Mate, a farang is a farang is a farang. Its the same everywhere in Thailand. Got it?

I'm Retired from the UK and live in Penang Malaysia and I am a regular visitor to Hatyai and have many local friends there and Sonkhla and have always in the last 10yrs plus that ive been going there never had any problems with the locals, they have always been friendly and Curtious to me everywhere ive been I was there in the great flood of Nov 2010 and was stuck at the king hotel in Hatyai for 5 days with little food and a dwindling supply of drinking water but the hotel rationed it out to all the hotel guests and made us has comfortable has they could we had no running water or power but lucky they had a gas stove to cook what food they had,

Transportation was in short supply when the water finally receded with many tourist wanting to get back to there home destinations but they found for us transport and did not charge us a single cent, everyone pulled together locals and foreigners alike, so in my personal opinion, treat people anywhere with good manners and respect and you will receive the same in return wherever you choose to live or visit in Thailand, for me it was and STILL IS "THE LAND OF SMILES" despite its recent problems.

How about Kanchanaburi ever thought of there.

How about Kanchanaburi ever thought of there.

. It's Lovely up there, National Park up there Waterfalls , Big River, some good restaurants.

I would suggest a trip down South...Hat Yai, Yala, Pattani to get the rest of the story...

I like Hat Yai but the most friendly and outgoing people I've met by far are in Yala. Maybe because they are not used to seeing farangs. Not recommending you move there.

Not sure that I would want to go to the 5 Muslim terrorist provinces where 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years of war.

Not sure that I would want to go to the 5 Muslim terrorist provinces where 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years of war.

. Your right it sounds , like your pushing your Luck, like going to Pattaya, you never know when some young yahoo is gonna pull a stunt on you, ex. Yabba and Guns a plenty in Patts

I would suggest a trip down South...Hat Yai, Yala, Pattani to get the rest of the story...

By the way ... Yala won the nominations of the tidiest, cleanest and safest province 5 years in a raw few years back just before the situation down south got intense. And when i say safest i mean criminal activities nearly null. You need to pay a visit down south and see by your own eyes.

Not sure that I would want to go to the 5 Muslim terrorist provinces where 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years of war.

5 muslim terrorist provinces!!! Wow !! So basically nearly 2 million people down south are considered terrorists in your opinion? My friend ... Get the full picture of what is happening down south then come and talk, thats a different discussion though.

Lots and lots of answers and comments, but at the risk of piling on, I would like to add one thing I did not see in the dozens of responses I did read, good ones and lame ones.

Consider what foreigners and foreigner services/goods you can find within reasonable travel distance. Avoiding jaded or grabby locals in tourist areas is a worthwhile goal, but an expat club and some intellectual stimulation from people with enough simililarity to you to really mess sometimes is needed. What are your pastimes? ocean, golf, bicycle, belling to the bar, tennis, movies, drinking Laokao with the locals?

Me, I need more connections to some brains still working and some interest in design, construction, world finances investing and such. Living here 1/2 time or more of the last 16 years, has proven the rarity of connections for me even in more touristy and populated places. I have known some farangs who thought they could live in the boonies here, only to see them lose $$, not because of the woman, but because they did not know themselves or the situation they would need.

Ocean is a draw for most of us that also brings you closer to the awful tourist, but people know that, what they do not know is the subtle intellectual stuff, and that has never been there for me in any of my scores of long term girlfreinds or wives.

One of the only large towns I haven't visited is kon kaen, does anyone have an opinion on there?

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I traveled all the way through khon Kaen, and never even seen a shopping mall, Big C or Tesco Lotus, but I'm sure they will be around.

There are.

Your post makes me smile.

Sure you were in Khon Kaen ?

Central: http://goo.gl/maps/ffaEf

Big C, now hidden behind a new smaller mall: http://goo.gl/maps/BVbfD

Home Pro, one of about half a dozen big homestores: http://goo.gl/maps/2Zkgb

Old Tesco, a new one is at the north end: http://goo.gl/maps/EPfio

I frequent all of the above regularly.

Sure Big C is not the level of Big C Extra on Pattaya Klang in terms of imported goods selection.

But for me and most expats more than enough.

TOPS at Central: little missing, but expensive as usual.

In the city there is an older IT mall (tukcom chain).

Another major mall is under construction on Maliwan road. Soon to open.

A Terminal 21 is planned for 2016.

And so and so on.

And if you dare for even more: do an occasional excursion to Udon Thani (120 km),

Villa Market for the ones with the big pockets.

Edited December 29, 201411 yr by KhunBENQ

Not sure that I would want to go to the 5 Muslim terrorist provinces where 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years of war.

Which are the "5 Muslim terrorist provinces" that you refer to?

I'm Retired from the UK and live in Penang Malaysia and I am a regular visitor to Hatyai and have many local friends there and Sonkhla and have always in the last 10yrs plus that ive been going there never had any problems with the locals, they have always been friendly and Curtious to me everywhere ive been I was there in the great flood of Nov 2010 and was stuck at the king hotel in Hatyai for 5 days with little food and a dwindling supply of drinking water but the hotel rationed it out to all the hotel guests and made us has comfortable has they could we had no running water or power but lucky they had a gas stove to cook what food they had,

Transportation was in short supply when the water finally receded with many tourist wanting to get back to there home destinations but they found for us transport and did not charge us a single cent, everyone pulled together locals and foreigners alike, so in my personal opinion, treat people anywhere with good manners and respect and you will receive the same in return wherever you choose to live or visit in Thailand, for me it was and STILL IS "THE LAND OF SMILES" despite its recent problems.

I agree with you about people in general , if you behave reasonably they will. Every race or nationality has there fare share of idiots and it always those who stand out

I lived in Penang for 5 and a half years by the way, on the mainland in Butterworth, couldn't be doing with Penang traffic back over the bridge every night. Lovely place though

Historically it seems there are four muslim provinces:

Wiki: South Thailand insurgency

Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat

Those are the names that appear in the Thai news almost every day.

Snipers, shootings, road bombs. All the "usual stuff".

Edited December 29, 201411 yr by KhunBENQ

Thanks for all the feedback,

For anyone interested i was going to buy a plot of land in my daughters name(7 year old dual AUS/THAI citizen) and slowly build a large house on there over the next few years. I am single(my daughter lives here with me) and work in the mining industry in Australia. At one point i lived in Thailand for 5 years teaching English. In 15 years I've lived there about 6-7 years in total.

Early 2015 i will spend 30 days in Thailand and visit Chiang Rai, Kon Kaen, Korat and maybe another place to get a feel for those places.

I usually spend 3 months a year in LOS but would like to have a house to go to.

If the south of Thailand is so wonderful then you accept that 6,000 people have been slaughtered in the past 12 years. Maybe you also accept the Muslim terrorist in the rest of the world and the cutting off of the heads of no believers.

For me, I have had enough of the south and the harassment by your Muslim community members.

If the south of Thailand is so wonderful then you accept that 6,000 people have been slaughtered in the past 12 years. Maybe you also accept the Muslim terrorist in the rest of the world and the cutting off of the heads of no believers.

For me, I have had enough of the south and the harassment by your Muslim community members.

LOL. As Gerrie Nel would say, "You're not answering the question Mr Pistorious!"

"Which are the "5 Muslim terrorist provinces" that you refer to? "

A good many years ago I had several friends who lived in Pattaya and loved it. I don't think it would be for me, but they said it was very different when you live there. I'm fond of the Northeast, because that was where my first wife was from. For some reason I really liked Khorat, but it was changing back in the '90s and I have no idea if I would like it now. It was getting very big, busy, and noisy. I've visited my nephew-in-law's parents in Chiang Rai (outside town) and haven't seen it to be very friendly, but that's probably just me. In order to socialize I need to be able to walk. Probably living in town, in easy walking distance of a place to play snooker would be better for me. I'm living in Nakhon Sawan right now, which is considered Central Thailand (Chao Phraya valley). I like it here, but that's because my second wife's family takes care of me. The think I like about Nakhon Sawan is that it's small enough to only have one department store, but basically has anything a farang would need. Oh, almost forgot. I spent a couple of days in Hat Yai a couple of times about twenty years ago and found the place friendly enough. Probably because they're so dependent on tourism, but I found people easy to strike up a conversation with.

Edited December 29, 201411 yr by Acharn

Not sure that I would want to go to the 5 Muslim terrorist provinces where 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years of war.

Which are the "5 Muslim terrorist provinces" that you refer to?

Which came first, the ten years of problems he had with Muslims in Phuket, or his bigotry?

One explains the other....but which came first?

i always like Kanchanaburi.

i always like Kanchanaburi.

I agree it's a lovely province, one that I would consider to live once I retire, although I am very happy in Eastern Thailand.

Thanks Mr toad,nice to be back ,nice to talk to you again,after my captivity in darkest New guinea,and no i don't want to talk about it.

i always like Kanchanaburi.

i always like Kanchanaburi.

I agree it's a lovely province, one that I would consider to live once I retire, although I am very happy in Eastern Thailand.

Yes, lived here full time since 2006 and it's great!

In 1998 to 2010 I lived in Phuket and operated a business there. The local Muslims threatened to burn my business down, threw rocks at my roof and building. They also brought extortion letters to me demanding monthly payments of 5,000 Baht per month. The US Embassy, the Thai Santi Baan and local police finally put a stop to these threats in 2008.

Don, your food was always good and your restaurant full of happy patrons, so I think locals envied your business model. Would be the same anywhere you went in Thailand!

Pattaya is friendly, especially Soi 6

In 1998 to 2010 I lived in Phuket and operated a business there. The local Muslims threatened to burn my business down, threw rocks at my roof and building. They also brought extortion letters to me demanding monthly payments of 5,000 Baht per month. The US Embassy, the Thai Santi Baan and local police finally put a stop to these threats in 2008.

Don, your food was always good and your restaurant full of happy patrons, so I think locals envied your business model. Would be the same anywhere you went in Thailand!

Now, I know, why that photo looked familiar to me,

"Don's meat", or something like that it was called in the south of Phuket, near Rawai

and had very good meat including fine juicy spare ribs.

Was a loss when Don, the Ex rocket scientist moved on to the North of Thailand.

Had the opportunity to chat with Don, anytime in short, when he was in the Restaurant.

Thanks for all the feedback,

For anyone interested i was going to buy a plot of land in my daughters name(7 year old dual AUS/THAI citizen) and slowly build a large house on there over the next few years. I am single(my daughter lives here with me) and work in the mining industry in Australia. At one point i lived in Thailand for 5 years teaching English. In 15 years I've lived there about 6-7 years in total.

Early 2015 i will spend 30 days in Thailand and visit Chiang Rai, Kon Kaen, Korat and maybe another place to get a feel for those places.

I usually spend 3 months a year in LOS but would like to have a house to go to.

I already, was wondering, why you not live near your GF's or wife's place-village.

Your daughter would not prefer to live nearby her family? Grand parents, aunts, cousins and nephews or other next of kin?

I really enjoyed my life and customers in Phuket. Phuket still remains one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

My age finally caught up with me and could no longer work the long hours in 5 different locations of my business. In the sunset of my life, Phuket will always be my favorite experience.

My visit to Phuket in April of this year for the Merchant Of The Orient book party allowed me to meet a lot of old friends and customers.

I do know that many of the young people that we put through high school and college have gone on to a much better life.

Not sure that I would want to go to the 5 Muslim terrorist provinces where 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years of war.

Which are the "5 Muslim terrorist provinces" that you refer to?

Rajyindee,

I bit you ... He have no clue what are the 5 provinces he is referring to, not only that, i bit you he don't know the names of the 5 south provinces !