Sihanoukeville

[ozzydom]

Hmm, don't look too bad:

Is that you on the tractor, Ozzy?

No mate,but some members may reckon I have something in common with the rear end of the one pulling the cart.

[ozzydom]

Reduced: 80% of original size [ 500 x 375 ] - Click to view full image

Not guilty your Honour

[markwhite]

I can't make up my mind,it seems stagnant to me

I only have one experience of Sihanoukville which was a rained out week when some football was on TV last year and the area where I stayed (The Hill) seemed drab and uninteresting, I couldn't get overly excited about the food that I found, though admit I only tried a few places, found the Angkor beer to be very weak and p*ssy, and the week was topped off when the prospective new farang owner of the guesthouse I stayed in was murdered by the security guard the night in the guesthouse toilet before he was due to take ownership.

So it didn't make a great impression on me. Which maybe is not indicative of how it is for many other people.

[funfun]

cambodia is the future IMHO.

Thailand's had its heyday

S'nook is my next home.

In twenty years time I wanna be able to say that I've been "here" (s'nook) since before it got big.

Now is the time to invest.

"Thailand's had its heyday"

well it seems far busier than snooky and it might have had its heyday, but whats exactly wrong with it? well you can fault anywhere, so be precise in the comparison of snooky and thailand!

"In twenty years time I wanna be able to say that I've been "here" (s'nook) since before it got big."

didnt ya dad teach you how to lie?

"Now is the time to invest.

Thats what everyone down there keeps saying upon thier return to pattaya!!!

there is some good marketing guy down there im sure, one lad from crewe bought a bar within a month it closed, another lad from the south of england went to snooky and bought a bar in a day, and put in a manager he can trust 100%, in the same day, that he never met before, and then left, and came back tp pattaya to finnish his holidays ???

very hard to understand some people

most bar owners from snooky walk around with buiness cards in there pockets and come to pattaya touting for customers!

btw arnt most investers in bars closed at this time of year, yep lets buy a business what you can only use for 6 months of the year!

[ozzydom]

I can't make up my mind,it seems stagnant to me

I only have one experience of Sihanoukville which was a rained out week when some football was on TV last year and the area where I stayed (The Hill) seemed drab and uninteresting, I couldn't get overly excited about the food that I found, though admit I only tried a few places, found the Angkor beer to be very weak and p*ssy, and the week was topped off when the prospective new farang owner of the guesthouse I stayed in was murdered by the security guard the night in the guesthouse toilet before he was due to take ownership.

So it didn't make a great impression on me. Which maybe is not indicative of how it is for many other people.

True Mark ,"The Hill " is in part drab and uninteresting , it was the original backpacker and sex tourist hangout, one small Soi is wall to wall, hole in the wall girlie bars ,but that area is now quite small and within 100metres you will find the most excellent L,Ambassade european restuarant or the $75 a night Golden Rooster Resort, the Blue Frog Guesthouse and bar owned by Ola a congenial Scandinavian and his Dutch wife,if you want the opposite to drab then the $1000 a night Sokha Beach Resort and Spa is not far away.

The appealing thing to me are the many facets of Sihanoukville,you can choose to sit in a girlie bar slurping beer and fondling the merchandise or five minutes away sit in a deck chair on the beach with a Pina Colada in hand looking out to sea.

By the way Mark there is Ankhor beer and Anchor beer both made locally and markedly different ,of course discerning drinkers go for Beer Laos which is available everywhere.

Cheers

Ozzy

[ozzydom]

cambodia is the future IMHO.

Thailand's had its heyday

S'nook is my next home.

In twenty years time I wanna be able to say that I've been "here" (s'nook) since before it got big.

Now is the time to invest.

"Thailand's had its heyday"

well it seems far busier than snooky and it might have had its heyday, but whats exactly wrong with it? well you can fault anywhere, so be precise in the comparison of snooky and thailand!

"In twenty years time I wanna be able to say that I've been "here" (s'nook) since before it got big."

didnt ya dad teach you how to lie?

"Now is the time to invest.

Thats what everyone down there keeps saying upon thier return to pattaya!!!

there is some good marketing guy down there im sure, one lad from crewe bought a bar within a month it closed, another lad from the south of england went to snooky and bought a bar in a day, and put in a manager he can trust 100%, in the same day, that he never met before, and then left, and came back tp pattaya to finnish his holidays ???

very hard to understand some people

most bar owners from snooky walk around with buiness cards in there pockets and come to pattaya touting for customers!

btw arnt most investers in bars closed at this time of year, yep lets buy a business what you can only use for 6 months of the year!

Is investing in bars the only venture expats are interested in,?I never met a bar owner who accumulated wealth from it,but I have known a lot who went home with the bum out of there pants.

Cambodian Immigation laws are not like Thailands,there you can get a work permit to do just about anything , limited only by your expertise.

Whats wrong with a Real Estate Agency or a Supermarket with emphasis on farang foods, farangs are moving into the area in large numbers ,but nowhere is a letting agent with comprehensive hotel or apartment listings, (money for jam if you have the expertise).

[theseveredhead]

I rather like Cambodia and had lived there in 93, 94 and 96. Food though is marginal. I don't like that the digs are so far from the beach in SNK. Snooky is a bit slow and teh motodops are schemey.

The largest reason I am not there are the high HIV rates and lack of ANY health care.

[kmart]

Thanks for the pics. Those babes were there on a porno shoot then?

[kayo]

Gosh. It's nice to have some of my classics resurrected. Thank you, but don't you think searching around for my Collected Works is just a bit . . well . . creepy?

Still, putting that to one side. Nahhhhhhh. . . . . . . I kinda like Cambodia, as I've said many many times. Wouldn't want to live there, cos I'm perfectly content and comfortable here thank you very much.

Anyway, I'd say only 50% of my posts bear any relation to my true feelings. I make them up as I go. I'm shallow, see? Trouble is, I've kinda forget which 50% I believe in these days.

:D I hear that!

I will try to tell it as I see Sihanoukville and the surrounding area,I have had five trips there in the last four months and have a one year business visa.

First off I am happily married to a Thai lady and am to old to chase after desires of the flesh,I drink probably one beer a week and dont use drugs,so those arnt my reasons for going back and enjoying the place.

I dont read the financial pages anymore but I get a buzz out of seeing a man working his rice paddy with a buffalo and a plough made out of a tree limb or a family travelling in a trap pulled by two small ponies.

Overall I find the Kmer people to be extremely friendly and helpful, maybe this can in part be attributed to the tough times they have endured and continue to suffer in one form or another,the general population is very young as the elder folk were decimated by Pol Pot and his KR.

The average wage is between $1and $2 dollars US a day,50 cents will take you about 7 km on the back of a motodop which are nothing like a Bangkok motorbike taxi,speed is definately not their thing.

I retain a motodop and rider for about 15hours a day for the princely sum of $5 (170 baht),he speaks very good english ,married with an infant child,he is well educated and spent years in Vietnam where his mother took him after his dad ,a school principal was exterminated by the KR.

Accomodation ranges from $2 a night beach huts to $450 a night 5 star hotels and everything in between.Food is excellent with most cuisines represented,a Kmer meal for $1 or excellent fish and chips $3 up to a fillet mignon done by a genuine french chef for $50 accompanied by the finest wines you will find in any cellar.

A hotel equal to a 4 star almost anywhere will set you back $15-20 ,adjacent to the beaches of which there are many.

Treasure Island a chinese owned seafood place on their own private beach is great ,you get your own private cabana 10 feet from the ocean,with your own personal waitress(she even peels your prawns), a meal of fresh fish ,prawns ,rice etc will set you back $6-8.

A great massage on a deck chair on the beach will cost you $2 for not one but two ladies.

The town is undergoing a big change with many new hotels,condos etc being built, the downtown area,

originally the home of many bars is becoming the business area with new banks etc displacing the old haunts to the chagrine of the expat proprieters who didnt see the writing on the wall.

The entertainment areas are relocating to the beachside areas.

A one hour drive out of town and you can be wandering around in a mountain or forest or sitting under a waterfall if thats your cup of tea.

The bad and the ugly exist in Sihanoukville just as anywhere else in S/E Asia, the tuk tuk mafia will test you but tend to back off if you hold the moral ground.

Everybody and their dog will try to set you up with a "beautiful "Viet lass and they are there in droves,but unlike Patteya they are inconspicuous as they are restricted to certain areas, (chicken farms as the Kmer call them). PM me if you want more info re this pastime, Ill be pleased to pass on the little I know,

Sihanoukville may not be everybodies cup of tea,but to an old country boy , a nice hotel and three squares a day for $30 and less a day coupled with the many activities available, (beaches, fishing etc)even a flutter at the casino suit me fine,

Cheers

Ozzy

Footnote; I think the travelogue writers at Lonely Planet need fear me not.

Very nice Ozzy. thank you for this well balanced piece.

It only crossed my mind as a place to avoid; I wouldn't normally have posted that thought, but since it's being mentioned...............

I've never been there, but wouldn't it be great is someone could post a few photos.

Go outside. Locate dustbin. Empty contents on unpaved road. Locate fat farang wearing a dirty vest. Position next to rubbish. Add a handful of maimed beggars (pun intended). Mix in a sprinkling of rats.

Take a picture.

there you go . . . . no need for someone else to do it for you.

Trolling again Mr. Bendix?

I'm looking forward to seeing some photos of the beach, town and general surrounds in Sihanoukeville.

Reduced: 80% of original size [ 500 x 375 ] - Click to view full image

Not guilty your Honour

Hmm.. I agree.. why can we enlarge the image of the ox but we cannot enlarge the INTERESTING pic just above it...?

[kankaroo]

Local cuisine and delicacies such as fried rats and tarantulas on-a-stick have never really lured me to the delights of Cambodia.

Firing a LARS rocket at a tethered cow really appeals to my adventurous sporting nature though...

Yep, as I always say, if you can't hold down your tarantula on a stick or deep fried rat then don't bother darken Cambodia's doorstep as it is all they eat.

And the cow & rocket phenomena is nothing but an urban myth. Everybody knows they use flamethrowers !

Love it or hate it, Cambodia provides a change of atmosphere & different pace of life from LOS.

IMHO : nice place to live but..............

[kankaroo]

And for those who grow tired of firing rockets at cows all day, you might like to take in a relaxing show, sort of like Cambodia's answer to Spanish bull fighting.

http://www.fmft.net/archives/BBC_NEWS.htm

[tropo]

Cheers

Ozzy

Footnote; I think the travelogue writers at Lonely Planet need fear me not.

Ozzy, I have a few questions for you.

1. Can you find reliable broadband internet connections there?

2. What about cable TV?

3. Are there any gyms?

4. Any decent supermarkets?

[ozzydom]

Cheers

Ozzy

Footnote; I think the travelogue writers at Lonely Planet need fear me not.

Ozzy, I have a few questions for you.

1. Can you find reliable broadband internet connections there?

2. What about cable TV?

3. Are there any gyms?

4. Any decent supermarkets?

Hi tropo, yes internet access varies between dial-up as slow as Los and satellite broadband which isnt to bad ,but pretty exy ,many guest houses are WiFi.

Yep cable tv is available ,most hotels and guesthouses are connected,about 60 channels.

Again yes gyms are available

4 out of 4, Supermarkets are small but well stocked with many items that are in the hard to find category in Los, they seem to cater primarily to the ex-pat community,I even found genuine Scottish sardines, most prices are well below Los.

You have to remember that wages are only 1000baht a month for the average Kmer and the low income is reflected in the price of most commodities.

ozzy

[Johpa]

Local cuisine and delicacies such as fried rats and tarantulas on-a-stick have never really lured me to the delights of Cambodia.

Firing a LARS rocket at a tethered cow really appeals to my adventurous sporting nature though...

Uff Da! I too have always wanted to toss a Norwegian at a cow.

[tropo]

Hi tropo, yes internet access varies between dial-up as slow as Los and satellite broadband which isnt to bad ,but pretty exy ,many guest houses are WiFi.

Thank Ozzy. Doesn't sound too bad at all. I was inquiring about the broadband specifically because if I set up there for awhile I'd need to have broadband at home.

How about apartments? Do they come fully furnished, and if not can you get your hands on all the necessities needed to set one up?

[kayo]

and why bother with cable anymore.

If you have broadband/wifi, download any and everyhting, as well as VLC, and buy two, one dollar cables to connect sound and visual to your tv, and watch as per normal.

Sorted.

[ozzydom]

Hi tropo, yes internet access varies between dial-up as slow as Los and satellite broadband which isnt to bad ,but pretty exy ,many guest houses are WiFi.

Thank Ozzy. Doesn't sound too bad at all. I was inquiring about the broadband specifically because if I set up there for awhile I'd need to have broadband at home.

How about apartments? Do they come fully furnished, and if not can you get your hands on all the necessities needed to set one up?

tropo, apartments are available ff, in the $100-200 pm ,as I posted previously ,there is no letting agent as such in town so you have to spread the word among the ex-pats re your requirements, a good source are the motodups,just offer a $20 bounty for the one that finds you suitable accom.

[JR Texas]

Hi tropo, yes internet access varies between dial-up as slow as Los and satellite broadband which isnt to bad ,but pretty exy ,many guest houses are WiFi.

Thank Ozzy. Doesn't sound too bad at all. I was inquiring about the broadband specifically because if I set up there for awhile I'd need to have broadband at home.

How about apartments? Do they come fully furnished, and if not can you get your hands on all the necessities needed to set one up?

tropo, apartments are available ff, in the $100-200 pm ,as I posted previously ,there is no letting agent as such in town so you have to spread the word among the ex-pats re your requirements, a good source are the motodups,just offer a $20 bounty for the one that finds you suitable accom.

IM (not so humble) O: The thing that struck me about Sihanoukville three years ago was the opportunity that I was seeing for development......it could turn out to be an amazing place with a deep water port, airport, beautiful scenary (mountains and ocean).

The Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese are really taking an interest in Cambodia.......investing in energy development, among other things. After tapping oil reserves and completing hydroelectric dam projects, Cambodia is set for ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. That will change things.

People that get in on the ground floor now could do very well within the next ten years (maybe). Of course, on huge advantage is the sane visa/business rules. Crime still worries me.....poverty and crime tend to go together and that will have to be fixed before hoards of expats move there.

But things are going downhill fast in Thailand.

[kmart]

And for those who grow tired of firing rockets at cows all day, you might like to take in a relaxing show, sort of like Cambodia's answer to Spanish bull fighting.

http://www.fmft.net/archives/BBC_NEWS.htm

I'm moving there this afternoon.

[markwhite]

True Mark ,"The Hill " is in part drab and uninteresting

I understand it's not all there is to Sihanoukville - one person's limited experience never gives a full picture.

if you want the opposite to drab then the $1000 a night Sokha Beach Resort and Spa is not far away.

I never thought such a place would've existed from the area I stayed in. I prefer modest, less-drab and more interesting places than expensive ones though :-)

The appealing thing to me are the many facets of Sihanoukville,you can choose to sit in a girlie bar slurping beer and fondling the merchandise or five minutes away sit in a deck chair on the beach with a Pina Colada in hand looking out to sea.

Well, sitting on the beach is something I enjoy. Other than that it really doesn't sound like my thing.

By the way Mark there is Ankhor beer and Anchor beer

I think I might've been on Anchor at the time. I don't remember why I chose and stuck with as I really found it quite insipid. I even stopped drinking for the last few days, and that's not like I used to be if there was an alternative.

Anyway - just because it's not the place for me, doesn't mean others won't enjoy it :-)

[sriracha john]

I hear cambodiavisa.com/forum is a great place to discuss this topic.

[ozzydom]

I hear cambodiavisa.com/forum is a great place to discuss this topic.

But not a patch on thaivisa.com

[the gent]

It only crossed my mind as a place to avoid; I wouldn't normally have posted that thought, but since it's being mentioned...............

I've never been there, but wouldn't it be great is someone could post a few photos.

Go outside. Locate dustbin. Empty contents on unpaved road. Locate fat farang wearing a dirty vest. Position next to rubbish. Add a handful of maimed beggars (pun intended). Mix in a sprinkling of rats.

Take a picture.

there you go . . . . no need for someone else to do it for you.

Ahhh....so. You're from Liverpool then.

[JR Texas]

It only crossed my mind as a place to avoid; I wouldn't normally have posted that thought, but since it's being mentioned...............

I've never been there, but wouldn't it be great is someone could post a few photos.

Go outside. Locate dustbin. Empty contents on unpaved road. Locate fat farang wearing a dirty vest. Position next to rubbish. Add a handful of maimed beggars (pun intended). Mix in a sprinkling of rats.

Take a picture.

there you go . . . . no need for someone else to do it for you.

Ahhh....so. You're from Liverpool then.

JR Texas to Ozzydom: I really want to know more about Sihanoukville. I am about to take a long journey, investigating alternatives to LOS--Cambodia (Sihanoukville), Vietnam (Sapa, Nha Trang, Dalit), Philippines (Baguio).

The main reason I am considering moving is the insane/xenophobic visa/business rules. I want to start a small business in Thailand, but not under the crazy conditions they impose on entrepreneurs.

Having said that, I really want to know if Sihanoukville has a market (clean market) where you can purchase basic Western food items that you can use in a Western restaurant? Things like cheese (real cheese), butter, good bread, fresh and processed meats (e.g., salami).

My guess is that most items are not available and must be imported (and are expensive). But I do not know. I have not been there for three years.

[DeputyDawg]

What about mobile sim cards? Last time I was in Cambodia about 3 years ago it was virtually impossible to get a pay as you go sim card, has this changed now? any one know

[t.s]

What about mobile sim cards? Last time I was in Cambodia about 3 years ago it was virtually impossible to get a pay as you go sim card, has this changed now? any one know

everyone i know in cambodia is constantly topping up their phone and has been doing so for years. they should be easily available

ts

[garro]

I remember visiting Cambodia with some friends a few years back. We were staying in Trat at the time and as one of my friends pointed out, 'Cambodia is like a different country'. How right he was.

I found Sihanoukeville to be a bit dodgy and the ex-pats seemed to be all drug crazed and on their last legs. Maybe I met them on a bad day. I think if your only qualifications were a GCSE in woodwork, it is probably a place you could go and set yourself up as an English Professor.

[DeputyDawg]

What about mobile sim cards? Last time I was in Cambodia about 3 years ago it was virtually impossible to get a pay as you go sim card, has this changed now? any one know

everyone i know in cambodia is constantly topping up their phone and has been doing so for years. they should be easily available

ts

Yes when I went about 6 years ago aquiring a prepay wasnt a problem however 3 years ago getting a new Prepay seemed very hard. I know that people who had them previously were able to top up no problem I just wondered if aquiring one had gotten any easier

[ozzydom]

It only crossed my mind as a place to avoid; I wouldn't normally have posted that thought, but since it's being mentioned...............

I've never been there, but wouldn't it be great is someone could post a few photos.

Go outside. Locate dustbin. Empty contents on unpaved road. Locate fat farang wearing a dirty vest. Position next to rubbish. Add a handful of maimed beggars (pun intended). Mix in a sprinkling of rats.

Take a picture.

there you go . . . . no need for someone else to do it for you.

Ahhh....so. You're from Liverpool then.

JR Texas to Ozzydom: I really want to know more about Sihanoukville. I am about to take a long journey, investigating alternatives to LOS--Cambodia (Sihanoukville), Vietnam (Sapa, Nha Trang, Dalit), Philippines (Baguio).

The main reason I am considering moving is the insane/xenophobic visa/business rules. I want to start a small business in Thailand, but not under the crazy conditions they impose on entrepreneurs.

Having said that, I really want to know if Sihanoukville has a market (clean market) where you can purchase basic Western food items that you can use in a Western restaurant? Things like cheese (real cheese), butter, good bread, fresh and processed meats (e.g., salami).

My guess is that most items are not available and must be imported (and are expensive). But I do not know. I have not been there for three years.

JR. The supermarkets carry a pretty good range of products,small goods are available through a couple of outlets,not sure if they are made in S,ville or PP,I know many of the farang business owners do a trip to Trang every few weeks for their bulk supplies,when the new road and bridges on the Koh Kong Rd,are finished it will be a snack to pop over into T,land.

Breads etc are made locally and are very good,the Starfish foundation runs an excellent bakery.

Sim cards and top-ups are no problem,but beware the scammers, a new sim card is about $7 and supposedly only for sale to Cambodians,but any outlet will sell to you for $20 ,Igot mine with my passport at the right price,any Khmer you ask will get you one for a $1 gift, there is no problem to buy top-up cards.

[midas]

Hi tropo, yes internet access varies between dial-up as slow as Los and satellite broadband which isnt to bad ,but pretty exy ,many guest houses are WiFi.

Thank Ozzy. Doesn't sound too bad at all. I was inquiring about the broadband specifically because if I set up there for awhile I'd need to have broadband at home.

How about apartments? Do they come fully furnished, and if not can you get your hands on all the necessities needed to set one up?

tropo, apartments are available ff, in the $100-200 pm ,as I posted previously ,there is no letting agent as such in town so you have to spread the word among the ex-pats re your requirements, a good source are the motodups,just offer a $20 bounty for the one that finds you suitable accom.

IM (not so humble) O: The thing that struck me about Sihanoukville three years ago was the opportunity that I was seeing for development......it could turn out to be an amazing place with a deep water port, airport, beautiful scenary (mountains and ocean).

The Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese are really taking an interest in Cambodia.......investing in energy development, among other things. After tapping oil reserves and completing hydroelectric dam projects, Cambodia is set for ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. That will change things.

People that get in on the ground floor now could do very well within the next ten years (maybe). Of course, on huge advantage is the sane visa/business rules. Crime still worries me.....poverty and crime tend to go together and that will have to be fixed before hoards of expats move there.

But things are going downhill fast in Thailand.

yes and in addition there is an incredible amount of discontent by many locals

regarding the government who don't give a ###### for the welfare of the general population

-they are lining their pockets as quickly as they can - those of you thinking of opening

a business there should talk to the locals about this issue because it's not good

to have such a discontented population

I feel very sorry for the Cambodian people - they just cannot seemed to win

with politicians- first the Khmer Rouge and now a group ( some of which ironically

were even connected directly or indirectly to the Khmer Rouge -but i have never been able

to rationalise that one !!!! ) - of corrupt and greedy

people in charge who are definitely not acting in the best interests of the average Khmer !