Do You Live In A Thai Village Full Time

[macb]

Do you live in Thai village full time, what does a typical day hold for you.

What time does you day start, what time do you sleep, what does your wife do in a typical day.

macb

[Issangeorge]

Macb, I live in a small village 22kms. from the nearest town 6 of which is down a dirt road, and 80 kms. from a city. I usually get up around 7:30am shower and then go downstairs to eat with the family. My family consists of my Thai wife, her Mother, her younger brother and his wife and two daughters, a 5 year old and a five month old, her youngest brother, her 11-year-old grand niece and her 34-year-old cousin with her 12-year-old daughter. Yes we have a big family and I am the main means of support, but I don't mind at all. None of the brothers or cousin are lazy or drunks. It is more like having my own servants than supporting a lazy family. I have a big house and by Thai standards we are not crowded at all. I have my own big bedroom with my wife and can go there for some privacy if needed, which it never is. After eating I usually settle into my hammock and read, I love to read and this passes my time very effectively. I read books off my PDA that I download from the Internet, I also read the Bangkok Post every day and do its crossword and saduku. Most days I go out to the rice farm to check it out and am out there every day during planting and harvesting for most of the day, although I don't do any actual work, I have a hammock there as well. I usually go to town about every two to three days to check my e-mail and read the forums and get my Bangkok Post and take my wife to the market. Since my wife does not drive I spend a lot of time as her driver. We usually eat dinner around 7pm earlier in the winter and I go to bed around 8-9pm and usually read myself to sleep shortly there after. I know it sounds like a very boring life, but I quite enjoy it. Every Tuesday I meet a group of Falangs in the town for dinner and quite often get together with an Aussie mate of mine at other times during the week. Also about every two to three weeks we go to the closest city to shop at Tesco and eat by the Mekong River. I retired 3 years ago and decided I really did not want to do anything after retirement. However I recently became interested in teaching English as a second language. This summer I took a course and I am now looking for a job, but it has to be in my area so I can live at home or at least easily commute on weekends. If any body knows of a job in the south west corner of Kalasin, north east corner of Roi-et or west end of Mukdahan, please let me know. Issangeorge.

[cnxpat]

Macb, I live in a small village 22kms. from the nearest town 6 of which is down a dirt road, and 80 kms. from a city. I usually get up around 7:30am shower and then go downstairs to eat with the family. My family consists of my Thai wife, her Mother, her younger brother and his wife and two daughters, a 5 year old and a five month old, her youngest brother, her 11-year-old grand niece and her 34-year-old cousin with her 12-year-old daughter. Yes we have a big family and I am the main means of support, but I don't mind at all. None of the brothers or cousin are lazy or drunks. It is more like having my own servants than supporting a lazy family. I have a big house and by Thai standards we are not crowded at all. I have my own big bedroom with my wife and can go there for some privacy if needed, which it never is. After eating I usually settle into my hammock and read, I love to read and this passes my time very effectively. I read books off my PDA that I download from the Internet, I also read the Bangkok Post every day and do its crossword and saduku. Most days I go out to the rice farm to check it out and am out there every day during planting and harvesting for most of the day, although I don't do any actual work, I have a hammock there as well. I usually go to town about every two to three days to check my e-mail and read the forums and get my Bangkok Post and take my wife to the market. Since my wife does not drive I spend a lot of time as her driver. We usually eat dinner around 7pm earlier in the winter and I go to bed around 8-9pm and usually read myself to sleep shortly there after. I know it sounds like a very boring life, but I quite enjoy it. Every Tuesday I meet a group of Falangs in the town for dinner and quite often get together with an Aussie mate of mine at other times during the week. Also about every two to three weeks we go to the closest city to shop at Tesco and eat by the Mekong River. I retired 3 years ago and decided I really did not want to do anything after retirement. However I recently became interested in teaching English as a second language. This summer I took a course and I am now looking for a job, but it has to be in my area so I can live at home or at least easily commute on weekends. If any body knows of a job in the south west corner of Kalasin, north east corner of Roi-et or west end of Mukdahan, please let me know. Issangeorge.

some resume!! maybe the intro is a bit much but worth a try (have a look a ajarn dot com for a job) ... just kidding!!!

[cnxpat]

Do you live in Thai village full time, what does a typical day hold for you.

What time does you day start, what time do you sleep, what does your wife do in a typical day.

macb

Wake up time is around 06:00 if I'm lucky when the wife's mum starts yelling and screaming (no mobile phones required!) to have a chat with whoever. Scratching my ****, I take my laptop downstairs, plug it in, make an instant brew (coffee is not the right word) and start chasing the chickens away, whilst a few cows that are NOT ours will do their thing in front on me.

Reading and writing some e-mails, check on some business, and trying to ignore the yelling (which goes on all day, so far for the quiet country live!)

One or two hours later, my daughter will wake up, and I will take her downstairs.

Wife will wake up soon after that, and from that moment on her goal is "som tum", That will also be the main goal of the day, so that is what she does.

We will also go to the local pond to get water so that we wash ourselves, do the dishes and the laundry.

Checking up on my pigs as well, feed them, make sure they have water, and continue working on my web projects, my online business, and loads more.

More farm animals will invade our home, I have my Song Kran water gun nearby to keep the chickens away.

On a lucky day, the wife will make me some breakfast as well, before heading of to the next house, looking for som tum.

Around 10 o'clock, my wife's father returns from the farm to have some lunch, and I feel I should have a shower soon. Hate it though when I can't see the bottom of the scoop as the water is not "very clear".

My wife will start to pretend to be busy and prepare everything, so she can sell her 1 baht BBQ "hot dogs" (thai style) making 200 THB/day! Generally by taking 300 THB from me, eat and drink for 100 THB, and reinvesting the remaining 200 THB in more BBQ stuff for the following day. Have not seen any profit in weeks, but her busniess model is beyond my comprehension, I have to admit.

A big event is going to Huay Rat, or even better, Krasang the big city once every 3 days! Once a week a visit to Buriram to get some bread, ham and cheese, breakfast and lunch, dinner is a suprise every day, will it be fish and rice, or rice and fish?

Around 21:00 (for those not able to count beyond 12, if time is > 12:00, subtract 12 from time) all go to sleep, whilst 2 tv's are blasting out, and I sit downstairs and write this kind of crap :-) I will also turn off the tv's, grab a bag of sunflower seeds and relax for 1 hour. Around 0:00 (yeah, tricky one!) or later (like now) I will go to sleep.

Did I mention that during this time, everyone is yelling and shouting at each other? :-) At least I am glad they stopped throwing sticks and rocks at me and my "luuk sau farang".

It is an interesting place! and it's getting late ... have to go to sleep, noise starts in almost 6 hours!

[mikeybee]

well as for myself i'am not a full time expat as yet but my day goes as follow's the wife get's up at 5am just after the cockerals have had there say and start's cleaning and working with her mother which they both weaver table cloth's and plate setting's,i then rise around 630am shower then come out side tobe given coffee and told what the plan's are for the day?around 730am are son wake's and it father son play time while the wife make's breakfast for us all after that it's off to the local market which is about 15minutes away by bike and pick up the day's shopping list,once the shopping taken care of i head to internet shop,get back home for around midday then it's up to me and the wife to have some time together as the mother inlaw look's after are son for a few hour's which could be meeting friend's or just going for some food,the afternoon is then spent with the son and the constant flow of family and friend's coming round,at around 6pm the father inlaw return's from work and like's to have a chat about what gossip he's heard all day,we all eat at around 730pm then it's everbody for themself's, me i like to help out with cleaning of the pot's and pan's and shower my son and get him to bed,by 9pm everybody's sleepy so it's off to bed and another day's passed. it take's time to ajust after being in the ratrace, but hey why stress in life.

[utapaortnab]

Ken Bower here. I'm 70 years old, and live in a small village called Ban Sakinam, which is also called Village II in Gudtum, an area some 12-15km northeast of downtown Chiayaphum Thailand.

My wife and I live in her childhood home here and her mother (and one of her sisters and her two daughters presently live upstairs) in what was the whole stilt home until we moved back here and retired.

I have used cement blocks to enclose the whole downstairs that includes a 24' x 28' living room and had a bedroom/bathroom which I have fully air-conditioned and keep very cool 24/7. It's my hiding place for whenever it's to hot in the rest of the house and outside. We also had a covered front porch 14' x 28' built with cement floor. I really enjoy this as we can sit out there even in the monsoon season's heaviest rains and not get wet.

B4 we left San Antonio Texas, my wife and I agreed that I'd do whatever she wanted as improvements to our home and land, and she'd agree to accompany me half of each month travelling/visiting friends all over Thailand and SE Asia. We are here on O visas so we travel abroad every 90 days mostly to Singapore but have made one trip to Phnom Penh for "visa runs".

In the two weeks or so that we are actually in Chiayaphum, I get up whenever I want and go to bed whenever I want, but most days I'm awake and arrise between 6-8AM and hit the internet to talk to friends who are located all over the world, and usually look through some of the url addys in my homepage, and have a look at the info available on the 59 forums I belong too, time permitting.

I usually spend around 4 full hours each day online. That takes me from breakfast until an hour B4 lunch. During that hour, I play with all the nieces, nephews, enjoy the company of all our immediate family. Another sister and her family live in another home on the common family land, and there is room on our land to build 5-6 more homes if other family members moved back to this area. Lat has another sister in Sakonnakorn, and brothers in Ubon and Udon provinces.

It helps that I really love all my wife's family and they have accepted me as well. As her father is the head monk for the village, all the family was brought up properly and there is no black sheep really although we do have one nephew age 19 that hasn't found anything he wants to do except ride his motorbike and get drunk with his buddies. He is the ONLY family member that drinks alcohol or smokes btw. Kind of odd really.

Now after lunch, I am fortunate to have a friend in Bangkok that lends me novels (about 15/mo.) and he has over 3,000 ALL authored by authors I enjoy as well so I need not buy any books and he buys more new titles every month so it appears that my "supplier" will NOT run out of books to lend. We visit and hang out with him about twice/month when we are in Bangkok for 3-4 days each trip.

I have met a bunch of great farangs from all over the world who live in Korat and Udon Thani etc. as well, and just have to work out getting to those areas more often somehow.

So anyhow, I read for about 4-5 hours during the heat of the afternoons when in Chiayaphum, and then spend another hour with the kids/neighbors B4 dinner. As my wife spent 9 1/2 years with me, she now can cook ALL my favorite dishes btw, so even though I rarely eat Thai or Isaan entrees, I sure eat well. I majored all my life in gluttany...lol

Upon returning to Thailand (36th trip since 1971) and retiring in Chiayaphum, I immediately had the UBC Platinum satellite TV hookup installed so in the evenings I enjoy watching all the sitcoms, movie channels, and certain sporting events. I do watch ALL the MLB, NFL, NBA GAMES that usually come on LIVE but in the AM over here and forget to mention it earlier.

I usually sleep around midnite or so, and only the niece and nephew are still up when I retire.

Even though I speak NO Thai or Thai/Lao, I get by quite well here as my wife, her sister Piroon and niece Som all speak English and they translate for me whenever I talking to all the other family members or neighbors.

Hope this info is helpful to you (or at least someone).

Ken and Rattana Bower

Chiayaphum Thailand

[macb]

First thanks to you guys so far for your very interesting input I want to praise you for intrigrating with the family:

Now having started the Topic I will tell you about my village life. I purposely waited for some input before adding mine.

Here goes then.

First here is a pic of me with the wife

Well moved into the village full time February 2005 when our house was completed. Then a lot of time was spent adding more fill and preparing for planting etc, To-date about 60 trees have been planted different varieties of Mango, coconuts, Tamarind. papaya and fruits I cant remember them all. THen we built a Gazebo, and a seperate car-port, and had the drive laid.

So now its general pottering around. Morning starts at about 5-30 am we both get up, Bee gets the rice on for Buddha and sometimes cooks a dish for the monks and takes some to here mum and dads , there house is about 200 metres away, yes they shout to each other.

I have my coffee first and wonder round the garden with my dog (German Shepherd). Any bits I want to do in the garden before it gets hot I get on with it, the house stands in just over 1 Rai walled in. I have turfed around the house then let the rest grow green naturally around the garden area, so I bought a 4 stroke strimmer and at the moment in the wet season the whole area needs strimming and I like to do this myself, I may do it over 2 days. Here is a pic of some of the area to strim

I also go to the farm and strim the grass that the cows cannot eat because it is course with irritating sharp bits on the top. In the morning after Bee has cooked and eaten she will clean the house. If I have nothing to do much we work together I clean the bathrooms or put the laundry on.

After all these choral things she will sleep I hit the 2nd Coffee then check emails etc. Sometimes the wife will be off seeing other cousins in the village for a chit chat, then I chill on here.

We go to the night market in Burriram whenever we need stuff and get supplies for us and her parents (At her parents house there is mum & dad grandad and two nieces) We also buy there meat for them and I pay there electric each month. My wife has a big family So i tel the wife that they must help as well financially and they do.

This year we aquired 13 Rai at the rear of our house so there has been that to sort this year.

I dont have many Farang friends, ( not by choice I might add) I have an american guy who has married into the family so we reckon somewhere along the line we might be distant cousins however many times removed lol.

Twikits a Supermkt in Burriram is very good for Farang bits and pieces and I am quite happy getting stuff there, again we go when we feel the need. Sometimes I dont go out the gate there is always something to do.

The other night we went to the Night Mkt then took her dad and a niece for BBQ very nice love it washed down with a bottle or two of leo.

Surin is only 25 clicks from our village and takes me about 30 mins, there we have Big 'C' Makro and Tesco Lotus, next Monday we are going and I will make my first visit to the Farang Connection.

Evenings well I might eat Thai food or Farang food, I have a Euroapean style kitchen so Shepherds pie or Roast dinner or Spagbol. What more could one want.

In the afternoon I might come on here then look some TV. In the evening I let Bee look Thai TV and I come back on here it keeps me in contact with the outside world.

Bedtime is normally about 9-30 pm thereabouts my wife wont go to bed untill I do bless her, she normally falls asleep on the settee.

Well I have not planned this write or scenario just typed things as I think of them.

To-Date This morning up normal time I cleaned the pick up in and out, Bee's dad came to borrow the m/c we ran into Huairat for bits and bobs then Bee got me Grapo moo Kai dow, aroi then I cam on here.

macb

..........................................................

Mac Broadbridge

55 Moo 6

Banthago Sub-District

Huairat

Burriram

Thailand

31000

[soidog2]

First thanks to you guys so far for your very interesting input I want to praise you for intrigrating with the family:

OK , since this turned out to be a nice thread I decided to ad my story.

Myself , wife & 5 year old daughter live in lower Buriram province about 20 minutes from NangRong or NongKi.

The village is consists of about 2500 people mostly engaged in agriculture.

The house we built (2001) sits on about 2 rais next to my wife’s parents property.

The day starts around 5.30 , I get up by myself go to the kitchen downstairs turn on the cappuccino machine .

Next , put the milk in the freezer so it will steam nice for my cappuccino.

While the machine is warming up I squeeze fresh orange ( tangerine ) juice for myself & wife.

Take out the warm bread from the machine or toast the old one from the refrigerator.

By 6 or so I go back upstairs to wake up my wife & have breakfast together.

On some days I will go out in the garden and pick some nice sweet papaya I planted from Belize.

At about 6.45 I wake up my daughter, bring her downstairs & put on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network for her . By now she’s up , we get her ready for school.

The village school is a little rough, we take to a nice private school in NangRong.

School starts at 8.30 , I live the house around 7.45 or so.

On many days we have people working in the Taro (Cassava) field , on the way to school I drop them off in the farm. On days like that we need to prepare drinking water & ice for the workers as well.

We grow taro on about 60 rais & rice on about 50 more . For the rice, we do share cropping.Net for us about 40 % of the crop but no work.

We also have a small mango farm about 200 trees to keep me busy.

After dropping off my daughter at school I return home to work in the garden around the house.

Many fun things growing,

Short list : Black Figs, Grapes, Sweet tomatoes, Habanero peppers,

Rosemary, Italian basil, Oregano, Sweet peppers, Pineapples, Star fruit , Pomellos, Tangerines, Rambutans, Lynches, Edamame/Soy . All kinds of flowers ETC

All this takes time and it’s all relatively new for me. I am learning by doing.

By now it’s already 12 and I am hungry.

Across the street from my house, it’s a small restaurant where we eat lunch most days.

Usually I bring my habaneros & tomatoes to mix in the “somtam” or “larb moo”.

I don’t like the Thai tomatoes, too sour & no flavor.

In the afternoon I might go back to the farm to check on my workers or deliver fertilizer or actually work myself or just go to the various fields to see what’s needed.

3pm approaching, need to get back home to water the garden.

We have a few wells , some of our younger nieces & nephews help water.

Other days if I am lazy I’ll stay home play on the internet or watch some movies on the satellite.

By 4.30 we need to worry about dinner for the daughter and she’s picky.

The school bus brings her home at 5pm. We eat dinner , than it’s homework time with the daughter.

That’s finished, it’s playtime again.

Myself & daughter like to play computer wife likes to watch soapy movies on “Star”

Eventually we all settle down for the evening.

8.30 PM daughter needs to take a shower & sleep. One of us needs to go with her.

Whoever is left behind goes to sleep by 11pm or so.

This is an abbreviated list because it’s getting too long, I am sure you all get the picture !

Edited September 6, 2006 by soidog2

[cnxpat]

Macb, first of all, thanks for starting the topic! it's most interesting and entertaining. I might have been a bit cynical last night, but having read it all over again, it's all still true :-) and I love it! I do live thai style as you all might have guessed, "airconditioning", "tap water", "kitchen" and "espresso machines" are not around.

I also know I promised to give you a call for a meet, which I will do tomorrow, or maybe even now actually! mmm, just checked, bedtime for you already, no probs! tomorrow it is! (got a few THB on the simcard now, and bank probs are solved)

I'll also be going to Surin soon, maybe tomorrow or Friday, let me know if you want to hop on the back of my bike :-)

Cheers,

cnxpat

[Old Croc]

Nice thread, and you are all obviously nice people enjoying your lives and families in LOS. As someone who is planning to move there shortly, your stories help to alleviate some of the concerns that grow from others experiences and horror stories that crop up all too often in various threads.

Thanks guys.

[migrant]

Nice thread, and you are all obviously nice people enjoying your lives and families in LOS. As someone who is planning to move there shortly, your stories help to alleviate some of the concerns that grow from others experiences and horror stories that crop up all too often in various threads.

Thanks guys.

Seconded!! Nice to hear how things have worked out well!!

[wanttoescape]

First thanks to you guys so far for your very interesting input I want to praise you for intrigrating with the family:

OK , since this turned out to be a nice thread I decided to ad my story.

Myself , wife & 5 year old daughter live in lower Buriram province about 20 minutes from NangRong or NongKi.

Soidog - Your family situation is similar to mine. I have 4-yr old daughter who will start school next year, doesn't speak much thai yet (we still live in US). Want to move to Surin area where my wife's grandma lives, but probably will be looking to buy or build home there. I plan to work (maybe teach english?) but not sure how that will work yet. I know this is off topic of original thread, but saw you were logged in and wanted to ask: what do you estimate will be a decent living allowance if already own home in rural area close to surin, no rent,etc. I have estimated 10000 to 15000 per month from reading other threads. Just trying to plan financially for the move.

Jason (wanttoescape)

[Thaddeus]

Now having started the Topic I will tell you about my village life. I purposely waited for some input before adding mine.

Me too... and thanks for starting the topic.

When I first moved here, I lived with the in-laws. Three months in a two up one down wooden construction. floors tiled, nice fridge and a big TV (that's a television, but there was a big TV in close proximity) I spent most of that three months overseeing the construction of 'our house'.... like my input would have made a difference "No, paint the interior walls first, then put up the ceiling, then tile the floor" .... "yes guv, whatever you say"

When the house was finished, it was my plan to spend as much time in the hammock as was humanly possible.... but having a six year old daughter, a wife with about the same mental age and eight dogs, this proved impossible.

When On finally became a victim of the notoriously flimsy driving skills of a typical Thai truck driver and suffered a broken arm when she hit a tree, because she had nowhere else to go, I bought an auto-gear motorcy and became her taxi... prior to this point, she had been mine.

Seven months ago the in-laws bought a Toyota Vigo, none of them had the faintest idea how to drive something with more than two wheels, so I became the designated driver. Papa would rejoice in the fact and would tell anyone one who asked "It's my car, and I had my chauffeur shipped over from England".... I then spent several weeks trying to teach my brother in law how to drive.... my biggest mistake was not showing him how to make the thing stop before I told him how to make the thing go.

Three months ago, the deal on my (not mine now) house in the UK, was finalised, this allowed me to get my own four wheels, subscribe to a shoddy internet connection and start to build an extension on the house for me and my computer.

I don't think that I have had a 'typical day' since I have been here..... my answer in about two years may be a little bit different.

[wanttoescape]

Soidog - Your family situation is similar to mine. I have 4-yr old daughter who will start school next year, doesn't speak much thai yet (we still live in US). Want to move to Surin area where my wife's grandma lives, but probably will be looking to buy or build home there. I plan to work (maybe teach english?) but not sure how that will work yet. I know this is off topic of original thread, but saw you were logged in and wanted to ask: what do you estimate will be a decent living allowance if already own home in rural area close to surin, no rent,etc. I have estimated 10000 to 15000 per month from reading other threads. Just trying to plan financially for the move.

Jason (wanttoescape)

Sorry, totally screwed up the end of my previous post. From reading other threads, I have estimated monthy living cost as 20000 to 25000 baht. Is this a reasonable estimate? No rent, no private school tuition, no car payments.

[nostrel]

note from my notepad>>

its 6 oclock in the morning and the guy next door is carving a catapult from a chunk of wood, its raining hard and he cant make any breakfast because all his firewood is wet . he bought 2 buffalos but he doesent have any gas cooking equipment yet .

thats progress

[cnxpat]

Soidog - Your family situation is similar to mine. I have 4-yr old daughter who will start school next year, doesn't speak much thai yet (we still live in US). Want to move to Surin area where my wife's grandma lives, but probably will be looking to buy or build home there. I plan to work (maybe teach english?) but not sure how that will work yet. I know this is off topic of original thread, but saw you were logged in and wanted to ask: what do you estimate will be a decent living allowance if already own home in rural area close to surin, no rent,etc. I have estimated 10000 to 15000 per month from reading other threads. Just trying to plan financially for the move.

Jason (wanttoescape)

Sorry, totally screwed up the end of my previous post. From reading other threads, I have estimated monthy living cost as 20000 to 25000 baht. Is this a reasonable estimate? No rent, no private school tuition, no car payments.

yes, I got scared from the precious post, but 20K as far as living costs is concerced is a good estimate. A generous estimate as well, but a good one!

hope this helps, from the boonies

cnxpat

[macb]

Once again guys some wonderful input here thak you very much lets hope it keeps going.

Well there are to many of you to name personally but lots of thank, some of you I am in contact with by email but have never actually met yet, my house has a very warm welcome to any of you that would like to visit.

My day today started at 5-45 am Bee was up cooking for the temple as its a Buddha day I showered my German Shepherd. Wondered around the garden had my morning coffee and then washed the mosquito screens now on here at 0810 .

macb

[Thaddeus]

yes, I got scared from the precious post, but 20K as far as living costs is concerced is a good estimate. A generous estimate as well, but a good one!

I get scared when people ask if 800k a year is enough

I'm so glad I don't live anywhere near Bangkok or any one of the multitude of tourist traps.

20k a month is more than adequate.

And in response to a post from several days ago which has now probably been buried under the mire, we can clean the floors too for that sum.

[dutch]

Hallo everybody,

I only want to tell you that I enjoy every post.

It's not my style of life but that's not the point.

Good luck to all of you

[macb]

I go along with thads comments.

you can even live comfortably on the than that if you need to.

PM me for more of a breakdown if you wish.

macb

[soidog2]

Soidog - Your family situation is similar to mine. I have 4-yr old daughter who will start school next year, doesn't speak much thai yet (we still live in US). Want to move to Surin area where my wife's grandma lives, but probably will be looking to buy or build home there. I plan to work (maybe teach english?) but not sure how that will work yet. I know this is off topic of original thread, but saw you were logged in and wanted to ask: what do you estimate will be a decent living allowance if already own home in rural area close to surin, no rent,etc. I have estimated 10000 to 15000 per month from reading other threads. Just trying to plan financially for the move.

Jason (wanttoescape)

Hopefully you will have a steady income that you can rely upon.

B 10.000 to B 15.000 monthly is kind of a bare bones budget.

We run the A/C every night, with an American style Kitchen (Big Viking Stove) and a 60” refrigerator/freezer too many computers to mention ETC the electric bill is approaching B 6000. The next big variable is driving. You’ll need a car, insurance & more.

To make a long story short, if you want to live “Thai style” you’ll get by.

To put in some western touches more like double.

PS daughter born in Manhattan, it was a struggle to keep her bilingual, doing OK now.

[Thaddeus]

To make a long story short, if you want to live “Thai style” you’ll get by.

Hit the nail on the head.

You can live here on 10-15K a month. But it would pretty much be a no frills existence (not much beer either)

If you want to maintain some farangness, as soidog just said, double it. 20K gets you a good lifestyle in the boonies (and a lot more beer )

P.S. My electricity bill averages out at around 1,000 Baht a month. Mainly because we don't use the aircon all the time, and I insist that On and our daughter carry on just using the cold water scoop in the hong nam.

Edited September 7, 2006 by Thaddeus

[mrbojangles]

Papa would rejoice in the fact and would tell anyone one who asked "It's my car, and I had my chauffeur shipped over from England

Excellent

And thanks from me guys also, for starting this topic, a right good read.

As for me, we are still in the UK and we (or rather she) have about 15 or so Rai now, in a village just outside of Chaiya Phuum. A bit of a fish farm and loads of mango and man sam palang etc. Mrs BoJ wants to build an house there, which is fine but i don't really want to settle full time there, when i eventually go to live there full time.

I'm a "towny" and i think i always will be to be honest, i get a bit lonely for farang conversation when staying in the village. I'd like to know if any of you live a sort of "double" life. By that i mean, you have a property (or rent) in one of the resort area's and then just pop upto the village from time to time. If so, how does it work for you? Any up sides or downsides etc.

[migrant]

Papa would rejoice in the fact and would tell anyone one who asked "It's my car, and I had my chauffeur shipped over from England

Excellent

And thanks from me guys also, for starting this topic, a right good read.

As for me, we are still in the UK and we (or rather she) have about 15 or so Rai now, in a village just outside of Chaiya Phuum. A bit of a fish farm and loads of mango and man sam palang etc. Mrs BoJ wants to build an house there, which is fine but i don't really want to settle full time there, when i eventually go to live there full time.

I'm a "towny" and i think i always will be to be honest, i get a bit lonely for farang conversation when staying in the village. I'd like to know if any of you live a sort of "double" life. By that i mean, you have a property (or rent) in one of the resort area's and then just pop upto the village from time to time. If so, how does it work for you? Any up sides or downsides etc.

My Lady has property outside of Cha Am, the opposite side of Hua Hin.

That makes it a 30+minute drive to 'the big city' but all essentials available close by.

I like this since I want my home life quiet, but also like to get to a city for entertainment, variety of food, shopping, etc.

[Thaddeus]

I like this since I want my home life quiet, but also like to get to a city for entertainment, variety of food, shopping, etc.

Very good point.

And this is the thing that you have to bear in mind MrBoJ (BTW, I'm really glad that you left the 'o' in there, especially for MrsBoJ )

I'm a townie too, I doubt that I could ever live in a city, I spent enough time working in them to make me realise that.

Now I have entered a new chapter in my life, and I want my home life quiet but retain the ability to get to a little 'noise' or other comforts if I feel the need. One of the few things that I am stuck on is, Monday night and Friday night are in Bar Loong Dang for a real natter in English, and Sunday night is round at Steve's house for a few games of 9 Ball Pool, both venues are only a 15 minute drive away.

If I feel the need to party-it-up more than that, that is also not a problem, I have made quite a few journeys to other cities to meet up with friends and family from the UK, but it is oh so nice to get home where the buffalo outnumber the motorcy's.

Nobody can say this is the right way to go, it just suits me. Being with my family is the most important thing right now and being where they feel the most comfortable makes life a hel_l of a lot easier, luckily, I like it here.

Edited September 7, 2006 by Thaddeus

[jay-uk]

Great to hear everyone's story on living in isaan. I do not get to spend as much time as i would like in Ubon Ratchathani with family. Just a couple of times a year if i'm luck with work but when i'm there it is really relaxing and it does not seem difficult to find like minded farang friends. In fact i found more friends in a short space of time in Ubon than I did in years here in UK. I would love to retire in isaan and find it cheap living when i'm there with family.

Jay

[billd766]

I live in the north of Central provinve about 60 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet about 6 km from the "proper" village.

My day begins when I get up between 6 and 7 in the morning, open the shutters and doors, clear the dinner dishes from the big house table and take them up to the Thai style kitchen at the small house and then feed the 3 dogs. We used to have about 15 but the attrition rate is high and it is survival of the fittest.

Then I wander over to the fish pond for a look at the fish, then back to the main house for a shave etc.

A morning mug of Earl Grey tea goes down well with internet, TV, emails and sometimes I hear my 2 year old son playing upstairs while his Mum tries to sleep a bit longer. Either they will come down or the guy that works for us will come and get him. If he doesn't then I will have breakfast shared with my son while he watches Uu ta hatee (spelling) or Chang in English which is favourite movie while my wife has her first breakfast, a Marlboro lite and coffee (she gets crabby without it and snarls a bit).

After that our workers wife, son or daughter clean the house while I catch up on odd jobs or go to the village for some shopping. My wife generally goes to the market on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday for fresh fruit and veg while I go to the village with our son to get local stuff using my fractured Thai and the locals using fractured English. Somewhere in that time I usually give my son a bath or a "grown up" shower.

Lunch is either sandwiches if my wife doesn't do something or sometimes we go to a friends noodle shop for fried noodles and a bia Leo with 7up. The afternoons are lazy because it is very hot up here around 36 unless it is raining when it is cooler but I run around closing the shutters to keep the ran out. Our son generally sleeps for a couple of hours in the afternoon and I keep an eye on him whilst surfing the net and playing computer games.

I feed the dogs then shower around 5:30 to 6 then we have a whiskey and soda or two before and during dinner which is usually Thai but not too hot for me and the brat. Our son gets bathed or showered again and we play with him for a while but he now likes to watch a programme on ITV with ghosts etc.

My wife and son usually go up to bed around 8:30 while i surf a bit more and go up around 10 to 10:30 and read for a while before sleep.

Our friend from Denmark is here for about a month and lives on the next plot but one and other than him I probably may not see another farang unless there is any in the village for weeks at a time.

Sometimes we go to a friends place 15km away for food and draught Leo or to our Danish wifes restaurant and Karaoke or next door to the resort but not so often.

Occasionally I will get an offshore job for 3 to 6 months and then "rest" for a while.

We have 15 rai where the house is and grow bananas, pineapple, squash, papaya, chillies, man and a few other things I have no idea what they are called plus the fish. The other 11 rai is planted with man (taro, tapioca ?).

My wife is thinking of planting trees after we harvest the man this year but it will be a long term project for our sons future.

Would I live in a city again? Not a chance unless I was working and got paid for it.

I love Thailand and especially here at home.

Edited September 8, 2006 by billd766

[Lourens]

I lived in a small village just outside of Buriram town for more than a year at one stretch and enjoyed every moment of it. Then unfortunately I had to go and get a job again for a year. And now it looks like I'll be back in Buriram again for a while at the end of this month. A good description of my lifestyle can be found on My BLOG. Print it all out and take it on your next bog visit (unless you have to squat).

[macb]

Nice threads and additions to this topic guys, well done and thanks again

macb

[udon]

I lived in a small village just outside of Buriram town for more than a year at one stretch and enjoyed every moment of it. Then unfortunately I had to go and get a job again for a year. And now it looks like I'll be back in Buriram again for a while at the end of this month. A good description of my lifestyle can be found on My BLOG. Print it all out and take it on your next bog visit (unless you have to squat).

Hi Lourens.

I thought you'd been a bit quiet of late, good to see you posting again.