List of concerns with regard to a sudden move to Cambodia?

[Sheryl]

Be interested in y'all thoughts on this:

U.N. envoy says Cambodia tensions near 'dangerous' tipping point

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cambodia-un-rights-idUSKCN0WX1FA

There is no doubt the political situation and human rights situation is very bad and people are deeply unhappy about it. But it is a chronic situation there.

[cgtours]

Not what you want to hear, but I think you should consider going back to your home country and taking some time and get sorted out before you jump into an unknown situation with what appears to be very limited resources.

Why do you want to live in S/Asia ?What Nationality are you? Maybe it is a very good idea to return to your home Country for a while and then

return to S/Asia when you are more prepared.

[cgtours]

OP needs to move somewhere 'safe' like Peoria.

Where is Peoria?

[lookforzeros]

....I will definitely use condoms when receiving oral sex from any woman in Cambodia and even protected intercourse with a condom worries me as they aren't a 100% guarantee. Has anyone on here received unprotected oral and come away from it without an std?

real men dont kiss and tell LOL

but here's a little

i have NEVER had oral sex with a condom>> whats that like, did u pay for it?

Dengue ( i got it here in Phuket) is MUCH worse than any std,

Have also had Hep A and Malaria but not in Cambodia

I haven't had any vaccination's in decades an been living here since the 80's

Personally i think u should remain in Japan, ur not ready for Cambodia nor is Cambodia ready for you.

Did you know it was Dengue when you started to feel sick or did you go to the hospital to get diagnosed?

[phuketrichard]

used duck duck go , had all the symptoms,

after 4 days of bone aching hell, went to the hospital for a blood test to confirm what I knew

For me it was more intense pain than Malaria and recovery was longer

[phuketandsee]

OP needs to move somewhere 'safe' like Peoria.

Where is Peoria?

you'll find it close to Google, IL (or Az)

[F4UCorsair]

If you need to see a doctor, DO NOT go to an Australian 'Dr Gloria..... (can't remember her surname). She's not a doctor. I found out only after she performed an operation on me, only minor, and it was all OK, fortunately, but I would have preferred a qualified doctor.

As for the rest, I think you're stressing unnecessarily. Go and enjoy...Phnom Penh is a great place.

[freebyrd]

Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but surely part of living anywhere in SE Asia is about a certain amount of mystery and adventure?

I was set upon in Bangkok and again in Manila, them's the breaks, I saw off my attackers quite easily though. 10 years in Phnom Penh, never a whisper of anything. As SiemReaper says, smile, don't antagonise people unneccessarily and you will be fine.

If you're worried about potentially nasty diseases and what amoebas are in every bottle of water, perhaps you would be best served moving back to the West, living spitting distance from a hospital and sleeping in an oxygen tent......and dying of boredom

Cambodia is simply different, it's not hell on earth and is an interesting place to live.

[buythisdashcam]

You stayed too long in Japam, you sound like a worried Jap who cannot go out without his driver and will never eat street food...

[buythisdashcam]

OP, be careful, you can die because of dengue !

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/887610-rip-por/

Sorry, I don't want to be bad, but after reading a full page of replies I still haven't seen you reply with a "Thank you".

Not my business I agree, but as I would tell you in real life I also tell you online :-)

Let's see if you get polite on the second page of posts...

... ok i finished reading and I now understand why the OP is so worried, it must be because of his own attitude.

Also, as dogs only bite people who show their fear, OP you should not go to Cambodia.

Just one question to others, what about Sianoukville, is it exactly the same as anywhere, safer ? And how much is a cop salary, can I pay him to work for me after his official work ?

[F4UCorsair]

I recall when I arrived in Phnom Penh, about 13 years ago now, and the head of our organization, smallish company, told us of the terrible dangers, foreigners murdered, mayhem, riots, etc. There was a bit of trouble, and we slept on the office floor near the airport one night when the tanks came out, in a show of strength, to suppress it.

As a consequence, we only ever went out in a group, 6+, sometimes 10 guys. He was always sensing danger......watch that guy, I think he has a knife, etc.

One night after too many beers at the Cathouse, the place with a sign on the door "Leave firearms with the security guard", I somehow was separated from the group and they left, convoy style, without me. I stumbled home around midnight, and I'd have been easy pickings for a local looking for a few $$, but nobody came near me, and I was offered transport by a few moto taxi riders, the bad guys in Thailand. They didn't tip off their mates, and I arrived home safely.

I had a policy of only taking about $20.00 with me, and in those days that was plenty for a good meal and quite a few beers.

I never felt threatened in Cambodia, and I doubt it's become more of a wild west town than it was back then.

[blondesurferboy]

used duck duck go , had all the symptoms,

after 4 days of bone aching hell, went to the hospital for a blood test to confirm what I knew

For me it was more intense pain than Malaria and recovery was longer

Why didn't you just go to get treated right after your bones started hurting on day 1? Were you not aware at the time that it was a symptom of dengue?

If I started feeling like shit, I would go to the hospital right away, but that is just me.

[phuketrichard]

used duck duck go , had all the symptoms,

after 4 days of bone aching hell, went to the hospital for a blood test to confirm what I knew

For me it was more intense pain than Malaria and recovery was longer

Why didn't you just go to get treated right after your bones started hurting on day 1? Were you not aware at the time that it was a symptom of dengue?

If I started feeling like shit, I would go to the hospital right away, but that is just me.

why? there is nothing they can do but put u on an iv drip in an expensive room.

didn't need spend that $$ for nothing

[blondesurferboy]

You stayed too long in Japam, you sound like a worried Jap who cannot go out without his driver and will never eat street food...

Yes, I know. I have just been living in Japan too long I guess and I have gotten too used to the safe environment here. I used to live in China before coming here and I used to eat dirty street food all the time. I would also eat at those little mom and pop shops and I ended up with food poisoning 3 times, sinusitis and chlamydia once as well.

If I went to Cambodia, I would definitely eat the street food as it looks delicious. I will just visit first rather than move there and I will make sure my visit is sometime after the new dengue vaccine as made a home there lol.

Some of the stories of perfectly healthy expats suddenly dropping dead or slowly dying from organ failure is pretty eye-opening.

[blondesurferboy]

used duck duck go , had all the symptoms,

after 4 days of bone aching hell, went to the hospital for a blood test to confirm what I knew

For me it was more intense pain than Malaria and recovery was longer

Why didn't you just go to get treated right after your bones started hurting on day 1? Were you not aware at the time that it was a symptom of dengue?

If I started feeling like shit, I would go to the hospital right away, but that is just me.

why? there is nothing they can do but put u on an iv drip in an expensive room.

didn't need spend that $$ for nothing

Well, that sucks damn. I guess you make a good point. I read in an article that there is a new vaccine for certain strains of dengue and it has a green light in Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.

Hopefully, it makes it over to Cambodia soon...as proves to be effective as well...

[tonray]

There is a wide spectrum of severity with dengue, it can be so mild that you hardly know you have it and so severe that it is anguish and you have to be hospitalized. And everywhere in between.

Why this obsession with dengue?

I just have this paranoia about being one of the lucky ones and getting it at least once while I live there. I'm almost worried that even if I get my vaccinations, I will probably end up getting Hep A or B from contaminated food, water, women, etc.

The reason I feel this way is because my body seems oversensitive to infections. I also contract infections such as std's very easily. For example, I keep reading online from doctors that are experts in the field of stds and sex health and they often mention that it isn't very common to contract chlamydia and gonorrhea via unprotected oral sex, yet whenever I decide to receive oral without a condom BOOM! I get it every time lol. I just find it strange because I don't have HIV or any other immune deficiency disease, yet my body so easily catches infections (the flu, cold as well).

I will definitely use condoms when receiving oral sex from any woman in Cambodia and even protected intercourse with a condom worries me as they aren't a 100% guarantee. Has anyone on here received unprotected oral and come away from it without an std?

Yes, the idea of being involved in a traffic accident sounds pretty scary as well.

Perhaps you should re-evaluate your partner selection method ?

[blondesurferboy]

There is a wide spectrum of severity with dengue, it can be so mild that you hardly know you have it and so severe that it is anguish and you have to be hospitalized. And everywhere in between.

Why this obsession with dengue?

I just have this paranoia about being one of the lucky ones and getting it at least once while I live there. I'm almost worried that even if I get my vaccinations, I will probably end up getting Hep A or B from contaminated food, water, women, etc.

The reason I feel this way is because my body seems oversensitive to infections. I also contract infections such as std's very easily. For example, I keep reading online from doctors that are experts in the field of stds and sex health and they often mention that it isn't very common to contract chlamydia and gonorrhea via unprotected oral sex, yet whenever I decide to receive oral without a condom BOOM! I get it every time lol. I just find it strange because I don't have HIV or any other immune deficiency disease, yet my body so easily catches infections (the flu, cold as well).

I will definitely use condoms when receiving oral sex from any woman in Cambodia and even protected intercourse with a condom worries me as they aren't a 100% guarantee. Has anyone on here received unprotected oral and come away from it without an std?

Yes, the idea of being involved in a traffic accident sounds pretty scary as well.

Perhaps you should re-evaluate your partner selection method ?

Oh, I have definitely been doing some re-evaluating. It was quite the learning sexperience lol.

[buythisdashcam]

OP, when do you move, actually I really want to read about your adventures ! Will a mototaxi eat you ? A bar girl infect you with instant HIV, or anything else ? Of course I don't wish you, and I think you will be fine, but at least your life is not a boring life with nothing happening !!!

[blondesurferboy]

OP, when do you move, actually I really want to read about your adventures ! Will a mototaxi eat you ? A bar girl infect you with instant HIV, or anything else ? Of course I don't wish you, and I think you will be fine, but at least your life is not a boring life with nothing happening !!!

I wonder if there has ever been a poor soul who has been screwed at every turn in the tropics. You know, the story of a guy who travels alone, eats at some dive, gets Hep A, hooks up with a woman, gets a couple STD's and more Hep, followed by dengue from all the mosquitoes and then a random dog comes out of nowhere and bites him, then he ends up with rabies on top of everything else.

His body just explodes from the cocktail of infections swimming throughout his body and he looks like an Ebola patient until he finally crashes out. I hope I'm not looking into my future lol.

I'm sure that there have been people who have been infected with multiple infections at the same time...any of those survivors on this forum? I salute you!

[buythisdashcam]

Can you inform when you move to Cambodia ? Maybe interesting to follow you for a TV documentary...

[louse1953]

Oh how could I forget - health care!

It is abysmal (and expensive). For anything serious or at all specialized you need to go to Thailand or Viet Nam. Best to have an expat insurance policy that covers those countries as well. Thailand especially has become expensive, VN is less so but also less user-friendly for foreigners. For simple problems, most medications can be bought over the counter but stick to reliable air conditioned places as there are counterfeit drugs on the market.

And yes, I have had dengue...three times. Dengue is highly unpleasant but not the greatest threat to your health by a long shot. That would be traffic car/motorcycle accidents. Do not underestimate the need for good insurance cover including one that would cover emergency medivac to neighboring country. Doesn't matter how healthy you are. They drive like maniacs and even as a pedestrian, you are not safe from being run over...plus you will inevitably need to take the aptly names moto-dops (pronounced dopes) to get around. People always worry about exotic tropical diseases, it is car/moto accidents that are the real danger.

Cambodians are very friendly people and not in the least xenophobic (except as regards the Vietnamese, a whole other story). If you take the time and trouble to learn their language, have a sincere interest in their culture and them as a people, you will certainly make local friends. The women are more conservative than in Thailand and will not be all over you (any that are, you can be sure they are hookers) but they are not closed to relationships with foreigners like in Japan, it all depends on you as a person and also on how committed you are to settling down in Cambodia -- only hookers are likely to be interested in someone perceived as just passing through. You will have the most luck with women reasonably close to your own age, whatever that is. Be aware that casual dating is not really accepted in Cambodia and while the younger generation do have premarital sex, they do so discretely and in the context of serious relationships that often end in marriage. If you do get a Cambodian gf, she is likely to take it very seriously and expect you to do the same...as will her family. An older woman who has already been married (divorced, widowed etc) will be a little less strict but even they will usually be looking for something lasting. Very different from the situation in Thailand. Much less mercenary, but expecting much more emotionally and in commitment.

I know that dengue fever is a lot more dangerous than infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea, but I was just wondering if the symptoms of dengue are similar in discomfort to an std or much much worse? I'm sorry, I don't mean to imply that you have even had an std in your life, but if you have, how would you compare the symptoms of an std to dengue fever?

I have had chlamydia 3 times in my life and gonorrhea once (infected at the same time as chlamydia once in Thailand) and the symptoms are bearable without medication for a couple days, then I start to feel super nauseous and my stomach is in knots my day 2 or 3 without medication. Then again, I usually go to a hospital or clinic as soon as I can.

Your worried about every disease known to mankind but your are too irresponsible to tarp up.You need to wake up to yourself.

[JD66]

I lived in Siem Reap for a year . 9/14 -9/15.I entered on an ordinary visa. I extended every few months at a local travel agency. Near the end of my one year stay I received a visit at the hotel I had been staying at the entire time , by half a dozen police and immigration officers .One guy had more medals on his chest than General Patton..And there were not friendly at all in fact they were hostile and trying to be intimidating..

They wanted to know what business I had started and why I had not applied for a work permit. I said I have no business, they informed me that if you stay on an ordinary visa you must have work permit , a business and pay tax.( I assume this will be the same as having a job teaching).And then demanded to know what I was doing there

I told them ,'' Well for one thing like so many other foreign retirees ,, distributing my retirement pension into your economy to help insure that the Cambodians here in the tourist mecca of Siem Reap can have enough money to live.As well as volunteering my time ,my money with the homeless and the local orphanages'' (which was no lie).

'' Now on a different subject .. I applied for extension which I was given and now you're here interrogating me. If you have a problem with people obtaining extensions than maybe you should pay a visit to your travel agents that hand out these extensions out like candy. You come here in a less than courteous manner after it was suggested by YOUR immigration officer at the airport that I apply for the ordinary visa. I've followed the rules that YOU set in place. My documents are in order as is my visa .I am not here illegally and have not had any problem with the law the entire time and yet you're here treating like a suspect .''( All was said in a very calm and polite way). The senior officer apologized and they went on their way. I left a few weeks later.

So if you enter on the ''ordinary'' visa you'll have to either open a business or obtain employment. Because as far as they're concerned an ''ordinary visa'' is in fact another classification for a business visa.

As far as safety...never had a problem. But the tuk drivers are beyond obnoxious.and aggravating. Here in Chiang Mai ..''tuk,tuk''? you say no thanks.. end of story .. There??! ''You want ,drugs,massage, hookah, young girl ,heroin'', on and on and on..And they follow you and just are complete utter a@##$#@!s.

All in all I found the people in Siem Reap were ALOT more freindly than here in CM. Whether or not it's sincere ,,who knows but if they were'nt than at least they're smart enough to realize that tourism is important to their economy so by and large they were all very easy going, cheerful and accommodating. I found SR the LOS ..not here in CM.

[wump]

I think they just tried to squeeze some money out of you. There's no need to open a business with an ordinary visa, why would they have changed the name from business visa to ordinary visa otherwise.

And yes, the tuk tuks are super annoying. I hate when they follow you demanding to know where you go and what you'll do there.

I don't think moving to Cambodia is a good idea for the op. I got robbed right in front on my apartment and finally decided to leave this dump of a country. You'll constantly have to watch your back and never feel really safe. Dengue should be the least of op's worries.

Thailand is way better and much more civilized.

[buythisdashcam]

Thank you for the report. How did they know where you stayed ? The hotel reported you ? Or you put the real address on some forms that you filled (I always put a fake address anywhere I visit in the world)).

Did they search the room ?

Congratulations if you really spoke like this and if they understood English to that point, we should teach to local stupid that they have to respect us, anywhere !

You seem the only one to have this problem with ordinary visa as everybody extend it for 1 year without working.

Do you think that the best way to behave is to ignore all the tuktuk touts without even say no ? Or you had another strategy ? My problem is that when people follow me I want to hit them, and then I sometimes have to pay for my mistake, I just like that it will be very cheap in Cambodia !

I lived in Siem Reap for a year . 9/14 -9/15.I entered on an ordinary visa. I extended every few months at a local travel agency. Near the end of my one year stay I received a visit at the hotel I had been staying at the entire time , by half a dozen police and immigration officers .One guy had more medals on his chest than General Patton..And there were not friendly at all in fact they were hostile and trying to be intimidating..

They wanted to know what business I had started and why I had not applied for a work permit. I said I have no business, they informed me that if you stay on an ordinary visa you must have work permit , a business and pay tax.( I assume this will be the same as having a job teaching).And then demanded to know what I was doing there

I told them ,'' Well for one thing like so many other foreign retirees ,, distributing my retirement pension into your economy to help insure that the Cambodians here in the tourist mecca of Siem Reap can have enough money to live.As well as volunteering my time ,my money with the homeless and the local orphanages'' (which was no lie).

'' Now on a different subject .. I applied for extension which I was given and now you're here interrogating me. If you have a problem with people obtaining extensions than maybe you should pay a visit to your travel agents that hand out these extensions out like candy. You come here in a less than courteous manner after it was suggested by YOUR immigration officer at the airport that I apply for the ordinary visa. I've followed the rules that YOU set in place. My documents are in order as is my visa .I am not here illegally and have not had any problem with the law the entire time and yet you're here treating like a suspect .''( All was said in a very calm and polite way). The senior officer apologized and they went on their way. I left a few weeks later.

So if you enter on the ''ordinary'' visa you'll have to either open a business or obtain employment. Because as far as they're concerned an ''ordinary visa'' is in fact another classification for a business visa.

As far as safety...never had a problem. But the tuk drivers are beyond obnoxious.and aggravating. Here in Chiang Mai ..''tuk,tuk''? you say no thanks.. end of story .. There??! ''You want ,drugs,massage, hookah, young girl ,heroin'', on and on and on..And they follow you and just are complete utter a@##$#@!s.

All in all I found the people in Siem Reap were ALOT more freindly than here in CM. Whether or not it's sincere ,,who knows but if they were'nt than at least they're smart enough to realize that tourism is important to their economy so by and large they were all very easy going, cheerful and accommodating. I found SR the LOS ..not here in CM.

[wump]

I was going to ask why on earth would he tell immigration his address but then I remembered that technically every foreigner staying at your hotel should be reported to immigration/police, just like in Thailand. Was certainly the case when I stayed there, even though it was a small family owned apartment complex.

As for tuk tuks: After the usual "Transport? Massage? Boom Boom? Marijuana?" most will leave you alone. I find it rude not to say anything but maybe that's the best way to deal with them.

[fireplay]

Hey op i am so bored with thailand after 6 years and considering moving to japan...maybe Tokyo in the Koenji district. What kind of visa can i get as an American citizen working online for an international company? Can I live in Japan indefinitely?

[Lex Talionis]

At first the tuk tuk drivers used to annoy me no end. But then I took notice of how my kgf handled them. Without looking at them she would just shake her head once, sharp and quick, left to right. It always silenced them immediately. I quickly adopted that sharp-snap technique and it works for me as well.

Walking into an intersection, with drivers and motodops bird-dogging from each of the four corners, I continuously shake my head left and right (if you say no to a tuk tuk driver, be sure that a nearby motodop will ask "moto?") calmly, kind of like a walking bobble-head doll, smiling all the while. It's a preventive strike that works every time.

[tonray]

Hey op i am so bored with thailand after 6 years and considering moving to japan...maybe Tokyo in the Koenji district. What kind of visa can i get as an American citizen working online for an international company? Can I live in Japan indefinitely?

Aren't you afraid of getting sick from bad sushi ? or maybe being kidnapped by a gang of Ninja warriors ?

[blondesurferboy]

I lived in Siem Reap for a year . 9/14 -9/15.I entered on an ordinary visa. I extended every few months at a local travel agency. Near the end of my one year stay I received a visit at the hotel I had been staying at the entire time , by half a dozen police and immigration officers .One guy had more medals on his chest than General Patton..And there were not friendly at all in fact they were hostile and trying to be intimidating..

They wanted to know what business I had started and why I had not applied for a work permit. I said I have no business, they informed me that if you stay on an ordinary visa you must have work permit , a business and pay tax.( I assume this will be the same as having a job teaching).And then demanded to know what I was doing there

I told them ,'' Well for one thing like so many other foreign retirees ,, distributing my retirement pension into your economy to help insure that the Cambodians here in the tourist mecca of Siem Reap can have enough money to live.As well as volunteering my time ,my money with the homeless and the local orphanages'' (which was no lie).

'' Now on a different subject .. I applied for extension which I was given and now you're here interrogating me. If you have a problem with people obtaining extensions than maybe you should pay a visit to your travel agents that hand out these extensions out like candy. You come here in a less than courteous manner after it was suggested by YOUR immigration officer at the airport that I apply for the ordinary visa. I've followed the rules that YOU set in place. My documents are in order as is my visa .I am not here illegally and have not had any problem with the law the entire time and yet you're here treating like a suspect .''( All was said in a very calm and polite way). The senior officer apologized and they went on their way. I left a few weeks later.

So if you enter on the ''ordinary'' visa you'll have to either open a business or obtain employment. Because as far as they're concerned an ''ordinary visa'' is in fact another classification for a business visa.

As far as safety...never had a problem. But the tuk drivers are beyond obnoxious.and aggravating. Here in Chiang Mai ..''tuk,tuk''? you say no thanks.. end of story .. There??! ''You want ,drugs,massage, hookah, young girl ,heroin'', on and on and on..And they follow you and just are complete utter a@##$#@!s.

All in all I found the people in Siem Reap were ALOT more freindly than here in CM. Whether or not it's sincere ,,who knows but if they were'nt than at least they're smart enough to realize that tourism is important to their economy so by and large they were all very easy going, cheerful and accommodating. I found SR the LOS ..not here in CM.

So if you move to Cambodia and get an ordinary visa and then later have trouble getting a work visa right away due to not finding work/companies not wanting to apply for a work visa for you/etc. then the military men will just start hassling you?

Were you actively looking for work or just living there on an extensive vacation? If you were able to prove that you were actively looking for work...would they be a little more reasonable?

[blondesurferboy]

Hey op i am so bored with thailand after 6 years and considering moving to japan...maybe Tokyo in the Koenji district. What kind of visa can i get as an American citizen working online for an international company? Can I live in Japan indefinitely?

If you have a college degree, then you can find a school to help sponsor a work visa for you, no problem.

If you don't have a college degree, then you will NOT be able to get a work visa, BUT you can always marry one of countless single/lonely Japanese women in Japan and earn yourself a Spouse of Japanese National visa. You can legally work on this visa and this is what I am doing now.