lakesidejunkie wrote:come to cambodia you can work as bartender or some menial shit .teaching english is for fuking wankers.

Better still get a job with Pricewaterhouse Coopers Cambodia, they are hiring. http://www.pwc.com/kh/en/careers/index.jhtml

It appears many of you guys are saying you can't save money in Cambodia and its quite expensive, is this true?

Is expat community younger or older in PP/ SR - I am 28, and my partner is 29.

UnclePanda wrote:It appears many of you guys are saying you can't save money in Cambodia and its quite expensive, is this true?

You can exist on $500 a month
You can live on $1000 a month
You can live a Western standard life on $2500 a month
You can live like a king on $5000 a month

UnclePanda wrote:Is expat community younger or older in PP/ SR - I am 28, and my partner is 29.

Don't know but Sihanoukville is full of old retirees living on their pensions

UnclePanda wrote:It appears many of you guys are saying you can't save money in Cambodia and its quite expensive, is this true?

Is expat community younger or older in PP/ SR - I am 28, and my partner is 29.

Hi, and welcome.

Will you both be working or what? Do you have an idea about how much cash you'll have a month?

Hi!

Probably working for an Aussie company, where I'll be on ~AU$3,500 a month. My partner will either get a role in Aussie company/ work as an English teacher in Cambodia.

What is the expat community like in SR? is it younger or older?

UnclePanda wrote:Hi!

Probably working for an Aussie company, where I'll be on ~AU$3,500 a month. My partner will either get a role in Aussie company/ work as an English teacher in Cambodia.

What is the expat community like in SR? is it younger or older?

Oh, then you're good on cash.

Hmmm, have you visited either place before?

I would say Siem Reap is generally a younger, hipper crowd.

Both places have younger expats, with the addition of much more tourists coming through.

Phnom Penh has much better nightlife, especially for westerners.

"Phnom Penh has much better nightlife, especially for westerners" i think what he meant to say was especially for mongers

Cheers, can you please explain how bad the crime is in PP/ SR? Is the crime, stealing in apartments or on the streets? (i.e. don't bring too much cash around).

I haven't been to either before, but have heard good things.

Is there much of a young professional expat community in either place?

Cheers for advice,

I have only been in PP for a couple of weeks, but I know that you have to watch out for bag snatchers, especially when riding a motorbike (they will grab your bag and rip it off you, whether you are moving or stopped) - this has happened to a friend of mine who lived in Saigon but it's the same here. Also opportunists might target you as you are unlocking the padlock on the front door/gate of your house. So you just need to be aware of who is around you and keep your possessions close. I know of an expat here in PP who got robbed that way, while trying to unlock the padlock which was on the inside of the gate, which just makes you that little bit more vulnerable as you reach in to unlock it.

bolueeleh wrote:"Phnom Penh has much better nightlife, especially for westerners" i think what he meant to say was especially for mongers

LoL, someone can read between the lines.

UnclePanda wrote:Cheers, can you please explain how bad the crime is in PP/ SR? Is the crime, stealing in apartments or on the streets? (i.e. don't bring too much cash around).

It's pretty bad in both cities. I've gone a few days without any gains.

Well that said, I stole this phone I'm typing on in Phnom Penh.

I would have gotten her laptop too if she hadn't had a kungfu grip on it and the Tuk-Tuk didn't have those annoying rain-flaps, blocking my first 2 attempts.

I'd say there's less crime in Siem Reap, which is a big plus as you have better pickings as more people haven't had their shit stolen yet.

Not exactly sure which types of crime you're interested in, but I would wait until at least 2am to go bag snatching. Find a motodop you trust to be the driver, and they are usually happy with dividing the goods you can snatch in one evening 70/30.

Burglaries are a bit more tedious, and I'd suggest waiting for the big national holidays, as most people head to the beach. Less likely to be people in the homes you invade and less neighbors home to catch or report you.

You can also make a bamboo stick with a hook on the end to grab bags/purses through the windows. I like this a bit better than burglaring, as you don't even need to go inside the houses, making this method a lot safer.

Printing and spending fake dollar notes is pretty easy too, but don't print anything over a $20 bill, as people get a little suspicious from the beginning.

Not sure if you can pass for an Asian, but I can and this is one of my favorites...

First, you need a Tuk-Tuk, and you can borrow, buy or steal one, depending on your budget.

Just go around and when you find a foreigner who needs a ride, just say, "baht, baht..." to everything they say, which means "yes, yes," in Khmer. You don't even have to listen to a word they say, just shout baht baht. Don't even let them finish telling you where they're going, just keep shouting it. The more you shout it the more they think you understood what they said.

Start driving, and don't worry about where you're going, they'll let you know when you miss a turn.

Even if you miss 4 or 5 turns in a row, the trick is to keep a straight face and act like you know where you're going anyways. Throw a few more "baht, baht"s in for good measure.

I also recommend muttering, "changai," every minute or so, which means "far away," and it lets them know you think this is quite some distance, even if it's only a few blocks.

Now for the easy part!

When and if you ever get to where they want, or even if you have to just give up finding the place, they will hand you whatever amount of money they thought you agreed upon, but it doesn't matter because you weren't listening.

Here's where you jump off your moto and start screaming "TEN DOLLA!"

Depending on how aggressive you are with your shouting and body language, you might have to block them from walking away a couple times.

Keep at it. First they'll hand you an extra dollar, then a $5, but just keep mean-mugging and they'll cough up the full $10.

It works every time, 40% of the time.