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I have lived in the mountains of Phrae for close to three years now.   Several people have told me in blogs that Phrae is too remote, my house/resort/farm is grossly overbuilt for the area, and that most tourists don't come to Phrae.  Yes, yes, and yes; and I would not change a thing!

I agree with all those points, and let me tell you why.  I can reach my home/resort/farm in 30 minutes of driving up winding mountain back topped roads.  On a normal trip up to the mountain I am waved at by no less than 10 people.  All the kids who see me, my wife, or my two kids yell "Hello Farang!" or "Ban Farang" and wave their hands.  I also have to stop almost every trip for a farmer crossing the road with his herd of Thai cows, or a herd of Kwai.  If I choose to stop at the local store for a Chang, Hong Tong, or even an occasional bag of Lao, I am never told itÂ’s a Holiday, or itÂ’s the wrong time to sell this.  I am just greeted by the lady at the store, asked about the wife or kids, and chit chat for a few minutes.  At times, as I am driving by, the store owner waves me down to tell me that someone was asking about Ban Farang or something else relating to our families life.  Sometimes I am stopped to be told "The kids were driving a little fast yesterday", or "I saw a girl on the back of your son's bike.  Does he have a girl friend?"

When I get home, I relax on my Sala, enjoy a cold beer while gazing at the mountains that surround me, and wave or say hi to farmers as they return home from their fields.  Some farangs may worry about being so far in the mountains, or about their safety here or about crime.  Well to give you an idea, a few years ago, I purchased a pick-up truck for farm duties.  It has sat in my parking lot, unlocked, with the keys hanging in the ignition for over two years now.  When we leave to go to Bangkok, or out of town, that truck still sits there, with everyone in the village knowing the keys are in it, unbothered until we return.  If I am occasionally in Phrae after dark, I will always get a call from one or more people from the village asking if we are out of town, or something is wrong,; all because, the lights are off at Ban Farang.  We have several ladies from the village who, several times each week, bring pumpkins, fish paste, cooked bamboo, or other items they just want to share.  They don't want money, or things in return, they are just stopping by to say hello!

We have no gates, or high walls on our property. In over three years we have never had anything ever stolen from inside, outside, or around our property.  The locals are great people who love farangs.  Local kids on field trips, or local VIP's always stop to say hi, and get their pictures taken at Ban Farang. 

We did have one encounter with the Police though! The only way I knew he was a police officer was that he had his gun on, and showed ID.  Yes, there are fat Thai Police, and they don't always wear uniforms.  He had hear that new people had bought the place, and he wanted to stop by say hello, and give us his cell phone if we ever needed him.  Oh, and of course, he wanted a picture with the farang family in front of Ban Farang.

To answer the posts about the house being overbuilt.  Your damn right it is overbuilt!  My house/resort/farm is not just overbuilt, it is larger than any other house in the sub-district.  It dominates the hillside and village.  You can go to anyone within a 20 km radius of the house and ask where is Ban Farang, and you will be pointed there.  Even when my family and I are shopping in Phrae it is not at all uncommon to hear kids whisper "Ban Farang" to their parents.  Sure maybe the place is reminiscent of the middle-age castles overlooking the village below, but I love it.  I love the high profile!

I have spent most of my life working very hard.  If I was still in the United States, I would be in a small house in suburbia, have a house payment, and be driving an older car.  Just waiting for my turn to die.  If I had settled like many others in Bangkok or Chaing Mai, I would be in some little gated community, hiding behind high walls, guards, and high gates.  I would know very few of my Thai neighbors, would eat farang food, socialize with farangs, and try to understand what is so great about Thailand anyway. 

I don't want to be one of hundreds of other little ducks in a very, very big pond, I want to be the only duck in a very little pond. 

I love living in Phrae, and even though I have to sell my house/resort/farm in the mountains, (the web at nakham, which is a dot com),I will live in Phrae the rest of my life.  I would not trade Phrae for anywhere, else on earth. 

If you want to experience real authentic Thailand, and learn the wonders of real Thai people, you can't do it hanging out with other farangs in Bangkok, Chaing Mai, Pattaya, or some other big city.  Cities which long ago had its, and its peoples culture, bastardized and sold out in the pursuit of the all mighty dollar. 

If you want to really see what is so special about Thailand, and see why it's the land of smiles, then come to Phrae.  You will find that, yes, it is remote, but remote in a very special and magical way.

Quack, Quack!