Kija

Hello everybody. There isn't much information on Cambodia - which is rather strange IMO. We just got back from there and on the surface of it all it seems like a lovely place to live. The people are very friendly and very pleasant. Sadly there is a lot of poverty there. Perhaps this thread will start a Cambodia discussion?

Would anyone care to share their experiences in Cambodia?

the troubadour

Haven't been to Cambodia since 2003 but on that occassion spent six weeks there and came close (sort of) to buying a business there.

Due to this consideration got to meet quite a lot of foreigners living there with business connections be it in bars,resturants,guest houses etc and discovered a lot of dissatisfaction and frustration for a range of reasons ,enough anyway to convince me at the time not to take any business considerations any further.

A lot of the ordinary folk proved to appear very pleasant but a six week stay was far too short to arrive at any true understanding from personal experience.

I would say from listening to expat accounts there though that there is a certain underside aspect to live there with a rather lot of misunderstandings between local and expat. Or was that was just the expats that I came across?
A number of those folk appeared to have had their own issues as well.

Still great country to travel. Expect a few changes since 03 have taken place.

What did you enjoy most there?

Kija

Thanks for your input troubadour. We didn't stay there long but I fell in love with the place. I can see how opening a business might be tricky there though. In many countries where poverty is rampant, some people tend to see foreigners as money cows. We did come across some very genuine people though and overall it was a very pleasant experience.

Of course we also didn't stay there long enough to experience the downsides. It is a fantastic place to travel in and I love the whole tropical atmosphere of the place having been brought up in Singapore there was an element of nostalgia to the place somehow (though they are very different).

I loved the temples obviously, they're surreal. I also liked Phnom Penh a lot. It was surprisingly clean and there was an organised chaos to the place unlike Cairo where I am. I would love to go there again. Did you see the luxury villas they're building on Sogsaa Island? They're out of this world.

nonthaburi

Been to Cambodia a few times over the years and I like it. For me it's a cheap holiday from Thailand. Last time we went was in October to Sihanoukville to take the kids on holiday for a week. Draught beer on the beach for less than a dollar and a very nice hotel for 10$. Got no complaints there and there were a lot of great options for foreign food.
My wife is Thai though and not surprisingly the Thai food there was shit and just not very spicey, not enough for me or for her. In fact one time when we were getting some papaya salad she practically took over and tried to make it herself which was quite funny. Seeing how we don't speak any Cambodian apart from a few words and he didn't speak any Thai. All good fun though.
A lot more money going into the place now and I know the Chinese are investing in there bigtime, how much of this passes down to your average joe on the street is difficult to say because they definitely need to do something about the basic infrastructure of the place, fix the roads being number 1 for me.
In Thailand we say that when you've used up all your options here you end up in Cambodia because it is your last resort. You do come across some odd characters there and not all of them nice.
One thing that struck me about our holiday there was the total absence of anyone else with children, don't know if people see the place as too dangerous or what but we didn't see any. In fact , one night an owner of a business rushed out and started speaking to my wife in hurried Cambodian. Turns out she just wanted a picture of us all , and I have visions of us being on some billboard somewhere.
On the whole I'm very positive about the place. Last time was my first time with my family and as I'm sure you are aware Thai / Cambo relations aren't so great at the moment and Cambodians tend to get treated badly and are looked down upon in Thailand. But everyone we met ( and we met a lot of people because of the children ) was great. Really friendly and generous.
Just booked flights for boxing day to PP so it can't be that bad. Merry Christmas !

OzSheila

We'll be in SR for Boxing Day having spent a couple of days prior to Christmas in PP. (Will also be overnighting in PP on 29th en route to Kep.)

Looking forward to our first visit to Cambodia altho beginning to understand its complicated relationships with its neighbours - seems getting from Cambodia to Phu Quoc is not the easiest of journies!

nonthaburi

have a good trip and enjoy !

the troubadour

One thing I did note in PP was the rather dark streets being little light as well as few people about after a certain time at least in comparison with most Asian cities that I am aware of.

Never felt discomfort in the sense of danger but was aware of my surroundings at night.
Some of the motto boys found a bit of a hassle and more than one having serious attitude issues.

Do think I should make the effort to return again soon. Pretty nice down by the river apart from the traffic.
I recall the elephant that used to pass by around the same time every evening and sometimes would feed him bananas.

Read a few years ago that the same elephant had attacked a tourist,Korean I think leaving him badly injured or even dead.
Not sure what happened there.

Have heard that property prices are sky high there now. Actually rather found attractive some of those apartments that were being constructured in the centre at the time.
A bit of a French flair about some of them.

I'll write some thoughts about Sihanoukville next. Has anyone comments on this place?

nonthaburi

I qiute liked SNKV and we're going there after I've done what I've got to do in PP in the christmas holiday. Good beaches in the area , great food , cheap , good value hotels , very friendly people. In fact all the things that are hard ( not impossible ) to find in Thailand now.

on the minus side : bad roads , lot of drugs there , hawkers on the main beach were a pain in the ass. Lack of any decent Thai food for my wife.

No one else with children there when we were there which was a bit strange. I got the impression that people don't go there on family holidays. Don't see why because everyone bended over backwards to help us.

nonthaburi

Should also add that you can now get an e-visa. Apply online and pay by creditcard and you get your visa. Saves going into BKK before you travel or waiting around and getting shafted financially ( possibly ) at the border. Also, for anyone page conscious about their passport the e-visa is a lot smaller then a normal visa as it doesn't take up a whole page.

timmerman

Does anyone have any info on the sonsaa bungalows?? I've been offered a job out there and I don't know anything about the company ( brocongroup) are they a good company for paying etc ??

Are there any expats in snookyville? As I would be myself !!!

nonthaburi

loads of expats in SNKV. Nice place.

timmerman

is there any on this ?

the troubadour

Do you refer to the town there? Surely not. Perhaps one of the beaches? Which one will you be staying on next visit?

nonthaburi

Although the town isn't going to win any awards for aesthetics ( much like most of Cambodia ) we thought the people there were very friendly and that counts for a lot with us. It's the people that make a place and we travel around with two young children so we meet a lot of people and most people thought my wife was Cambodian at first too. Met loads of nice people and we thought SKNV was very good value as well compared too Thailand. We stayed on Ochitueral beach because it's handy for shops in town if we need something and we rented a motorbike so we could go to the beaches heading westward for a " quiet " place. Going back for New Year after a few days in PP. My children because they are half-thai get a lot of attention off people in the markets etc so it's never dull.

MRushton

Hi,

I'm moving to Cambodia with my brother in a month and the one thing that has me worried is health insurance. All the travel insurance policies I've looked at do not cover relocation to another country, so I can't go that route. It would be great if someone here could help me out.

Thanks!