Sweet Lemon wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:50 pm

Kammekor wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 7:09 am OP, money is always an issue in Cambodia. Cambodians like to pretend to be poor. Many are, but money isn’t the answer to poverty.

Is this a typo? Cambodians like to pretend to be poor???? If he’s going to a village in the provinces they Cambodians he meets will actually be poor. They’re not going to be faking it or putting on a show for the blind white guy.

If anything, Cambodians like to pretend to be rich, they’ll buy a Lexus when they don’t need a car and have nowhere to put it but their living room.

Many Cambodians have the idea that foreigners are all very wealthy, and have unlimited money available. They may have just harvested and sold their rice, and have $5,000 or $10,000 from the sale. But when a foreigner comes along, they will tell the foreigner how poor they are, in the hope of getting money.

One family has two daughters. The youngest one is in high school. I have encouraged her, and many other young people to study English, because it gives them an advantage when they finish their studies and look for work. This family told me they don't have enough money for her to study English, and asked me to give them money so she could. Then they bought a minivan for $16,000.

topic27590.html

There are those that are genuinely poor. But when you meet them for the first time, you cant always know who is genuinely poor and who is just saying they are poor.

I financially assist students from poor families to get a university education. I would like a situation where I contribute some money, and the family contributes some money. But when I assist, the family normally refuses to give any money. I have to pay it all. They say they are poor and cant afford it. In the future, if I can still afford to assist students, I may talk to the parents, tell them I will contribute a certain amount, and ask them to contribute a certain amount also. It depends on the family. With one of the girls I am assisting, the family has a huge debt which will take years to pay off, and cant even afford electricity at their house. That family genuinely cant afford it.

@trDavid
Going in Cambodia can be some kind of adventure for a firstimer. But with visual impairement it become some kind of exploration! Please keep us in touch with your travel, I think we are curious about the evolution of your trip.
Good luck my friend /⠛⠕⠕⠙ ⠇⠥⠉⠅ ⠍⠽ ⠋⠗⠊⠑⠝⠙

Sweet Lemon wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:50 pm

Kammekor wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2019 7:09 am

OP, money is always an issue in Cambodia. Cambodians like to pretend to be poor. Many are, but money isn’t the answer to poverty.

Is this a typo? Cambodians like to pretend to be poor???? If he’s going to a village in the provinces they Cambodians he meets will actually be poor. They’re not going to be faking it or putting on a show for the blind white guy.

If anything, Cambodians like to pretend to be rich, they’ll buy a Lexus when they don’t need a car and have nowhere to put it but their living room.

OK, badly worded.

You are right, they will try, as soon s they can, to let everything scream 'I am rich'.
a fake golden watch
a 20 year year old shiny re-clocked Lexus
etc etc

But after a coffee they will ask you to pay because they will pretend to be poor. You know, Cambodia is a poor country.

Hey David, Getting excited?

Just a quiet word, i personally have not found Cambodia to be a place of fear, suspicion and woe - full of grasping and dishonest people.
I step out (almost) every day with confidence, contentment and wonder. And, I firmly believe that their are many many expats who also do likewise. That is why most of us choose to live here.

In my experience, you generally find what you are looking for. Karma in real time.
I find a wonderful, warm, safe place i feel really comfortable in. I hope your trip to the KOW turns out the same.

Hi everyone! Sorry I have been offline for a week. I arrived four days ago and have been sleeping a lot and getting adjusted to everything.

The flight was great, Cathay Pacific staff was so nice. Monty seemed a little jittery from the flight when I collected him in Hong Kong but he’s back to normal now.

My girlfriend is everything I hoped and more. She and her cousin were waiting at the airport when I arrived. He brought me a Cambodian scarf and has been driving us around and seems like a nice guy. His taxi is really a tuk tuk so that was quite an adventure, my first tuk tuk ride and Monty’s first too!

Unfortunately there was some issue at the hotel and she can’t stay with me, she said it’s because her ID is expired? There was a lot of back and forth about it between her and the hotel staff but it was all in Cambodian so I didn’t understand it. It’s fine, I’ve needed to sleep a lot anyway, the let lag and time change has been really hard for me.

We went out the first night with her cousin and sisters to a nice Cambodian restaurant called Malis, it was excellent. Then we went to a small bar called Danny Kaye because her friend works there. You guys were right it is almost impossible for me to walk anywhere here unless I walk in the street and that doesn’t seem safe at all. I got a chance to visit the museum and the staff let me touch a few artifacts, which was nice of them. Last night we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, I didn’t know that Cambodia even had one. Then we went to a bar called secrets where I met a few expats.

Tomorrow we are all going to her village for a night. She thinks I should check out of Raffles and move to Luck Hotel near the riverside so she can stay with me but I am not sure. I like Raffles but she says the staff is rude and saying things behind my back. It’s a little confusing, it seems like a nice hotel, but I know that disabled travelers are a rarity in Cambodia. My girlfriend also thinks my cash isn’t secure in the in room safe, she says the staff in Cambodia can open it, is that true?

Speaking of money, her cousin helped my get money from an ATM outside the airport when I arrived but when we tried to get more out yesterday the transaction couldn’t be completed and then my card never came out of the machine. So I will have to go to BIDC bank soon to try to get my card back. Is that a difficult process?

I have decided we will go to Siem Reap next week, I don’t want to miss Angkor What, everyone says it is amazing but I’m little worried I hear there is dengue fever there.

That is all for now, thanks for all the advice, I read everything. I will post another update soon.

trDavid wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 1:29 pmI have decided we will go to Siem Reap next week, I don’t want to miss Angkor What, everyone says it is amazing but I’m little worried I hear there is dengue fever there.

There is Dengue all over SE Asia so this should not be a reason for you not to go. Millions visit Angkor Wat (not Angkor What, which is a bar) every year and very few get Dengue. The mozzies transmitting it are diurnal so cover up and use liberal amounts of repellant. I lived in Siem Reap for 9 years, and still spend time there, and had Dengue once.

Great to hear you and Monty made it, David - and that it all seems to be going well.
How long are you in Cambodia for?

The thing i most want to know - How are Monty and the girl getting on?
Are there going to be issues?
Cambodian women are famously jealous, I hope Monty is not.

trDavid wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 1:29 pm
Tomorrow we are all going to her village for a night. She thinks I should check out of Raffles and move to Luck Hotel near the riverside so she can stay with me but I am not sure. I like Raffles but she says the staff is rude and saying things behind my back. It’s a little confusing, it seems like a nice hotel, but I know that disabled travelers are a rarity in Cambodia. My girlfriend also thinks my cash isn’t secure in the in room safe, she says the staff in Cambodia can open it, is that true?

Speaking of money, her cousin helped my get money from an ATM outside the airport when I arrived but when we tried to get more out yesterday the transaction couldn’t be completed and then my card never came out of the machine. So I will have to go to BIDC bank soon to try to get my card back.

Doesn't anyone else here find anything wrong with this ? I know the OP has known this woman ONLINE for six months, but he has really only just met her.

@ OP. Three things sound off to me 1. You just met the woman and she is anxious to sleep with you. That doesn't sound normal to me.2. She sounds overly concerned about the money in your hotel safe. 3. The tuktuk driver "cousin" sounds dodgy as hell. There are many stories told where the cousin turns out to be the boyfriend I'm afraid. I'm also wondering if he doesn't have your credit card.
I hope I'm wrong, and that all those who are cheering you on are right OP, but it can't hurt to listen to a contradictory opinion. If there are things that don't feel quite right, listen to your gut. (Not your member.)
All the best.

Happy you are having a great time and haven't posted anything negative about your experiences so far - it's good to hear.

I hope you have the holiday of a lifetime bro.