Retiring in Ubon Ratchathani

[AlfUK]

I am thinking of retiring in Ubon Ratchathani, I presently live in the UK.  Can anyone advise me not to or suggest a better place to retire to in Thailand.  Thank you.  

[ubonjoe]

I cannot think of any better place than here in Ubon. But of course it depends upon what you expect or want.

Good climate. Easy to get around town. Reliable taxi service if you don't have your own transport or song taos (aka baht bus) for 10 baht. Airport with many flights to and from Bangkok. Shopping at Tescos, Big C, Makro and Central Plaza mall with plenty of options including Tops.

If  looking for nightlife and entertainment it might not be what you want. A few watering holes where you can meet up with other expats.

A big plus is a friendly immigration office that  is seldom crowded.

 

Moving to the Isaan forum for local input.

 

[AlfUK]

Thank you Ubonjoe,  I have been to Ubon several times on holiday and I do like it.   Where is the immigration and could I process a retirement visa from here?  Will be coming to Ubon in 3 weeks.  Do you have a favourite watering hole?

Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, AlfUK said:

Thank you Ubonjoe,  I have been to Ubon several times on holiday and I do like it.   Where is the immigration and could I process a retirement visa from here?  Will be coming to Ubon in 3 weeks.  Do you have a favourite watering hole?

Thanks.

The immigration office is in Sirindhorn on 217 between Phibun and Chong Mek. It is on this map. Address and Google Map location of immigration offices

You can do an application for an extension of stay based upon retirement if you already have a non-o visa there. They cannot do a conversion from a visa exempt or tourist visa entry to a non-o visa.

No I don't have a favorite watering hole.

[SantiSuk]

Martian lander or troll?

 

Many apologies if you are for real, but surely no-one chooses where to retire on the basis of recommendations from a website? Plan on spending time travelling around and meeting lots of people.

 

... and yes, Ubon would be a great place to retire but that's just a personal opinion from a fellow Brit retiree (who does not actually live there but visits often from the neighbouring province). Happy to share a couple of beers and personal perspectives on the place plus some intros if you PM me. My bite is much less than my opening bark above!

[SaintLouisBlues]

A gay friend has a similar question but obviously his interest is more specific - not gay life as such (ie. bars with boys) but a gay social life. He's thinking either Ubon or Sisaket

[anotheruser]

On 1/5/2017 at 10:21 AM, SaintLouisBlues said:

A gay friend has a similar question but obviously his interest is more specific - not gay life as such (ie. bars with boys) but a gay social life. He's thinking either Ubon or Sisaket

 

Oh in that case I suggest Pattaya.

[SantiSuk]

I'm a straight guy so maybe not the best judge, but LBGT doesn't offend me and I'll offer my two-pennyworth, knowing both cities quite well.

 

I have not noticed much evidence of any kind of gay scene (other than Thai on Thai and particularly amongst women) in either of Meuang Sissaket or Meuang Ubon. Have occasionally seen individual male couples falang/thai - seemingly visitors - in Ubon and friends tell me that one particular large (and apparently more upmarket than most) karaoke in Ubon - that I had proposed we include in a bar crawl - is gay male. Can ID it for you/your friend if I'm PM'd.

 

My perception is that, in common with the rest of Thailand, folks are reasonably accommodating of all types of sexual preference when it comes to night-time entertainment venues. We may be country folk in Isaan but red-necks (Thais particularly, but applies to many longer-standing expats too I think) we aint!

 

 

[AlfUK]

Thank you Ubonjoe,  I have been to Ubon several times on holiday and I do like it.   Where is the immigration and could I process a retirement visa from here?  Will be coming to Ubon in 3 weeks.  Do you have a favourite watering hole?

Thanks.

[AlfUK]

Thank you for your replies.   I am not quite sure where the 'gay life' has come from but in my situation I have met a girl working in Hua Hin and she come from Ubon.  She wants to settle back in Ubon and be close to her mama and papa.   Nothing wrong in that but she also wants to be with me, or so she says.  I may just be just a stupid OLD accommodating farang but I can see a way of making someone happy.  My problem, however will I be able to survive in Ubon having lived in the UK for most of my life?  I am sure many men settle in places like Ubon because they have met a lady from the area.  So I am just looking at the positives and negatives of retiring in UBon.  Thank you.

 

 

[siam2007]

On 29/12/2016 at 7:39 AM, ubonjoe said:

I cannot think of any better place than here in Ubon. But of course it depends upon what you expect or want.

Good climate. Easy to get around town. Reliable taxi service if you don't have your own transport or song taos (aka baht bus) for 10 baht. Airport with many flights to and from Bangkok. Shopping at Tescos, Big C, Makro and Central Plaza mall with plenty of options including Tops.

If  looking for nightlife and entertainment it might not be what you want. A few watering holes where you can meet up with other expats.

A big plus is a friendly immigration office that  is seldom crowded.

 

Moving to the Isaan forum for local input.

 

 

 

I just returned from UBON  (and to get there cost me 425 Baht by plane) and found it extraordinarily pleasant, laid back and hassle-free. Just make sure you are able to entertain/enjoy yourself as nightlife is indeed limited (I found UbonSquare quite nice).

It was my second time there after 2010  and the transport situation has improved a great deal with the arrival of the metered Taxis that are ACTUALLY USING THE METER with no discussions needed whatsoever.

I almost couldn't believe I was able to hop on a cab right at the exit and enjoy a 30 Baht flagfall that includes the first two (!!!) Kilometers. Same applies at the Bus station which is very well organized and there is even an organized Taxi queue where you get a slip with a number which then will be announced by an attendant so you know the next cab approaching is yours. Try that at other Isaan rip-off places like Khonkaen or Udon, where even a crappy TukTuk in downtown won't switch on its engine under 80 Baht for any distance.

Ubon has a large Central mall now too, and to get there you can even use a 10-Baht Sawngthaew. Will come back and assign more days next time to explore the rest of the province. I still have the number of that friendly and English speaking (!!!) female Taxi driver who picked me up at the airport and offered affordable full-day fares in case I needed that

 

 

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Edited January 14, 2017 by siam2007
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[SantiSuk]

Glad you partially discovered the hidden gem of Meuang Ubon. For a full discovery of the evening side of what I agree is often quite well hidden, others (and you next time) might like a little guidance, courtesy of Ubon Hash House Harriers. THE guide to bar crawls of Ubon Town, with acknowledgement to the pooled resources of my fellow hashers.

 

I will update and annotate it sometime. Meanwhile note the following errata since its prep in May last year

 

* Ubon Park - location of Valentines Sports Bar has another two locations more recently surveyed where genteelmen about town can be served by cute young ladies. 2559 Bar on the main road entrance and another one (I don't know the name of) on the very eastern side of Ubon Park amongst the shops
 

* Now closed or moved are:
'Angel Bar' - moved to Ubon Square in the big bar and restaurant square (looks like a converted parade ground with noting in the middle unless a fair is happening) immediately between Big C and the Chayangkhul Rd main drag. 'New Angel' (our name for it) is a waste of space now (shame!) but the bars around it may hold your attention for a short while. We (the Hash) enjoyed a good cheap feast at the restaurant at very the top left (north west) corner of that open square. Look for the busiest eatery and that's probably it, but for avoidance of doubt there are no more places to the top left of it before you get to a small soi on the left of the square. Hope it doesn't disappear like most such places. 

'ME Bar' formerly on Chayangkul. Haven't caught up yet with the gossip on that. Maybe it has/will reappear elsewhere 

 

* The big open beer garden/karaoke directly opposite the old location of Angel (as marked on our maps) is a new favourite. A number of very attractive hostesses. Go early at weekends if you want their attention though.
 

* 'Oh Yes' - actually this closed yonks ago - I just forgot that it moved and morphed at a new much more scenic location as "Yes' (Bar/Restaurant) on the riverside (and marked on our maps) - one we would definitely recommend.

 

* Anaconda Karaoke - links to an earlier posting I made here (post ID:8).

 

Happy night time sightseeing and do join Ubon Hash House Harriers (or any other hash) if you want to get to know a place thoroughly.

 

Edit map is too many MB - will cut it down somehow

 

 

Edited January 14, 2017 by SantiSuk

[SantiSuk]

bars of ubon central and east may16.docx

bars of ubon north may16.docx

 

Attachments, as presaged in posting immediately above. Thought they had been attached to my original post on edit many hours ago, but obviously that was a mirage.

[jayceenik]

I'm a very senior Belgian farang who retired in Thailand many many years ago. I rent two studios - BKK and Pattaya.

I finally hooked up in Pattaya a few years back with a younger girl who comes from a village some 100 km NE from Ubon.

Two years ago she asked me that we move to Ubon so she could be close to her parents.

It took me only three days checking this Ubon town on Google to see that it would be quite OK for me.

At first we were going to rent a house but the relocation move decision quickly snowballed into buying a house instead.

After I managed to transfer enough Euros from Belgium to Thailand at an acceptable rate I sent the GF to go look for a house. She chose a house to be built in a new Sarin housing development just being started on the NE Ubon Ring Road, close N of the airport. This Sarin development was just flat land when she chose our plot and it thus took time for the house to be built as it had to be built together with all the other houses on the development. TGF is now in Ubon and told me that the house is finally set except for some minor things that have to be dealt with before it's total completion and transfer of title from Sarin to her.

We should be moving there next month. I'll close down the Pattaya studio but keep the BKK one.

TGF bought a Honda H-RV 2016 and we'll do sightseeing trips in the region.

She plans to apply to get into the Ubon Provincial Police Force.

Yes, the house is in her name - 4mi baths. She is my sole inheritor anyway.

Next neighbor is a farang too.

 

Here is how the house looked in November: