The PH is still not open for tourism, and nobody knows when they will open. They may not open for a long time. How about not for the next 3 years? How about not for another 5- 10 years? Another variant- another year, and so ad infinitum. How about not in my lifetime?
The Philippines is not as dependent on foreign tourism as other SE Asian countries which need foreign tourist money. It has OFW’s and domestic tourism. A foreign tourist is helpful, but not a priority. They can do without me. In Thailand, tourism is a huge source of revenue, same in Cambodia and Vietnam. Not as important in the PH.
I may just die while waiting for the PH open. I am mortal after all.
Yeah, I love the country, but if it doesn’t want me there.
There comes a time when you have to set your own deadlines.
What’s plan B?
Unless you have family there or plan to get married online to someone you know, or have money for an SRRV or business visa, you may want to try Cambodia.
Cambodia is open. Yes, you need this and that test, but it’s open. Period!
What are the advantages of Cambodia over the Philippines?
1) It is 10% cheaper than the PH and it has better quality products and services. You can pay for everything in dollars.
Example: street meal $2-4, a rice + pork + salad lunch box $1, beer $0.50- 2.50 per stein, average taxi ride $2-4, haircut $2-3. Laundry 1kg $3-3.50. Massage $3-5. Pedicure: $3-6. AC +WIFI room in a guest house $14. Pack of cigarettes: $1-3. A fried frog $0.80. Average apartment: $250-400 a month, Internet on your cellphone 10GB $9.00 per month.
No long brownouts, the Internet is faster and more reliable, the apartments are better, the architecture is spectacular, the city planning and the whole infrastructure is better. Everything is sturdier and just better looking. You go out, look around, and it all looks very pleasant.
A Buddhist France! Great French buildings, sycamores, and modern condos with gorgeous furniture and balconies. And a lot of such things are new. Apartments are great and cost very little to rent. Also, they have some great guest houses in colonial settings. There is also less air pollution because there are not that many people and not that many cars.
2) Almost all their food agrees with the foreign taste. It’s very similar to Thai and Indian food + French, but not as spicy. You go to a restaurant, order something and you can eat it all.
However, no matter how delicious the PH food is for Pinoys, foreigners cannot easily appreciate it because of too much sugar in it. Not to say that it’s bad food because Filipinos like it, it’s just that it is unusual for the foreign pallet.
Not so in Cambodia. And it’s cheap, especially if you buy it at a market. Frogs, snails, French bread, pate, croissants, “fromages”, etc. There are hundreds of all kinds of foreign restaurants- especially, French ones. And then, if you go to any supermarket and convenience store, you can find all kinds of Western foods there.
3) Foreigners can find work there, especially as teachers. They are always in need of ESL teachers. So, if you have a diploma in teaching or even any BA, you can make a living there. Also, work permits are easy to get. There are fewer restrictions on foreigners’ employment. For example, foreigners can work as waiters as long as Khmer people are also waiters at that restaurant. So, you have a French restaurant with a French waiter, an Arab restaurant with an Arab waiter, etc.
4) Visas are not hard. After 55, you get a retiree visa which costs about $300 a year +/-. It’s multiple entry and you can leave the country and come back without it being canceled. You don’t need to leave Cambodia and reenter to have it renewed. Also, no need to go to the immigration. Just plop your passport at any big travel agency and the next day you get your visa for one year ( if you pay an extra $70 -/+) or maybe, it is a couple of weeks if you’re not in a hurry.
5) You have an ancient ( as old as Japan’s) SE Asian/Indochinese culture with great music, language, religion and literature. Buddhist and Hindu temples and French colonial structures side by side. There is Parisian classiness in everything. The people also like to dress well and act “ French”. A bit snobbish. So, it’s a fascinating mixture- you never get bored. Almost all the songs on the air are Khmer and are very melodious. If you like exoticism and want to get into that culture, you will have a field day.
6) Nightlife is there with all kinds of clubs, bars, outdoor cafes, drinking and karaoke establishments, dance floors, etc. You can party all day and all night.
7) Khmer ladies are not as open to dating as Filipinas, but also, there are very few single mothers. Almost all of them see dating as a short precursor to marriage. Some 98% are virgins before it. It’s a lot more conservative than the PH, and the parents are a lot stricter with their daughters. On par with India. The thing is, weddings are expensive, and the man must pay for those. No Khmer man is going to pay for a non-virgin. There are also fewer transvestites. There exists P4P but the ladies involved in it belong to a special social class ( as they do in India).
Because of the French heritage and the destruction caused by the war, there are no distinct social classes in Cambodia as there are in Thailand, for example. Most people belong to the lower middle class by our measures but most have enough. Everybody has money in his/her pocket. There is some snobbery between city and country folks, but the whole country is still very egalitarian. A foreigner is not treated as anyone special. More as an equal. This means fewer rip offs, fewer people asking for help or to borrow money ( as a matter of fact, in one year I was there, not even one Khmer asked to borrow money from me), fewer people thinking you rich, less envy, fewer beggars, and less bitterness. Just regular day to day life. 9) Great river-centered culture. Lots of cruise boats on the Mekong, lots of food out of the river ( fresh water fish, mollusks, frogs, etc), and all the socialite life revolves around the Riverside.
10) It’s very easy to get around the city and the country. They have buses with sleeper berths, with toilets, and these are very cheap to take. They have a train! Also, they have these cute tuk-tuks - the micro ones, and French colonial ones and these are very comfortable. They even have fans to make sure you are not hot.
What is worse in Cambodia than in the Philippines?
1) It’s hot! Very hot. No proper rainy season to cool the summer off. No proper cool season. It’s November, December, the New Year, and it’s still hot. And there are no big urban areas such as Baguio to get away from the heat. The sea is also not everywhere as in the Philippines. You need to actually move to a sea town to enjoy the cool breeze. Heat will be your daily and nightly companion- without letting off. Most restaurants, barber shops, hair salons, etc are non-air conditioned. You walk from a hot street into a hot establishment.
2) The language. While many people can speak basic English, it is still very basic. A few words here and there. Or as related to their function- they will take your order and that’s it. Impossible to carry on a conversation with the majority of them. The Khmer language is a monster - very hard to learn. And even though it’s not tonal, they will still not understand you if you don’t get the tone right- and will run away from you. Not pleasant. It will take maybe a year of studying a couple of hours a day to get to reasonable spoken fluency- and you will really need a teacher- good ones are expensive and hard to find.
3) Racial realities. As a white ( or black) man, you stick out. While the Khmers are not as racist as Koreans, they are also not as open to inter-racial dealings as the Filipinos. As in any proper Oriental country, there are establishments off limits to non-Orientals or non-Khmers. When Covid happened, foreigners had doors slammed into their faces at barber shops, supermarkets, hotels, etc. And even in non-Covid times, such places existed. Some Khmers feel uncomfortable being near a “white devil”. Also, many Chinese are moving in, and they can also exclude you from guest houses: “Chinese Only”. Did not happen to me, but happened to others. They feel they own this part of the world, and the time of the reign of the white devil is long gone. And if in the PH, every white person is “ Amerikano”. in Cambodia, we are all French. They call us “ barang” ( France).
4) Cultural issues. The cultural gap is huge, also. In the Philippines, you have the presence of the Catholic, English-speaking ( sort of) semi-Hispanic culture with long friendship with Spain and the USA. A Western person is accepted as is. Not in Cambodia. There is still a significant French connection,true, but an average person is only Khmer. He is not a “Little Brown Frenchman” as his culture is way older than France. Most French speakers are long gone. Only half a million remain, and they are older folks. The values are Hindu and Buddhist, not Catholic. Studying and relating to those will take a long time.
5) No romanticism. A very practical culture. The Philippines is a romantic, sentimental, sensual society. Everything is centered around love, courtship, family, flirting, friendship, good times, memories, and emotions. Not in Cambodia. As in any other “real” E/SE Asian country, they just study and work, work and study. No one has any free time to get lyrical, poetic or romantic. No one has free time, period. Work, work, work! No one will look at you, talk to you, etc. No girls making goo goo eyes at you. No flirty smiles as in the PH. Their hearts appear cold just like Japanese hearts.
6) Not much friendship between men and women. In schools, boys make friends with boys and girls make friends with girls. And so it goes into adulthood. Trying to make friends with a female feels weird there. And making friends with local men is also awkward. They have no time!
7) Vaping is illegal. Yes, you can still get some mods and juice online, but it’s technically illegal. What if there is a “ raid” on vapers?
If you want to marry a Khmer lady, you will have to pay for the wedding, and as a foreigner, you are expected to pay a lot. We are talking probably $10-30K. Yes, siree. They want a luxury ceremony with monks, golden clothes, hundreds of guests and super-exquisite foods, tableware and flowers. Also, they want you to rent a large hotel room, and have a reception fit for royalty. While in the PH, your being an “ Amerikano” already presupposes that you have a lot of money, in Cambodia, you have to show it with physical proof. They don’t want an average hippy westerner as it would make the parents lose face. A huge marriage celebration is a must. You do get a lot of money back as most guests will bring an envelope to help you defray the costs, but your initial outlay is expected to be big. No seedy, scuzzy Westerners are wanted as husbands for the Khmer daughters. Note that Cambodia is a Kingdom. They must imitate royal traditions. 9) Less tolerance for age gaps in relationships. While a Filipina will tell you that age does not matter, a Khmer lady will very much mind a large difference in age. A 45 year old man with a 20 year old girl is not as accepted as it is in the PH.
10) Small population, thus a more limited dating pool. While there are thousands upon thousands of Filipinas online looking for a “porener”, there are not that many in Cambodia. Get on any dating site and it will be less than a hundred. At all times. Plus, they usually do not speak English and cannot write in English. A vibrant dating life with all the accompanying excitement and dramas is not common in Cambodia.
Conclusion: if you like SE Asia, have some money, are not married, do not qualify for various non-tourist visas to the Philippines, and want to initially go to the area as a tourist, Cambodia may be an alternative in these Covid times. The place has pluses and minuses, but if the country you love does not open up and no one knows when it will, you may try to take the next plane to the City of Four Faces.
