3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

180 days for tax purposes

Thats another fly in the soup

1 hour ago, BatteringRam said:

 

What is this dull nonsense? Are you having a brain aberration?

 

If someone asked if anyone knew about web design and I referred them to you, would you be writing the same 💩?

 

Please deal with your mental issues privately, rather than to expose them on the open forum.

 

I referred him to you as you were the person I knew who seemed to be in a normal relationship. But it seems that you are not at all normal yourself. Calm yourself down or just go away.

Just another brain fart, I can read. Have a great day!

32 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Ill slap a hundred on my forehead and attract them all.

 

ProTip: When at Thermae, a stack of 1000Bs in the top pocket is a fabulous conversation starter

 

Yes, it will identify you as both, a profligate to take advantage of, or, alternatively, a worthwhile robbery target once you walk up the stairs... Why not wear a huge gold necklace instead? 😆 

41 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You dont see the sick children gig too much, except on line at the Childrens hospital. Its the beggar kids running around the bars that are the annoyance.

 

Maybe if you stop hanging around the bars , you won't have that problem.

4 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

Yes, it will identify you as both, a profligate to take advantage of, or, alternatively, a worthwhile robbery target once you walk up the stairs... Why not wear a huge gold necklace instead? 😆 

You walk down the stairs. You have never been there.

1 minute ago, BatteringRam said:

 

Maybe if you stop hanging around the bars , you won't have that problem.

You live in a land where they hang big screen TVs on street corners and show the Prem? Cool

Just now, Yagoda said:

You walk down the stairs. You have never been there.

 

No, you walk UP the stairs on leaving. It used to be in the basement, so how do you walk down the stairs on leaving? Are you going to your dungeon?

Just now, Yagoda said:

You live in a land where they hang big screen TVs on street corners and show the Prem? Cool

 

No. I have a TV at home and don't hang around low life.

4 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You walk down the stairs. You have never been there.

 

On the way out (after they saw you with all the cash in your pocket)... 😉 

 

(Better to jump right into a taxi for safety reasons.)

17 minutes ago, BatteringRam said:

 

No. I have a TV at home and don't hang around low life.

You have mirrors, right?

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've been there, once was enough, you go there alot? i noticed more dodgy foreigners there than Thailand

 

 

 

 

Not a lot but enough to get a positive feel for the country.

 

Pity that foreigners muck it up for you.

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

On the way out (after they saw you with all the cash in your pocket)... 😉 

 

(Better to jump right into a taxi for safety reasons.)

I try to stay at the Ruamchitt. Its actually an inside joke for  anyone who might also belong to another Forum.

36 minutes ago, BatteringRam said:

 

No. I have a TV at home and don't hang around low life.

I'm pretty sure all the low life are delighted about that.

1 minute ago, Keeps said:

I'm pretty sure all the low life are delighted about that.

 

Seems you are. 

22 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You have mirrors, right?

 

More of your 'inside' jokes that only you laugh at?

I'm losing interest in batting you around.

2 minutes ago, BatteringRam said:

 

Seems you are. 

It goes without saying that we, the aristocracy, are delighted you do not darken our doorstep. I was merely commenting that the low life are no doubt equally as joyous. 

Does Sharkie's unexploded ordinance bar still exist inPP?

1 minute ago, Keeps said:

It goes without saying that we, the aristocracy, are delighted you do not darken our doorstep. I was merely commenting that the low life are no doubt equally as joyous. 

 

So you live there? 

Whilst it is easy enough to make fun of you, I don't want to do that. I've had enough fun with @Yagoda 

Better to have a normal discussion if you can.

I think Cambodia suffers from a relatively poor image, even if in the past. The Killing Fields. Paedophilia. No one really talks about Cambodian cuisine.  

I guess I came to the thread to get some positive news. A reason to take a look for myself. Unfortunately the people who reside there are hardly role models and so aren't really able to improve the image in the mind's eye.

So if you have some positive input, I'm happy to review it.

 

3 minutes ago, BatteringRam said:

So you live there? 

My God no! It's full of low life.........

14 minutes ago, BatteringRam said:

 

So you live there? 

Whilst it is easy enough to make fun of you, I don't want to do that. I've had enough fun with @Yagoda 

Better to have a normal discussion if you can.

I think Cambodia suffers from a relatively poor image, even if in the past. The Killing Fields. Paedophilia. No one really talks about Cambodian cuisine.  

I guess I came to the thread to get some positive news. A reason to take a look for myself. Unfortunately the people who reside there are hardly role models and so aren't really able to improve the image in the mind's eye.

So if you have some positive input, I'm happy to review it.

 

Oh my god, you got banned out of there too

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Went in October 2023. Had the whole Angkor Wat Complex to myself. Truthfully, I got lost in it for a while. I put Angkor as the second best thing I ever saw while traveling. Behind The Grand Canyon and ahead of the Taj Mahal.

 

It takes about 10 minutes to walk around the tourist area. I recall a Greek restaurant and a Mexican restaurant on opposite corners, both good but hardly great.

 

Fish Amok is mushy fish in coconut milk. Like a hospice meal might be in Thailand. There was a garden restaurant near the big ruin that had the only good-as-Thailand Cambodian food I've eaten. Out on the lake, they hustle crocodile for lunch. It's better on Khao San Road.

 

I've been 3 times. Probably one too many.  I live on a very touristy street in Bangkok. Over time, I have come to love its hidden side. Prob the same in Siem Reap.

 

Short version: It's just too small and too backwards. I'd rather be in an Issan town.

 

 

Any country whose GDP is more than 50% derived from scam centers and filled with mainly Chinese organized crime gangs and Western fugitives is basically a failed state and an absolute <deleted>hole. Nuff said. 

4 hours ago, Yagoda said:

Oh my god, you got banned out of there too

 

You do post some utter rubbish. Most of the time actually.

1 hour ago, Prubangboy said:

Went in October 2023. Had the whole Angkor Wat Complex to myself. Truthfully, I got lost in it for a while. I put Angkor as the second best thing I ever saw while traveling. Behind The Grand Canyon and ahead of the Taj Mahal.

 

It takes about 10 minutes to walk around the tourist area. I recall a Greek restaurant and a Mexican restaurant on opposite corners, both good but hardly great.

 

Fish Amok is mushy fish in coconut milk. Like a hospice meal might be in Thailand. There was a garden restaurant near the big ruin that had the only good-as-Thailand Cambodian food I've eaten. Out on the lake, they hustle crocodile for lunch. It's better on Khao San Road.

 

I've been 3 times. Probably one too many.  I live on a very touristy street in Bangkok. Over time, I have come to love its hidden side. Prob the same in Siem Reap.

 

Short version: It's just too small and too backwards. I'd rather be in an Issan town.

 

 

 

Thanks. Doesn't seem worth more than a couple of days.

14 hours ago, Yagoda said:

Here you go, Siem Reap vs Bangkok

 

Housing:

Overall, I would say same as Bangkok. Of course, you are comparing apples to oranges. Thus $2000 a month gets you a lovely River View or high floor modern condo in Bangkok. In Siem, that gets you a 8 bedroom villa with private pool and servants. I pay more here for my apartment than I do for my condo in Bangkok, but its 2x bigger and I have a better pool. If you are on a budget, Siem has far nicer cheap places. 

 

Food:

No comparison, the restaurant food is overall better in Bangkok, but minimally cheaper here. The quality of meat is better in Bangkok. Local Produce is better and cheaper here. I wont eat seafood here, I will in Bangkok. Khmer food qua khmer food is not high on the scale of gourmet delites. By saying the food is better in Bangkok, does not mean the food is bad here, its just if you are a gourmet, you would be happier in BKK.  The border closure has affected prices and availability. Btw, because of the French, the bread is really good here. But only one place does real bagels, in stead of 50. The pizza sucks.

 

Expats:

Big city vs nowheresville. Far more spread out in BKK. More concentrated here. Lesser quality IMHO overall since ANYONE, save some folks here, can get in. Some very sketchy druggies down in the girly bar area. More working folks in Bangkok, more bsing digitial nomads and NGOers here per capita. Lots of retirees, lots of last legger retirees too.

 

Visas:

Retirement Visa is one year, around $300, no reports, no fees to leave, free Temple pass after 2 years.. Business visas are easily available via an agent. In essence, visas are the easiest in SE Asia, no reporting, no bs. Hows your Thai visa treating you? Hope you live in Isaan somewhere where its 5 minutes.

 

Shopping:

Bangkok. This is the land of chinese junk.

 

Medical/Dental:

Bangkok

 

Transport:

Here $1-2 gets you anywhere in the city, door to door. Scooters are very usable to experienced expats. Driving is on the correct (American) side of the road. Far easier and cheaper to travel in Siem vs Bangkok for oldsters, less walking. Intercity? Bangkok wins.

 

International: Bangkok wins, the Siem airport is a Chinese fiasco.

 

Entertainment:

Bangkok rules. Yes, you have the temples here, but it will cost you. Until you have a pass, its only something you can do occasionally. I go about once a week to smoke a joint and try to spot a howler monkey near Pallilay temple. There are no concerts, one movie theatre, no sports. The Botanical Gardens are free and worth multiple visits. Walking by the River. Occasional festivals.

 

Adult Nightlife:

Bangkok wins. This is minor league here. The KTVs in the Khmer areas are fun if you like KTVs (I dont).  I dont go to Chicken Shacks, so you need not bother asking. Bar Fines are $15 here, 500B. But, when the border is open, you can leave Siem Reap at 10am, cross the border, catch the train to BKK and be sitting in Billboard with an Ice Coffee and Number 561 at 9pm for $12. Nuff said.

 

People:

Khmers overall are nicer and their English is better. They are extremely obsequious to Westerners, especially Americans which is why I guess they are nicer. Probably because they are all grindingly poor. I have no problem with Thai people btw. Khmers on the surface are far less "religious" than Thais, but more mysterious. Lots of rocks in the jungles with offerings. One thing that is interesting is the way Khmers view Westerners who live here: if they work for you, you are "theirs". "My foreigner is very nice, it calls me for work every day." Yes, we are "its". When you live here, you have as many servants as you want. Laundry washed folded and ironed $1 kilo. Food delivery, .25-50 cent tip. Cleaning house $5. Cook, $1. I try to overpay as much as possible. And most of them help you without any expectation of tip.

 

Atmosphere:

Bangkok is a big city. Siem is a sleepy tourist backwater. Cambodian poverty is grinding. I do my best to help. 

 

Tourism:

Very tame. Pub Street is like the bright lights and loud music you would find on Soi 6 in Pattaya...without the girls and sex. Loads of locals. Loads of European backpacker girls. Tourists are primarily at Pub Street and Sok San Road/Funky Lane/Wat Bo. You can live in areas where you will be the only white face.

 

Crime:

Ive only been pickpocketed in Bangkok. I consider it extremely safe unless you are one of those dudes messing with ladyboys and getting massacred by the locals.. Here, if folks stay away from the Ladyboys in the tourist areas (I can give you a report tomorrow since the Sports Bar for the Man U match is 100 meters from Ladyboy Corner) and dont drink too much you will be fine. Drugs like cocaine, ketamine, meth and weed are illegal but readily available. The cops, whenever you might see them, dont usually interfere with Westerners until such time as they cause a problem OR are wanted. Whats a problem? Messing with a local. Thats the only crime that ever seems to be applied ab intio to barangs. You can be a Turk and Azeri stabbing each other in the street and the cops wont care. Be so fd up on ketamine you fall off your scooter and the cops wont even come. Touch a local or get aggressive with local: here comes the mob of Khmers. Wanted folks in other countries: Huge priority for the cops. They get $$. Overstays? They get $$. Kiddie diddlers? Big, big dollars.

 

Attn for a Certain Bunch Here

For those of you who breathlessly whisper the words Cambodia and insinuations of you fantasies of the Child Prostitution: Its the biggest mistake you will over make. There are NGOs in town who need to deliver to justify their funding. The FBI loves it because its a slam dunk conviction in the USA. The police will run stings so check that ID for that cute girl who caught your eye.. They can either take your money or sell you to an NGO. And anyone can get a piece of the action. A lot of the expats keep an eye open for that, tips always a worth a few bucks or points with the folks who need to look the other way about other matters..  And dont think you can come here and be a teacher to fullfill your fantasies they have been grabbing those left and right.. And the best part for many foreigners is that unlike the USA which brings you back for Pelican Island, you get to stay in a Cambodian Prison.

 

Beggars:

Bangkok in my mind is bereft of beggars. I know there was a worm dude squirming up Suk for years and have seen homeless on the streets down on Suan Luang but never a real annoyance, unlike Africans. One of the horrible things in Siem are the begging children and amputees. Under no circumstances should you give any money to begging children, buy anything from peddling children, touch any child, pay any attention to an unaccompanied  child, photograph a unaccompanied child. They are everywhere in the tourist areas, including the Angkor Park.  The thing to say is Tow chingnay, go away. Amputees frequent the tourist areas. As an American whose country is partially responsible for all of those injuries I usually give food.

 

 

 

Tuk Tuk dudes:

Its your main mode of transport. If you live here, make some friend, I have a main and backup day guy and a main and backup night guy. They are completely loyal and helpful and I overpay. Never buy drugs from tuk tuk guys. As soon as they whisper ":weed" just smile and say "No, thank you, no weed, no ketamine, no cocaine, no lady massage, no lady boom boom, no Temples". Most of them will laugh and a few will say "young boy" with a smile. dont pay more than  5,000R for a ride anywhere in town. Download the PassApp app.

 

The Temples:

You need to see them once in your life and if you are in SE Asia, shame on you if you dont. How many times you go there is up to you. 

 

Lifestyle and general:

For Americans. Think about living in a place like Asheville NC or Columbia SC with Atlanta and Charlotte right there. Laid back one place with fun stuff, action in the other. 

 

I came because of the weather (smog), the Visas and because of my age. I think that you could look at here as a version of Nong Khai, a place I am thinking about . Bangkok gets rougher as you get older but the damn hassle with Visas and the annoyance of the Thai government just ruins the whole country for me.

 

 

 

Pure rubbish. All 1,771 words of it. Absolute tosh of the highest order. Not a single word of it is grounded in truth or reality. Totally deluded, like stage 3 dementia.

 

1 hour ago, short-Timer said:

 

Pure rubbish. All 1,771 words of it. Absolute tosh of the highest order. Not a single word of it is grounded in truth or reality. Totally deluded, like stage 3 dementia.

 

You're sick. His report is excellent.

20 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

True, Vietnam even worse, i had two text book scams attempted on me there

 

I had the opposite experience; locals actually warning me all the time to hold on to my mobile phone. Went to HCMC the last time in 2019. In the touristy 'Walking Street' (District 1) things had changed quite a bit compared to my last stay... Fewer western tourists, but instead a good number of Africans. Also, suddenly lots of ho*kers, openly plying their trade, but who didn't look Vietnamese (Khmer, Thai?), and a dodgy guy observing me using my phone had this conversation with me:

 

Dodgy guy (speaking clear English): "You should be careful with your phone. It could get stolen."

Me: "What do you mean? Is that a thread? I could call the police, you know."

Dodgy guy: "Do you see any police around here?"

 

 

Still went back to Vietnam (Hanoi) the next year in early 2020. Loved it there, even though the markets were all closed because of the beginning pandemic.

6 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Had the whole Angkor Wat Complex to myself. Truthfully, I got lost in it for a while. I put Angkor as the second best thing I ever saw while traveling.

The rebuilding of the temples was disappointing, seems wrong

17 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

And the reason why there is such cut-throat competition is because poor Thais have no option but to start a 60 baht food business to make a few baht to survive, so so many of them do that. No social security. They have no option.

 

And we are all exploiting their poverty.

If you feel so strongly about it, stop supporting Thai businesses.