Thailand -- Getting Out of the City and Living in a Village 

That reminds me of when I was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam war. I lived in the village and enjoyed it so much. One lady let me work in her garden with her. And she would give me vegetables to cook at home. They could not pronounce my name Greg and would call me Leg.

These sort of videos are refreshingly natural. Very enjoyable and a nice change from checking out the girls in the walking streets of Pattaya, Bangkok etc on RU-vid. From the extreme noises and activities of the cities to the gentle calm and simplicity of the Countryside. Keep up the good and interesting work. A pleasant change from clicking the tv remote over and over trying to find something new to watch between Trump, Putin, Syria, Wars and the nonsenses of Western life. Certainly better to get nowhere slowly, than nowhere at all fast and furiously. Thailand feels good at this time in the west.

Fantastic vid, love these village / real Thailand clips. Well done.

Thanks for another great video JC!!!!!

That's one of your best Video,THAT is Thailand JC!!!

I was stationed in U-Tapo Thailand in 1971-1972 loved the people and the food. I also sponsored a child for three years through World Vision, she lived op in the northern part of Thailand her parents were farmers. Great video.

Another awesome video! Thanks JC

Keep up the good work JC. I enjoy your videos. Helps to make me forget the Alaska winter here. I'll be in Thailand in about 3 weeks to enjoy some warmer weather. Take care and thanks for all of the videos.

Very cool Daniel. Sounds like you are fitting in and and enjoying your life here.

Finally somewhere that remotely resembles our community. There is a real shortage of quality rural life in Thailand vlogging. Keep up the good work.

Very cool Brian. Congrats!! You have a beautiful family.

JC, LOVE your videos. Thanks alot for sharing your experience. Peace and Love.

Another great video JC and a great insight into village life in Thailand. Those kids are precious! The way the kids are able to say a prayer before school for divine guidance through their learning day and say a pledge of allegiance, kind of shows you the freedom and privileges that are denied of U.S. children. Another example of too much government in the states. It is indeed heart warming to see the spirit of love, community and connection prevails in both village and city life Thailand

Such a simplistic meaningful soulful life I long for. Gotta have least one as well before I leave this dear life. [Hi from SanFrancisco]

killer video JC. i enjoyed it as usual

Glad you liked it and maybe brought back memories of the past that were pleasant.

Unbelievable, seem so different than America. The kids are so pleasant and polite. They are saying Im happy. Wow. Seems like a nice place. Forget all the high tech stuff. Time to go back to basic. Good quality life.

i loved your video!! thank you for sharing

A wonderful village. Wonderful people. I really enjoyed a peek in the rural life in Thailand. Thank you.

Good Vid JC, glad I am subscribed from day one to your channel always look forward to your latest vids Cheers Matt

My wife also bought a simple home near her mothers. I want to fix it up And use it to stay in when we visit.

very nice video... thank you for uploading ..from London

Wow cool. I will have to think how to add info into the videos!!

gotta love it..you ask "how are you" and they reply- "i am happy!"

I have watched this video more than five times. Within four years I want to be living in your village.

These people are just so wonderfully happy and the shop clerk has a Beautiful Radiant Face !! They may not have a lot but what they do have is Beautiful..

I like how everyone answers "im happy" Thailand is such a great place! :)

How serene! I can't wait to get to Thailand, 7 more days to go! Hope we get a glimpse of you hanging out.

Really nice JC. For those people that live in the village, well you are a better person than most. It takes a strong person to live in the village with the normal comforts that westerners are used to missing. Or if not missing then they are much different than we have. I've been to the village but only to visit and I didn't stay longer than a few hours. I thought I understood what village life was like. I didn't, you do a great job bringing the social aspect of the village to the the viewer.

The Children say they are "Happy" I Truly believe that they are !! So Enlightening !! Shows that the parents make the time to raise them ! AWESOME !!

You bring me a lot of memories.

Live it. I would prefer to live in a remote place in a small community. Who needs malls, movie theaters, thousands of restaurants? All I need is a village full of kids who are, "happy!"

JC Once again thanks for this video.Great to see day to day life of 'ordinary' Thais. Am planning a trip soon from Udon Thani by road soon to this province and was helpful seeing your village I love the way the kids responded when asked 'How are you?'..'I am Happy' Khun narak mak!!!

This is the best video you have made. I am envious of you. My Thai wife and I live in the US and are fairly young, but we are probably going back to Thailand next year to get married there too.

Awesome! I can't wait to get enough money saved and move to Thailand! !

miss thailand !!

I never met anyone who regretted moving to Thailand.

I love the village life there. So much better than the cities. Like going back in time.

@greenwormsoup You are welcome. Glad you enjoy the videos. Nice weather here.

Very nice video.....thank you.

Nice video.

Was stationed on Jolo island in the Phillipines for 6 mos. Amazing how similar village structure is...love it. Sound from vid bring me right back. Thank you.

Actually this video was made way before this RCA project ever got started and wasn't meant to be posted here. But I got requests for village life videos so I posted it. Now I won't do it again if it isn't directed primarily to RU-vid viewers. No more family videos. Sorry.

I have been staying in a small village outside of Kho Ka which is not far from Lampang when I go to Thailand. I went last August for a funeral and stayed for two months. It is my friend's home town and most of the village knows me by first name. The only thing is, they have so many different variations of "Tom". The older people call me "Om" or "Dom" some of the younger adults call me "Som" and the school-age kids are the only ones that can say "Tom" but they call me "Tom and Jerry" because of the cartoon. I've left my camera or journal on benches before, or dropped personal things in the village, even a coin purse, and most times people that find it bring it and hand it to me directly. But a few times. I have found my lost items on the front doorstep in the morning. Not much at all to worry about in a village where people know you. As an American, I've lived in very rural locations and small farm towns, and they are friendly and safe towns, but small villages in Thailand seem so much more close-knit. It's hard to describe, and it's not for everyone, but I suggest taking a look at the villages like this. One thing that I notice about many small villages is how so few people in their early to mid-20s are in the village. Many of them go to the city for work and send money home and the grandparents watch the children. Not a bad arrangement, but I've found some smaller villages where, for the most part, there are the very young and the very old, and it's kind of surreal.

I am happy!

great video,i really do envy you,been going to thailand for years now mostly the city tourist areas but i have been to villages simlar to the one here and it is pure heaven.away from the hustle and bustle of life here in europe,some day i hope my dream will come true and have a life like yours.thanks for sharing................

Quaint...simple and nice...seems so.

Nice video, it reminds me when i was a little kid

I like village life rather than city crowd. Village has the aesthetic smile. Like the contents. I plan to stay permanently in Thailand

Great Vid - I Live between the City of Chiang Mai and the Village of Maechaem (my wife's village)!

Hi JC recently Street View has really expanded its coverage.I've been planning a trip and was pleasantly surprised to find that SV now covers places like Maesalong,Thoed Thai and places even further west right out to the Myanmar border,have a look for yourself,has been a great help to me

Thank you. I like that. Different from most videos and interesting. Living there maybe not but for a night or passing through, yes.

looks nice

thank you so much i really enjoeyd your video and is my kind of leaving you are very lucky man thank you again

So be happy and thank you for that

Nice to see what there is of the beaten track. I've experienced village life in India and up near Laos but I must confess it's not for me. There was a lot of slithery noise in my room one night and next morning I found a cobra under the bed. I prefer to spend not too much time away from the city. But this is a great film. Keep 'em coming JC.

I really enjoyed your video. Thanks for the tour around the village, very nice. Although, I would be super afraid of scorpions & centipedes.

JC, I agree this is one of your best videos. You are obviously well liked by your village friends and you contribute to the community. How did you get involved with this place?

Great video........hope one day my husband and I can do that too

Your cottage investment needs a little love, but in a nice location. The fence looked like bamboo which is pretty cool. I can imagine making a small garden and enjoy crafting with local materials. Having some free range chickens is really neat. There are places in the US where you have suprise guests, scorpians as well as spiky stuff in the grass or plants you wouldn't want come in contact with skin. So I understand the, be aware aspect. It's simple but inviting. The building looked sturdy, maybe we will get to see a closer look sometime. The idea of tropical fruit in the back yard is pretty neat too.

19:30, that clearing of the throat. "Okay youngin', I'm done talkin' now, get out mah way."

I feel so sorry for the poverty these kids have to endure... I am a student right now, but when I get older, I will definitely go help improve places like these...

Thought provoking video. Make sure you get some good boots for your next visit!

Reminds me of the lifestyle in the small rice farming town my property is located. The coal burning urns may not be Eco friendly but often it is only choice locals have. This is indeed a back to basics living. Makes you assess what you really need in life.

that village is just my pace of life. :)

Thanks for this video JC! It's amazing what you are able to produce of an informative video. I could easily live in a village if I lived in a house without scorpions, snakes and other poison creeps inside the house. And it had to be within reach of a major hospital if emergency occour. I lived as a kid in a village in a very small island near my grandparents back in the 60's here in western Norway. Remote and very laid back style of living. I have been dreaming of such kind of retirement. :-)

Beautiful thank you

Almost an anthropological document. Nice work!

Erik, My whole website is and all these videos are to give people that exact information. And the member site gives even more detailed information on moving and settling in to Thailand.

Great little Video,, we have been looking to move to MAe Sariang,, our out side it by 15 min scooter ride.. I like these areas that are in the mountains,, with less westerners and less traffic.. I guess the loss would be the malls, and hospitals,, but I think it is worth it

Great video JC I love village life and yes it is not for everyone. When I go on holidays to Thailand I never go to the cities now its always my wifes village.But we have a farm there so do some work in the morning maybe go for a drive something to eat and bed at 7pm. Its sounds boring but after awhile what day it is does not matter anymore but you do have to watch alcohol as that could become a problem if you left creep into your life but that can happen any where.

Great video. It just goes to show that we really don't need all the junk we have in our lives. We can live a happy life living very simple. I really need to visit some villages in the future.

JC that was perhaps the most amazing video i have seen of Thailand. You do such a great job. I have been to Thailand more then once but found it hard to get the real Thai Culture because of the tourist areas. Nice to see every day life in Thailand. So what ever happened to your house you had there? Did you end up selling? Are you still married to your Thai wife ? How long did you live in the Village? lots of questions but i find it very interesting.

Very good! One of the four reasons I live here. They will make it as mild or hot as you want.

Great video. We just got back to the States after spending a month in Thailand visiting several Mien villages in Ngao, Maebong, Palei, Nong Van, Nam Yien, and Mae Chan (not sure on the spelling). In this video at 18:16, I can hear the ladies speaking in Mien. I miss the people there. Our last 10 days there, we left the villages and visited Bangkok and Phuket. Definitely wish we would have spent it with the people in the villages. We did not enjoy Bangkok and Phuket at all.

well done as always ! looks like a great weekend get away ,but i don't think i could handel living like fred fintstone full time .

I am sure there are many things that could be covered in each video to give each viewer what they would like to see. Unfortunately there is a point to each video and I try to cover that and everything else that happens during that is a bonus! I hiked all through these mountains. I lived here for a while and it was nice to go up into the hills on hikes.

Thanks JC, nice tour, it's a little different from Udon, but not much. Wlll share on FB

Thanks for this down to earth representation of your enjoyment of life in Thailand. It is important to be down to earth 'cause not only don't the luxuries in our life lacks true time tested durability, you can't take it with you eirher- a common belief of Buddhism. I'm sure this perspective comes in handy in life.

@watertonrivers This is true. Much more laid back and relaxed and friendlier.

Kop kuhn kop. We are building a village in the Ozarks (off grid community) and rhis was helpful. I lived for 3 months at the army camp Pratu pa. That has to be close to your village.

17:20 Made a mistake. Sticky rice is NOT high in gluten! Glutinous rice doesn't contain gluten, the term just relates to its sticky texture when cooked.

I'd rather live in their village than in the US. lol

Hi JC, I enjoyed your video. I am living next to the Chao Praya River where the Ping and Nan River meet in Nakhon Sawan. I spend many hours on my Yamaha Fino cruising the little river roads and villages with my Nikon D800 in hand. I love my River people and feel a part of them living with them on the little road along the river. In my area I only have 4 cool months. I am looking for a cool place above Chiang Mai. Your Thai is very good. My wife is wonderful and has a little Salon we made. Peace

Thanks again. I appreciate seeing Thai village life. I might very well not want to be in a city all the time. I don't mind basic amenities.

@PulseWithLife Interesting take on Indonesia. Haven't been there for a while.

i love the village just also here in our place in the philippines

Thanks JC for sharing you thoughts with us wannabe Thai residents be it only during the winter, summer would be way too hot for me.

Poverty? These kids live a much more fulfilling and rewarding life than most. Look at the video. They are truly happy and healthy. These kids do not live in poverty in most of the villages of Thailand. Now you could go to the border's refugee camps. There you could really help make a difference in the lives of the kids. There they are living a life of poverty.

It seems like people in the village are so much nicer than people in the city.

Wow thanks for that info. You are right Sticky Rice does not contain dietary gluten and is safe for people on a gluten-free diet.

@bigrock403 Thanks. Glad you like the videos. I sold the house before it was finished unfortunately because I needed to work and it was too remote there. Not married right now. Lived in the village almost two years.

Rentals? No only locals, friends of locals and relatives go to these types of villages. Not tourist areas, so you'd have to know somebody and sleep in their home. Or go do a home-stay setup for tourists coming to Thailand but don't expect it to be PURE Thai.

@TravInThailand Thanks for your comments. They are appreciated.

Wow, really loved this video and insight into Thai village life. Can you get internet in a place like that? How did you decide on that town? Did you just throw a dart at a map? Seems like it would be difficult to integrate into a small tight-knit community like that one (although it looks like you did a great job).

i love that style of living-very simple -you live there in that village do you-must be nice not to have the burden of city life over your head every second-lookes very peacefull place

That's the one!!

This video I enjoyed the most so far. It's the real Thailand...You speak Thai well. Wonder how you learned it, on your own or in a classroom? Topic for another vid? Thanks.

Isaan is in Northeast. (Khon Kaen; Udon Thani) This is North. JC has comprehensive information here on RU-vid and on the Members site. If you are serious about moving to Thailand, I strongly recommend becoming a member. In addition to JC's information, you can build a strong network of people who ask and answer many of the questions that you have.

Actually I prefer happy to the canned response fine that all the students are taught whether they are fine or not! Thanks for watching the vids!