This article from the Huffington Post is dated 24 July 2017 ... it may well be of interest to some who are wondering about today's Pattaya, what's going on at the beach, and the overall state of the scene.
A Comfortable Retirement in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b06b511b02c4db
arsenal (July 27th, 2017)
I think Phnom Penh is a far more livable city than Bangkok. A great place actually.
paperboy (July 27th, 2017)
A Comfortable Retirement in Phnom Penh? In brief, one man’s comfort may be another man’s discomfort. Living abroad comfortably always depends on one’s tolerance levels. How well does one tolerate the climate, the overcrowding, air and noise pollution, the aesthetic shortcomings, and in Phnom Penh, the attitudes of the 1% whose very large SUV’s demand the respect and subservience of the inhabitants?
I made a dozen trips to Phnom Penh over a recent five year period. Forty-five minutes flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. At least an hour in the taxi from the airport to the Rambutan Hotel. That discomfort was immediately offset by the warm welcome of the hotel staff. Lovely people in PP and from the gay point of view a compelling reason to live there.
Going out means hiring a tuk tuk, safer than the Bangkok tuk tuks because they are forced to drive slowly on roads that are in such poor repair. In the evenings they are a convenient means of travel. Daytime travel is a challenge especially when traffic is heavy and your tuk tuk remains immobile in the 90+ degree heat. Air conditioned taxis are rarely seen.
The Japanese-built Aeon mall is impressive, though I found it incongruous that in addition to the shops, restaurants and cinemas, they have, in SE Asia’s poorest country, an ice skating rink.
Undoubtedly, Cambodia is cheaper than Thailand, cheaper than Vietnam. “Good” jobs pay the ordinary Cambodian $100 USD or less per month. A decent apartment for a foreigner could be had for under $1,000 per month. Air conditioning is essential but electricity can be expensive because some of it is supplied by Vietnam.
After reading the article, I can only conclude that my tolerance levels are not nearly as high as the writer’s. I couldn’t bring myself to living in Bangkok again, but Pattaya is certainly more appealing to me than Phnom Penh.
Pray (hard) that you don't need medical assistance for anything worse than an ingrown toenail
Dax (July 27th, 2017)
Frequent is right. I forgot to mention health care in Cambodia. Anyone who can afford it heads to Bangkok or Saigon hospitals rather than take a chance on treatment locally for serious matters.
Bob, I'm frankly astonished by that accommodation price - apart from a few property hotspots in the UK (notably London of course) $1000 (c. 800 Pounds Sterling) would get you a decent apartment in many/most UK cities.Originally Posted by bobsaigon2
Add to the $1000 the "expensive" air-con costs and you're looking at a sum for which I could rent a house in the UK never mind an apartment! Unless you mean the air-con is included in the $1000??
I've never visited Cambodia but I would have expected accommodation costs significantly less than half that you're telling me about.
If your figures aren't a typo then "bargain basement" PP most certainly isn't!
You can surely find an apartment for $300 - $500, but I was thinking of riverside, or near, for a furnished place in good condition. I'm too old to rough it, na.
right now on airbnb riverside in center near national museum from 450$/month 1-bedroom apt, looks like average is around $600-$700
Bali (Indonesia), Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos: gay guides and companions http://siamroads.com
Cambodia medical care is quite good for anything not too serious. I broke some ribs and had a non-functioning lung. Stabilised at a local clinic, 5+ hour ambulance trip to Phnom Penh, a few days in hospital - uninsured senior citizen, all up $1,500.
$500 of that was paid up-front for the clinic, ambulance and CT scan. If I hadn't come up with the cash, I would have been out on the street (or the scary public hospital).
To give my treatment a rating, 4 stars!
arsenal (July 30th, 2017)
My experiences are different.
When I was studying in the UK in 2007-2010, not in London but in a small town with a university, I paid 400 GBP per month for what I would call a "broom cabinet". I have seen similar size and standard in Bangkok Ramkhamhaeng for 1500 THB per month.
Similar in Paris 2012-2013. I somewhere have an advert "12 sqm, 5th floor, no elevator, view of Pantheon, shared toilet on floor, 300 EUR per month".
Whereas rent in Berlin is very reasonable. A friend lives in the outskirts and has an apartment that per sqm is even cheaper than what I pay in Bangkok Sathorn.
A friend who did look closely at Phnom Penh as a place to live dismissed it for high rent prices for accommodation suitable for foreigners
whitemouse (August 2nd, 2017)
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