Issan Village - The First Time.....

[scoooooby]

OK, so many of us started our Thailand experience with the sun drenched beaches of Pattaya, Phuket and the Koi’s and we all thought this was heaven….every door opened up to a new bar, the cries of Hansum Man & Tee Rak and an innocent game of pool that turned into a huge bar bill (noooo….do not ring the bell!). After many repeated visits and experiences, that would make most people’s toes curl, we eventually get to experience the village life and a taste of true Thailand culture and people.

For me it was finally meeting the right girl after making sooooo many bad mistakes (yes, I too threw money away in a bar venture in Pattaya!) I had the opportunity to visit the family in a small village 45 mins drive east of Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima).

I was just thinking about that time when I was a ‘Village Virgin’ and some of the experiences that occurred for the ‘First Time’……hope these will not only make you smile but will inspire others to add to the list J

1. The first fishing trip…Confused during the journey with no rods on the bike and when you arrive having to strip to boxers and wade out into a paddy field to pull in some netting and look pleased with the days catch of a 2” tiddler
2. The first local spontaneous drinking event where you find yourself on a men only table drinking some clear liquid from a dark brown bottle with a blue label, they offer you a drink, at first you refuse politely but after encouragement you partake. The smell of it tells you to down it and after you find out it’s the only way you can stomach this local whisky.
3. The first time you take the motorbike out into the village where the locals look at you as if you were sat on backwards, they smile and wave and you receive the ‘Farang’ chant wherever you go
4. The first time you acknowledge you are hungry and the next thing you see is your g/f’s brother picking up the catapult as you realize one of the families relaxed skinny chickens is just about to become lunch
5. The first time you agree to try your g/f’s mums lunch to then spend the next 30 mins trying to remove the intense fire from your mouth….your eyes were watering when you got to close to those chilli’s being pummelled so you should have know!
6. The first time you take your washing to an Aunty in the village only to collect it the next day and realize that it went in the machine in one batch….yes there was a new red vest top in with my best white shirts….pink it is then!
7. The first time you try to speak a little Thai to impress the family and they all look at you as if you were from the planet Zog…..hmmmm, yes pronunciation and tones are key!
8. The first time you see a motorbike trundle by your door with a trailer attached and 2 pigs on board followed by an elephant in a open truck
9. The first time you hear what you believe to be cow’s moo’ing after a rainstorm only to find out they are frogs!
10. The first time you drive a farm tuk-tuk and realize how spoiled you have been with power steering and syncro gearbox’s

[dank]

These are the things you never forget and miss more than the nightlife and hustle of the tourist destinations in thailand.

Nothing better that easy going issan life

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Goompa]

Never had the fortune of the elephant in the open truck , poetic license ?

Good luck for you scoooooby , hope you are happy.

[scoooooby]

Never had the fortune of the elephant in the open truck , poetic license ?

Good luck for you scoooooby , hope you are happy.

Yes honest guv...it was a fully grown elephant in the back of a farm lorry....outstanding I thought at the time :-)

I will be happy when permanently in Thailand....for now working in UK trying to pay off the bills and secure a retirement fund....haha....but have the house n pool already sorted, just a shame its a bit of a holiday home and not a full time home..... Have looked at relocating my job there but its so difficult to get an expat position, seems the only way is to move with a current western company so trying to convince mine to setup a manufacturing site in Thailand....yeah right ! ;-)

Cheers

[DILLIGAD]

Mmmmm So who owns the house and pool?

[cardholder]

For me it was finally meeting the right girl after making sooooo many bad mistakes (yes, I too threw money away in a bar venture in Pattaya!) I had the opportunity to visit the family in a small village 45 mins drive east of Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima).

I was just thinking about that time when I was a ‘Village Virgin’ and some of the experiences that occurred for the ‘First Time’……hope these will not only make you smile but will inspire others to add to the list J

1. The first fishing trip…Confused during the journey with no rods on the bike and when you arrive having to strip to boxers and wade out into a paddy field to pull in some netting and look pleased with the days catch of a 2” tiddler
2. The first local spontaneous drinking event where you find yourself on a men only table drinking some clear liquid from a dark brown bottle with a blue label, they offer you a drink, at first you refuse politely but after encouragement you partake. The smell of it tells you to down it and after you find out it’s the only way you can stomach this local whisky.
3. The first time you take the motorbike out into the village where the locals look at you as if you were sat on backwards, they smile and wave and you receive the ‘Farang’ chant wherever you go
4. The first time you acknowledge you are hungry and the next thing you see is your g/f’s brother picking up the catapult as you realize one of the families relaxed skinny chickens is just about to become lunch
5. The first time you agree to try your g/f’s mums lunch to then spend the next 30 mins trying to remove the intense fire from your mouth….your eyes were watering when you got to close to those chilli’s being pummelled so you should have know!
6. The first time you take your washing to an Aunty in the village only to collect it the next day and realize that it went in the machine in one batch….yes there was a new red vest top in with my best white shirts….pink it is then!
7. The first time you try to speak a little Thai to impress the family and they all look at you as if you were from the planet Zog…..hmmmm, yes pronunciation and tones are key!
8. The first time you see a motorbike trundle by your door with a trailer attached and 2 pigs on board followed by an elephant in a open truck
9. The first time you hear what you believe to be cow’s moo’ing after a rainstorm only to find out they are frogs!
10. The first time you drive a farm tuk-tuk and realize how spoiled you have been with power steering and syncro gearbox’s

He's in love - simple as that.

A house and a pool in a village 45 mins east of Korat - I wonder how much that ran to ?

[Bpuumike]

These are the things you never forget and miss more than the nightlife and hustle of the tourist destinations in thailand.

Nothing better that easy going issan life

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

2 months or so and I need a week in BKK. With the wife, don't get any wrong ideas.

Slow is nice, but almost reverse?

Edited August 28, 2013 by Bpuumike

[jollyposty]

Mmmmm So who owns the house and pool?

always get one.. give him some happiness for a while please .. and then shoot him down know what I mean

[Dancealot]

Be and stay yourself.

Good you posted your thoughts.

[jollyposty]

Never had the fortune of the elephant in the open truck , poetic license ?

Good luck for you scoooooby , hope you are happy.

Yes honest guv...it was a fully grown elephant in the back of a farm lorry....outstanding I thought at the time :-)

I will be happy when permanently in Thailand....for now working in UK trying to pay off the bills and secure a retirement fund....haha....but have the house n pool already sorted, just a shame its a bit of a holiday home and not a full time home..... Have looked at relocating my job there but its so difficult to get an expat position, seems the only way is to move with a current western company so trying to convince mine to setup a manufacturing site in Thailand....yeah right ! ;-)

Cheers

don't worry about paying your bills in the uk mate just get your ass over here as long as YOUR happy with what you are doing here..

[streetlite]

Small Village in Central Thailand. Retired from Pattaya a few years ago.

- driving the motorbike on the Village roads only to be confronted with a herd of 50+ cows walking toward you, spread across the entire road, 1 herder with a slingshot in the rear of the herd. Now what? The massive beasts suddenly separate much like the Red Sea and allow you a small passageway between them and with inches on either side you make it through the gauntlet as the shepherd smiles a toothless grin....whew!

-driving down the same road and see 2 bull elephants in the distance heading toward you on either side of the road. Pretty cool, you think, as you proceed to get a close and up front sight of these beautiful animals. Just as you're about to go between them slowly they move to block the entire road. Uh Oh, now what do I do. Look up to see the mahoots again with large toothless grins smiling down at you from their great heights. Two elephant trunks reach out for you nibbling at the air. Wits about me, I whip out 2 twenty baht notes and put one out to each trunk. Gently the notes are removed from my hand and taken up to the master, who looks down, smiles again, tips their hats and the elephants separate wile I hear them silently say "thank you sir, you may proceed". Wow, what a rush and a great experience.

-besides the meetings with elephants and cows the road is filled with potholes, dings and sometimes washouts that seem to change daily. It's like riding through a real life video game where you lose a life everytime you hit the hole. They do mark the washouts with a simple stick with a plastic bag tied to the top. Thus, I never drive at night.

- the neighbors who go out and buy a brand new pick-up, 2 new motorcycles but can't afford to replace the sheet metal corrugated siding on their house. With no air holes, except for where the rust spots have gone through, I can't imagine what it's like to sleep in the heat surrounded by tin.

-trying to be anonymous as the only Farang within 70 kilometers. Can never just hide except when I go to the bathroom.

-not removing the bones and gristle before cooking the rat, snake or frog is a pet peeve.

-at Peace with Village life. Retirement is grand.

[kangeroo]

Interesting post op I live 45 minutes from Korat 6 months of the year and have had similar experiences over the past 15 years .

Can tell you that time will test you when everything becomes normal but it is a good life for some ,really depends on the family in the village ,can be good but if bad it's really bad .

Cheers .

[jack1964]

My beautiful wife is from Sisaket, and I used to love heading up there to spend time with her family. Since I have written her into my will as my sole beneficiary, I refuse to go up there anymore, and will only meet the in-laws in places like Starbucks and McDonalds in populated cities such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Bangkok. Funny what a little piece of paper can do.

[uty6543]

For me it was finally meeting the right girl after making sooooo many bad mistakes (yes, I too threw money away in a bar venture in Pattaya!) I had the opportunity to visit the family in a small village 45 mins drive east of Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima).

I was just thinking about that time when I was a ‘Village Virgin’ and some of the experiences that occurred for the ‘First Time’……hope these will not only make you smile but will inspire others to add to the list J

1. The first fishing trip…Confused during the journey with no rods on the bike and when you arrive having to strip to boxers and wade out into a paddy field to pull in some netting and look pleased with the days catch of a 2” tiddler
2. The first local spontaneous drinking event where you find yourself on a men only table drinking some clear liquid from a dark brown bottle with a blue label, they offer you a drink, at first you refuse politely but after encouragement you partake. The smell of it tells you to down it and after you find out it’s the only way you can stomach this local whisky.
3. The first time you take the motorbike out into the village where the locals look at you as if you were sat on backwards, they smile and wave and you receive the ‘Farang’ chant wherever you go
4. The first time you acknowledge you are hungry and the next thing you see is your g/f’s brother picking up the catapult as you realize one of the families relaxed skinny chickens is just about to become lunch
5. The first time you agree to try your g/f’s mums lunch to then spend the next 30 mins trying to remove the intense fire from your mouth….your eyes were watering when you got to close to those chilli’s being pummelled so you should have know!
6. The first time you take your washing to an Aunty in the village only to collect it the next day and realize that it went in the machine in one batch….yes there was a new red vest top in with my best white shirts….pink it is then!
7. The first time you try to speak a little Thai to impress the family and they all look at you as if you were from the planet Zog…..hmmmm, yes pronunciation and tones are key!
8. The first time you see a motorbike trundle by your door with a trailer attached and 2 pigs on board followed by an elephant in a open truck
9. The first time you hear what you believe to be cow’s moo’ing after a rainstorm only to find out they are frogs!
10. The first time you drive a farm tuk-tuk and realize how spoiled you have been with power steering and syncro gearbox’s

He's in love - simple as that.

A house and a pool in a village 45 mins east of Korat - I wonder how much that ran to ?

I'm sure he is in love. "Love is a many splendored thing"

And how much his house and pool ran to is his business. GOOD LUCK TO YOU scoooooby

Edited August 29, 2013 by uty6543

[hellodolly]

My beautiful wife is from Sisaket, and I used to love heading up there to spend time with her family. Since I have written her into my will as my sole beneficiary, I refuse to go up there anymore, and will only meet the in-laws in places like Starbucks and McDonalds in populated cities such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Bangkok. Funny what a little piece of paper can do.

Interesting post any particular reason for the 180 degree turn about.

[Cuban]

Long may you stay and these events become normal.

Get involved in village activities, rice harvest, go to the Wat on the relevant days (the food is pretty good) sit with the men not your wife.

[puchooay]

My beautiful wife is from Sisaket, and I used to love heading up there to spend time with her family. Since I have written her into my will as my sole beneficiary, I refuse to go up there anymore, and will only meet the in-laws in places like Starbucks and McDonalds in populated cities such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Bangkok. Funny what a little piece of paper can do.

Interesting post any particular reason for the 180 degree turn about.

Looks like he thinks the family are going to bump him off for his money, as his wife is sole beneficiary in his will.

Some people do make me laugh.

[maybefitz]

Not an Isaan village; but 78 k north of Chiang Mai. Only been there a week ,,and the early morning announcements on the village loudspeaker system.'YaddaYadda Falang; yaddayadda Falang' - hold on, thinks I, I'm the only falang in this village; he's having a go at me' - totally paranoid, like. I ask my wife, what's going on - 'Oh she said 'He's talking potato prices'. True.

[SantiSuk]

I'm 6 years in and still lovin it and many of my mates and acquaintances around me in SiSaket/Ubon are double that. The hard luck stories are the ones that get the attention, so don't get put off by the bar stool cynics from afar

[ChrisB87]

My beautiful wife is from Sisaket, and I used to love heading up there to spend time with her family. Since I have written her into my will as my sole beneficiary, I refuse to go up there anymore, and will only meet the in-laws in places like Starbucks and McDonalds in populated cities such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Bangkok. Funny what a little piece of paper can do.

I am sure they could get you anywhere.

[glegolo]

I'm 6 years in and still lovin it and many of my mates and acquaintances around me in SiSaket/Ubon are double that. The hard luck stories are the ones that get the attention, so don't get put off by the bar stool cynics from afar alt=thumbsup.gif width=25 height=19>

Nice post, I agree 100%..... Because so many of us up in Isaan are blessed..

stupid people make stupid decisions..and therefore have stupid thoughts...

Glegolo

[Isee]

Wife lives near Yasothon and I enjoy the place. A key element between a good and bad experience is how the extended family view you (you and the wife play a part here). If they look at you as nothing more than a cash source, your experience is going to end up being bad at some stage. If they accept you as part of the family - totally different and enjoyable experience to the point that they will look out for you where possible. My attitude has also changed to some degree over time as I learn and become more understanding of the interdependence that the thai family network supports.

[robertson468]

For me it was finally meeting the right girl after making sooooo many bad mistakes (yes, I too threw money away in a bar venture in Pattaya!) I had the opportunity to visit the family in a small village 45 mins drive east of Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima).

I was just thinking about that time when I was a ‘Village Virgin’ and some of the experiences that occurred for the ‘First Time’……hope these will not only make you smile but will inspire others to add to the list J

1. The first fishing trip…Confused during the journey with no rods on the bike and when you arrive having to strip to boxers and wade out into a paddy field to pull in some netting and look pleased with the days catch of a 2” tiddler
2. The first local spontaneous drinking event where you find yourself on a men only table drinking some clear liquid from a dark brown bottle with a blue label, they offer you a drink, at first you refuse politely but after encouragement you partake. The smell of it tells you to down it and after you find out it’s the only way you can stomach this local whisky.
3. The first time you take the motorbike out into the village where the locals look at you as if you were sat on backwards, they smile and wave and you receive the ‘Farang’ chant wherever you go
4. The first time you acknowledge you are hungry and the next thing you see is your g/f’s brother picking up the catapult as you realize one of the families relaxed skinny chickens is just about to become lunch
5. The first time you agree to try your g/f’s mums lunch to then spend the next 30 mins trying to remove the intense fire from your mouth….your eyes were watering when you got to close to those chilli’s being pummelled so you should have know!
6. The first time you take your washing to an Aunty in the village only to collect it the next day and realize that it went in the machine in one batch….yes there was a new red vest top in with my best white shirts….pink it is then!
7. The first time you try to speak a little Thai to impress the family and they all look at you as if you were from the planet Zog…..hmmmm, yes pronunciation and tones are key!
8. The first time you see a motorbike trundle by your door with a trailer attached and 2 pigs on board followed by an elephant in a open truck
9. The first time you hear what you believe to be cow’s moo’ing after a rainstorm only to find out they are frogs!
10. The first time you drive a farm tuk-tuk and realize how spoiled you have been with power steering and syncro gearbox’s

He's in love - simple as that.

A house and a pool in a village 45 mins east of Korat - I wonder how much that ran to ?

Elephants being transported on the back of open trucks does not only happen in Issan. I live on Koh Samui and one evening on the way to a restaurant got stuck behind a truck (looked about a 1 tonner) going up quite a steep hill the Jumbo gently swaying on the back and twitching his/her tail. I had two immediate concerns - 1) was the truck going to make it up the hill as the driver did not seem to appreciate the principle of "keep the revs up" and 2) that my lovely Friend's HUGE butt I was admiring would not decide that the drive was too nerve wracking for him/her with the possible high velocity exit of that stuff that hits the fan!!!

Edited August 29, 2013 by robertson468

[Thaddeus]

I once had to shoo a very young elephant off my driveway so I could get the car out.

[cardholder]

I once had to shoo a very young elephant off my driveway so I could get the car out.

To be fair, that is not a very common occurrence in Liverpool .

[Espen]

Great topic. I had a big smile on my face reading it

I am in my 9th year living 60 km east of Korat and still loving it.

[super22k]

The country life seems like hell to me. I much prefer the city life.Not so many pigs and creepy-crawlies and more creatue comforts.

[Artist]

When I first lived in Isaan they didn't chant Farang at me but Sida=Guava=Farang

[ableguy]

My beautiful wife is from Sisaket, and I used to love heading up there to spend time with her family. Since I have written her into my will as my sole beneficiary, I refuse to go up there anymore, and will only meet the in-laws in places like Starbucks and McDonalds in populated cities such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Bangkok. Funny what a little piece of paper can do.

You should never be worth more dead than alive

[scoooooby]

Thanks to all who have posted. Mixed bag of replies but it's good to see everyone's views. I am looking forward to relaxing retirement in the village and hey if u need the beach it's only a 4 hour ride in the pick up :-)

It's good to hear some of u r not far away from me so maybe could meet up for a beer and swap stories about pigs, rice, elephants and any other village topic haha. It's gotta be cheaper and less painful than bar fines and clinic visits lol