Comparing Cambodia to 10-25 years ago

[World Traveller2]

Without competitive banking services, without great P4P and without easy visas - what's the attraction of this country? The shopping and 'nightlife' isn't as good as Thailand; the food and medical care value isn't as good as India; it isn't as cheap and efficient for operating a factory with local workers as Vietnam; and it's not as easy to stay long-term and have a much younger wife or gf as Philippines.

 

So, why even stay in Cambodia unless you're a well-funded NGO (raising rental market prices) or related to goverment cronies. Cambodia has lost its shine. For 10-20 years actually. Is it just me?

 

And it's getting worse, for multiple reasons. I mean for expats and tourists. There does seem to be a trickle *up* of foreign aid! I see all kinds of la-de-dah shops now. Infrastructure has improved but not commensurate with prices. Value for rental units and hotels is much better in Thailand.  And everything is still imported. Geez, that socialist basketcase dependent on China Sri Lanka is probably a better choice.

 

I suppose it's because last year I was in Turkey. Compared to on the ball Turkey (a whole other post) Cambodia has no appeal to me anymore. No place is perfect, of course. But geez, eyes wide open if you have the flexibity to live anywhere in the world. Do your homework or a test visit before you get all starry-eyed about retiring in Cambodia.

[BritManToo]

Retirement VISA in Cambodia $300/year, no other requirements, as easy as anywhere.

Alcohol much cheaper than Thailand.

Why isn't it easy to have a much younger wife/gf?

 

My pal moved from PP to Kep because of COVID, a girl from a (closed) bar followed him down and lives with him just for living expenses as she could no longer make a living in PP.

[World Traveller2]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Retirement VISA in Cambodia $300/year, no other requirements, as easy as anywhere.

Alcohol much cheaper than Thailand.

Why isn't it easy to have a much younger wife/gf?

 

My pal moved from PP to Kep because of COVID, a girl from a (closed) bar followed him down and lives with him just for living expenses as she could no longer make a living in PP.

It's all a matter of taste, budget and lifestyle, isn't? I stay in Asia six months per year, so $60 per month for permission to stay in any country is a bit of an 'ouch'. I am a tea-totaller so I couldn't care less about the price of beer and whiskey. Cambodia is a conservative Theravada Buddhist culture - half of that reality I don't like, half I do. Regarding intergenerational matches, not only is there a law preventing Charlie Chaplin-waif marriages, women in their twenties hooked up (very short term or long term) with semi-geezers is really looked down upon in Cambodia compared to Philippines. Plus, Filipinas plain like Americans (and this includes their behaviour to other Anglos). I am not convinced Khmers do.

 

Kep is a trendy place to live. It has its charms but I am a big city man who loves public mass transit or at least buses and ferries. Bangkok (tiring), Singapore (very expensive) and Kuala Lumpur (05:30 alarm), HCMC (frenetic traffic). Trust me, I have spent a considerable amount of time in all these places. PNH used to be my favourite. Now I am questioning all of ASEAN  as a place to hang my hat. I didn't like Ukraine and Serbia. So this leaves in my 'give them a try' list Colombia and Sri Lanka. Excepting P4P, Istanbul and including P4P, Hanoi are both much better deals for sojourners than Phnom Penh. This is especially true if one is on a budget of under USD1600 per month, as I am. Produce is expensive in Cambodia because there isn't a developed agricultural industry here except for rice and a few niche market spices. I was just at Aeon, admitedly the capital's premier supermarket. Everything was 50-60% higher priced than Central Foodland in Thailand. Never mind Big-C or Makro.

 

Nepal and India make more sense (especially since I can't eat Thai, Khmer, Filipino or Viet food due to being a strict bivalve-vegetarian). Much cheaper to eat in South Asia. If I was Muslim I would choose Pakistan (cheapest country) or if I was a secular Sunni Muslim, Turkey. If atheist and a carnivore Cuba.

 

Every place has its pros and cons.  Cambodia just has too many cons for *me*. Maybe 'your place' is Antarctica or Berln. To each his own.

[BritManToo]

8 hours ago, World Traveller2 said:

Regarding intergenerational matches, not only is there a law preventing Charlie Chaplin-waif marriages, women in their twenties hooked up (very short term or long term) with semi-geezers is really looked down upon in Cambodia compared to Philippines.

Nope, that law was only if force for a year then written off.

And you can buy the 6 month VISA for about $170.

[World Traveller2]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nope, that law was only if force for a year then written off.

And you can buy the 6 month VISA for about $170.

Thanks for this. Worthwhile maybe for a medium-term stay, but borderline for two and a half months. Not sure it's worthwhile even to reduce government snag of interest for term deposits. My accounts are marginal amounts.

 

The big question for me is not how suitable is Cambodia, but how does it compare to everywhere else that is open during COVID and welcoming retired tourists: Turkey, India, Colombia etc. Actually I hear India has cancelled the validity of all long-term visas, but I haven't verified.

[thecyclist]

Cambodia was my favorite in SEA around 20/25 years. Still had that feel of the unexplored wild west, hardly any tourists. People were really friendly. Hotels,food (not the best in the region, but if you know where to go decent enough) and alcohol were cheap. Great nightlife, especially the P4P part of it.Much cheaper than Thailand and the Philippines. And then it totally reversed within just a few months. I think it was in 2007 or 2008 when all of a sudden food prices doubled, tripled in some places. Hun Sen instituted this massive crackdown on prostitution all over the country. I first thought it would be be like Thailand. Crackdown, places close for a few weeks or months and then back to normal. But the crackdowns have more staying power over there, things never went back anywhere near to what they were before. The Chinese started invading Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. So yeah, the Cambodia of old and the way it is now, like day and night. 

[World Traveller2]

On 1/7/2022 at 3:48 PM, thecyclist said:

Cambodia was my favorite in SEA around 20/25 years. Still had that feel of the unexplored wild west, hardly any tourists. People were really friendly. Hotels,food (not the best in the region, but if you know where to go decent enough) and alcohol were cheap. Great nightlife, especially the P4P part of it.Much cheaper than Thailand and the Philippines. And then it totally reversed within just a few months. I think it was in 2007 or 2008 when all of a sudden food prices doubled, tripled in some places. Hun Sen instituted this massive crackdown on prostitution all over the country. I first thought it would be be like Thailand. Crackdown, places close for a few weeks or months and then back to normal. But the crackdowns have more staying power over there, things never went back anywhere near to what they were before. The Chinese started invading Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. So yeah, the Cambodia of old and the way it is now, like day and night. 

Agreed, for the promiscuous male Cambodia transformed from party town to celibacy village very quickly. Phnom Penh is now a charming city for those who want to marry and lead a quiet life. The worst abuses of P4P (human trafficking and child prostitution) were greatly reduced but the 'baby was tossed out with the bathwater'. Cambodian society was *never* tolerant to prostitution, it and the State just had more important issues to deal with, such as security and infrastructure issues.

 

And I find it curious that 'hookup' apps exist in Thailand and Vietnam but are absent from Cambodia. Likewise, uncensored discussion forums. Cambodia is in many ways more like monolithic and homogenous State-controlled Vietnam than playground Thailand. Just my two cents worth.

 

But my main practical concern about Cambodia is price compared alternatives: compared  to Turkey, India, Indonesia etc. I don't see the value.