TheSiemReaper

Are there specific downtown areas, hotels, guesthouses, apartments, cafes and restaurants you guys would recommend in terms of safety (from crime and picking up Hep A)?

I have heard that there is an area where expats all typically live, but I forgot the name.

Vaccinations here in Japan costs way too much money, so I'm considering having them done in PP or SR really soon after my arrival? I have heard of people that have done this?

I'm not the best with people, but I'm not a bad guy. Are foreigners that are a little socially awkward, yet friendly often a target for trouble? I keep to myself, but I'm social. I try not to step on anyone's toes or make a scene. I still want to ask because I have read horror stories of expats who were more than careful end up in completely insane situations...

Hep A is transmitted through saliva, blood and sexual contact. It is endemic in Asia. You need vaccinating and where you stay will not prevent you from catching it. It is endemic in Japan too... so the earlier you get vaccinated the better.

BKK1 is often touted as the expat area of Phnom Penh. Which is actually far from the truth. It is an NGO bolt hole and prices there reflect their salary premiums - you will need to look elsewhere as an English teacher. Which is fine expats live all over PP. SR is too small to have any defined "expat areas".

I am a big bolshy bugger and have found that I can keep myself out of trouble everywhere by being friendly and still drawing a line in the sand when necessary. You seem to be terrified of your own shadow. Cambodia is no better/worse than anywhere else in the world from a social perspective. Use your common sense and you'll be fine.

How long have you guys been living in Cambodia?

Have any of you ever been infected with dengue or anything else? I don't want to sound like an ignorant jerk, but the hospitals and clinics use new in the package needles that are sterilized for all vaccinations yes? I ask because I know in China, there have been cases where hospitals have used and reused the same needles in multiple patients...pretty creepy stuff.

I also want to avoid the prostitutes and definitely all underage girls. Do the local women tend to be interested in Caucasian men (other than for money)? Most of the women here in Japan are completely uninterested and are xenophobic/racist for the most part. I had a better experience in China, but I'm hoping Cambodia will be an enjoyable life experience. I have been to SEA Asia once before (all over Thailand and Laos) and loved the region.

Thankfully, I do have a lot of street smarts due to a lot of travel and living abroad, but I'm a really small dude. I'm not physically strong, so I thought I might be a target for violent crimes. The gunpoint robberies freak me out the most...those are not as common as snatch and grabs I hope?

I lived in Cambodia for four years but have recently shifted to Thailand. High-end expat style clinics are generally clean but if you can get your vaccinations done in Japan; do them there.

Avoiding prostitutes in Siem Reap is easy, in Phnom Penh they are an established part of night life and next to impossible to avoid if you intend to hang out with other English teachers. Khmer women will date foreigners but you need to offer security and stability - otherwise the ones you date will be hookers with longer-term objectives.

Gunpoint robbery happens once in a blue moon to foreigners. Usually to the Japanese for some reason that I am yet to fathom but probably involves flashing too much cash publicly.

Sounds good. Where do you find a travel agency that does that ?

Every travel agency in the city, pretty much, does it. Ask in your hotel for the closest one.

Language options are, since Vista, only accessible after installation. It's a PITA to be honest.

I went last week. Don't go to the embassy at all. Go to a travel agent with $49 and give them your passport. 3 days later (including the day you drop the passport off) you will have your visa. No form filling. No queuing. No photographs taken. Nothing. This costs a whacking $9 over doing it all yourself... Welcome to Cambodia, nobody stands in line if they can help it.

European ATMs accept six digit PIN numbers.

France included? Mutiple websites say No....

Multiple websites are wrong. I've travelled extensively through Europe with a 6 digit PIN number on an Arabic bank's cards. Really, Europe leads the world in banking technology.

OK. There are no business visas (it's an ordinary visa and it does not come with a work permit - that needs buying separately if you can't find someone to pay for it as a condition of employment). The Cambodian authorities could not give less of a **** about where you are from, where you have lived or who you married if they tried. Their only concern is; "do you have enough money to pay for the visa (plus possibly a small bribe)?"

If you are a qualified teacher; teaching jobs, while not plentiful, are pretty easy to come by. If you're another ESL only kind of person - the jobs are there but they pay badly and it will take you a while to find a good job (crappy ones remain easy to find).

Free Wi-Fi is available in every coffee shop and restaurant in major cities.

Break ins and street robberies are common. The better a place is to live in; the more security it will have. I've never had a break in in Cambodia but I paid a huge premium for accommodation too... about half the people I know have had some sort of break in there.

I was robbed last week in PP by a snatch and grab thief though... so street crime is real. If I'd been more careful though - it wouldn't have happened. I should know better than to carry electronics without securing them to my person and on the street side of a pavement. You don't have to be a victim if you don't want to be.

I've never felt unsafe in PP or SR (and I've lived in both). Violent crime against foreigners is rare in Cambodia. Foreigner-on-foreigner crime is more likely and still pretty rare.

Dengue is real and you can catch it anywhere including in big cities. You will not get Malaria in big cities - there's a difference between the two. The chances of catching dengue are small but real. Yes, rabies is a big problem in Cambodia. No, unless you live in the sticks - you won't find rabid animals on the prowl in SR or PP. Rabies vaccination is an excellent idea but you will need boosters if you do get bitten. Living in Asia without Hep A or B vaccination is simply daft - including living in Japan. Get them done.

European ATMs accept six digit PIN numbers.

Life I've lived in two bedsits in my life; one in Leeds, one in Leicester.

The one in Leeds had a private kitchen but a shared bathroom facility. It was a large "sports center" style bathroom with 3 shower cubicles. It was perfectly OK.

The one in Leicester had a shared kitchen (with one other couple) and a shared bathroom (with one other couple) - it was one of the most luxurious places I have ever lived in. In a converted Mews building in the most desirable part of town with great security, etc.

just because it was the most luxurious that you ever lived doesn't mean that I wasn't slum standards

Bedsits don't have to be awful at all. They are, however, cheaper than apartments because of the shared facilities. The bright side is that the shared areas tend to be cleaned by the landlord's representative... saving you on cleaning costs (time and/or money) too.

Nice try troll.

Jingoism in the clothing of social commentary. Not impressed.

Life I've lived in two bedsits in my life; one in Leeds, one in Leicester.

The one in Leeds had a private kitchen but a shared bathroom facility. It was a large "sports center" style bathroom with 3 shower cubicles. It was perfectly OK.

The one in Leicester had a shared kitchen (with one other couple) and a shared bathroom (with one other couple) - it was one of the most luxurious places I have ever lived in. In a converted Mews building in the most desirable part of town with great security, etc.

Bedsits don't have to be awful at all. They are, however, cheaper than apartments because of the shared facilities. The bright side is that the shared areas tend to be cleaned by the landlord's representative... saving you on cleaning costs (time and/or money) too.

It was in Rimping at Maya yesterday when I was shopping...

I used to cycle in Phnom Penh. It's doable but can be incredibly intimidating during rush hour when everyone wants your little piece of road. $100 will buy a pretty poor bike in Cambodia. Essentially Chinese made lousy "racing" style bike and won't be any improvements on the one you could buy for $35... if you want something a little better, be prepared to pay $300-$400 for a Giant or something like that.

If I cycle around PP as my main form of transport, I suppose tuk tuk and taxi drivers won't talk with me? Works out nicely here in Thai.

Doesn't work in Cambodia. I have cycled regularly in PP and SR... and they'll still ask as though the bike's invisible. Can't be hassled by taxi drivers though - Cambodia doesn't really have any roaming the streets.

The racism in this thread is appalling. This is a video of a small group of people behaving badly. Not so badly that they have caused any harm to anyone else but just badly enough to enable hundreds (possibly thousands) of people online to denigrate all 1.3 billion Chinese people.

Once you turn into a racist; you have lost all the "moral superiority" that you thought you had.

Chang Mai has always been super cheap to buy and of course super cheap to rent. Every busted Arse pensioner in Thailand lives there. Try going to areas a bit more upmarket. Rentals are not cheap. Apart from Cheap housing there is no reason to go there it's a dump but still not as bad Chang rai though

Bitter much? Which sex tourist haven would you recommend as an alternative to our pretty little city? We've got museums, malls, temples, markets, etc. what were you expecting? Tourist information to greet you with a handjob at immigration?

Well it's not rocket science. Why do you think you can rent a house there for a few thousand baht? Sorry to hurt feelings but the reason is because it's a dump.

You can use my analysis for anywhere else on the planet. High rent =higher class of persons, it just the way it is

Yeah, but no all the same. How much are you paying in rent where you are in your paradise of negotiable affection? Mine's 25,000 Baht for a 1 bed apartment. Not really "a few thousand baht" is it? You can rent for nothing (or next to it) anywhere in Asia (except Singapore and most of Hong Kong); it's not all a dump. If you want a better quality of life - pay more for it - on that we're agreed but having budget accommodation is a reflection of economics everywhere in Asia not on any given city.

Chang Mai has always been super cheap to buy and of course super cheap to rent. Every busted Arse pensioner in Thailand lives there. Try going to areas a bit more upmarket. Rentals are not cheap. Apart from Cheap housing there is no reason to go there it's a dump but still not as bad Chang rai though

Bitter much? Which sex tourist haven would you recommend as an alternative to our pretty little city? We've got museums, malls, temples, markets, etc. what were you expecting? Tourist information to greet you with a handjob at immigration?

It's a funny thing but nationality is important to many people's sense of identity. Americans, in the main, would be naked without their "American-ness". I was once discussing, with an American, gun control (in a friendly and measured way - given that we are friends on other sides of the debate) and suddenly found myself embroiled with a drunken nutcase (another American who had been ear-wigging on the conversation) screaming that; "You better not criticize America. It's not ****ing happening. You owe us your freedom." I've had a few such discussions over the years; it turns out that America does not provide its citizens with super powers and that they hit the pavement after being punched just like everyone else does.

The UK is different. You are encouraged to be proud of being British or Irish or Scottish or Welsh or Cornish anything but English. If you are English you are encouraged to be ashamed of the fact. Our press even denies that we have "an English culture" something so ridiculous that it would defy belief elsewhere in the world.

Me? I think anyone who is proud of their nationality has serious issues. You don't choose it. You didn't work for it. You may be very lucky in that draw and you may not but taking pride in something outside of your control? It's for the foolish. By and large a sense of national identity is leveraged by weak politicians who can't give you anything else to be proud of. There may be "Thainess" but like "Englishness" it's probably not easy to define in a single 10 word caption and if it were? It probably wouldn't be worth much. Cultural identity is a complex thing and makes everyone a little bit more interesting than they would be if we were all the same. It shouldn't be exploited for xenophobia and it shouldn't be used as a mask for politicians to escape their failures either.

I think if people are looking for equivalence with Thailand; Cambodia is bound to make you miserable. I just spent a week in Phnom Penh and there is no comparison between Bangkok and Phnom Penh (unless you want to travel back in a time machine 50 years back). But... Cambodia has its charms and a completely different way of life and if you go to experience Cambodia rather than to replace Thailand - a good time can be had (I don't regret 4 years in Cambodia at all).

The only place of near equivalence to Thailand in Indochina is Vietnam. Saigon and Bangkok are very similar, though the public transport network still needs a leg up in Saigon and taxis, while cheap, are still more expensive than Thailand. Saigon is huge, sprawling, with plenty to do, great food, good health service, etc. overall it's a cheap place to live. Some "beach destinations" there are also very good (unlike Sihanoukville which is pretty awful). The downside of Vietnam is the visa regime... if you're not sponsored via work or you don't own a company; it's fly in on a 3 month business visa (can be arranged online), extend twice (second time more expensive than the 1st) and then leave the country and repeat the process. Visas are not multiple-entry either. Laos is too small and to be fair - expensive, to be a long term option for most people. Myanmar needs 20 years to modernize now their junta has released power. So if LoS has lost its charm - you're in Cambodia or you're in Vietnam. Or... you head elsewhere in SE Asia - Malaysia is a great option (though alcohol is expensive everything else is equivalent to Thailand) or possibly the Philippines (though personal safety is an issue - it's cheap and people are friendly).

Most bee species are incredibly docile. Masonry bees can actually be held between thumb and forefinger with a lot of pressure before they get upset and most other bee species are happy to leave you alone as long as you leave them alone.

The global shortage of bees will not be impacted by smoking, gassing, etc. a single group of bees. However, there's no need to do it unless the bees are causing actual distress or moving into your home (which would be unusual but not entirely unheard of).

Hope you have a great day - it's not easy being green. Try the UN Irish pub.

Unfortunately, he'll have to wait another 364 days now...

There are, at least, two Irish pubs in town but from what I've seen of them - they don't attract all that many Irish expats. They do, however, bring in a healthy number of expats in general.

To the OP - socializing here is a tricky thing; everything is so spread out that there doesn't seem to be an expat "congregation" anywhere. You might try meetup (.com) and see if there's a social group you are interested in. Everything from entrepreneurial get togethers to photography clubs and philosophy discussions.

Looking is not the same as buying as many a broke retailer knows. I can't speak for your advert, as I don't know if I have seen it, but there are a ton of incredibly dishonest postings out and about for places here - we've all gone round a hundred places (or more) to find them much different from what's listed. I have a very, very healthy budget for a condo but it took a while to find somewhere worth spending it on. "Western style kitchen" does not equal "gas burner on a shelf instead of the floor". "Fully furnished" is not the same as "full of broken, badly worn stuff". "Great location" is not "next to industrial sewer". A swimming pool is not a paddling pool. And so on...

Been here a couple of times since they've opened. I'd rate the burger as the second best I've had in Thailand (best was from a little hole in the wall on Koh Chang), but the fries are without a doubt the best I have here. I'm on a food budget too, but I can afford to come here once a week for a great meal. Look at what a burger/fries/coke costs in Burger King and you won't complain and the quality doesn't come close to Classic Burger.

I'm curious; I enjoy a burger too but how does it ever get rated as a "great meal"? I've eaten zillions of the darn things around the planet but not one, ever, has been a "great meal".

Could be done much cheaper in S E Asia. The Philippines in particular...

Thailand is not 3rd world. It is a middle income nation or 2nd world nation (though that is a bit of a shoddy way to classify countries anyway). Only people with little comprehension of economics would classify Thailand as 3rd world. If you want to see 3rd world visit the provinces of Cambodia. You won't find free air-con fitting (or any air-con), rapid TV delivery, etc. there.

Economics? no , it is a political clasification, as in first world being aligned with the west, second world was (is) the commies, and third world was NON ALIGNED developing countries...such as Thailand.

No, it's not. At least it's not any more. This would reduce Singapore to a third world nation; something touching on the ridiculous.