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Winston in Cambodia Updates + New Photos!
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 10:19 am
by Winston
Hi all,
Dianne and I are in Cambodia now. We just arrived. We decided to fly here instead of taking the bus, because we are both sleep deprived and didn't wanna wake up early to take a bus that would be hard to sleep on, and with a 2 hour immigration line the border too.
Wow. This is a very nice relaxing country with good food and the lowest food/accommodation costs I've ever seen in Asia. A lot different than I imagined. I sort of imagined a bunch of primitive huts and villages with poor people and soldiers with machine guns keeping everyone in line, lol, kind of like in the Rambo movies and Vietnam War type of movies. (Isn't that so American of me to imagine that? lol) So it's a pleasant surprise.
This place should be a hot spot for foreign brides, for the following reasons:
- The English proficiency here is remarkable. Some people here speak English better than in the Philippines even. Cambodians seem talented at learning English. Thus there wouldn't be much of a language barrier with western bride seekers.
- It's unbelievably cheap. I got a very nice hotel room in a resort hotel for 13 dollars a night and the pub street has draft beers for 50 cents a mug! Prices on food/accommodation are cheaper than in Thailand even, and much cheaper than Philippines. Yet the quality of food here is still top notch, just like in Thailand.
- People don't scam foreigners as much and are more honest than in Philippines.
- Women and girls here seem sweet, cheerful, humble, down to earth. They are exotic like Filipinas, and range from dark skin to light skin. They seem to have conservative values too. Not feminist at all.
Thus a lot of pluses for foreign bride market. I don't know why Cambodia isn't a hot spot for foreign bride seekers. It's an undiscovered gem!
More updates later.
Regards,
Winston
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 3:54 pm
by ladislav
Thus a lot of pluses for foreign bride market. I don't know why Cambodia isn't a hot spot for foreign bride seekers. It's an undiscovered gem
Foreigners who do not make at least USD 2500 a month and those over 50 cannot marry here so, no, not a good place to find brides.
Then, there is the dowry thing - $5K -$30K to get married.
Also, the people here are not so anxious to marry a foreigner. The population of the country is only 15 million, so not that many people around and to choose from.
Also, the English speaking goes on in the tourist areas of Siem Reap. Not much outside. Here in PP, there is much less so and pretty much none in just regular neighborhoods.
And yes, the slander with which the US media portrays other countries is downright insulting. Mudhuts my ass.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 6:41 pm
by Winston
Here are some updates i sent to my WhatsApp group the first day we arrived in Cambodia:
[8/14, 7:01 PM] Winston: In cambodia now. Wow our hotel is very nice. Like a victorian mansion. See pics below.
[8/14, 7:01 PM] Winston: Has pool, breakfast buffet and 3 friendly dogs to play with. Lol. Very nice.
Wow im surprised everyone speaks such fluent English. I never seen asians speak such good English before. Way better than Philippines English too! Our driver and hotel manager all spoke super fluent english. Amazing. I never seen an asian country with such smooth fluent English. They speak as well as native speakers even!
[8/14, 7:01 PM] Winston: However i got ripped off at the airport by the visa department. They charged me 1300 baht for the visa. Around 40 dollars instead of 30. Ok fine. But when i gave him 2000 baht he gave me back 15 USD instead of 700 baht. When i went back to tell him i got jipped and that 15 USD wasnt enough and asked for 700 baht instead, he played dumb and changed the subject. He said if i got USD from the ATM machine then he would change it to baht for me. But that wasnt what i wanted. I was trying to point out that he short changed me.
What he said was contradictory and shot himself in the foot, since he said he had no baht to give me, then he said if i exchanged US dollars with him then he would have baht. So which is it? Lol. He shot himself in the foot by contradicting himself and playing dumb.
Obviously he wanted to pocket an extra 10 or 15 dollars, since 15 dollars is significantly less than 700 baht. But he played dumb and pretended to have no baht. I never thought government officials would stoop that low and cheat u out of 10 or 15 dollars like scumbags and refuse to correct it. Arent they supposed to uphold the law and be good role models? I thought of looking for a manager but could not find anyone who looked like they had any authority. Maybe i can just contact the c
Cambodian govt or airport online about this later and complain?
Btw rock, remember you were wrong back in 2016 when u said that my complaints to the bangkok airport, about the lady who broke my phone while putting in a new sim card, would amount to anything. Remember they did apologize and the manager of the sim card store gave me 1000 baht as compensation.
So you see, sometimes complaining does help if u do it with people higher up and more educated and understanding about good customer relations.
Right? So dont jump to conclusions rock and say that complaining gets you nowhere. Ive often gotten results by complaining to those higher up.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 9:31 pm
by Winston
[8/15, 10:06 PM] Winston: They have rocks favorite drink here in siem reap. Lol
[8/15, 10:06 PM] Winston: Wow look. Massages here are only 1 dollar!
[8/15, 10:06 PM] Winston: Wow rock. Look. 50 cent beers and 2 dollar mai thais!
[8/15, 10:06 PM] Winston: Dianne and i enjoying our 50 cent beer and pizza. Lol
(Too bad i cant post pics here like on WhatsApp)
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 9:34 pm
by Winston
Btw i jumped the gun on something earlier. Not everyone here in Cambodia speaks English that well. Just a small percentage do, and those that do speak it very well. But most people, such as tuk tuk drivers and waiters, dont speak english that well and dont understand basic questions. Same as Thailand.
But the people here do look more cheerful and smiley than thais do, perhaps because its not as corrupted and overrun by tourists as thailand is.
Whats odd is that in the center of town just north of the big night market and pub street where all the tourists hang out, theres a big two story Burger King. Very clear for all to see. Whats odd though is that no one can tell you where burger king is, or even what it is. I dont know. Maybe they know burger king by another name. But everyone should know where it is, yet when u ask on the street, no one knows.
I guess its true that asians are the worst when it comes to giving directions. They cant think or articulate. Nor tell you exactly where to turn when they tell you to turn. Now in this case they cant even acknowledge that theres a big Burger King joint in the middle of town, even though everyone can see it while passing by.
Some things in life as just inexplicable i guess. Go figure.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 9:45 pm
by Winston
ladislav wrote: ↑August 16th, 2019, 3:54 pm
Thus a lot of pluses for foreign bride market. I don't know why Cambodia isn't a hot spot for foreign bride seekers. It's an undiscovered gem
Foreigners who do not make at least USD 2500 a month and those over 50 cannot marry here so, no, not a good place to find brides.
Then, there is the dowry thing - $5K -$30K to get married.
Also, the people here are not so anxious to marry a foreigner. The population of the country is only 15 million, so not that many people around and to choose from.
Also, the English speaking goes on in the tourist areas of Siem Reap. Not much outside. Here in PP, there is much less so and pretty much none in just regular neighborhoods.
But even with such restrictions, some foreign bride seekers do qualify. Some western guys are under 50 and make at least 2500 USD a month, so they would qualify right? Hence the market should still exist, even if only some men qualify, right?
So why doesn't AFA and other romance tour operators arrange romance tours in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, etc? Anyone know?
And why so many restrictions in such a poor country?
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 16th, 2019, 9:46 pm
by Winston
Are any of you besides Ladislav in Cambodia now? If so, where are you at? Do you wanna meet?
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 17th, 2019, 9:27 pm
by ladislav
Not so much of a poor country, and restrictions are from the gov't because they do not like for foreigners to come and " exploit".
Marriage agencies are forbidden by law. Will not be allowed to operate. Too much abuse happened. Too much trafficking.
All this was done by the gov't to prevent human trafficking.
Why did Thailand allow it? Because they have too many people anyway, and an extra mouth to feed is too much for them. Plus they are
corrupt. Here the people are way more moralist and they just dont like things like that.
Plus all kinds of feminist NGOs are in the country.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 17th, 2019, 10:07 pm
by Cornfed
ladislav wrote: ↑August 17th, 2019, 9:27 pm
Plus all kinds of feminist NGOs are in the country.
You'd think their newfound wealth would allow them to hang all the feminists.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 18th, 2019, 12:14 am
by ladislav
The feminists are after Western men only to make sure their life is miserable and they can't have a wife even in Cambodia. They would not dare bother local men no matter what these do. It would be racist and culturally insensitive. And of course gay men are left alone, too.
So, Western men are on their own and are reached, slapped and roughed up by the long arm of the Anglo Bitch even on the other side of the globe.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 18th, 2019, 12:20 am
by Cornfed
ladislav wrote: ↑August 18th, 2019, 12:14 am
The feminists are after Western men only to make sure their life is miserable and they can't have a wife even in Cambodia. They would not dare bother local men no matter what these do. It would be racist and culturally insensitive. And of course gay men are left alone, too.
So, Western men are on their own and are reached, slapped and roughed up by the long arm of the Anglo Bitch even in Indochina.
When I was there they specialised in railroading white men on trumped up child sex charges (with "child" being defined as anyone said to be under 18, which has no basis under Cambodian law) and if anything gay men were particularly targeted. But then when all genuine pedos were scared off and they could no longer sustain their bullshit industry they took to running down Khmer society in various politically correct ways which pissed everyone off. Maybe they have refined their tactics and found their niche.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 22nd, 2019, 10:46 pm
by Winston
Well that's a pity, because from what I see here, the women would make good wives. They may be simple and humble and not very educated, but they seem loyal and caring and stable and have good domestic skills. Plus they are conservative, family oriented, sweet, humble, feminine, good natured and seem to have a pleasant disposition. I don't sense the kind of greed in them that I do with Filipinas and Thais. Their morals seem to be a lot better.
Also, spiritually I do not sense the dark side here. The people and culture are not heading toward any "spiritual darkness" like the West and NE Asia are. People here do NOT look or act degenerate or spoiled at all. That's amazing. Everywhere else I hear, the women and girls are getting more spoiled and demanding. But not here. That's very refreshing. It's like a society from the past here. As someone said, Cambodia is like Thailand was 20 years ago.
A few Tuk Tuk drivers do try to get an extra dollar from me, especially at night. But I am usually able to talk them down to the standard 2 dollar fare.
So Ladislav was right. His observations tend to be very accurate and reliable. The people here do seem more honest and less scamming toward foreigners (with the exception of the visa agent at the airport) in general. That's very refreshing, coming from the Philippines, where scams are rampant and out of control.
The people here also look more cheerful and good natured than in Thailand. And more humble too. In that sense, they act more Buddhist-like than the Thais do, it seems.
And the prices here are unbelievably cheap, even cheaper than Thailand. Your dollars go farther here than any other Asian country I know of so far. That's amazing if you're on a budget and trying to get the most for your buck. We got a nice hotel room in a resort here for under 15 dollars, which includes breakfast too. The other night, we saw a dinner theater with cultural dancers and a great dinner buffet, for 12 dollars a ticket. Amazing bargain. Etc. And cinemas here, though still few, are only 2 dollars for a movie ticket. Wow this is like living in the past!
In spite of the cheap prices here, the quality is still high. The food is top notch and well made, just like in Thailand. Far better than Philippines and cheaper too, because the Philippines is notorious for charging high prices while giving you the lowest value possible, which is an insult, but they don't care, due to their lack of pride or honor.
Also, Cambodia only has a few malls, at least here in Siem Reap, and they are little ones. They are not overrun with them like in modern developed Asian countries.
Furthermore, there are no beggars here, like the Philippines, even though this is supposed to be a poor country. I don't know why. I guess people here have more pride and honor so they don't beg, whereas pride and honor doesn't exist in the Philippines it seems. They also bow to you a lot, like Japanese do, and make the Buddhist hand gesture too, which is spiritual.
So I guess SE Asia isn't all the same after all, except for maybe similar weather.
We've also been seeing these amazing monuments and temples at Angkor Wat, which were originally Hindu but later on became Buddhist. They are huge and there are so many of them scattered out in a foresty area. You need between 3 days and one week to see them all, depending on your pace and how many photos you take. It's exhausting but fascinating and surreal. Like going back in time. Angkor Wat is not cheap though, it's now 37 dollars a ticket for a day, or 62 dollars for 3 days, or 72 dollars for a week.
Some documentaries about Angkor Wat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsDGDzwuQ-I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCzpJAm_y_Q
More videos about Angkor Wat.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=angkor+wat
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 22nd, 2019, 11:48 pm
by Winston
Hi everyone. Sorry ive been offline the last few days. On our second day in angkor wat, in the ta prom area where tomb raider was filmed, a rain shower drenched my phone while i was trying to take pictures. It kept turning off by itself until it vibrated nonstop and then the screen went dead.
In the past i used the phone in the rain just fine. This time was an exception, because the rain was pouring hard and also because i didnt want to miss any important photo opportunities at ankor wat so i kept trying to wipe the screen feverishly, and also because i wasnt carrying an umbrella like everyone else was too.
That night we went to a cell phone repair shop, he cleaned and dried the phone but the screen was dead even though the system was running.
The next day i had to buy a new phone. Because we were gonna watch a cambodian cultural dance show and i didnt want to have no camera with me. So i bought a new samsung phone. Very nice and lightweight. I finally got a good branded phone.
Right after i bought it, that night my old phone suddenly started working again. Lol (murphys law of course). Now im using the old phone again, because as much as i want to, i cant just use a new phone yet. Because takes many hours and days to transfer all my contact data, address books and social media chat archives to a new phone.
Plus my wechat is still locked and everytime a friend tries to help verify me, something goes wrong. China is such a dick and prick. No efficiency at all. I dont want to lose a vast archive there. And line is a pain too, you gotta back up and restore each chat thread one at a time. Thats why changing phones is such a pain in the butt.
Anyway thats the reason for the delay. Sorry guys. Lol
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 24th, 2019, 7:58 pm
by Falcon
How does Dianne like Cambodia and Thailand? Is Angelo with you? It's nice how you're taking your family to see the world.
Re: Winston in Cambodia now! Updates thread
Posted: August 30th, 2019, 10:03 pm
by Winston
[*]
Falcon wrote: ↑August 24th, 2019, 7:58 pm
How does Dianne like Cambodia and Thailand? Is Angelo with you? It's nice how you're taking your family to see the world.
She loves them and says the quality of everything abroad is better than in the Philippines. Shes not like other filipinos because most filipinos like their own cuisine and cant understand why foreigners dont. She agrees that filipino cuisine sucks and everything is low quality too compared to other countries, even in SE Asia.
No angelo is in school of course. Taking others traveling can be nice, however it doubles your expenses so it costs a lot, even when you stay at budget places with cheap prices. So yeah traveling with family is nice but very wallet draining when you have to pay for everything and your traveling partner cant contribute to expenses, like an american woman could. Thats one of the drawbacks of foreign women, usually do ones that need you cannot contribute to any of your expenses like a western woman could or a chinese woman could.