Is it Worth It?

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Kuroneko
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by Kuroneko »

phuketrichard wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:54 pm ok,u first
reverse it
why do u prefer Phnom Penh??
The question was not revolving around why you or I like respective countries but about why you thought (disregarding bars and a job) there was nothing to do in Cambodia. Again youre doing a "Donald trump" and changing the question :D
snookieboi
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by snookieboi »

The answer is to TRY the place out for a bit. You might like the vibes of Cambodia, but you might miss the almost 1'st World aspect of Thailand.

There are some other cool places in the World to retire in as well. Check out the forums related to dat.

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phuketrichard
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by phuketrichard »

Kuroneko wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:24 pm
phuketrichard wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:54 pm ok,u first
reverse it
why do u prefer Phnom Penh??
The question was not revolving around why you or I like respective countries but about why you thought (disregarding bars and a job) there was nothing to do in Cambodia. Again youre doing a "Donald trump" and changing the question :D

FOR ME a few things ( excluding the nightlife which is all centered on bars / girls and job prospects which dont effect me)
I hate being surrounded by poverty everywhere i go in Cambodia, even in laos and Burma which are poor as well, u dont get the beggars and street kids and sense of poverty. The further u get away form the tourst centers the less it is but its there, ( its hard to explain so hope u get the point)
hate the feeling i am only there so the locals can try to make a buck out of me, cant walk ( especially in PP & SR) without being hassled for a tuktuk or moto
lousy street food and overpriced western food ( although cheap, rarely impresses me and if it does, its more than the states and here)
Lousy choice of accommodations in a reasonable price range for long term ( pp is changing but its way overpriced)
Limited choice of means to travel
I can spend weeks & weeks travelling around thailand from the far south to the north, Cambodia, 2 weeks and u can see the whole country by road

I am sure u will debunk all the above but ......

Basically it boils down to i have been thru a country growing and changing and dont want to bother with it again.
i do think the KR era really fucked the people and country and it might take another generation till Cambodia really improves
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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John Bingham
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by John Bingham »

phuketrichard wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 7:59 am)
I hate being surrounded by poverty everywhere i go in Cambodia, even in laos and Burma which are poor as well, u dont get the beggars and street kids and sense of poverty. The further u get away form the tourst centers the less it is but its there, ( its hard to explain so hope u get the point)
I don't understand where you are going where you are surrounded by poverty and beggars etc. Doesn't sound much like the city I know. There are quite a few around the riverside, but I wouldn't let them bother me.
hate the feeling i am only there so the locals can try to make a buck out of me, cant walk ( especially in PP & SR) without being hassled for a tuktuk or moto
That's just weird too.
overpriced western food ( although cheap, rarely impresses me and if it does, its more than the states and here)
So it's overpriced although cheap? I'm pretty sure western style food is more expensive in Thailand too, it seemed to be last time I was there.
Lousy choice of accommodations in a reasonable price range for long term ( pp is changing but its way overpriced)
That's more down to your lack of knowledge than anything.

Other problems with Thailand: You can go to jail for saying the wrong thing, you can go to jail for smoking a joint, the people are extremely xenophobic, violent attacks on foreigners are common.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by Ronny »

phuketrichard seems to be set in his ways so there's no need to try to change him, I guess. I wonder how he managed to get his Cambodian wife to Thailand and I wonder what kind of visa she has. That's just me being curious, though. One thing I would like to know is just strict Cambodia is in regards to "barangs" going there to live and work. If you aren't really qualified to do anything, is it hard to get a job like teaching English? And what about non-tourist visas? Can you get those without a lot of hassle? I'm starting to think that if I make the move, I will go to PP because it sounds like the place to go. Oh, and one thing that does surprise me is how hard it is to marry a Khmer girl (like having to make well over $2,000 a month and so on. That really surprised me. It's much more easy to marry a Thai woman. Again, surprising to hear.
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Bitte_Kein_Lexus
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Do the worry about Richard, he's like this with everyone. I do think he has a point though: what exactly IS your plan? What do you intend on doing? What kind of job? What's your background in the US in? There are jobs floating around if you look around a bit, but not that many.
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hanno
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by hanno »

I actually do prefer LOS to Cambodia but I do not agree with all of phuketrichard's points.

First of all, I do not give a shit about nightlife so that is not a factor for preferring either country.

I would contend that the (Thai) food is indeed better than Khmer food; but I can find darn good Western food in Temple Town and it is cheaper than in Thailand. Obviously, booze is also considerably cheaper than in Thailand; in LOS I would become a teetotaler (and apparently booze will get even more expensive in the near future).

Plenty of poverty in Thailand, even in Bangkok. Some of the slums there are just as poor as those at the edge of Siem Reap. Having grown up in Africa, it doesn't bother me.

I cannot quite understand the "being hassled" bit. Compared to Vietnam, the hassle is almost non-existent. And whilst there might be less hassle in Thailand, they make up for it with the number of scams they throw at the unsuspecting visitor.

Agree on the accommodation though I must say I prefer staying in a real house, which costs a bit more, than on the 53rd floor in one of those condos ringing Bangkok.

I guess the main reasons I stay in Siem Reap are that I prefer small towns to huge cities and the fact that I do not have to worry about that anti-b(f)arang sentiment that seems to be very much on the rise in LOS. Final nail in the coffin are some of the expats on TV, we have our fair share of a-holes but nowhere near as many assholes and numerous as in Thailand.
Last edited by hanno on Fri Mar 17, 2017 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kuroneko
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by Kuroneko »

A little bit late in my reply and probably now a bit dated but i'll post it anyway :D Looking through youre list of “gripes” it appears they are more like those of a tourist rather than someone who has lived in Thailand a long time and also here for a while. Which I found surprising.
phuketrichard wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 7:59 am I hate being surrounded by poverty everywhere i go in Cambodia, even in laos and Burma which are poor as well, u dont get the beggars and street kids and sense of poverty. The further u get away form the tourst centers the less it is but its there, ( its hard to explain so hope u get the point)
Apart from the tourist areas like 172 and Riverside beggars and street kids are practically non existent, and unless you go to areas like “The Building” for example I don’t see how one comes into contact with poverty or that there is a sense of being surrounded by poverty. Bearing in mind that a large part of my job has been providing health care to poor and marginalized populations,and so I have spent a large portion of my time with poor communities around the world. While I acknowledge that poverty of course exists, compared with 20 years ago I see more sense of growing affluence. All across the city the Khmers I come in contact with are seemingly doing quite well.

Now I am retired I don’t really come into contact with poverty per se, although I continue to help a few people I know that are for one reason or another struggling. The majority of people that live in my apartment are Khmers are very nice neighbors, easy to get along with and seemingly doing quite well. Most own SUVs and probably far more well of than myself . Even out on the street behind where I live, the people are all running small businesses such as shops, salons and restaurants for example and while not rich are in no way poor. I find it a happy and pleasant community to get along with and there is a feeling of optimism among the people and determination to make their businesses work.
phuketrichard wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 7:59 am
hate the feeling i am only there so the locals can try to make a buck out of me, cant walk ( especially in PP & SR) without being hassled for a tuktuk or moto
I think the following two comments were those that I found the sort made by tourists, and I was a bit surprised you made them.

Apart from the post UNTAC period when I first arrived I have never had this experience of overcharging, assuming of course that you do not class the opening price when bargaining for an article as overcharging. Wherever I have lived around the city, when buying food I have never had an issue. I buy food and vegetables from some of the stalls outside my condo and the stall holders are always polite and have never tried to overcharge. I often get a free handful of chilies at one of my regular stalls.

Similarly the Tuk Tuk and Moto drivers never hassle me and are always polite. This has been the case everywhere I lived. The exception when I had a house on the Boeng Kak lake years ago. When it started to become infested with backpackers a number of “pushers” masquerading as Moto dops moved in, at that point I moved out to the What Phnom area, and again no problem with moto dops etc.
phuketrichard wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 7:59 am
lousy street food and overpriced western food ( although cheap, rarely impresses me and if it does, its more than the states and here)

I generally don’t eat street food as such so can’t comment. I do occasionally eat at the small restaurants along the road and they have been ok. For example Chili fried, frog ,squid. Morning glory with beef, winter melon soup and BBQ fish etc. With regard to western food, apart from food on the riverside which IMO is very poor , and bearing in mind you can find sub standard eateries around the place, such as some of those found along street 172 for example. The choice of Western style food now in Phnom Penh here is excellent and I think the best in the region. The number of good quality restaurants has mushroomed in the last year or so, just check out the Phnom Penh Drinking and Dining Guide.

I tend to eat at Bouchon a lot now because of its reasonably priced French dishes and its excellent collection of very fair priced Boudreaux wines. I can get five pieces of home made pâté on toast for $3.50, French imported ham with mash for $5, Boeuf bourguignon or Coq au vin for around $9 and profiteroles to finish for $5
phuketrichard wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 7:59 am Lousy choice of accommodations in a reasonable price range for long term ( pp is changing but its way overpriced)
This I can’t see, as there is a lot of really good choices of accommodation in Phnom Penh and like the restaurant trade has mushroomed in the last year or so. I realize that one’s idea of what is overpriced is somewhat personal, but there is a lot of very nice condos in the $500-$1500 bracket, and these are fully serviced western style, many with pools, saunas and gyms etc. If condos are not your thing there are plenty of apartments, many in BKK1 that are very reasonably priced.
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

I noticed that other picture of you at Bouchon. We've probably crossed paths a few times as I go there very regularly as well.
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Re: Is it Worth It?

Post by phuketrichard »

as I stated my views and there why I remain in Phuket......
Not to mention it cost me less to live here than living at our house in Kep (which i truly enjoy ) and i have so much more available to me here
PLUS not to mention, for us old guys, medical care which is much better here

as to poverty, drive around in the country side. look at how they live, than travel up to laos and burma

PS; i live in a small moslem village ( well it used to be :-) ) near the beach, certainly smaller than Kep and i'd say 50% of the locals know me by sight
30 -40 minutes to 3 international hospitals, 30 minutes to an international airport, 3 minutes to the beach, mtns at the back of my house, supermarkets/7/11's 5 minute drive, at least 6 different nationalities for food, (western food $5-10) GREAT / inexpensive local food, shopping mall 15 minute drive where i can purchase just about anything i want or need ( we both love Japanese food)
Never been asked if i want a moto or tuk tuk

"All lies and jest
Still, a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest"

Final nail in the coffin are some of the expats on TV, we have our fair share of a-holes but nowhere near as assholey and numerous as in Thailand.
Got that right.... :thumb: but how do people on a forum ( many whom live in Issan) bother you?
This I can’t see, as there is a lot of really good choices of accommodation in Phnom Penh and like the restaurant trade has mushroomed in the last year or so
True BUT that's ONLY in PP, ( and maybe to a lessor account SR) what about the rest of the country? you can get great deals on houses ( or apts/condos if thats ur thing) just about everywhere in Thailand and very inexpensive
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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