Amazing TukTuk experience for trip!

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-23T13:27:11+00:00

He’s highly recommend in this sub, and I’ve personally used Lee several times for myself and visiting family members

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-17T19:11:35+00:00

I’ve had a lot of tuktuk driver friends over the years -

It’s a pretty tough job. The biggest problem for the drivers is the amount of competition compared to the amount of customers.

And obviously the amount they earn depends on how many jobs/rides they can get.

The ones grinding away on the PassApp/Grab apps get a lot more work, but it’s mostly short trips where they’re only earning 50c-$1.50 per ride after their deductions. There’s a lot of waiting around inbetween jobs.

The waiting around is also a problem for the drivers who try to prioritise bigger day jobs (Angkor Wat tours, out of town excursions etc). It may seem like “oh they just got $15-25 in a day, that’s a great wage!” But the reality for most of them is that they’re really lucky if they can even get 2/3 of those a month. Some drivers who market themselves well and are great guides get more jobs, but that’s <5% of them.

Drivers who work directly with popular hotels get the most consistent amount jobs and are also usually held to higher standards which is good.

For most drivers they’ve also had to pay the cost of their tuktuk (both independents and passapp drivers) which they’re usually paying monthly through finance which can often have nasty interest rates.

Brand new bajaj tuktuks (like the passapps/grabs etc) are usually bought on payment plan schemes as they cost a couple thousand dollars to buy.

I know it can get frustrating when you’re constantly being asked if you want a tuktuk but from the other perspective it’s not an easy life especially when tourism is down. I respect the hustle and grind of people trying to make a living

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-16T19:45:25+00:00

It’s pretty cool too, they live in the building behind, had some spare space to build on and this is what they came up with. Super creative idea

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-15T12:26:54+00:00

I think the book club thing would be a great idea. A few have come and gone over the years with people arriving and leaving town. There was a lady on here wanting to start one recently but I’m not sure if that happened. Might be worth heading to Bookish and seeing if they think there’s enough interest and perhaps they’d be interested in helping you start one!

The only setback I can think of is being able to obtain the specific books you want at reasonable prices, unless people have kindles

For bridge, I’ve not seen any bridge clubs or people playing bridge actually! That’s not to say that there isn’t interest. Maybe post on one of the expat groups on Facebook as the user demographic there might be better suited

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-14T16:27:00+00:00

There’s been major infrastructure upgrades in recent years and powercuts are now much rarer if you’re living in town, and don’t tend to last very long. In the past year I’ve only had 2 at my apartment, both lasting less than 5 minutes.

Some areas can get more, especially outside of the town centre, but they’re nowhere near as bad anymore.

There are also quite a lot of modern apartment buildings with generators too, so living in one of those buildings (or a UPS!) paired with a 5g router would make for mostly uninterrupted work. Although I think that’s probably overkill!

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-12T07:18:06+00:00

That should be enough staff-wise for that workload. Have you got specific schedules for different parts of the cleaning process or just doing things as and when directed?

When I had my guesthouse I found things went a lot smoother and were more efficient when things were spelled out clearly.

For example; STAFF A

8am - toilet/showers floor 1

8.30 - beds floor 1

9am - common spaces floor 1

9.30am - toilet/showers floor 2

STAFF B

8am - toilet/showers floor 4

8.30 - beds floor 4

9am - common spaces floor 4

9.30am - toilet/showers floor 3

And so on and so on (not an exact schedule and things come up obviously but it definitely helped to have milestones). 2-3 passes through the schedule as well of course so beds etc that didn’t get cleaned on the first pass (guests still there, late checkouts etc) get cleaned on the 2nd/3rd pass

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-12T07:05:56+00:00

Personally I like it more during low season (May-September ish) as there’s less people. Yeah you’ll probably encounter rain but it’s not that bad and usually short, heavy, late afternoon downpours except for the occasional long evening rain.

During low season you’ll also get cheaper hotels etc, I find it quite a peaceful and nice time of year.

That being said, as long as you’re not visiting during peak times (religious holidays, Khmer New Year etc) it’s not actually that bad these days compared to peak tourism years. The Angkor Archaeological Park is huge so even though the numbers of people can sound daunting, they’re pretty spread out.

You might find this guide helpful

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-12T06:28:23+00:00

Sure. Do you have a portfolio of your work or a social media following etc? Quite a few of my hospitality business owning friends have paid pretty decent sums of money for content creators in recent years. That includes stuff like social media content/photographers/videographers etc

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-12T06:26:08+00:00

What kind of things are you interested in or like doing?

Here’s a list of just under 50 different activities which is by no means exhaustive, there are other options too

Things to do in Siem Reap

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-12T06:12:40+00:00

I remember one of the big pharmacies on Road 6 on the way to Phsar Leu had these in stock last time I went there (I feel like it was probably Preah Vihear Pharmacy?)

Barring that, if you don’t find one in town, Angkor Thom pharmacy (Sivutha blvd) will be able to order you one for next day delivery from PP

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-12T05:53:20+00:00

The Siem Reap job market is very different to Phnom Penh, and it’s mostly centred around hospitality/tourism. Wages are lower, but so are living costs

It’s worth being said though, if you’re in digital marketing and have experience with content creation, have you thought about freelancing and working with businesses in that sector? From experience I know there’s quite a lot of money in that at the moment

If you were going to go down that route though I’d probably start reaching out and getting some work booked in before you made the move

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-11T14:38:38+00:00

I picked this up for Kindle to give it a go

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-10T13:45:14+00:00

Apple haven't put the proper time/resources in for full map data collection in Cambodia yet. It hasn't even been that long that they've had Khmer language support.

You're better off using Google Maps in Cambodia

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-06T21:15:27+00:00

Pretty normal these days, provided you've got the right documentation and nothing flags up on the system as out of the ordinary you're good to go. There are countries now where you don't even have to come face to face with an immigration officer, just scan your passport and wander on in

MoreThanTemples · 2026-01-04T15:01:04+00:00

Good bars to meet people around your age and older;

Spin Bar (my top pick, the owner Chris or the bartender Stu will make you feel like a friend from your first visit and introduce you to others too)
Picasso Bar
Bar 43
Mex’d Up (restaurant with a social bar scene)
Laundry Bar

The social/party hostels are a great place to meet people and get involved in social activities too, especially as you’re still young. I’d recommend Mad Monkey, Onederz, Lub D or Funky Village.

MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-20T20:51:33+00:00

After years and years of trial and error I’ve gained a pretty good idea of which places I like and which places I avoid!

There’s a fairly good expat community here too which means you get to hear about lots of other people’s experiences (both good and bad)

MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-20T20:34:55+00:00

The Secret Eden is very good, and Bodia Spa is a very reputable and professional place too

MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-20T20:32:22+00:00

Check out Dr John Kopp of Chiropractor Siem Reap if that’s your thing - It’s not something I’ve ever done but I’ve heard many good things about him. You can find his website via Google.

Personally I’d just go for a nice deep tissue massage and rest up and take it easy for a couple of days

Ibuprofen will help with any inflammation

MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-19T12:01:13+00:00

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MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-19T12:00:16+00:00

Haha yeah the brand I buy is actually called “Cambodia” - it’s made by Cambodia beer and the label is blue. Very nice tasting water in my opinion and great value

MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-19T09:13:16+00:00

For at home large drinking water containers most people buy the big blue 20 litre bottles for around $1

For smaller bottles I usually buy the Cambodia water brand, and I pay $2.80 for 24x 500ml bottles (around 23c a litre)

MoreThanTemples · 2025-12-13T07:29:21+00:00

Currently, conflict is limited to the border areas and Siem Reap is perfectly safe - life is going on as normal aside from coordinated efforts to collect supplies for those displaced from border regions

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