Living in Udon Thani

Living in Udon Thani

Searching through the internet for information about Udon Thani you will most likely come across site after site offering hotels, car hire, tourist attractions or mining projects, you will find very few sites that talk about actually living in Udon Thani and the experiences of the people that actually live here, so I thought I would include my own review as a resident of this area.

First to say I am an expat, originally from the UK and I have been living in Udon Thani for 6 years, plus another 2 years around Thailand.

One of the first things I noticed when I first visited Udon were the local people here, open, warm and friendly and eager to assist, I instantly felt comfortable and relaxed walking around the city and was never bothered by anybody, even the Tuk Tuk drivers were discreet asking just once if I needed their service. The more I looked around the more I had the feeling of being in a different time, like the way I imagine my own country to have been in the 1940's or 1950's.

Six years later I still feel the same way even though I have seen a lot of modernization in that time and also a large increase in the amount of Westerners that seem to have gravitated to the area. In just my average daily living here I am still constantly surprised by the new experiences I have or of the spirit of the people that live here, people really do smile a lot here and there is always a general atmosphere that life is good no matter what happens or how bad a situation might be.

I guess what I see here is common in many areas of Thailand and is I think a reflection of Thai culture in general, I also suspect it's roots lie in it's Buddhist base. I can only really talk about Udon as a solid reference point but I find that here people are self sufficient, most people have their own business, work hard but mostly interact with each other in a very positive way, humor and laughter is everywhere, people always seem pleased to see you no matter what your racial origins. I've heard it said that the Thai smiles often conceals contempt and that it is a mask worn to save face, in my experience that is rubbish, I'm sure it happens but lets be honest wouldn't you rather have that than someone scowling at you, it's a bit of a cliché I guess to say that positive behavior promotes positive behavior, but in my opinion the Thais have it down pat and no where is this more evident than in

Udon Thani

Something that is worth mentioning about this City is that although it has an old worldly feel and that laid back atmosphere it actually has excellent infrastructure and most all the modern amenities that you really could need or want. You will find a huge variety of restaurants, almost any type of food available, this is largely down to the local expat community here that has introduced many Western style menus to Udon to add to the already rich selection of Asian foods. It is interesting that I was speaking to an Italian restaurant owner that told me she is getting more and more Thai customers trying out their Italian food, we also joked that we seemed to be seeing more and more Thai locals waist sizes expanding, oh well that's progress I guess. Anyway what I mean is Udon has bowling alleys, modern shopping complexes, Western restaurants, high speed internet, picturesque parks and lakes, cinemas etc etc all mixed into all the old style facilities that Udon has always had, it really typifies Thailand's ability to embrace and adapt to all cultures and is of course fantastic for us expats as we can get our fixes of our own culture every now and again.

Udon is not perfect by any stretch and it has its draw backs as does any City but if your thinking of it as a possible place to retire or work you could do a lot a worse, my main pluses would be fantastic people, low cost living, general low crime e.g.. safe to walk almost anywhere day or night, good infrastructure, good amenities, layed back life style, minimal red tape, low key night life, large airport, many good hospitals and schools and the ground is flat like Holland almost. My negatives would be an ever growing traffic population with poor drivers, that only really is a bother in the center of town, also, I guess some people might find it too slow and remote (I don't) also it has to be said that it not the most scenic of places in Thailand although the local authorities have been spending massive amounts of time and money making the place more attractive with planting of trees and attractive gardens in the center of all the main roads, that has certainly made a difference in the overall look since I first came here.

Occasionally I come across web sites touting Udon Thani as a seedy sex destination worth visiting, well for those that are looking for that don't bother, it really isn't, I don't know where this idea originated, possibly all the way back to the Vietnam war when the Americans forces were stationed here. The truth of the matter is there are areas where it goes on but nothing compared to the well known hot spots in Thailand, I would guess Udon would be on par with any other Northern city of its size. There has recently been a growth in Pattaya type bars that have sprung up in a small street in the very center of the city that seems to catering for visiting tourist and service men but trust me it is very small and hardly populated with either girls or patrons, maybe that will change, hard to say but in the time I have been here many of these bars have gone up and out of business fairly quick, few exceptions but not many. Other wise it is the Thai brothels, these exist in a small area of town in dark back streets, most often in normal converted homes, they are all illegal and are frequently raided by the police and most importantly have many underage women working there, often brought in from Lao, if you get caught out in these places at the wrong time expect to be deported or worse. People often don't realize that Udon is a fairly Conservative city and you can't expect the same kind of blind eye approach that you find in place like Pattaya or Bangkok, in the main you will find that women from Udon that decide to work in the sex industry will leave Udon for those places down South.

Ok that's about all I can think of off hand to get this page launched, apologies for such a big segment on the seedy stuff but it needed to be made clear I think. If you do decide you would like to come and live here or are already living here be sure to check in with my classifieds page incase you are looking for something to buy, sell or rent or would like to help promote a business or an upcoming event that you think would benefit Udon residents, the site is brand new and I welcome any new additions.

Review by udonclassifieds web site owner.

http://www.udonclassifieds.com/classifieds/