Living in rural Isaan, there is not much you can spend money on.
No fancy malls, restaurants, theaters, nothing.
It was quite a shock to visit the Future Park Mall in Rangsit the other day.
A giant mall filled with every brand you can imagine.
We spend an average of 40thb to eat in rural Isaan, per meal.
What a shock to see a food bill for US $90 (2700thb) for the three of us eating one meal at a Japanese restaurant! And it wasn’t that good, sorry to say.
The wages here have never increased and I wonder how working class Thai people can afford the Mall?
The answer is they cannot.
They can afford the lower food court which caters to low income people, but there is no way they can afford things at the mall with sky high prices.
It was quite a cultural shock to see such a fancy mall with all the high-end brand name stores after not visiting for years.
I realized I no longer care for malls or the hideous traffic to get there.
One thing living in rural Isaan teaches you?
Even if you have a lot, you don’t need to spend a lot to get good food, clothes and other things you need.
No one cares about brand names here, no one cares what kind of mobile phone you have.
You get what works for you in your own budget.
I cannot imagine ever living in a city again the rest of my life.