Hello all you guys out there,
I was just wondering if any of you get bored with the day-to-day life in or around Udonthani. For 3 years now I have come to Thailand usually at the end of January and staying for 3 - 4 weeks. I am renting a nice house close to the Udonthani airport for my GF.
While I am still in the US, I count every day when I can come to Thailand, but after a week we seem to run out of things to do. We love driving up to Nong Khai, visit the market and eat at the riverside (by the way, the view to the river is now blocked by concrete walls; they are building a boardwalk i was told). We have already seen all the tourist places in a 200 Km radius.
So, we always have things to do for the first couple of days, but then what do you do after you get up in the morning? Watch TV? Browse the internet? I used to walk around town a lot in the beginning, but after a while you have seen everything.
Go and hang out at Big C, TESCO Lotus or Robinsons? Or maybe hang out at the pubs around Robinsons? Once in a while yes, but every day?
Check out the night market in Udonthani is ok, but do you want to look at the same merchandise every day?

So, my question to you guys is... what do you do so you don't get bored?

You're on holiday, looking for things to do. I'm retired here and trying to find things that don't need doing. Bored? I don't have time to be bored.

I don't have anything to do but never seem to get it done. Going to Surin for a few days to check and see how the house project is coming along.

My Mrs has a great way on not getting bored when we are in Udon and that is to go out and spend all my money on things, like going in to Tesco for 1 or 2 items and coming out with a trolly full of stuff, or browsing the markets or the complex eyeing up the "Tong" shops with a little glint in her eye, then buying 5 pairs of shoes, a couple of handbags, a purse and some clothes, use the handbags once or twice, wear the shoes a few times then either the heal falls off or they are "Jep-Jep" or just decide that she don't like them anymore...thus creating the next shopping oppertunity. lol

If its not shopping then its deciding that that lime tree that has been growing in the garden for many years needs to be moved !!! or extra plants are needed in the garden,and a complete new paved driveway is needed 3 months after the last one in concrete has been laid.

Me personaly like to get in the car and just drive,.......... even round, out of the way villages . Or hide from the Wife.

You know I used to ask the same type questions. I am retired in Udon and just returned from a 30 day stay in the States. You know what, I got so bored that I was glad to come back to Thailand. I missed some of the things around here to do. Village motorcycle rides, exploreing new roads, listening to the neighbors kids, Doing what I danm well please and having the money and time to do it. I love to travel and plan on doing a lot more of that. Viet Nam, Laos, Nepal and the list goes on.

I think the bigger question I have learned is was I ever bored back in the States (Or whatever your country of orgin) and my answer is sure I was sometime. Am I bored here? Sure sometime, but right now I am having a heck of a lot of good days. AS long as good are quite a few more than bad I am happy.

Don't think this is what you were seeking but it is how I feel.

Later.

Yep,being on holiday and looking for things to do is definitely a different ball game than living here fulltime!
We probably do the same kind of things tourists do when they go back to where they live regularly,except we that are retired have more time to do them at less expense!
I imagine if your were single and on holiday,you would be less bored ,although 4 weeks is a lot of time!
Last time I visited the USA was over 5 years ago for 3 weeks.I was bored after about 10 days!

Good question, actually we're going to include a "What to do in Udon Thani" section in the magazine and are looking for suggestions to give others ideas.

I guess if you're not working, retired or are on a holiday, to some Udon may seem boring. So what has say Pattaya got that Udon hasn't? The one thing that springs to mind is a beach. I guess in Pattaya you also have a larger selection of Golf courses, if that's your thing, and much more nightlife.

But what is there to do in Udon? I'll try and list as many things I can think of;

Day 1

Grab a light breakfast at one of stalls around Nong Prajak lake
Take a dip at Ban Chiang's swimming pool
2 hour body massage
Lunch at Good Everything
Bowling at Major Complex
Dinner and Game of Pool at the Clock
Eye Candy at the nightmarket...
...followed by more at Climax.
If you still have enough energy head for +10 cafe then an early breakfast at Home Cafe...give some food to the monks...sleep

Next day...

Breakfast at Downunder's
Hire a car from Lek's
Take a drive to Phu Phra Bat Park
Do the 2hr circuit and take in some great senery
Fresh BBQ prawns at the restaurant on the corner of the Ban Phu, Nong Khai road
Evening walk around Nong Prajak Park followed by a foot massage at one of the street side vendours.
Dinner at the new lakeside restaurant (forgot the name)
Watch the live music and sip a cold beer at the Ton Koon Hotel roof top garden.
Party the night away at the Full Moon Pub and then head to Mambo's from 1am onwards..
If a little drunk grap some spicy food at one of the 24/7 restaurants

Day 3

Breakfast at the Lodge...
...followed by a game of Golf, badminton (air-con building Nr Polytechic school) or tennis at Radjaphat.
Grap some mexican food or sub sandwiches at the Taco restaurant
Head over to Udon Thai house for a cooling dip in the pool and early evening meal
Stop off at Harry's for a drink and swap a few books
Watch the live western music at the Western Pub
Head to Little Rock for live music and coyote girls
late night snack time.

Please feel free add to the list...

well, i'm definitely the wrong person to ask.

just take comfort that when you are here, you have plenty of time to do the things you didn't have enough time to do when you weren't here.

fortunitely, i fit right in, my lazy butt just loves doing nothing. watch the grass grow at midnight if no shooting stars while stargazing. oops, hold on, whew, have enough bailey's, no need to go to nong khai for couple weeks. got big schedule coming up, plan for 2 month school break, that long slow drive to phuket, hit a beach, get bored, next beach till we get there, then see how long that last till we come back

enjoy being bored, do what you want, when you want, beats being stressed and dying young. besides school run in morning and afternoon, some tinkering around the house, which takes care of the excersice requirement (DENIAL). that about fills my schedule except for lifes necessities. then the major decision, cook/do dishes or eat in town, now that's stress. omg, rainy season and cutting the grass every week, depression is setting in. now that fills in the excercise requirement (more denial).

everytime i go back to states, i'm bored before i leave the airport, counting the time to return. stay the minimun to acheive the task, luckily get in a good visit or 2, then run as fast as i can away to come back home.

well that was helpful, my therapist thanks you, i thank you.

Up with the Cock
Sh*t, Shave, and Shower
Up on the roof terrace with the wife to water the plants
Watch the Sunrise
Walk to Nong Prajak Park for Breakfast, eggs with minced pork, orange juice coffee and patango donuts.
Buy the Bangkok Post on the way back from the Mom & Pop shop near Cliffs Internet Shop.
Get in, and sit down on the toilet and read the headlines from the Bangkok Post.
Go the Napali swimming pool for a afternoon dip
Go home for a afternoon kip
Shopping at Bo-Bay
Evening start at the Irish Clock, for Steak and Mushroom Pie and Chips.
Meet other Forumites at the bar.
Beaver Patrol along Walking Frame Street
Swing Pants at Climax.

I've never been bored in Udon Thani.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Pattaya to see some friends and to Tamboon a Temple outside the city, a new Buddha Image.
My friend is British Embassy Vice Consul in Pattaya, but also has a house wife and family from Udon. He told me that the biggest killer for British ex-pats down in Pattaya is Liver disease, due to too much drink, with boredom playing a large factor.

Mr. Penders, a very interesting statement from the British Vice Consul. You know for the amount of Falangs living in the Udon area, you really do not see a lot of guys just hanging out at the bars. There are a few that open and close them down but very few. Most of the Falangs I have met are really quite nice. WE all need to be a bit more friendly to each other. I speak to all, very few reply but when they do it is usually with a smile and (US) Hi, and (European) Hello.

Just goes to show you we have a better crop of Falangs up in the boonies.

I think being on vacation tends to be different than day to day living. The expectations for fun are bigger, or whatever. When I lived in Buriram and Sisaket, my day was spent reading, taking care of stuff around the house, food shopping, cooking and eating meals, and laying about. No boredom, because I was always doing something that I wanted to do. At the end of the day, I looked back an wondered where the day went. Now that I'm in the States, I sit at a computer all day, spend time in traffic, get my food from some pimply teenager at McKraps and go home to TV and then to bed, and I find myself frightfully bored with it all. Boredom is a product of your desires, I think, more that your surroundings. Thais are famous for feeling "beua" when faced with something they don't really like or want to do. So if one is bored in Udon, then my question would be, "Why are you in Udon?"

laphanphon, your outlook fits mine to a tee. When I get there, I don't want to have to do anything ... I am looking forward to retirement for a reason.

Sometime ago I stopped to smell the roses - guess I never really got started again.

No reason to get bored with the computer and internet.

If I'm real desperate I'll log to http://www.udonmap.com/

bored, simply grab your straw mat, and your padded mat, lay down in shade with cool breeze, close your eyes and watch the waves come in. don't forget to turn on the damn water thing you bought, so you can listen to the waterfall. or crank up the black sabbath and harrass your neighbors. walk around your yard and count the birds and lizards, kill ants .

there's always something to do. "Honey, walk by again in the other thong now, thank you"

When I worked in Thailand from 1966-74, there was a whole lot less things for a farang to do in their free time than there is now. We rode motorcycles, read a lot and hung out in bars mostly. Now retired but I never get bored. Always busy with the computer, watching TV (UBC), reading, watching DVDs/VCDs, watching wife work (she refuses to get a maid), chasing mosquitoes with the Zapper that looks like a tennis racket (killed at least 30 the other night), driving wife all over town to shop and see relatives or just taking my well-earned naps.

If Udon gets to be a little tiresome that's why the train tracks, highways and airport runways are all pointed towards Bangkok and Pattaya. It does you good to get away once in a while but always good to come back home. Lots more places to visit but so little time.