What were your opinions before and after you came? I saw this post on Reddit and thought it was a good question. Someone was just curious about it and I figured I would stoke the conversation here. https://www.reddit.com/r/cambodia/comme ... &context=3

techietraveller84 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:14 am What were your opinions before and after you came? I saw this post on Reddit and thought it was a good question. Someone was just curious about it and I figured I would stoke the conversation here. https://www.reddit.com/r/cambodia/comme ... &context=3

Before: no idea
After : very friendly but many become unfriendly once you stop going to their shop or buying thier products especially if they see you buying from someone else.They don't have the concept of shopping around

Before : like Indonesians but with better english skills

While there : less spontaneous maybe than Indonesians, maybe a bit more fucked up in general, more cultural gap between the youth and the elderlies.

Then i heard a argument with a women screaming in Khmer in the streets. It was like a living chainsaw, cutting anything with her vocal skills, and not a clean cut or a pure voice, more shredding like. The great oral dismembering tool, a voice made for a ghoul, for a trapped zombie, a raving monster chained in a basement. Not even in movies i heard that.
It did scared me, i had no idea a voice could turn THAT nasty.

It always reminds me how brutal and crazy people can be, as well as the local news reminds me too.
My will to befriend more Khmer people slowed down a bit after this unexpected vocal experience.
Something is f***ed up in the background, so the scene do looks strange sometimes, and so the acting.

Other than that, fine people. I should have tried more, but my job was really taking over my time and energy.
The Khmer people i worked with, most make me feel humble, there was a quasi-genius (litterally, a guy much smarter than my grasp of what intelligence is, applied to work), a few very well educated and clever technician guys, lot of competent people, all smiling while sweating.
And as everywhere a few crazy, naughty, or some dumb ones, sure, of course.
And this freakin screaming lady.
Brrrr...shivering.

Ghostwriter wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:09 am
Then i heard a argument with a women screaming in Khmer in the streets. It was like a living chainsaw, cutting anything with her vocal skills, and not a clean cut or a pure voice, more shredding like. The great oral dismembering tool, a voice made for a ghoul, for a trapped zombie, a raving monster chained in a basement. Not even in movies i heard that.
It did scared me, i had no idea a voice could turn THAT nasty.

You obviously haven't listened to western Karens. That would make the comparing work comparatively more challenging.

duran wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:42 am

Ghostwriter wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:09 am
Then i heard a argument with a women screaming in Khmer in the streets. It was like a living chainsaw, cutting anything with her vocal skills, and not a clean cut or a pure voice, more shredding like. The great oral dismembering tool, a voice made for a ghoul, for a trapped zombie, a raving monster chained in a basement. Not even in movies i heard that.
It did scared me, i had no idea a voice could turn THAT nasty.

You obviously haven't listened to western Karens. That would make the comparing work comparatively more challenging.

You mean the western self-righteous american blond karens,


or the ethnic Karen from, i guess, Thailand and around, if i recall well ?
https://www.thailandhilltribeholidays.c ... ill-tribe/

The first ones still sound like human, although gross.
The second ones....i don't know. Possible potential there, how scary are angry Thai voices ?

I know violence is looked down on, but that woman needs a slap. At the end she says ‘… you all are in my face’. Having just walked away from being in the face of the videographer.

Before. Absolutely no opinion.
After. Like anywhere, a mixed bag of people based on demographic.

They can seem friendly but also nosy to the point of being rude in my opinion.

Extremely friendly people, even the outdoors folk sleeping on the street.

If you ever see someone roughing it and he looks like he could do with a beer, I suggest getting two and sitting down with him! You'd be surprised, I had my own pack of fines and he's still trying to offer me his rollies.

Whenever I make an appointment I ask them 'Khmer time or foreigner time?' to make sure I don't have to wait for too long. Generally that one is received with a smile and we can agree on 'foreigner time'. And if they jump the queue I will ask them in Khmer if they would let me go first because I was there before them.

But in general I think the Cambodians are humble, modest people, talkative, easy to approach and truly friendly. Always in for a chat or a beer, and they reciprocate.

I second the occasional chainsaw screaming of women, but even Cambodians will look away when it happens pretending it doesn't happen. One of the housewives near my house has the habit too, that's when I get my earplugs out (or should I say in?). Most Cambodian women prefer the 'silent treatment' whenever something upsets them as they're taught in the 'chhbab srey', literally women's law (but it has more a meaning like 'women's behavior') , since they were young. The chainsaw screaming is frowned upon.