What’s the most popular bird in the world? Hint: it’s not the majestic eagle or the wise old owl.

It’s the chicken. And these little feathered dictators are surprisingly… complicated:

• They can recognize over 100 different faces—human or chicken. So yes, your hen might actually know when you’re ready to feed him or you want him to feed you. • They have their own “pecking order,” basically high school drama in feathers. • They can run up to 9 miles per hour—faster than you’d expect for something we usually call dinner. • They dream. Twitching in their sleep? Probably reliving a worm heist. • And they communicate with 30+ sounds, from “danger!” to “I found a snack!”

Denis & Tukta

Just as chickens navigate chaos with surprising intelligence, so too do Denis & Tukta navigate life in rural Ubon Ratchathani—messy, loud, and alive.

Rural Thailand isn’t a meme or some YouTube viral anomaly. It’s hot, loud, messy and alive. For Denis, a retired Royal Navy veteran from Manchester, and Tukta, a Thai woman rooted in farming and street-smart practicality, Ubon Ratchathani isn’t just home—it’s salvation.

They don’t live a picture-perfect expat life. They live a life that makes sense: work with your hands, feed your body well, love hard, and stay curious.

Denis isn’t the kind of guy who floats through life. Two decades in the Royal Navy, then a stretch in the UK’s energy sector, and then a few years bouncing around South America—and by 2023, his body had started rebelling. 105 kilos. Two strokes. Chocolate addiction. Stress eating on steroids.

“I wasn’t drowning in booze like some guys,” Denis says. “But chocolate…that was my poison.”

Enter Tukta, found through a mutual friend on Facebook. One impulsive taxi ride later, Denis lands in Ubon—and never looks back.

Tukta: The Calm in the Storm If Denis is fire, Tukta is water. She’s the kind of person who’ll steady you when your old habits try to kill you—or make you stupidly happy. She had already raised two boys, built her home, and mastered the chaos of rural life before Denis arrived.

“Life here isn’t perfect,” Tukta says, “but it works. You learn, you adjust, and you keep moving.”

Together, they farm, run a small shop, and build a life where love isn’t a hashtag—it’s a habit.

The Shop: Rice Whiskey & Homework Club Their shop is a mix of mini-mart, neighborhood hub, and accidental social experiment. Kids do homework on the counter while parents stock up on essentials—or sneak a quick rice whiskey. Margins are thin, but the reward isn’t money—it’s community, rhythm, and purpose.

Chickens, Eggs & Self-Sufficiency 35 hens. Deep-orange yolks. “Living simply in Isan costs as little as 70 baht a day — about $2.25 or £1.70 — while selling eggs can bring in 120 baht, roughly $3.85 or £2.85, with minimal effort.” Says Denis.

Not a fortune, but freedom. And just like Denis & Tukta, these chickens are a little chaotic, fiercely independent, and somehow essential to the rhythm of life. Denis is obsessed with sustainability: compost, permaculture, crop rotation, soldier-fly larvae—you name it.

Health, Hospitals & Growing Old in Ubon Strokes in the past left Denis wary of healthcare. Thailand surprised him. Local hospitals handle everything at a fraction of UK costs, with English-speaking doctors and fair bills. He feels secure, healthy, and shockingly alive.

Escaping the West

“UK?” Denis laughs. “Too many rules. Too many forms. Too many cameras amid it’s lost identity. Here, I breathe.”

The Daily Rhythm

Morning coffee with Tukta. Work in the garden. Run the shop. Laugh with friends over cold beers. Spicy dinners with family. No rush. No eggs-aggeration. Just life.

Final Thoughts

Denis calls this “Retirement 2.0.” But it’s not retirement. It’s life fully lived—messy, unpredictable, unpolished, and beautiful.

From chocolate addictions to chicken farms, from messy village shops to late-night laughs in Ubon, Denis and Tukta prove that love isn’t just between people—it can be between a person and a place, too.

Gentlemen, this isn’t just a story. It’s a call. Step outside comfort. Explore new cultures. Build yourself in ways the West will never teach you.

Visit MenSoulRetreat.com to see how adventure and culture integrate with the full retreat experience. Step outside comfort, explore deeply, and transform fully.