Anchor Moy wrote:Bump.

bkktrapper wrote:Who goes to the temples in siem reap and spends the day chatting with locals rather then actually seeing the temples? Who would rather drink been in front of the convenience store with a group of tuk tuk drivers rather than visit S1 and killing fields? who would rather visit steung mean chey dump than goto have a cocktail on the river side? Who would sooner work for beer and food in kampot rather than make 70000 $ a year back home And who would prefer a bowl of 2500 riel baw baw over an english breakfast?

A year ago bkktrapper was almost making sense here - not that I agree with his conclusions, but the question was pertinent for those of us who come and go, for work or family reasons.
When you're not in Cambodia, what do you miss ?

I don't miss Angkor Wat because I haven't been there for years (but will visit again soon if all goes to plan). I surely don't miss Bor bor or Baw baw, which has memories of funeral breakfasts for me. I've never been to a rubbish dump to drink my cocktails either.

What I really really miss when I am not in Cambodia are the people. Not all of them, but most of them. I miss Cambodia because I laugh less often. Cambodia makes me happy, and it might be exaggerating to say that it makes me a better person, but I feel like I'm more the person that I'd like to be.
More and less

And you ? What do you miss when you're away ?

when i am back in the UK things i miss...

The social atmosphere, everyone is out doing something somewhere, together, always something going on, the culture and the crazy random surreal "normality" here, makes England suburbs seem like a boring post apocalyptic ghost town, the reliable sunny weather, the nightlife, bars with beautiful hostesses serving your drinks so you never have to go queue up at the bar, a new drink is ready before ive even finished my last, and i can drink drink after drink without having to keep getting my wallet out and paying, the trust/laid back attitude here, the convenience of everything whether it be public transport ie. motodops, street food, only having to push your bike 2 minutes down the road to get your puncture repaired on your bike, laundry services, ATMs, Street vendors, everything is just literally there or round the next corner, the politeness/respect, not just to me, but to each other, their families, how much they respect their elders and ancestors, the basic/simpleness of life here, not having a million direct debits and standing orders coming out your bank every month, the slacker laws, the freedom

I just adore the way you will make one set of plans for the night and the next morning you're shaking your head going "what the hell happened there??"
I miss my seafood when I am away - oysters from the market for $2.50 a kg- seriously??? I can sit and eat oysters and prawns until I am sick of them!

I absolutely adore our life - when I went back to Australia for a few weeks I couldn't wait to get back.


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rozzieoz wrote:I just adore the way you will make one set of plans for the night and the next morning you're shaking your head going "what the hell happened there??"
I miss my seafood when I am away - oysters from the market for $2.50 a kg- seriously??? I can sit and eat oysters and prawns until I am sick of them!

I absolutely adore our life - when I went back to Australia for a few weeks I couldn't wait to get back.


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i miss you Rozzie when im back in the UK

Baw baw

phuketrichard wrote:when i am away i miss absolutely NOTHING about the country, food or people. I am quite happy about where i am
I do enjoy my trips there

"Dont be Thai to me"

Jamie I miss you too! When are you back?



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Jamie, you saved me a lot of typing. LOL This >>>"only having to push your bike 2 minutes down the road to get your puncture repaired on your bike". This struck me as the best illustration of what it's like to live there. (Am in Thailand ATM, but will be moving back to Cambo before year-end.) Plus all your other examples. Everything's just easier and generally low hassle. You don't have to consider just how far is that repair shop or that place to buy a frying pan. It's probably just around the corner. And you don't have to consider what the cash outlay is going to be. You just go and do it. And if you need to do it again, you do it again.

If I lose a phone SIM in Cambodia or Thailand, it's often no more than a $1 to replace, and at times no charge at all. Back home, I had to replace a lost SIM once that cost me $45Cdn. (Canada has the f*ckin most expensive mobile service in the world.)

But I don't want to dwell on costs. Like Anchor Moy, I feel I'm a much better person when I'm here. I learned to go with the flow, I learned to accept how things are done here and it's a complete loser's game to fight that. Which has great benefits even back home. People noticed that I've changed. OK, I'm not perfect. LOL.

People here don't judge me on my age (over 60). I get as many smiles and as much acceptance as anyone else. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I get a lot more respect from the locals just for being old!. Imagine that back home! LOL

But I find I last about 2 weeks back home after a planned 4-week stay. I move my flight up without a second thought because once I land, I'm going to be a happier boy.

phuketrichard wrote:off topic JUST a bit

its seems many on here consider that they have a home elsewhere

"But I find I last about 2 weeks back home" be it parents,relatives,close friends,work etc
how many go "back/elsewhere" to earn money to come back to SE Asia
For me thailand is HOME (and has been almost half my life), i don't have an home anywhere else

How many years does it take living overseas till your overseas home, is your true home?

I'm one of those, but it's not a '' home '' it's a house. Every six months I spend two weeks in it, mow the lawn and the neighbours lawn, trim the hedge, and the neighbours hedge , and anything else that needs maintenance just to pass the time while waiting for my next plane trip out of the country to ''home ''. There's a big difference between a house and a home.