My Buriram Travel, Hotels, restaurants and info

[Rockheart]

It would also be interesting to find out if the new high speed rail will run through Buriram, if it does then you can be sure that there were some strings pulled, and it would boost visitors to the race track and the stadium.

Yes, well the teams for racing and football will want some care free way to get from Bangkok airport to their facilities in Buriram. Perhaps they can charter flights and buses, but still that is a lot of wasted time to take another flight once you arrive in Bangkok. Buses straight from Bangkok would probably still be faster than doing the air thing, but from my experience the traffic is less that good until you finally get out of the urban sprawl. However the highway continuously goes through every town, slowing things down.

A high speed rail link would be ideal. from what i have read they are in the future plans for this.
The new facilities may speed this up. However they are already the main rail depot in the district, already having many trains per day. I never explored train travel, my GF never saw it as an option not sure why.

[zappomax]

Good report!

[George Pill]

The country pictures are very interesting. Reminds me of the Philippines. Many are poor. Lots of kids around because there's only one curricular activity.

[Easyguy]

A couple of years ago I spent some time in Phom Pisai which is a few miles East of Nong Kai right in the Issan valley. My wife and I (yes, been married to a female Thai for quite a few years) flew from Don Mueang to Udon Thani on Nok Air. Great airline. My wife's friend, who grew up in Phom Pisai and now lives in same town in the states that we do, met us at the airport and took us to our very nice small resort overlooking the Mekong River. Spent two weeks exploring the area and Vientian, Laos with her friend. Made trips to Nong Kai which is a very nice city and smaller than Udon. The headmaster or dean of the local Phom Pisai High School, who was also a relative of my wife's friend, took us on a tour of the high school. Even though it was summer vacation all of the teachers were still there including the assistant dean I could not believe the reception that we got. They actually called a meeting in a conference room and all of the teachers attended. They asked me to get up and give a briefing on how American schools compared to Thai schools. I gave an honest assessment as I am not very high on the American public school system, which now ranks 27th in the world. I think that Thai education is light years ahead of the American brand. These were some of the most gracious people I have ever met. Both highly educated but humble. We usually spend 3 months at a time in Thailand, every couple of years, as we built and own a 2,300 square foot western style house just north of Bangkok and now on one of the last stops of the new Purple Line. We normally travel all over Thailand and to Singapore, Malaysia, and Korea. I have been contemplating a permanent move to Thailand for the past few years, which has been my plan all along. Just have to convince my wife who has the Thai mentality that Thailand is a dangerous place. Funny thing is that I have worked and lived all over the world in a multitude of countries, including Iraq, and have never once encountered any problems. I have, though, been robbed twice and threatened with bodily harm in my own country. Ironic is it not. My problem, as some of you who may be married to Thai females or have Thai girlfriends, may realize, it is not that easy to slip away to meet the girls of LB persuasion. Takes a lot of planning.

[George Pill]

Better be careful with your Thai wife. Sometimes they can tell what you ate lately. One night she will wake you up from a deep slumber and ask you why you ate so many chili peppers 3 days ago. See that shiny thingie in her hand? Post-Op time.

[Easyguy]

Here is the Banwass Resort that we stayed at in Phon Phisai. It overlooks the Mekong River and is a really nice place for a small price. Each unit has a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and full western bathroom. Of course fully air conditioned. The owner is a sweet lady who is a wealth of information about the area. You will probably need some kind of transportation as there are few taxis or other public transportation. Even though the website says error it is still valid.

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en...IHghP9zglgCLIB

[Rockheart]

Thanks for the posts Crag. I've never heard about Buriram before and the TR is great with your personal thoughts...the "horrific turn" doesn't sound good at all though.

Buriram is kind of like Saskatchewan, except hotter with more rain.

So I guess it is about time to tell the rest of my sad story of Buriram.

So on that last trip I had been there for a few days and Ann brought me into the bedroom where they had an old TV and VCR. She put in a tape that was about a local couple getting married in a traditional type wedding. Then after she asked me if I would like to do that. I said 'maybe some day', but didn't think much of it.

So the next day they asked me if I could give 5000 for a pig. I said why do we need a pig? They said we were having a big party and I was going to pay. So we also went into town to Makro and got many cases of beer, some whisky and other party supplies. Then a couple days later there was an unexpected knock on the door of our hotel room. It was a guy delivering a very fancy dress and a white dress jacket. At first I wasn't understanding what was going on, then after a few minutes it clicked. We were getting married that day. It was the day of the big party now we had a wedding dress and jacket for me!

So I now was panicking a bit and wondering if i should flee. After thinking about it, I realized it was probably best just to go through with it. I had been seeing Ann for a few years and it was also not legally binding. I thought it would not good and offend everyone if I had to leave. So suddenly I was getting married.

She went to get her hair and makeup done and changed into her dress.
We went over to the gold store and I bought a gold ring for both of us an an expensive gold chain. I had not really given her any money this trip yet so it wasn't too bad.

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[Rockheart]

So we headed out to the village where the festivities started. There was a beer drinking and smoking monk that was doing the ceremony, i had to give him some money too. We had a short procession down the street before having the ceremony in the house. We put all our gold and 20000 baht into a dish and this was supposed to be an offering for the parents during the ceremony. They told me it was fake and I would get the money back.

You can see the Pigs Head in a dish which is ceremonial for the wedding, thus the reason for a pig.

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[Rockheart]

So we roasted the pig and had a big party, it was pretty fun. There was a few ladyboys from the area on hand too.

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[Rockheart]

The next day we partied more and had a bit of a stag party. We drank a bottle of Yukon Jack that I had brought from Canada.

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[Rockheart]

So the next day Ann and I went back to Bangkok by car. Her friends boyfriend drove us for 6000 baht.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Silom part of Bangkok. I stayed here because it was close to the Canadian Embassy and I wanted to take Ann and apply for a visa before I left. So I prepared the papers and we found a lawyer to notarize some of her documents. We spent some time just hanging out. I still wasn't that happy about how she was looking with no hormones and so much sun. She had lost all her softness and gotten very skinny. Plus she didn't seem to be much into sex anymore...

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[Rockheart]

So the day before we were going to visit the Embassy, Ann tells me she must go home because her father is sick. So I went ahead with the visa the next day and she went back home. The visa was obviously not successful.

That night I went over to Nana and had some drinks at Tequila Bar and started talking to a guy who wanted to go eat and we went for Bratwurst at the Heidelberg.
After that we ended up at Climax disco. After some drinks I wanted to head back to my hotel in Silom but no taxis wanted to take me there from Nana. Finally after a while one agreed to take me. In the morning I felt guilty or something and thought i should go back to Buriram to see how her dad was. Perhaps i was suspicious too.

I called Ann and told her I had booked a flight from Bangkok and was coming back to Buriram. When I arrived they came to get me at the airport. We went back to the house and it didn't seem the same. There was different people and kids there. I knew the father lived out in a shack in the field by himself, so maybe they let other people stay there instead? Ann said she owned the land and paid the harvesters, and the whole family did the planting and care up to harvest. Something seemed weird anyway.

I stayed at the Thepnakorn hotel again and rented the same car.
So it was actually during this time where we went and bought more shelves and goods to sell at their corner store. Makro has everything to make an instant store.

Then one night we were driving back to the hotel from the village and Ann says to me "I am never coming to Canada".
It was then I decided I would probably not be coming back.

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[Rockheart]

So it was the last day I was leaving and I had to drop off the rental car. So Ann met me on her motorbike to pick me up to drive me out to her village where someone would drive me to the airport. Her village was actually on the way to the airport pretty much. It was a pretty far drive on a motorbike as the village was about 30 minutes from town but we couldn't find any other way to get out there.

As her bike was not that big and I was too fat the tire blew on the way there and we only make it to the intersection of highway 219. So we just got to the edge of the city. We were kind of in the middle of no where but there was a food cart across the street and some shops up the road. I was able to buy popsicles and water somewhere.
She called someone and after quite a while they came with a truck and we put the motorbike in the back and we went to the house.

I had been getting a bit worried since my flight was only in a few hours and things were not going to well. Taxis were not really a thing in Buriram at that time in 2009, even at the bus depot.
There was only 2 crappy hotels in the whole place and the first one I stayed in was already closed.

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[Rockheart]

So we were hanging out waiting until it was time for me to go to the airport. Suddenly a big truck full of construction junk pulls up. Some guy had come to install the sliding glass door and windows to seal the house. This was the last big renovation and would allow them to have air conditioning. There was still other stuff to finish the house but this was probably the last piece that needed to be paid for. The father could finish all the rest of the finishing touches himself.

They told me it was just a coincidence this guy showed up just before I was leaving. He just measured it all up and gave them and estimate, no pressure blah blah blah.
It was like 30000 baht and I didn't really want to pay for this but after some pressure I gave in and paid the guy. I didn't mind funding their house but this situation was a little much.

I was already disgusted a bit after discovering the parents actually sent her and her brother to work in Pattaya. Her brother had worked in boyztown but hated it, Ann was pretty much like any other ladyboy.

So I knew I would never go back for sure now. I felt fine that I had helped out this poor family but it seemed they took advantage of my feelings and generosity.

This was the last I would see of my house.
Still I would be interesting to go back and see the finished house 10 years later, until recently i didn't know where it was.

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[Rockheart]

So after that I flew back to Bangkok for my last three days. This time I ended up going to Obsessions in Nana Plaza where I picked the most beautiful ladyboy to sit with me. Our wires got crossed and she dressed to leave. In the end we had a couple drinks and left. Then i spent the next 3 days with Cake.

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