Am I crazy to move to Issan?

[Maroon Watcher]

not a place for westernised kids to be forever.

At your age you need peace and quiet - you kids DON'T

Choose the best of both worlds:

If you must Tarzan make it a holiday home - not a prison.

Better yet get somewhere quiet near a beach and not too far from "civilisation"

so you get income from the months you are not there...

Trade down in the states so you can live between the two - like movie stars

a place in every nice place

[slipperylobster]

not a place for westernised kids to be forever.

At your age you need peace and quiet - you kids DON'T

Choose the best of both worlds:

If you must Tarzan make it a holiday home - not a prison.

Better yet get somewhere quiet near a beach and not too far from "civilisation"

so you get income from the months you are not there...

Trade down in the states so you can live between the two - like movie stars

a place in every nice place

Plenty of civilization....just no beach..

[slipperylobster]

You will be bored to death in Issan, spend much of your time trying to convince yourself you are happy, and be looking for things to do. Why not compromise and move to the outskirts of Bangkok? Have a bit of peace and quiet but only an hour or so to Bkk. Maybe a bit further like Pakchong or Korat but still within 2 or 3 hrs of Bkk. You will be much more content I believe.

Do not confuse what people think Isaan really is. It is not all farmland....Try Udon or Nong Khai or the mountainous region of Loei. Isaan includes all that as well. Even Nong Khai.

Not everyone Lives on the farm anymore.

[thejcb]

Stay where you are, almost everywhere in Thailand is boring, ie. people and activities. Nothing to do every day. Do NOT do it !

[slipperylobster]

Ii live 4k from Udon in a small village and it's fine. But I am a fairly keen gardener, 4km into Udon is close enough to do two or three times a day and Udon is a fairly major city with plenty of Farang scattered around.

I wouldn't want to be more than 10km out of town. I think you'll find 30km quite a turn off after a while and when you get to Sisaket, there isn't THAT much to do of a farang nature. I don't know your village of course, but I'm betting there will be absolutely nothing farang there. If you don't speak Thai, you will be pretty isolated. To move from NYC without having experienced it yet, will be tough to adjust to. Perhaps not in the first six months though. You'll be busy getting things set up, buying your new gear etc, but once that's done........?

The local government school will be useless for your kids. I would suggest thinking hard about their schooling options.

I know they say nothing ventured, nothing gained, and you seem to be financially able to set up again in NYC if it doesn't work out, but IMHO, without knowing that you like a rural life in Thailand, you're about to waste six months and at your age, I think each month is kind of precious.

One general observation in terms of making your money go further, I am retired also and often think that if I do absolutely nothing, my money would go a very long way indeed. But would it be enjoyable?

Good luck with your decision.

This is true...plenty of urbanized areas in Isaan. I do recommend Udon, as it is close to both Nong Khai, Vientiane, Khon Kaen and Loei (great scenery in Loei. Nothing is more that and hour or two away. Udon has a very nice shopping mall, a few decent parks, plenty of shopping, and even farang pubs and restaurants. Stop thinking Iowa...it is not. I imagine there are some "isolated spots and small villages", but as above, Isaan is not the huge empty desolate wilderness people imagine. A one hour plane ride for less than one thousand baht puts you in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, from Udon. Also a Air Asia flies out of Udon to Phuket.

If in Isaan...Live in Udon...not bad at all...and 45 minutes to do a border run.

[herb59]

yes

[Jip99]

I think that you and your wife, if you choose, can adapt. While you don't mention the age of your children, I think that after eight years in the US, they will be the ones who will face a difficult challenge in adapting. While Thailand is a long distance from the US in miles, a village in Issan is significantly farther in cultural and lifestyle differences. They really are, IMO, two separate, distinct lifestyle and cultural worlds.

As a mid 60s, recently retired married couple, we also have a home in a village in Issan, and we have one grown child who lives in the US. After almost 40 years away from Thailand, we built a house, bought a car etc and now spend six months or so in each country. We just returned from seven months in Thailand and thoroughly enjoy each home, and after returning to the US, are still in awe of life back here, much as we are in awe of life at our Issan home surrounded by extended family members.

Two dynamically different worlds - when considering those differences, plus the potential differences in quality of education and setting the foundation for your children for their lives as adults, I would loose a lot of sleep over this decision.

Just my two cents of course. Peace and good luck.

There is much wisdom in this reply.

For you there is a real issue of cultural isolation and boredom. After a few fascinating years of establishing your home and watching the seasons and the rice harvest rotate the novelty may pall. The ideal if you can afford it is having a foot in both camps as SpokaneAl describes, but the big issue is the children. I have no idea how old they are but how will they be educated? How will they feel and if they in effect become Thai what opportunities for the future are there for them. To be rice farmers? It is hard to get any career for them if you are not mega-rich or well connected in Thai society.

I had the experience of moving to Isaan, in fact to a Surin village close to Sisaket, and staying there for a good number of years with my 'Thai girl'. It may be useful for you to read of my experiences in detail and I have set these out in a book, available on the shelves in Thailand as an ebook. Mentioning this is a serious contribution to this debate and I hope moderators will not forbid me from naming it. I am not selling beer or beans and I hope genuine authors with a relevant point are not banned from the forum.

The book is called, "My Thai Girl and I" and it tells our whole story in the village together, with all the joys and pitfalls, told in a humorous but serious light.

Best wishes with your future wherever it may lead.

Andrew Hicks

I guess it wouldn't look like spamming if somebody other than the author recommended a book....

[Nuddy]

I read a lot on Thai Visa

This article is just another troll

The original guy did not answer

Please can the monitors just sort these out

I cannot understand why these BS article continue.

I had great faith in ThaiVisa before but its really bad now with all the troll subjects.

Many thanks for letting me post here

Best regards

[hotrod4098]

lived in sirrattana sisaket for 4 years....bored every day..wake up check emails,,breakfast..then what...nothing to do..

all the family and hangers on come for a free meals every day..talking a load of rubbish amongst there self..

the the lauw kauw starts ,,which again they wont for free...

the high light of the week was tesco...for shopping...

lights out 7 pm..or they watch the thai crap on TV..

I CAN SPEAK SOME THAI AND ISSAN...but they have nothing to talk about..no conversation skills...i just looked as it was a

waste of my life..day in day out drudgery...but i was paying...

they tried to control me..it was like falang pay,,but he has no say..

you a have to be brain dead or alcholic to stay there..

[GinBoy2]

lived in sirrattana sisaket for 4 years....bored every day..wake up check emails,,breakfast..then what...nothing to do..

all the family and hangers on come for a free meals every day..talking a load of rubbish amongst there self..

the the lauw kauw starts ,,which again they wont for free...

the high light of the week was tesco...for shopping...

lights out 7 pm..or they watch the thai crap on TV..

I CAN SPEAK SOME THAI AND ISSAN...but they have nothing to talk about..no conversation skills...i just looked as it was a

waste of my life..day in day out drudgery...but i was paying...

they tried to control me..it was like falang pay,,but he has no say..

you a have to be brain dead or alcholic to stay there..

Maybe its my brain dead head, or maybe I'm just drunk (again)...but I guess you didn't enjoy yourself huh?

[NanLaew]

Tried it and I was going insane~~Bored to tears with Nothing to do...I have no plans to spend my golden Years watching Rice grow surrounded by a Language your not comfortable with but this is Just me..Give me the beach or Bangkok where I at least can relate to restaurants shopping malls ETC...

Good point.

I still wonder why some guys living in Patts/BKK/Islands for X number of years, move up to "The Sticks" with their GF/Wives. Some have told me they got tired of the crime, traffic, congestion and tourist scene. Some say it's less expensive up here. Some say the locals are nicer up here, not all wrapped around the axle in the city rat race. Maybe the wife caught them cheating and it was move or divorce.

Every farang that moves, do it because his GF/wife convince him. It's always she and never he that suggest it.

Have you even seen anyone living alone their?

It's nothing wrong with staying there. But be fair, nobody without a GF/wife that have convinced them that they must build/buy a house where she comes from, would move there.

Did you read the OP? He is building the house and the prime motivator for the relocation with a reluctant wife. There's another contributor with pretty much the same scenario.

I lived in Udon for 5 years and knew many foreign guys who chose to live there alone. Granted the majority were married or in a relationship but the amount of happy, single guys wasn't insignificant.

Please stop generalising.

[Maggusoil]

Important: Do you have good internet. Could be a decider as its a way of keeping in touch with the outside world. Like movies etc.

How do you get on with the local farangs? Any like minds there?

Village life is a novelty. For a while. Is relaxing, except when Pubayan does the news at 5.30am.

Some good advice on these posts. A good retirement option.

Good luck. Do some weekends in Bangkok. For business when you get really bored.

Personally I can only take 3 months at a time. They're a great three months.

[larsjohnsson]

Tried it and I was going insane~~Bored to tears with Nothing to do...I have no plans to spend my golden Years watching Rice grow surrounded by a Language your not comfortable with but this is Just me..Give me the beach or Bangkok where I at least can relate to restaurants shopping malls ETC...

Good point.

I still wonder why some guys living in Patts/BKK/Islands for X number of years, move up to "The Sticks" with their GF/Wives. Some have told me they got tired of the crime, traffic, congestion and tourist scene. Some say it's less expensive up here. Some say the locals are nicer up here, not all wrapped around the axle in the city rat race. Maybe the wife caught them cheating and it was move or divorce.

Every farang that moves, do it because his GF/wife convince him. It's always she and never he that suggest it.

Have you even seen anyone living alone their?

It's nothing wrong with staying there. But be fair, nobody without a GF/wife that have convinced them that they must build/buy a house where she comes from, would move there.

Did you read the OP? He is building the house and the prime motivator for the relocation with a reluctant wife. There's another contributor with pretty much the same scenario.

I lived in Udon for 5 years and knew many foreign guys who chose to live there alone. Granted the majority were married or in a relationship but the amount of happy, single guys wasn't insignificant.

Please stop generalising.

I know what he wrote. But I wrote Move, and he have not moved. That's what he ask about here.

It's also a big difference to live in a small village 40k from Sisaket city. And live in Udon.

And no way there are a large amount of happy single guys. Especially not if comparing with other places in Thailand

Edited April 21, 2014 by larsjohnsson

[rgs2001uk]

Tried it and I was going insane~~Bored to tears with Nothing to do...I have no plans to spend my golden Years watching Rice grow surrounded by a Language your not comfortable with but this is Just me..Give me the beach or Bangkok where I at least can relate to restaurants shopping malls ETC...

Good point.

I still wonder why some guys living in Patts/BKK/Islands for X number of years, move up to "The Sticks" with their GF/Wives. Some have told me they got tired of the crime, traffic, congestion and tourist scene. Some say it's less expensive up here. Some say the locals are nicer up here, not all wrapped around the axle in the city rat race. Maybe the wife caught them cheating and it was move or divorce.

Every farang that moves, do it because his GF/wife convince him. It's always she and never he that suggest it.

Have you even seen anyone living alone their?

It's nothing wrong with staying there. But be fair, nobody without a GF/wife that have convinced them that they must build/buy a house where she comes from, would move there.

Did you read the OP? He is building the house and the prime motivator for the relocation with a reluctant wife. There's another contributor with pretty much the same scenario.

I lived in Udon for 5 years and knew many foreign guys who chose to live there alone. Granted the majority were married or in a relationship but the amount of happy, single guys wasn't insignificant.

Please stop generalising.

No need to generalize, the posts speak for themselves.

If its so effin great up there why did you move back to Pattaya?

Lets be honest here, how many guys have you ever met, who threw a dart at a map of Issan and said, wherever the dart lands is where I will live?

Answer, NONE, they are led like a buffalo back to the village thier teerak is from.

The highlight of the week, watching Muay Thai in some mom n pop shop in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday afternoon, knocking back the Changs and lao kao with the locals.

Its nothing more than a farang graveyard.

If it were so great a place to stay why every week is Mor Chit full of buses bringing in the peasants to Bkk seeking a better life?

Answer, they can earn 15k with overtime at the Yam Yam factory, accomadation provided, what does Issan offer, 200 baht per day, toiling in the mid day sun, mai aow krap.

[MJP]

I love it up there, been there 13 years . . . on . . . and . . . off.

And herein lies the method to this madness. Oh yes, I have the choice of the Issan village home or Blighty demolition/regen site hell. Similar levels of purgatory but oh quite so different from one another to make me feel I have achieved balance in life. Balance being somewhere between schizophrenia and manic depression.

Usually goes 6 months of Issan village or a couple of years depending on recession . . . to a couple of years back on site . . . and round and round we go.

It's not ideal. No really, it's not ideal. Any of it.

Talk to the kids on Skype.

[phinick]

I'm happily surprised by so many replies, and I want to thank you all for your opinions. I probably should have stated that I did not start building this house for me, but to have a house for my wife that was paid for when I die. After the building started, I got the Idea that I would be able to retire there, and live pretty good on my income. My choices are to retire to Thailand, or work until I die.

My wife and her kids (boys, ages 16 & 13) are happy here (we live in Las Vegas), so maybe I'm being selfish, but I figured we could at least try it for a few months, and see what happens. Her whole family lives in this same area.

To help further clarify my situation, I will be 68 this year, and my wife is 30 years younger.

I have attached a pic of the house which is in the district of Huai Thap Tan. Again, thank you all for your feedback

[NeverSure]

I'm happily surprised by so many replies, and I want to thank you all for your opinions. I probably should have stated that I did not start building this house for me, but to have a house for my wife that was paid for when I die. After the building started, I got the Idea that I would be able to retire there, and live pretty good on my income. My choices are to retire to Thailand, or work until I die.

My wife and her kids (boys, ages 16 & 13) are happy here (we live in Las Vegas), so maybe I'm being selfish, but I figured we could at least try it for a few months, and see what happens. Her whole family lives in this same area.

To help further clarify my situation, I will be 68 this year, and my wife is 30 years younger.

I have attached a pic of the house which is in the district of Huai Thap Tan. Again, thank you all for your feedback

What H E double toothpicks are you doing in Lost Wages? Summer temperatures higher than Thailand, only 4 inches of rain per year in the middle of real, true desert and just a touch over 100 miles from Death Valley?

Yeah, I know it's a big city but for most people it's a party place that you visit, not live.

Yes, you would be happier in the most isolated of Isaan villages. You can gamble and drink beer a lot cheaper in Isaan, LOL.

BTW, good luck in whatever you choose.

[slipperylobster]

I'm happily surprised by so many replies, and I want to thank you all for your opinions. I probably should have stated that I did not start building this house for me, but to have a house for my wife that was paid for when I die. After the building started, I got the Idea that I would be able to retire there, and live pretty good on my income. My choices are to retire to Thailand, or work until I die.

My wife and her kids (boys, ages 16 & 13) are happy here (we live in Las Vegas), so maybe I'm being selfish, but I figured we could at least try it for a few months, and see what happens. Her whole family lives in this same area.

To help further clarify my situation, I will be 68 this year, and my wife is 30 years younger.

I have attached a pic of the house which is in the district of Huai Thap Tan. Again, thank you all for your feedbackoo

What H E double toothpicks are you doing in Lost Wages? Summer temperatures higher than Thailand, only 4 inches of rain per year in the middle of real, true desert and just a touch over 100 miles from Death Valley?

Yeah, I know it's a big city but for most people it's a party place that you visit, not live.

Yes, you would be happier in the most isolated of Isaan villages. You can gamble and drink beer a lot cheaper in Isaan, LOL.

BTW, good luck in whatever you choose.

Isaan has hooterville...las vegas has Hooters.

Therein lies the difference.

[dighambara]

Have your kids and wife gotten US citizenship..?? AND kept their Thai papers up to date..??

Do the kids remember how to speak Thai..??

40k from town - good luck...!!!

You will have absolutely no support facilities or foreign friends.

I live in Issan, but near enough to town to walk and visit friends.

Modern conveniences and products are nearby/

If I need a nail, ot hammer, or drill, or a burrito, I can walk to many stores and comparrison shop.

[MJP]

lived in sirrattana sisaket for 4 years....bored every day..wake up check emails,,breakfast..then what...nothing to do..

all the family and hangers on come for a free meals every day..talking a load of rubbish amongst there self..

the the lauw kauw starts ,,which again they wont for free...

the high light of the week was tesco...for shopping...

lights out 7 pm..or they watch the thai crap on TV..

I CAN SPEAK SOME THAI AND ISSAN...but they have nothing to talk about..no conversation skills...i just looked as it was a

waste of my life..day in day out drudgery...but i was paying...

they tried to control me..it was like falang pay,,but he has no say..

you a have to be brain dead or alcholic to stay there..

Build your walls my friend and build them high. Then install imposing security gates through which no eyes can see or 'visitors' may scale.

Yes, it will be your own personal prison, yet your mind shall be freed!

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[guzzi850m2]

My wife have a house and some land app 60 km from SiSaket waaay out in the sticks man.

I can't stand it there, max 5 days and I want to go back home to Pattaya. In Pattaya we have: Good schools to choose from and the same goes with hospitals and restaurants.

I very seldom going out partying in the night, I have a family so prefer a quiet live and yes you can do that too in Pattaya if you want to.

I am planning to start playing golf soon and I think we got +10 courses around here.

OP with 2 boys that age, Issan is not the place to go to, I think they will hate it there and most important; what about schooling?

[DILLIGAD]

I know a teacher from Huay Thep Than and his highlight was travelling about 20k to a crappy weekly market in another town, where I left because even that place was too remote!

Nearest airport is more than 130k away. Nearest city is around 50k away with passable hospital. In town the small Tesco express is the only place to buy semi western food ( other than plastic 7/11 snacks).

Just Visiting your house for a while is a better option IMO.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[bobo42]

I don't live exactly in Isaan, but I'm up north about 5 hours from Bangkok, so similar situation. Personally, I'm happy enough where I am, but there are some big downsides that might be a much bigger issue for you than me.

Schools: The one BIG downside that keeps getting repeated here, that I would really recommend you listen to: there's no good place for your kids to go to school. The Thai side of my family only has one kid in school, and most of the extended family chip-in a little money every term to keep her in a private school (its a trivial amount). There are very very few options in our area, and even the best school we can find is absolutely laughable compared to a typical US public school. The school she attends is superior to anything else available in the area, and yet still falls far short of anything I would classify as a decent education. If I were you, I'd shelf this idea right at this point.

Medical: It can be very bad. If you have any health worries, you might find this a problem. In most small towns and villages, the only hospital available is the government hospital - not pleasant when its bad and its the only option. A lot of doctors in the sticks do not speak English to a reasonable degree (even though they may claim to, communication is often difficult at best). Government hospitals are typically hot (not air conditioned), busy, and full of mosquitoes, very often with full beds in hallways and outdoor walking areas. Not a place I'd like to end up if I'm having a heart attack. As my own age advances (I'm not too worried yet), I will be moving closer to better medical facilities, there is no way I would be comfortable with the primary care available in my current city.

Shopping/Food: Varies so much from village to village, so not sure about your particular situation. I'd make sure I was at least relatively close to a Tesco or BigC, just so I could get some sort-of-western-style food when I wanted it. The food and shopping options anywhere Thailand are extremely more limited than what you are accustomed to in a large city in the US - and in a small village the "choice" is infinitesimal. There will be exactly zero places near you with any kind of western-food options. For me, I bought a big freezer and take frequent trips to Bangkok - and I cook myself a lot more than I used to.

Activities: This is the one I can't help you with. I still work, so I'm busy all the time, this isn't really an issue for me. There are probably lots of things that you could do to occupy your time, but you'll probably have to work harder to find them. Way too many foreigners (and locals) just end up drinking all hours for lack of anything better to do.

Transportation: You'll need a car. If you can't drive yourself around, you're going to end up feeling trapped. Road trips around the country are pretty fun. Being able to get around easily and independantly makes a huge difference in your quality of life when you live out in the country.

I'm actually quite content where I am now, but I don't think I would consider retiring out here, too many inconveniences. In the long term, I'll definitely be moving to a bigger city with more services, but I could be happy where I am for another ten years or so.

[SantiSuk]

I question this oft-repeated phrase that many falangs in Issaan just end up drinking all day. I think it is glib - my own personal observations are that it is a tiny minority.

[spidermike007]

Take up new hobbies.

Help out volunteering English lessons.

Don't start drinking more than twice a week.

Don't be ultra-nice (a doormat). Don't start giving out 'loans'. The locals will test you. Any weakness that will advantage them, they'll be in there like a fart in your underpants.

Good advice. Why Sisaket? Is that where her family is? Why not within 50 miles of a real city? Why so remote? For me, the roosters alone would be a big reason I would not want to live in a Thai village.

[crazydrummerpauly]

Have absolutely no idea why any city boy would contemplate living in a remote village in an alien culture surrounded by avaricious untrustworthy people - barmy.

[Som wat]

Have absolutely no idea why any city boy would contemplate living in a remote village in an alien culture surrounded by avaricious untrustworthy people - barmy.

Love?

[captspectre]

Yes.

No.

Maybe.

Good luck.

yes! do not move to isan! we have enough falongs here already! it still remains peaceful up here and we want it to stay that way! go to bangkok or to phuket!

[Loles]

This depends on your behavior and your adaptability.

For example my behavior: can't smile but a bit angry when they look me stupid, and my adaptability: which is Zero for Isaan life I don't go there at all.

Anyway it's will be so interesting, I'm sure, and please share your experiences later.

Good luck and have a good time!

[puchooay]

All these people that moan about no English language and no western food.

Difficult to remember many places in the countryside of England that have an abundance of Thai language and food.

Isn't chicken and pork part of western food any more?