet. Buy a good set of dining table, build them a cheap standard toilet do you can be more comfortable and no it's not am insults, it depends on how you talk to them. They surely would appreciate your thoughtful, if it ever occurs.

I actually think it is amirable for those who help out the in law, what they can, not throwing money or spoil them but at least to give them some comfortable in life where normal human being deserved. It's a thought that count.

For the english bit you sound so self- centered man. What is wrong with. The Isaan language ?? What is wrong with thai bring spoken in LOS it's their culture try to understand and remember a few words life would be different. Off course when I go to Brisbane I have to speak English to the local and I am not an ignorant and fortunately I have ability to learn.

Sounds ignorant to me: If you do suffer with their ways of eating /toilet. Buy a good set of dining table, build them a cheap standard toilet do you can be more comfortable and no it's not am insults, it depends on how you talk to them. They surely would appreciate your thoughtful, if it ever occurs.

I actually think it is amirable for those who help out the in law, what they can, not throwing money or spoil them but at least to give them some comfortable in life where normal human being deserved. It's a thought that count.

For the english bit you sound so self- centered man. What is wrong with. The Isaan language ?? What is wrong with thai bring spoken in LOS it's their culture try to understand and remember a few words life would be different. Off course when I go to Brisbane I have to speak English to the local and I am not an ignorant

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited April 13, 2014 by PMNL

[Jip99]

A significantly increasing number Hotrod. Several hundred farang residents in Amphur Kantharalak these days I reckon - at least double/treble the number 5 years ago. . 3 within 1 click of me. Many more good luck stories than hard luck stories amongst Issaan falang IMO.

Really.

I have a very good friend in Kantharalak. She has a master's degree and teaches school in a village about 25 kms away. The village is small enough that kids from another village are bused there for school. One village speaks "Isaan" and the other Khmer. They have a dorm for everyone to stay in during the week. It looks like a shack to me - a long row of rooms - but it has good internet and hot water.

This is the school that I've told about before that has another very pretty teacher just over 30 years old. This teacher is married to a Thai. But she plays on the dating sites and meets men who come to visit her. When I was there, there was a Dutchman visiting her. Her Thai husband likes it because she collects a lot of money.

NO ONE in the school seemed to care, and no one told the Dutchman. My friend told me the whole story. I don't speak Dutch and I was never alone with the guy so I didn't/couldn't tell him. He was being asked to fund a new restaurant.

This kind of krap scares the sheet out of me and I would never build a house or a restaurant for a Thai. If all they want me for is money, then ---- them because that's what I'm really there for anyway.

It's routine.

My Thai neighbours are quite open about. She has an Australian husband and her Thai husband disappears for the period the Aussie is visiting.

It is routine and far more common than many would like to believe.

The worse case I have personally come across is a Thai lady with a Thai husband, a Thai gik, a Farang husband and 2 other Farangs sending her a monthly allowance.

It is said that she pulls in 70,000 Baht per month from the 3 Farang sources.

Now, I am not been funny but, a culture that can that easily accept such a level of polygamy warrants extreme caution on the part of any visiting Farang.

[slipperylobster]

A significantly increasing number Hotrod. Several hundred farang residents in Amphur Kantharalak these days I reckon - at least double/treble the number 5 years ago. . 3 within 1 click of me. Many more good luck stories than hard luck stories amongst Issaan falang IMO.

Really.

I have a very good friend in Kantharalak. She has a master's degree and teaches school in a village about 25 kms away. The village is small enough that kids from another village are bused there for school. One village speaks "Isaan" and the other Khmer. They have a dorm for everyone to stay in during the week. It looks like a shack to me - a long row of rooms - but it has good internet and hot water.

This is the school that I've told about before that has another very pretty teacher just over 30 years old. This teacher is married to a Thai. But she plays on the dating sites and meets men who come to visit her. When I was there, there was a Dutchman visiting her. Her Thai husband likes it because she collects a lot of money.

NO ONE in the school seemed to care, and no one told the Dutchman. My friend told me the whole story. I don't speak Dutch and I was never alone with the guy so I didn't/couldn't tell him. He was being asked to fund a new restaurant.

This kind of krap scares the sheet out of me and I would never build a house or a restaurant for a Thai. If all they want me for is money, then ---- them because that's what I'm really there for anyway.

It's routine.

My Thai neighbours are quite open about. She has an Australian husband and her Thai husband disappears for the period the Aussie is visiting.

It is routine and far more common than many would like to believe.

The worse case I have personally come across is a Thai lady with a Thai husband, a Thai gik, a Farang husband and 2 other Farangs sending her a monthly allowance.

It is said that she pulls in 70,000 Baht per month from the 3 Farang sources.

Now, I am not been funny but, a culture that can that easily accept such a level of polygamy warrants extreme caution on the part of any visiting Farang.

I had a good smile at this one. Yesterday we went out to the tiny village and, from what I was told, several of the ladies (Suffice it say, hefty, middle aged ladies) were talking about their farangs and their giks. One was showing off her 10 million baht house (that is what it cost the farang husband..he is long gone). The house and property would actually only cost one or two million to build right. This one was a mess. The oldest and fatest lady was talking about her policeman gik. In the same conversation, was the 60 year old lady (married to the brother of my gal) who was sleeping with a married man....get this... the man is married to a sister of my gal. These are all middle of the road, income people that have property and businesses. One man is the headman in charge of several village headmen. No w, this conversation lastest all afternoon. I heard somebody yell something and asked who was that. It as a lady they call "black" lady. She was shouting from her motorbike that she was off to see her 22 year old thai gik. This lady was 44

[Jip99]

People in the UK don't believe these stories.

Neighbouring village,

Farang built house for his GF.

A year later another girl from the village brought a Farang home and he said he would build her a house in the village.

She went to the builder of the first house and said will you build one for me. He asked about what design she would like and she replied " I don't care, as long as it costs more than the other Farang house!"