New Long Term Visa - Not Easy To Obtain.

Mel Malinowski said:
Even though you don't, WHY are you in Isaan then, one of the 20 poorest provinces in Thailand? Friends talk about coming to visit Isaan, and I invariably say that it is not on the top 50 list for tourists in Thailand. Or the top 100. You have to have a good reason to haul yourself way out here in the rice paddies.

I'm here because it's part of our marriage agreement: must stay where wife's family is. Likewise, we stay our summers at my old family farm in Washington State. It's a deal, not a perfect one, but a pragmatic one.

Otherwise, I imagine I'd be in Koh Samui, Phuket, Kao Lak, or Petchabun. If I had Coffee's '$80,000 a month' income, maybe The Maldives or New Zealand.
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I live in Isaan and have done for 22 years. I am not now a tourist and don't wish to live in tourist resorts. I came here with my then wife to live in 1999 and built a house. The marriage went tit's up but I "kept" the house. Given my current income (which is far from $80,000.00/month; or $80,000.00/year even) I am happy and comfortable living here.
 
Mel Malinowski said:
Even though you don't, WHY are you in Isaan then, one of the 20 poorest provinces in Thailand? Friends talk about coming to visit Isaan, and I invariably say that it is not on the top 50 list for tourists in Thailand. Or the top 100. You have to have a good reason to haul yourself way out here in the rice paddies.

I'm here because it's part of our marriage agreement: must stay where wife's family is. Likewise, we stay our summers at my old family farm in Washington State. It's a deal, not a perfect one, but a pragmatic one.

Otherwise, I imagine I'd be in Koh Samui, Phuket, Kao Lak, or Petchabun. If I had Coffee's '$80,000 a month' income, maybe The Maldives or New Zealand.
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Nobody in their right minds would say "I am going to move to Thailand full time and live in Isaan".

We live in Isaan because that is where our hearts.

Budget can be a factor for staying but your Thai teerak, and family, are the most likely reason why you went north of Bangkok.
 
Forget about
Mel Malinowski said:
Even though you don't, WHY are you in Isaan then, one of the 20 poorest provinces in Thailand? Friends talk about coming to visit Isaan, and I invariably say that it is not on the top 50 list for tourists in Thailand. Or the top 100. You have to have a good reason to haul yourself way out here in the rice paddies.

I'm here because it's part of our marriage agreement: must stay where wife's family is. Likewise, we stay our summers at my old family farm in Washington State. It's a deal, not a perfect one, but a pragmatic one.

Otherwise, I imagine I'd be in Koh Samui, Phuket, Kao Lak, or Petchabun. If I had Coffee's '$80,000 a month' income, maybe The Maldives or New Zealand.
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New Zealand . It has gone to the dogs and is still going downhill fast.
I love my country and beautiful as it is.
Because of what has and is still happening there.
I doubt very much that I will ever return home to live.
It makes me so sad and angry.
 
The entire Northeast [Isaan] gained only 2.9 percent of [the] country's tourism income of 2.7 trillion baht [in 2017]." wikipedia

Sisaket had the lowest gdp per capita of any province in Thailand in 1997. I am sure we are still in the bottom 10. Oddly I rarely see abject poverty ( as one sees in the commonly in the Philippines), I see people with hard lives. I also feel much safer here than in many parts of developed western countries.

I have traveled to a little under 70 countries in the past 50 years and find Isaan people be amongst the friendliest and most generous I have ever met.

When I visit Pattaya, Hua Hin or even Chiang Mai, I am rather pleased that Isaan has been overlooked by the hordes of Russian, Indian or Chinese tourists. Infact I take it a step further, I am happy that the BKK residents that over run Hua Hin on the weekends or the farang who frequent soi six in Pattaya rarely if ever venture out our way.

Of course I would not have ever been to Sisaket or Isaan for that matter if I had not met my wife. I consider myself lucky to not have fallen for a lilly white BKK woman.
 
georgefromcanada said:
The entire Northeast [Isaan] gained only 2.9 percent of [the] country's tourism income of 2.7 trillion baht [in 2017]." wikipedia

Sisaket had the lowest gdp per capita of any province in Thailand in 1997. I am sure we are still in the bottom 10. Oddly I rarely see abject poverty ( as one sees in the commonly in the Philippines), I see people with hard lives. I also feel much safer here than in many parts of developed western countries.

I have traveled to a little under 70 countries in the past 50 years and find Isaan people be amongst the friendliest and most generous I have ever met.

When I visit Pattaya, Hua Hin or even Chiang Mai, I am rather pleased that Isaan has been overlooked by the hordes of Russian, Indian or Chinese tourists. Infact I take it a step further, I am happy that the BKK residents that over run Hua Hin on the weekends or the farang who frequent soi six in Pattaya rarely if ever venture out our way.

Of course I would not have ever been to Sisaket or Isaan for that matter if I had not met my wife. I consider myself lucky to not have fallen for a lilly white BKK woman.
Click to expand...
+1
 
georgefromcanada said:
The entire Northeast [Isaan] gained only 2.9 percent of [the] country's tourism income of 2.7 trillion baht [in 2017]." wikipedia

Sisaket had the lowest gdp per capita of any province in Thailand in 1997. I am sure we are still in the bottom 10. Oddly I rarely see abject poverty ( as one sees in the commonly in the Philippines), I see people with hard lives. I also feel much safer here than in many parts of developed western countries.

I have traveled to a little under 70 countries in the past 50 years and find Isaan people be amongst the friendliest and most generous I have ever met.

When I visit Pattaya, Hua Hin or even Chiang Mai, I am rather pleased that Isaan has been overlooked by the hordes of Russian, Indian or Chinese tourists. Infact I take it a step further, I am happy that the BKK residents that over run Hua Hin on the weekends or the farang who frequent soi six in Pattaya rarely if ever venture out our way.

Of course I would not have ever been to Sisaket or Isaan for that matter if I had not met my wife. I consider myself lucky to not have fallen for a lilly white BKK woman.
Click to expand...
Well-spoken. I have been here 18 years, never left. Like you, I have traveled extensively over the past 50-odd years and feel most at home here in Surin. I would not want to live in Pattaya or Hua Hin, let alone Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Issan suits me just fine, far away from the maddening crowds (thank you, Thomas Hardy).
 
nomad97 said:
Well-spoken. I have been here 18 years, never left. Like you, I have traveled extensively over the past 50-odd years and feel most at home here in Surin. I would not want to live in Pattaya or Hua Hin, let alone Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Issan suits me just fine, far away from the maddening crowds (thank you, Thomas Hardy).
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@nomad97, I agree to a point however, for the time being, Patts suits us fine, who knows what the future will hold.
 
Mel Malinowski said:
Even though you don't, WHY are you in Isaan then, one of the 20 poorest provinces in Thailand? Friends talk about coming to visit Isaan, and I invariably say that it is not on the top 50 list for tourists in Thailand. Or the top 100. You have to have a good reason to haul yourself way out here in the rice paddies.

I'm here because it's part of our marriage agreement: must stay where wife's family is. Likewise, we stay our summers at my old family farm in Washington State. It's a deal, not a perfect one, but a pragmatic one.

Otherwise, I imagine I'd be in Koh Samui, Phuket, Kao Lak, or Petchabun. If I had Coffee's '$80,000 a month' income, maybe The Maldives or New Zealand.
Click to expand...
The Maldives is very nice for about 1 week!
 
nomad97 said:
Well-spoken. I have been here 18 years, never left. Like you, I have traveled extensively over the past 50-odd years and feel most at home here in Surin. I would not want to live in Pattaya or Hua Hin, let alone Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Issan suits me just fine, far away from the maddening crowds (thank you, Thomas Hardy
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"Madding crowds".
 
Ivor the Engine said:
Being a 'frequent flyer' to Pattaya in the past (with Welsh Tony R.I.P.) and now keeping away for a long time, I must admit, after last week's 'Boys trip out', I can once again see the advantage of retiring down there or nearby (alone).
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Pattaya is what it is. It has something for everybody.

I think the art is in taking from Pattaya what you want and then withdrawing until the next time.

For me it is playing bowls, dentist, physiotherapist and occasion forays into entertainment areas.

Ferret might live in Pattaya but it is a bloody big place and he is probably further from the Madding Crowd than Nomad is in Surin.
 
CO-CO said:
Pattaya is what it is. It has something for everybody.

I think the art is in taking from Pattaya what you want and then withdrawing until the next time.

For me it is playing bowls, dentist, physiotherapist and occasion forays into entertainment areas.

Ferret might live in Pattaya but it is a bloody big place and he is probably further from the Madding Crowd than Nomad is in Surin.
Click to expand...
And, realistically, our secluded villiage offers us our satisfiers, security and a comfortable home base.
10 mins down the track, we have a wide choice of options, shopping, quality resturaunts and traffic jams :cool: .
A quick r/h turn off Sukhamvit rd and we are out of the " Madding crowd ".
@CO-CO is correct, Pattaya is a big place and the opportunities are at your personal discression.
 
FERRET said:
And, realistically, our secluded villiage offers us our satisfiers, security and a comfortable home base.
10 mins down the track, we have a wide choice of options, shopping, quality resturaunts and traffic jams :cool: .
A quick r/h turn off Sukhamvit rd and we are out of the " Madding crowd ".
@CO-CO is correct, Pattaya is a big place and the opportunities are at your personal discression.
Click to expand...
+1
 
CO-CO said:
Nobody in their right minds would say "I am going to move to Thailand full time and live in Isaan".

We live in Isaan because that is where our hearts.

Budget can be a factor for staying but your Thai teerak, and family, are the most likely reason why you went north of Bangkok.
Click to expand...
It was not my point to be putting down Isaan (I grew up in a poor rural area in Washington State), but rather to state the obvious, as Co-co put better. We're not in Surin for the scenery ;) although Surin is lovely in October before the rice harvest. I have some sweet, loving relatives that I am very fond of. They are dirt-poor, so I am providing scholarships and 'salaries' to help family stay home to take care of kids rather than have to go off to Bangkok to work as my wife did for 16 years. One goal is to supplement the wages of our daughter-in-law who just graduated as a nurse so she can work locally so as to be home nights with our grandson. We have a bright nephew who has just begun university, and we're helping with that. Our daughter-in-law does have student loan debt, and I must figure out whether it's better to just pay it off at once, or gradually. I'm discouraging borrowing money on ag land as is common, vs. the Bank of Malinowski. Also buying too much insurance or lottery tickets.

Where we live April-October in Washington State on 45 rai farm near Mount St. Helens
 

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