Compare Chiang Mai With Phenom Penh..........

[Thighlander]

For those who have been both places could you give some comparisons? Airfare is pretty cheap, and I may just go there for a visa run. Might consider staying, if I like it.

[DiamondKing]

NO COMPARISON

PP is good for a visit but to live there would be a stretch for me I will say the visa process is easy and you can work there without any issue you just get a business visa on entry $25 I think it was then you go to any travel agent and pay $250 for the year for a multiple entry work visa, lots of bar restaurant foreign owners etc. Prices about the same as CM. traffic insane.

CM is way ahead of PP in every way except the visa situation

[bhatmasterson]

I could give you some info on this but would prefer to just answer any questions you may have. That saves me from having to be all analytically about it.

[Thighlander]

What would ANchor and Angkor Beers compare with? How about cigars? Are there many casinos? How would a fan room compare with CNX?

What's the soi dog situation like? Do people put beer on ice there? How about the condo market? Thanks folks!

[kaptainrob]

It's Phnom Penh.

Lovely city with loads of potential for investment and future growth. Bread, wine, cheese, beer and food is excellent. Cambo girls perhaps not as 'cultured' but speak excellent English and have bigger noms.

Go visit!

[mesquite]

Advantages are Phnom Penh uses USD and long stay visa is much much easier. No soi dogs. No condo market. It's much more buyer beware than CM. The only way to assess it is to go there yourself and talk to the long term expats. IMHO living in CM is much easier. I agree with the comments above.

Edited June 3, 2013 by mesquite

[hellodolly]

Been 4 or 5 years but not there over three days then up to Siem Reap.

The thing I remember was it was dirty and dark. But they are still recovering from Pol Pot. I for sure want to go back and spend at least a week there. It has lots to see and I just did not even have enough time to do the major attractions. Not into the bar scene but from what I hear it is good.

I do not drive or have a motor bike but my Thai wife does and she says she would never ride in that city. American Money is used and English kind of hit or miss on the little I could see.

A friend of mine said they have no traffic code. I think he was pulling my leg but not much. They drive on the right side of the road.

The Visa's are as easy to get as here in Thailand get off airplane pay $25 and welcome. If you want more than just a 30 day that is another thing. I have heard some people say there Visa was free. My Thai wife was free.

In my opinion they have a lot of potential. Well worth at least a week
and then make up your mind if it is for you. It seemed to me that when
the French were there building they had an eye on the future with the
infrastructure. That is not to say it is up to what it can be but it has
the potential.

[Thighlander]

that reminds me of those excellent french baugettes in Vientianne. Don't know if it's worth breathing french body odor, though. Did notice quite a few places with 50 cent beers, which apparently have all but disappeared in Thailand.

[scd]

I think most of it is covered in Rob & Mesquite's posts. Living costs are farily comparable, with the food options a lot more friendly to the Western diet. You can get a very nice bottle of Australian red for a hell of a lot cheaper then you can here if that's your thing. Your intentions once you get there need to be considered. Are you thinking retirement and/or business? If it all goes balls up for me i would most likely move there. It would be a change up in pace though and involve a lot more traffic.

Edited June 3, 2013 by scd

[dave2]

re

For those who have been both places could you give some comparisons?

phnom penh has

a welcome sign

street markets the same as here

the mekong river

tuk tuks

wide streets

monkeys

and a beautifull royal palace but diamond king is right

about the insane traffic and if you had a serious accident

or medical problem there i think you could be in trouble

dave2

[KRS1]

PP to me was sketchy, walking around at night people look at you like theyre out to get you. Never felt in danger in CNX.

PP is a dump, people still throw trash on the floor at restaurants. Cigarettes are cheaper, Guinness is cheaper, Internet really sucked 5 years ago. A few casinos but only foreigners allowed in.

Tourist area is called Riverside....They speak better English as mentioned, very shrewd people. LOVE to drink. Traffic is chaos.

Street food is more expensive. A large percentage of the population do not like Thais.

I went to school with a few Cambodians so know the people well.

[heybruce]

I was there in March. Western food is better in Phnom Penh than in Chiang Mai, but Thai food is better than Khmer food. They're very relaxed about marijuana in Cambodia, "happy" pizzas and fruit shakes are sold openly in restaurants along the river. The rentals I saw advertised in the English language papers were expensive, but a local expat told me that if you shop around you can find decent places at good prices. I think there's only one western style supermarket in the city. Traffic is terrible. People sell gasoline/petrol in plastic and glass containers they scrounged from the garbage from stands along busy city streets. Some effort to pick up trash is made in the city center, but outside the city trash is everywhere. The government makes Thailand's government look clean and competent--the only rich Cambodians are government officials and their cronies.

I wouldn't describe Cambodia as a place with potential but as a place with wasted potential. They have, or had, beautiful beaches that could have made the country the new SE Asia tourist hotspot, but the beaches are covered with trash and polluted with medical waste. The story I heard, but can not confirm (Cambodia's press is well cowed) is that a well connected businessman got a contract to dispose of the entire countries medical waste, then hired someone to take it a few miles offshore and dump it in the sea. This was an EU funded contract, and the a**hole who ruined these beautiful beaches pocketed millions, with suitable bribes to the appropriate officials I'm sure.

I don't know if I'll go back. The people are nice and it could be a great country to visit or live in, if it weren't for the government.

[SDH]

What would ANchor and Angkor Beers compare with? How about cigars? Are there many casinos? How would a fan room compare with CNX?

What's the soi dog situation like? Do people put beer on ice there? How about the condo market? Thanks folks!

Okay,

Casinos in CM - Underground, need an introduction and very dangerous, plus they are illegal.

Beer CM - Can get anything imported and expect to pay for it, as it speciality.

Cigarettes and Cigars CM - Konstantin has found out that they're very difficult to find besides the low end stuff, 1-2 stores stock speciality, once again bring your wallet.

Beer on ice CM - yes hey pur beer on ice here, but upon request you can have it straight up.

Companionship CM - Like everywhere in the world you can find varying levels, you can find a lot of information on other sites, remember prostitution is illegal in Thailand, the legal age is 18 but why not hold out for 20.

Condo CM - Condos here are cheap, readily available and never increase in value, reason is they just build more, there's no zoning laws, if there are they are not followed, parking is a problem, traffics getting worst by the day.

Hope this helps out!

[mesquite]

It's Phnom Penh.

Lovely city with loads of potential for investment and future growth. Bread, wine, cheese, beer and food is excellent. Cambo girls perhaps not as 'cultured' but speak excellent English and have bigger noms.

Go visit!

Cambo girls also have not yet perfected the art of separating the Farang/Barang from his money. Oh, they can do it, just not as efficiently and creatively as their Thai counterparts. Edited June 4, 2013 by mesquite

[khwaibah]

The Lucky Supermarket in Cambodia/Phnon Penh, 5 branches in PP alone puts the farang markets of Chiang Mai and Bangkok to shame. Cambodia has a far superior selection of wines and at a huge saving compared to Thailand.and beer what do you want, far better selection ad far superior than Thailand IMHO

.http://www.luckymarketgroup.com/

[wildpikey]

NO COMPARISON

PP is good for a visit but to live there would be a stretch for me I will say the visa process is easy and you can work there without any issue you just get a business visa on entry $25 I think it was then you go to any travel agent and pay $250 for the year for a multiple entry work visa, lots of bar restaurant foreign owners etc. Prices about the same as CM. traffic insane.

CM is way ahead of PP in every way except the visa situation

Less dick 'eads in PP... Chiang Mai is swamped with them..

Oh yeah, and the local beer in PP is vastly superior to Thai beer... Anchor (not Ankor)

Edited June 4, 2013 by wildpikey

[khwaibah]

NO COMPARISON

PP is good for a visit but to live there would be a stretch for me I will say the visa process is easy and you can work there without any issue you just get a business visa on entry $25 I think it was then you go to any travel agent and pay $250 for the year for a multiple entry work visa, lots of bar restaurant foreign owners etc. Prices about the same as CM. traffic insane.

CM is way ahead of PP in every way except the visa situation

Less dick 'eads in PP... Chiang Mai is swamped with them..

Oh yeah, and the local beer in PP is vastly superior to Thai beer... Anchor (not Ankor)

[ARISTIDE]

Cigarettes are cheaper, Guinness is cheaper,

what about the Duke's I might consider moving there to escape the in laws

Edited June 4, 2013 by ARISTIDE

[KRS1]

Cigarettes are cheaper, Guinness is cheaper,

what about the Duke's I might consider moving there to escape the in laws

I found the food to be rather expensive in PP.

Its ghetto there - no like, i was actually very happy and relieved once i crossed the border back into Thailand, felt like i was back home again

Even talking to the immigration guy at the Trat border was like music to my ears, so much nicer than Cambodian immigration.

[binjalin]

its ok for few days but i'd advise you to get down to Sihonoukville

anyway girls are nice, food is ok - beer is great

don't think about comparing - nice for a visit not a place to stay long periods

[hellodolly]

Seems to me a lot of people have booze as the number one thing on their list. With that being the criteria I am sure they can do better than PP.

For the rest of it I don't know I would love to spend a week there and see the city itself. Not an imitation city like inside the moat in Chiang Mai.

They had some kind of park there on a big hill no time to see it just drive around it. Defiantly worth inspection.

[kaptainrob]

Seems to me a lot of people have booze as the number one thing on their list. With that being the criteria I am sure they can do better than PP.

For the rest of it I don't know I would love to spend a week there and see the city itself. Not an imitation city like inside the moat in Chiang Mai.

They had some kind of park there on a big hill no time to see it just drive around it. Defiantly worth inspection.

Food and drink go together Dolly. J & I had some very tasty Khmer food in PP and SR. 'Titanic' on Sisowath Quay is notable as a tourist joint BUT with excellent food at reasonable prices .... sort of like our own River Market Restaurant here in CM.

I look fwd to my next Cambo visit, it's a comfortably affordable 3rd world experience. Nice to get away from our race toward Thaksin-driven-economic oblivion!

[Thighlander]

Look at the Happy Hours. If anyone knows of anything like this in Chiangmai (not 10 years ago), please let me know. As far as the Mary Jane; having attended public schools in the US, during the 70s, I just can't imagine people buying and selling it. I'm going to write a letter to the Embassy. Drinking is just so much more productive. Long live alcohol(ism).

[KRS1]

Seems to me a lot of people have booze as the number one thing on their list. With that being the criteria I am sure they can do better than PP.

For the rest of it I don't know I would love to spend a week there and see the city itself. Not an imitation city like inside the moat in Chiang Mai.

They had some kind of park there on a big hill no time to see it just drive around it. Defiantly worth inspection.

Food and drink go together Dolly. J & I had some very tasty Khmer food in PP and SR. 'Titanic' on Sisowath Quay is notable as a tourist joint BUT with excellent food at reasonable prices .... sort of like our own River Market Restaurant here in CM.

I look fwd to my next Cambo visit, it's a comfortably affordable 3rd world experience. Nice to get away from our race toward Thaksin-driven-economic oblivion!

You may not be so happy to know that Cambodians are largely Pro Thaksin.

[hellodolly]

Seems to me a lot of people have booze as the number one thing on their list. With that being the criteria I am sure they can do better than PP.

For the rest of it I don't know I would love to spend a week there and see the city itself. Not an imitation city like inside the moat in Chiang Mai.

They had some kind of park there on a big hill no time to see it just drive around it. Defiantly worth inspection.

Food and drink go together Dolly. J & I had some very tasty Khmer food in PP and SR. 'Titanic' on Sisowath Quay is notable as a tourist joint BUT with excellent food at reasonable prices .... sort of like our own River Market Restaurant here in CM.

I look fwd to my next Cambo visit, it's a comfortably affordable 3rd world experience. Nice to get away from our race toward Thaksin-driven-economic oblivion!

Sorry about that yes food and drink go together for some. My point was that there is a lot more to PP than food and drink.

Actually my Thai wife thinks the food sucks but she thinks If the food is not Thai it is no good. That is the only problem we have when we travel.

I do hope the OP gives it a good look.

[dave2]

re

once i crossed the border back into Thailand, felt like i was back home again

Even talking to the immigration guy at the Trat border was like music to my ears, so much nicer than Cambodian immigration.

here ya go !

koh kong bridge over the river to the thai border in trat

province ..... enjoy

dave2

ps i went from there to pattaya for a couple of weeks

before i came home

[Thighlander]

http://penhpal.com/restaurant-guide/happy-hours-around-phnom-penh/ forgot link. I'll bet the food taste better after a smoke.

[Thighlander]

Seems to me a lot of people have booze as the number one thing on their list. With that being the criteria I am sure they can do better than PP.

For the rest of it I don't know I would love to spend a week there and see the city itself. Not an imitation city like inside the moat in Chiang Mai.

They had some kind of park there on a big hill no time to see it just drive around it. Defiantly worth inspection.

Food and drink go together Dolly. J & I had some very tasty Khmer food in PP and SR. 'Titanic' on Sisowath Quay is notable as a tourist joint BUT with excellent food at reasonable prices .... sort of like our own River Market Restaurant here in CM.

I look fwd to my next Cambo visit, it's a comfortably affordable 3rd world experience. Nice to get away from our race toward Thaksin-driven-economic oblivion!

You may not be so happy to know that Cambodians are largely Pro Thaksin.

From what I see now, those were the good ole days.

[KRS1]

Glad to here that.

The consensus in the past was, he had to do what he had to do to make money.

[PoodMaiDai]

Medical in Cambodia is pretty bad, traffic is horrible, massive trash problem, it gets really hot and stuffy there, and it's overall pretty seedy. A LOT of desperation there.

Other than that, the happy pizza, relaxed ganja laws, and basic lawlessness are pretty nice.

CM wins this one hands down. If only Thailand would relax the visa laws and loosen their drug laws to permit personal use of marijuana, it would be perfect as warm pie.