Marriage and Courtship in Isan

[puchooay]

If Rural Isaan is so conservative, why has every village an abundance of "Kareoke" type bars and (short time) motels ???

That is nothing to do with Farang involvement/degradation either.

Having read another thread connected to this on another forum I think it is important to highlight your glaring error.

Towns and villages are not the same thing. Villages also carry a number and are preceded by the word "Moo" and sometimes "Mooban". A town is the most commercialised area of a particular district and are often called "Naimuang".

Using the word "village" in this comment is misleading and clearly incorrect. If your were to say "every town" then that would be more accurate.

[Issangeorge]

If Rural Isaan is so conservative, why has every village an abundance of "Kareoke" type bars and (short time) motels ???

That is nothing to do with Farang involvement/degradation either.

Having read another thread connected to this on another forum I think it is important to highlight your glaring error.

Towns and villages are not the same thing. Villages also carry a number and are preceded by the word "Moo" and sometimes "Mooban". A town is the most commercialised area of a particular district and are often called "Naimuang".

Using the word "village" in this comment is misleading and clearly incorrect. If your were to say "every town" then that would be more accurate.

I would also quibble that every town has an abundance of Karaoke type bars. My experience is they are few and far between, and more and more are closing down. However more and more short time hotels are opening up, not sure where the customers are coming from.

[SantiSuk]

I don't recognise the claim that 'more and more short time hotels are opening up'. Not in my part of Isaan as far as I can see. Sure many new resorts are opening up in rural isaan and many new mansion and boutique hotels in the towns. I don't see any of these advertising short time rates or displaying the signs of traditional short time places ('love' in the title or curtains or other signs of discretion). Many of the resorts look like a triumph of hope over planning/research, but it is also true to say that Thai travel seems to be on a major growth curve.

I stay a lot in Ubon city which has seen a major explosion of hotel/resort development. I have stayed in more than 20 of them and have seen no signs that they are planned or operated as a short time hotels. Sure people will go with their mias and partners with whom they an get no privacy elsewhere, but as far as I can tell they are mostly booking in for a night/. Maybe I'm just being naive but I only know of one resort type place in the entire town that is clearly a short time place ("Happy House"). I'm sure there must be some others in the undergrowth, but I don't see it as mainstream or the driving force of development in my neck of the Isaan woods.

Just for balance - not disputing your own observations in your own neck of the woods Isaangeorge

[Stevemercer]

I live at Kosum, about halfway between Mahasarakham and Khon Kaen. I once counted the number of 'love resorts' (available for hourly hire) on the 60 km stretch of highway between the towns (Mahasarakham and Khon Kaen) and there were 14. There are another 4 in construction. It seems like a lot to me, but I can't compare with other parts of Isaan. The resorts in the town boundaries seem to be mainly normal daily hire, but once out of the towns there are a lot of hourly hire places. In Australia (where I come from) I doubt you'd find any hourly hire hotels out in the country or in country towns.

[fang37]

The love hotel/resort

What is the hourly rate before noon on a Tuesday?

I am a pensioner.

[DILLIGAD]

The love hotel/resort

What is the hourly rate before noon on a Tuesday?

I am a pensioner.

Why Tuesday?

[spidermike007]

Not the norm anymore. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago. Very few that have not had boyfriends before. Very few that have not had multiple sexual partners by the age of 16 or so. And that is worldwide, not just Issan. As far as the dowry goes, the younger and the more beautiful, the higher the dowry. Over 100,000 is unusual unless they are from substantial families. And if they are over 28, have had a kid or two, or been married before, expect a steep discount on the dowry.

[Issangeorge]

I don't recognise the claim that 'more and more short time hotels are opening up'. Not in my part of Isaan as far as I can see. Sure many new resorts are opening up in rural isaan and many new mansion and boutique hotels in the towns. I don't see any of these advertising short time rates or displaying the signs of traditional short time places ('love' in the title or curtains or other signs of discretion). Many of the resorts look like a triumph of hope over planning/research, but it is also true to say that Thai travel seems to be on a major growth curve.

I stay a lot in Ubon city which has seen a major explosion of hotel/resort development. I have stayed in more than 20 of them and have seen no signs that they are planned or operated as a short time hotels. Sure people will go with their mias and partners with whom they an get no privacy elsewhere, but as far as I can tell they are mostly booking in for a night/. Maybe I'm just being naive but I only know of one resort type place in the entire town that is clearly a short time place ("Happy House"). I'm sure there must be some others in the undergrowth, but I don't see it as mainstream or the driving force of development in my neck of the Isaan woods.

Just for balance - not disputing your own observations in your own neck of the woods Isaangeorge

I may have miss spoke, amongst my friends we call the resorts, short time hotels, but you are right, they don't really advertise them as that. I think it is easier for them to get money from the banks if they call them resorts and advertise them as such. However everyone knows there true purpose and most have 24 hour signs, but perhaps not short time rates. However how much cheaper than ฿150 to ฿400 can you get?