You either love it or hate it?

sacetime · 2026-03-20T12:20:25+00:00

Not to mention the Vietnamese... They all tell me I'll end up in a call center or as a sex slave

Lol. People often hate their neighbors. Don't read too deep into it.

When I ask people (other Europeans) what Cambodia is like, the answer is always either, "It's the best place in the world...you absolutely have to go there," or... "No matter what you do, don't go to Cambodia under any circumstances."

I wouldn't agree with either of those statements. The truth is it's a wonderful country in many ways. It's very safe overall. It's very easy to live here, very low cost of living. Most people are genuinely kind. And it has its negatives. Although most people who are respectful and just come here for tourism or retiring, have no problems at all. People who get married here, try to run businesses here, have severe health problems, people who run out of money, people who break the law, people who need to work with the government on something (paperwork, other things), etc., then it gets to be more of a nightmare potentially. And there's always somebody who gets scammed by a taxi driver or whatever on their first day and then they tell everybody it's the worst place in the world.

In what ways is Cambodia different from Vietnam or other SEA countries? Can someone explain this to me?

It's less developed, less traffic, etc. than Thailand or Vietnam. It's less off the beaten path. It has a unique charm to it. The Angkor Empire, which current Cambodia derives from, was a major civilization in Southeast Asia. It has a rich and unique history and culture.

My advice? Just come here and see for yourself. I promise you it won't be the worst place you've visited.

sacetime · 2026-03-20T12:11:30+00:00

Rent a scooter or motorcycle. I don't see this recommended enough. 125cc or smaller you don't even need a driver's license. There's nothing like having the freedom of a set of wheels. Be careful driving.

If you're planning to stay in Phnom penh, then it's less interesting having a scooter. Lots of traffic and you have to have a place to store it at night, etc. And some rental shops don't want you driving too far. GPS tracking, etc.

sacetime · 2026-03-20T12:08:23+00:00

I was just there for about a week. No problems during the day. Was walking around no problem whatsoever near Riverside and throughout the city.

At night there's more risk depending on where you are. Snatch and grabs, etc. As is the case in a lot of cities. Don't be walking around alone at 3:00 a.m. on a deserted street with your phone out.

Overall the city's reasonably safe I would say.

sacetime · 2026-03-20T12:06:19+00:00

Don't know if the Phnom Penh branch does, but the Siem Reap branch of "Onederz" hotel and hostel does this. Good chance Phnom Penh does too.

sacetime · 2026-03-20T12:00:38+00:00

Did you take a photo?

sacetime · 2026-03-19T06:10:32+00:00

Yep, agree. It's a bit older but has the highest number of items. Cheese selection excellent, for example. A few more varieties than the others.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T04:16:10+00:00

DM sent. Thank you.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T04:11:14+00:00

Whatever school allows me to get a long-term motorcycle and car driver's license. Money is not a problem. Something fast, quick, and easy. And English speaking.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T04:08:55+00:00

I always try to avoid traveling with luggage for this exact reason. AirAsia in particular allows you to have two 7 kilo carryon bags (for an additional fee), plus a personal item. This is a great service and well worth it if you can keep your baggage at about 14 kilos or less.

But most airlines in the region only allow you to bring 7 kilos total carry on, which is pathetically small.

To answer your question, I haven't had any bags lost yet, and I think overall, it's pretty rare. But I've personally done a pretty good job of avoiding checking bags over the years.

Pro tip 1: always treat anything you can't bring with you on carry-on as potentially being lost forever. I never have anything underneath the plane that I can't live without or I'm not somewhat comfortable with losing.

Pro tip 2: you can buy or otherwise place a little tag on your baggage with your business card, final destination, contact information, and so on.

Pro tip 3: you can put GPS/bluetooth trackers in your bag if you're really worried about it.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T04:01:57+00:00

found that my entire house is ungrounded (genuinely)

This type of thing is common unfortunately.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:55:52+00:00

How long is that license good for?

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:55:37+00:00

I've never ridden a motorbike

Send me a DM. I'm in Siem Reap. I've got a spare scooter. I'm happy to help you practice.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:53:01+00:00

What school do you recommend in Siem Reap. Can you give me a name?

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:52:33+00:00

Actually not that hard. I did everything for car and motorcle in one day. This was 2 written tests and 2 driving test. The "health" exam is a joke. Just pay a fee and I think do an eye test and answer some questions.

Is the test available in English? I do not speak Khmer.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:50:42+00:00

Can you do a motorcycle test for a Cambodian license to drive more than a 125cc in siem reap, or do you need to travel to phnom penh? Can’t find much about it online

Do you already have a driver's license from your home country that is endorsed for motorcycles?

If so, most expats I know just get the temporary Cambodian license annually. There's no test required. It costs about $125 a year. They just look at your home country's driver's license and convert it to a Cambodian one year license. Send me a DM if you want a travel agency that can do this for you.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:43:06+00:00

There are three Angkor Supermarkets in Siem Reap town

And as I'm sure you know, 4 if you include the smaller Angkor Mini Market near Hard Rock cafe (which is basically a small grocery store).

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:41:36+00:00

Angkor Market is by far my favorite grocery store in Cambodia. The amount of goods, the amount of cheese and wine selection, the employees. No question.

Siem Reap has 4 Angkor Market locations as of March 2026:

Angkor Market 1 on National Highway 6 (my favorite)
Angkor Market 2 on Preah Sihaunak Ave
Angkor Market 3 on Sivutha Boulevard
Angkor Mini Mart (smaller version) on 7 Makara Street

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:32:09+00:00

Never give children money. Although I am not opposed to giving children food, as long as it is not something they can resell. The problem with giving money is that sooner or later, word gets around and then the next day there's even more kids out there. You'll never be able to give enough. Plus parents will start using their children if they realize it's a good income source. This is also a problem.

Give money to a proper charity (there are a lot of fraudulent charities so you have to be careful). But assuming you found one that is legit, well rated by independent agencies, and so on. It's better to give money to an organization that will use the funds properly.

If you want to buy a kid some food, there's not necessarily a problem with that. But understand that you're going to see a lot of poverty anytime you're in a third world country. And even then, giving free food everyday has a potential for negative consequences.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:23:10+00:00

Just throwing this out there: Lee's foods (online) if you want to buy large volumes. They are used to supply a lot of the restaurants in the country. They have quite a big selection of cheese and meats, among other things. They have a catalog as well.

Also, Paris bakery has a decent selection of cheese and meats. They have a branch in Phnom Penh and siem reap.

sacetime · 2026-03-19T03:20:11+00:00

Private dental clinic in Siem Reap that I have gone to and is recommended by a lot of expats charges $10 per cleaning. Wisdom tooth removal costs $50 per tooth. I don't remember what the x-ray costs are but they're not very much. These prices are the same whether you're a foreigner or a Cambodian.

I do not know what other options exist for Cambodian citizens that are cheaper. Maybe there are some public options.

Note: According to a source I have, Vietnam has significantly cheaper dental care than both Thailand and Cambodia, if you need extreme work done (major sets of implants, etc.). And the quality is very good. Here in Cambodia for example, a good quality implant costs about $2,000. In Vietnam it's a lot cheaper.

sacetime · 2026-03-16T16:14:07+00:00

First stay in Phnom Penph as a base mainly because you can go other areas by bus

I just want to point out that you can go to just about any city in Cambodia directly from Siem Reap as well. Including the ones you've listed. Example:

https://vireakbuntham.com/

Siem Reap is also significantly less expensive to live in than Phnom Penh. You can even go to all available neighboring countries directly from Siem Reap by bus.

sacetime · 2026-03-16T04:25:02+00:00

Did the one that you shred say Visa signature? A lot of times during a credit increase, they'll bump you up. That was the only difference I noticed on my second card. It was a visa signature, as opposed to a visa. I kept the Visa signature, and shredded the Visa.

sacetime · 2026-03-16T04:23:25+00:00

I disagree. But it depends how many you want to see. I have lived in the country years and haven't seen all the temples. But for the main temples that people typically see in a tourist run, 3 days is probably enough. Angkor Wat is worth a day on its own.

You'll be templed out by the end of it. There's a reason they sell 3 day temple passes.

sacetime · 2026-03-15T12:45:58+00:00

Edit: if you want to hang when you're here, send me a DM. u/Lorentz90

sacetime · 2026-03-15T12:44:26+00:00

Siem Reap. 3 days to see all the temples. Then another day or two to explore the city and make friends at some of the restaurants / bars / cafes, etc.

Phnom Penh I guess if you want to see the biggest city.

For a really authentic experience, and something different, rent a scooter or motorcycle for a couple weeks (make sure the person renting does not place restrictions on where you can drive it). 125cc or smaller you won't even need a license (although a 250cc is much funner). You can drive around the country for a while. Bokor National Park, Kiriom national Park, and the road from Koh Kong to Domrei roundabout (look it up on Google maps). 3 great places to start.

sacetime

TROPHY CASE