Should we make Cambodia the new HA HQ?

[Winston]

HappyGuy, I have not had sex here even once.

I know you haven't. That's not the shock of the year is it now, why would someone who has to travel all the way to Asia to escape their beta-ness get laid? Furthermore I saw your other thread about getting old and a declining sex drive. Mostly weak betas go to East Asia, some get laid with girls who like western guys some don't, some aren't interested in sex to begin with but that doesn't change what they are. And the lonely guys who fly to Asia to shave their heads, renounce women and become Buddhist monks are losers and have less knowledge and wisdom than a western slut.

Excuse me, but Ladislav is just speaking for himself. He has gotten laid hundreds of times in other countries, like Philippines, Thailand, and even had a wife once. He doesn't need to keep on getting laid to impress guys like you. He's in Cambodia now to work, not to try to score, and his employer is making him work long hours. So give the cultural master a break please.

However, FYI, our forum member WorldTraveler got laid a lot in Cambodia. Sometimes with bar girls, sometimes with disco girls, and sometimes with regular girls. However, he was very pro-active and cold approaching a lot, and playing the numbers game, tirelessly. So it's definitely possible if you want to. I saw him do it in person.

Also in Cambodia in the capitol city of Phnom Penh I saw many white foreign guys with Cambodian girls or women. You don't have to marry them because the laws against foreigners marrying local women are strict, but that doesn't mean you can't be a couple. There are gay couples too. Some expats told me about their "boyfriend" there, which was gross to me, but I tried to keep a straight face.

So yes the girls are attainable, but I wouldn't say are easy to pick up. Unless of course they are freelance prostitutes, which you can find there too.

Also the bars there in the red light area of Phnom Penh were pretty fun and classy. Even Rock had a good time there and enjoyed them more than the bars in Angeles City. They have classier girls and the place is more modern and clean and has class, not a ghetto or dump. The bar girls also have a good attitude and are playful, pleasing and act classier too. Very refreshing.

These are my impressions after spending two months there. When you are new of course, everything looks refreshing at first. Long term is another matter.

Also, why are you so judgmental? America considers a lot of people to be "losers". It doesn't take much to be considered a "loser" in America. America likes to use that term loosely because it's toxic and people like to raise their ego up by putting others down. Thus it's a toxic bullying culture. We all know that here and have exposed it. Why are you defending something bad and evil?

It's not like America gives you a choice about whether you want to be a loser or not. It doesn't give you a control panel that says "Push button A to be a loser. Push button B if you don't want to be a loser." It simply brands you a loser for any little reason, and gives you no choice about it. That's why we all consider it toxic and unfriendly and antisocial. Why aren't you blaming America? Why are you blaming victims such as expats that go to Asia?

Basically if you don't act FAKE and COCKY a lot and pretend to be hot shit, then you're a loser, at least in California and high school culture. Is that your standard too? If so then the problem is you, because sane people don't fit into insane cultures, as Erich Fromm said:

"The sick individual finds himself at home with all other similarly sick individuals. The whole culture is geared to this kind of pathology. The result is that the average individual does not experience the separateness and isolation the fully schizophrenic person feels. He feels at ease among those who suffer from the same deformation; in fact, it is the fully sane person who feels isolated in the insane society - and he may suffer so much from the incapacity to communicate that it is he who may become psychotic."
- Erich Fromm, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973)

[hypermak]

I liked Cambodia. Has a good vibe and is classy. People there strive to be good and provide good service and make a good impression. So it's not like the Philippines where no one gives a shit about making a bad impression on you and they have no shame about it. That's refreshing. The girls there act more classy too and carry themselves like real girls do with self-respect. The culture and food are exotic too, but food portions tend to be small. Except in Siem Reap, where they cater to foreign tourists, there the food portions are bigger and there's everything you can imagine, from Indian food to Mexican food to Chinese food to Seafood to Vegetarian food, etc.

Even Rock, who is usually overly critical, was impressed by Cambodian service and classiness.

As to your question, well the pasta and spaghetti are decent in Cambodia, but not the pizza. The pizza is kind of small and the cheese they use doesn't taste that good. If you want western quality pizza you have to pay a lot more, like 15 or 20 dollars, and the sizes will be smaller. Their large pizza is like smaller than medium in the US. Even their Dominoes Pizza is like that, large size to them is between small and medium to Americans. For some reason, Asia doesn't make pizza that well as Western nations do. Yes there are plenty of fusion places that serve everything, from western food to asian food, so you're never short of abundant choices. It's very cosmopolitan.

Accommodation is cheap though. You can get a decent hotel room for 12 dollars on Agoda.com or Trip.com. And canteens are cheap so you can eat cheap if you want to. Transportation is also cheap too, if you use PassApp (similar to Grab) you can get around most places for one dollar each way.

Thanks for your insight on the culinary scene, @Winston. Small portions are probably a legacy of French cuisine, which is notoriously generous about presentation but stingy on substance. I understand they probably use low-moisture mozzarella (easier to import and store but far less tasty than fresh one). The secret for a good pizza is quality flour and even water (medium ph, medium hardness) and obviously a brick oven. Even here in Manila I have seen very few pizza parlours have the correct oven installed, let alone have an appreciation of a choice of raw ingredient.

So if Siem Reap is the benchmark cuisine for foreigners, did you find better Italian restos when you were there?

[Winston]

I liked Cambodia. Has a good vibe and is classy. People there strive to be good and provide good service and make a good impression. So it's not like the Philippines where no one gives a shit about making a bad impression on you and they have no shame about it. That's refreshing. The girls there act more classy too and carry themselves like real girls do with self-respect. The culture and food are exotic too, but food portions tend to be small. Except in Siem Reap, where they cater to foreign tourists, there the food portions are bigger and there's everything you can imagine, from Indian food to Mexican food to Chinese food to Seafood to Vegetarian food, etc.

Even Rock, who is usually overly critical, was impressed by Cambodian service and classiness.

As to your question, well the pasta and spaghetti are decent in Cambodia, but not the pizza. The pizza is kind of small and the cheese they use doesn't taste that good. If you want western quality pizza you have to pay a lot more, like 15 or 20 dollars, and the sizes will be smaller. Their large pizza is like smaller than medium in the US. Even their Dominoes Pizza is like that, large size to them is between small and medium to Americans. For some reason, Asia doesn't make pizza that well as Western nations do. Yes there are plenty of fusion places that serve everything, from western food to asian food, so you're never short of abundant choices. It's very cosmopolitan.

Accommodation is cheap though. You can get a decent hotel room for 12 dollars on Agoda.com or Trip.com. And canteens are cheap so you can eat cheap if you want to. Transportation is also cheap too, if you use PassApp (similar to Grab) you can get around most places for one dollar each way.

Thanks for your insight on the culinary scene, Winston. Small portions are probably a legacy of French cuisine, which is notoriously generous about presentation but stingy on substance. I understand they probably use low-moisture mozzarella (easier to import and store but far less tasty than fresh one). The secret for a good pizza is quality flour and even water (medium ph, medium hardness) and obviously a brick oven. Even here in Manila I have seen very few pizza parlours have the correct oven installed, let alone have an appreciation of a choice of raw ingredient.

So if Siem Reap is the benchmark cuisine for foreigners, did you find better Italian restos when you were there?

Are you in Manila now? There is a good pizza chain there called Xtremely Xpresso, usually found in big malls. Have you been there? They have good pizza and large sizes. When I treat friends for my birthday, I usually invite them there. The Philippines can have good Italian food if you go to the malls to foreign chains or to expat areas. But their local food sucks of course.

Yes the portions in Siem Reap are bigger. But the pizzas aren't that great. The restos there are mostly fusion with everything, not just Italian. And many Indian ones too. The pasta was not bad, but the pizza was kind of small and bland. Dominoes pizza was better but a lot more expensive, like 15 dollars for a medium pizza, but you get a second free, but both aren't that big.

[hypermak]

Are you in Manila now? There is a good pizza chain there called Xtremely Xpresso, usually found in big malls. Have you been there? They have good pizza and large sizes. When I treat friends for my birthday, I usually invite them there. The Philippines can have good Italian food if you go to the malls to foreign chains or to expat areas. But their local food sucks of course.

Yes, I live in Manila, Pasay to be exact. I haven't had a big chance to visit all the Italian restaurants because I am busy with work 6 days a week. I post here whenever I pop back to my room, with luckily is in the staff quarters of the hotel where I work, a few tens of metres away.

In terms of Italian cuisine I have tried a few and I have to see that, for the price points, more than one restaurant got me pleased. The best ones I have tried are Francesco's in San Juan and Salvatore Cuomo in Podium Mall Ortigas. Motorino also does a decent New York style "fried" pizza. Then for those who don't have an acquired taste for authentic, wood-oven Italian pizza, there are plenty of options, from Yellow Cab to Sbarro to the usual big names, Pizza Hut, Domino's etc. The latter, I don't even consider them Italian pizza, just derivatives of American pizza.

Yes the portions in Siem Reap are bigger. But the pizzas aren't that great. The restos there are mostly fusion with everything, not just Italian. And many Indian ones too. The pasta was not bad, but the pizza was kind of small and bland. Dominoes pizza was better but a lot more expensive, like 15 dollars for a medium pizza, but you get a second free, but both aren't that big.

I see. So there might be good opportunities to set up something more authentic over there. I would be curious to know if foreign tourists there would be happy to pay a premium for a pizza made with fresh dough, fresh (imported) mozzarella and good quality tomato sauce and toppings. I heard Siam Reap doesn't have a sophisticated expat crowd compared to certain parts of Thailand, but I might be wrong.

Thanks again for the info, @Winston.

[xiongmao]

I might be up for a spell in Cambodia. How long can I get a visa for? As you might all know I was working in China but fled because of the virus. Now I feel like a pariah (even more than usual).

I am looking for Thailand jobs but they're not so plentiful or well paid as China jobs. I like the idea of just hanging out in Asia for the rest of the year, because it was freaking stressful abandoning ship!!!!

[Winston]

xiongmao,
A tourist visa in Cambodia is one month and can be extended once. But you can get longer visas at a travel agency. Rock got a one year Cambodian visa recently for 300 dollars, he told me. Look it up online. Here's a resource that will answer your questions.

http://www.movetocambodia.com

[Cornfed]

xiongmao,
A tourist visa in Cambodia is one month and can be extended once. But you can get longer visas at a travel agency. Rock got a one year Cambodian visa recently for 300 dollars, he told me. Look it up online. Here's a resource that will answer your questions.

http://www.movetocambodia.com

Can you still get business visas on demand? It used to be that you could get one for a month and extend it indefinitely using various agents.

[Winston]

xiongmao,
A tourist visa in Cambodia is one month and can be extended once. But you can get longer visas at a travel agency. Rock got a one year Cambodian visa recently for 300 dollars, he told me. Look it up online. Here's a resource that will answer your questions.

http://www.movetocambodia.com

Can you still get business visas on demand? It used to be that you could get one for a month and extend it indefinitely using various agents.

I heard you can. But you gotta do it through some travel agent. See the link above. It should tell you. There are different types of visas and they should be easy to get. But you gotta pay though. Once you get there, the cost of living is pretty low, lower than Philippines and Thailand even. I saw apartments in Siem Reap that were amazingly cheap, like under 200 dollars a month, yet decent quality.

[Winston]

Ladislav posted this in our FB group about the pros and cons of Cambodia:

Ladislav:

"Cambodia overview.

All the info here is on the afaik basis and a personal opinion. Not legal advice.

Advantages:

Easy visas and extensions. If you are past 55, you can get a one year visa for less than $300 and it can be renewed w/o leaving the country. Ad infinitum and thru a travel agent. Under 55, other different visas are available.

DL is easy, not too much enforcement, and cops have no guns. Not many cops around, period. This is not a police state.

Lots of jobs for teachers here. The pay varies from $600-3000 depending on quals. I have known people w/o degrees who got jobs here albeit at a lower pay scale. Easy work permits.

Great Buddhist- Hindu- French culture and refined, well mannered, non-angry, non arrogant, non-invasive people who mind their own business. The feel here is of complete neutrality. Not much social class snobbery. No complexes, Inferiority or superiority. No "Asian nationalism" as in Thailand.

The French introduced the concept of equality, fraternity and liberty. Foreigners are addressed as " bong " ( sibling). I remember one lady at a market talking about me to another Khmer and calling me " younger brother".

Unlike in Thailand, where a Western man is often viewed as a nuisance, a "Farang" and an alien body who is there to invade and ruin local culture, here you are just one of the crowd. They've had the French here, and everybody else. No one even looks at you. In the countryside, they simply assume you are just another Frenchman.

A very high %% of foreigners are living here permanently and there is a dynamic expat community. The expats are largely very helpful.

Rather good infrastructure, and very pleasant to look at architecture. Lots of French colonial style. Nice cafes, nice trees, boulevards, etc.

Cheap and good housing and services. The Internet is pretty good, with pretty good coverage and cheap- $6 a month! Power cuts happen but are quickly fixed.

Very good food, all is edible and pleasant to the pallet. A lot of international foods are available, albeit pricey. German, French, Japanese restaurants, etc. You want it, they've got it.

Lots of great hostess bars for night owls.You can also smoke in public.

Disadvantages:

It's hot. No proper rainy season or a predictable cool season. Suddenly, in January, you have 34C. Why? It's the monsoon but it only rains several times. No mountain region to escape to when it's hot. Lots of establishments have no a/c.

Not much English and it is usually limited to points of contacts with foreigners and is functional - basically, restricted to the role those people perform. French is no longer used as before; only 5% can speak it. So, you need to run around with your Google Translate. If there is no connection, you will have a problem. So, as in many other parts of Asia, some people will avoid you because they think you cannot speak the language.

Racism is not a big problem, but the cultural gap is huge, unless you yourself choose to become a Khmer speaking Buddhist. And some people do. But even then, it is a neutral culture of non attachment.

Some young guys date here and say." I have not had any problem", but they will usually date from a small stratum of English speaking Westernized Khmers and a small number of single moms past marriageable age. If you are an older guy who wants to copiously date local younger women, it will be way harder. Less tolerance of age gaps, most women are very shy and do not even look at men, plus the whole country is very conservative. Dating is not much part of the culture; you want to meet me, that means you want to marry me. Foreigners who date here are expected to marry soon, pay for the wedding, $3K at the lowest end all the way up to $30K, and are not allowed to marry period, unless they make $2500 a month and can document it.

These are some points I can think of, so you may want to add if you can think of other.

Come and check it out. You may like it."

He also posted another list of pros and cons of Cambodia in another thread here:

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