I think it is going to be Siem Reap to begin, as a base but mooching visits to other areas and, I guess other SEA countries. I think Siem Reap has what I need but if it doesn't, all part of the journey and I will move on.

Thank you all for the advice and guidance, so far given, all appreciated

Siem Reap has a remarkable number of destinations available direct by air.
BKK as low as $50, if you shop. Chiang Rai $100. You can even fly direct to Myanmar and enter by visa exemption!

i lived in takeo province, 40 km of the big market in takeo, close to the border of vietnam, so thats the middle of nowhere. No bars, no stores, no traffic, friendly khmers, good air, hospital in vietnam, rent a house 300$ a year!!!!!!! its freedom!!! and when i feel bored i took my bike and drive to sihanoukville,kampot or pp. province is the real cambodia.

people always say that they dont like to tourist places,toooo much tourist but after a time they sitting every night in a bar with tourist, with expats en finally they are 24/7 surrounding with the tourists and expats.

people are strange.

One years ago, before I bought my new house, I looked at all the areas to buy in. They all have plusses and minuses, I even remembered a long old post on the other forum [ going back 8/10 years ] on Snooky and will it ever develop into a tourist destination. After looking at the results I had gathered , like jobs for the family in the future, availability of products, population growth, increase in value of the property and the demand because of population growth, I made the decision.

Takhmau.
Why, cause it is basically a suburb of PP and the property prices were cheaper than PP and plenty of factories in the Tak/PP area. In the last year my decision has proven to be right, with 3 new banks starting up in town , 2 supermarkets, one is Lucky's, a new big market [ 3 stories high ] is now in progress and don't forget Takhmau has it's own ''Riverside '' which is very popular amongst the locals.

Another important thing is the road 21 goes from Takmau to to Vietnam and many goods are carried on this road, which today is best described as a series of potholes held apart by some bitumen . It has already been surveyed to be widened to 4 lanes and new electric power poles are being placed along the road now, even though the old lines were replaced just a few years ago.
I think properties in this area and especially on road 21 will go up before the road is rebuilt.
And I almost forgot to add,,, It's nice to have a neighbour like HE

Duncan wrote:One years ago, before I bought my new house, I looked at all the areas to buy in. They all have plusses and minuses, I even remembered a long old post on the other forum [ going back 8/10 years ] on Snooky and will it ever develop into a tourist destination. After looking at the results I had gathered , like jobs for the family in the future, availability of products, population growth, increase in value of the property and the demand because of population growth, I made the decision.

Takhmau.
Why, cause it is basically a suburb of PP and the property prices were cheaper than PP and plenty of factories in the Tak/PP area. In the last year my decision has proven to be right, with 3 new banks starting up in town , 2 supermarkets, one is Lucky's, a new big market [ 3 stories high ] is now in progress and don't forget Takhmau has it's own ''Riverside '' which is very popular amongst the locals.

Another important thing is the road 21 goes from Takmau to to Vietnam and many goods are carried on this road, which today is best described as a series of potholes held apart by some bitumen . It has already been surveyed to be widened to 4 lanes and new electric power poles are being placed along the road now, even though the old lines were replaced just a few years ago.
I think properties in this area and especially on road 21 will go up before the road is rebuilt.
And I almost forgot to add,,, It's nice to have a neighbour like HE

And to add to all that, they have just announced the PP city bus service will be going all the way to Takhmau.

It's good to look back at old posts to see how right or wrong our views were and how much has changed in such a short time.



OrangeDragon
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Re: Where to Live?
Post by OrangeDragon » Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:14 pm

Jacobincambodia wrote:
Anyone live in Sihanoukville? I'd love to hear first-hand experiences.
I currently live in Sihanoukville. The wife and I moved here from PP back in March. I LOVE it here. Maybe 5% of the traffic of Phnom Penh (the longest I've been in a traffic jam is the T junction of the small market near my house... usually lasts like 3 minutes while people figure out who gets to go since half the street is being used as a moto park), about equal on crime/etc, lots of tasty places to eat (and more being added all of the time), decent expat community, etc.

Healthcare is a little lacking, but there happens to be a US trained nurse practitioner about to move back here who will see people out of the back of the guesthouse for simple treatments and medication recommendations. CT clinic isn't bad if the old guy in charge is in and the one seeing you (I hear). My only direct experience was with the international place on the main street downtown... I had to teach them how to do/read an x-ray for soft tissue damage instead of a bone break.

VERY few options in the way of work... though more businesses are coming in so that should be about to change soon.

Good bump Duncan. Who could have predicted the massive changes that the Chinese money has brought to Cambodia ? Sihanoukville is the obvious one, but other backwaters in Cambodia have also evolved in the past 5 years since the OP.
Sihanoukville didn't even have an operating airport 5 years ago, so we can imagine that there will be more airports in other provinces in another five years. There is talk of future airports in Poipet, Mondulkiri and Koh Kong for example. In my experience elsewhere, local airports open up secluded areas - this is inevitable I think and it can be good for the region if there is appropriate planning. (Not always the case in Cambodia unfortunately.)