Life in Sihanoukville

Should be no problem. I do OK on $1800 per month, keeps me and my new wife well fed and clothed. Let your woman do the shopping, except what items you want that you can find in the bigger markets, like Samudera.

Thanks madmax, I am retire, drawing 70% VA, SSDI, and also a state pension so needing to work or start a business is not in my plans. Maybe volunteer at something to act productive. I have been bouncing around Thailand and Vietnam for the last 14 months. At first I thought Thailand was the right place for me, now I am in Vietnam but I want a slower lifestyle. Been to PP and SR, but enjoy the beach more. Planning on moving early 2014.

Hi ancientpathos
Sihanoukville nice place to live. I have long term apartmentses for rent from %150 per month if interested. The ladies here seem to love old men, epecially Benjamin Franklyn. As for being fat...You never see a skinny Buddha, so you already have the essetials for a for a good life in this Cheap and friendly  place. my email is [email protected] if you need any info or just a chat
regards
Rob

Thats a great budget can get a furnished apt for under 200 beer 75 cent drafts mixed about 1.50 food cheap and good .woman like fat and old ..enjoy..

Just saying "Hi". Sihanoukville can and does attract some of the scum of the Earth. Not the sort of interest many people are looking for.

BigJohnBKK wrote:

Just saying "Hi". Sihanoukville can and does attract some of the scum of the Earth. Not the sort of interest many people are looking for.

Scum of the earth can be entertaining at times. I think everywhere has a few of those. I think Sihanoukville is close enough to Thailand for medical needs, enjoy living near the beach, will be trying it out in about 6 weeks.

Hello Chili John, I hope that you were able to get through the Rainy Season and are prospering.
I am okay and back in the U.S.A. and cannot re-integrate myself into the local culture easily. I.E., I don't spend a lot of money. These people here like to burn it up.
From our many conversations, John, I believe that I was talking to an honest Man. Best of Luck,

David J. Curtin
Seattle Wa. U.S.A.

Hi David,
glad to hear you've made it back and I hope all goes well with the surgery.
We're still here and things are picking up, even if Soriya isn't handling the presure well.
It's not easy to find good Cambodian staff and/or an investor who is realistic on how much effort is required to see a return.
I have nearly finished a cart/mobile kitchen, which I hope very soon to put downtown to sell ribs and Sloppy John's.
I hope to see you,again, soon.

Have a chil-axn day

Big John

Hello Again Shv.
I was there in mid October and I enjoyed it. I met some old friends and made some new contacts, pretty much good fun.
I do want to add a very negative 2nd person account of a theft and extortion ?
A new friend , Dutch, 21, pothead, beer drinking Beach Scene Partyer had his $400 Galaxy i-phone commandeered, stolen while
he is drinking with the thieves.
The thieves know where he is staying, should I tell you where I'm staying?, I asked myself after learning this.
Nic was an infant at traveling precaution.
Rule #1 to me is be careful of whom you are with.
Keep your wits about you.
Back to the story, Nic has a visit at his hostel by the thieves, who inform Nic that they have his i-phone and will sell it back to him at a Discount of $200, saving Nic $200. does this Truth make any sense to anyone who is going to visit Sihanoukville.
Nic was to meet the thieves right at Golden Lions Circle, right out in public. the Police should have been available for the arrest of these creeps.
Also, I have seen and witnessed incidents outside of Utopia G.H.of Tuk 0Tuk Drivers being very aggressive to tourists, demanding money for not showing up for a previous appointment.
All that glitters...etc.


I don't know what happened to  Nic as I left the same afternoon.
What was really disheartening , discouraging was the absolute delinquency of the Cambodian Police in a situation like this. They should have been right there when the exchange was to occur and nabbed the thieves. They won't go after their own people to assist a 'rich' tourist

Be Careful who you pal around with.

David

























im

You. Are dealing with very poor wages and low education .Please don't involve police since they will be the result of more  monetary loss

Hello Big John,
I hope that all is well with you and family.
I have had one knee repaired and will be likely done with the second within a few weeks
Keep at the G.H. John , you will make it.

Best Wishes and see you again this year, late Spring??

David C.
Seattle,WA.U.S.A.

We'll have you Hash House Harriering soon.

Happy New Year

ancientpathos wrote:

Greetings,
I have visited PP and SR. I enjoy living near the ocean in Vietnam and I am thinking about moving to Sihanoukville. What can I expect in regards to housing, food and entertainment. I am retired, would like to keep my expenses at under $2000 per month.  I am also a fat old guy. Are the lady's there attracted to us old guys?

To get back on topic here, ancient, you should know by now, especially if you are an older guy, the women are, for the most part, attracted to that ATM card in your wallet.

Seriously, when I lived in Sihanoukville, my budget was anywhere between $1,500 and $2,000 per month. You can live there fine on that.

Rents can be found, furnished, for $100 to $200 USD per month, what you and I would call furnished efficiency apartments. We are talking probably 20 to 25 square meters or so.

There are places you can go, to get the skinny on what's goin' on in town. Try Charlie Harper's Bar & Rooms, located down town Sihanoukville. CH's also offers drinks, food, and some interesting characters to talk with.

As far as entertainment goes, if you are a drinker, there will be no shortage of places to cover you. Lots of places offer happy hour drinks. And, you can go down to #49 Khin's Shack, and enjoy .50c US beers while enjoying a beach afternoon.

If you like dining out, there are just about as many places to eat. One of the most reasonably priced places in town would be Snooky's. Another one, offering some great food, will be Thida's. Both places are English owned and operated.

If you have further questions, feel free to post them.

How are things going for You and Family ,John?
Did your investor fall through, not enough effort?
I should be able to travel again in May. See you then.
Davidseattle

Why don't you boys start a new topic, rather than hijacking this one, which was started by someone else?

Hello everybody,

Please note that the main subject of this thread is : Life in Sihanoukville

So please avoid going off topic. 

Thank you,

Priscilla
Expat.com Team

I have lived in Sihanoukville almost 12 years now and I absolutely believe every word of the story above. \
On the surface just passing through you its easy to get the impression it all rosey but this town has major problem brewing regarding crime and no effective police to control it.  Common opinion with the locals is that police look the other way and take a commission from the thieves, no one is ever arrested. Even all murders always go unsolved, the body is just burned at the temple or flown home.
Regarding Tuk Tuks be very very cautious, they drop you off look into your wallet and see your cash when being paid, evaluate your luggage, know your room location and if you are foolish enough to use them going out the next day and discuss your plans for the day what more info do you need to pass on to a thief for a commission?  Very common to hear rooms have been burgled.
Regarding women. If they speak good English AVOID THEM, where do you think they learned it, yes on the pillow of the last guy (who she probably ripped off). There are hundreds of good women in SV but you dont meet them at the beach or bar. Dont be in a hurry and start making small talk with the lady in the bank, shop, market or hotel at least they have a job, the beach girls usually dont.

Too long for a sorry. It was personal

Hello SHV,
I am not so offended as of 4 visits.
The first at a french breakfast was a menu price change.
Only a 30% increase.
The TUKs are Tough, no Doubt. Stand up to them.
Only one friend from Holland, had his G4 phone stolen and extorted the next day. As the thieves knew his GH and wanted $200 to return the G4.. All from a beach bar!!
I don't know what happened but all is not Snooky

Life is a Daring adventure . Secure possessions, choose wisely associates, have a good time !

I've now been in Kampot for 6 months after having spent  3 years in Sihanoukville, trying to run an honest business, I now refer to AKA Snooky as Sleaze-Slime-Scam'n'Scumville.
I  lost a lot of money in Sihanoukville, where to make money, from tourists, you need to be a theif, pimp, drug, dealer, con man, or money launderer, if not all of the above.
They have just replace the Police Commissioner with the Deputy Police Commissioner from Phnom Penh, so hopefully that will see changes in police, and their ability and willingness to stop crime, rather than promote it as a means to extort money at every turn.
They have recently arrested a wealthy Russian, for dubious business practice, so hopefully their will, at least,be an easing of Russian Mafia involvement in Sihanoukville.
If you are on guard all the time in Sihanoukville, lock your bicycle or motorbike to something secure, Don't invite people into your home, and never leave a half finish glass on the table and return to drink it, then there is a good chance you won't wake up naked on a beach or in your room, not remembering what happened the night before.
If you make sure the room you rent or buy has a reliable lock on the door, that no one else has a key and you leave valuables locked away in a secure box in your room, then you'll be pretty safe there.
Be aware that many cheap guesthouses, don't have good locks on the doors and can be easily opened with a piece of plastic. They don't have any form of security box in the room, just a notice on the wall saying they won't be responsible for anything left in the room. Why? Because they don't make money from the room, they make money from what they and their staff, can take from the unaware. If fact fleecing the unaware pretty much sums up how most people in Sihanoukville make money.
The police have involvement in many late night venues, so stopping the slipping of knockout drugs into people's drinks either behind the bar, or at the table, isn't likely to happen very soon.
Nearly every tuk-tuk driver will attempt to sell you drugs of any kind, but what people get, is not what they often expect. The occassional Vietnamese get's arrested in Sihanoukville, for crime, but seldom does the Cambodian who's living next door, doing exactly the same thing.
Something to note, is that there is more theft and crime reported to embassies in Phnom Penh,  happenning in Sihanoukville, with it's relatively small population, than is reported to those embassies, as happening in Phnom Penh, which has at least 20 times the population. Oh and only 10 percent of foreign tourists visit the coastal areas of Cambodia, with 50% visiting Siem Reap and 40% visiting Phnom Penh.
You need to stay alert everywhere, even more so if you are thinking of visiting Sleaze-Slime-Scam'n'Scumville.

So, then, what are your feelings regarding Kampot/ Kep?

No hostess bars, no casinos. Only a couple of late night venues. Only about 400 expats in the whole are, many of which are involved in farming.
There is more to do during the day around Kampot, than in Sihanoukville.
I now have a food stall facebook.com/SloppyJohnsSexRibs in the Kampot Night Market, facebook.com/KampotNightMarket   where 95% of out customers are Cambodian. You see the numbers swell on weekends and public holidays. It's not easy making an honest buck, but showing promise.
You still have to be careful, there is still some theft, but in general Kampot is a far better/safer place to live and raise a family, if you aren't a mindless consumer wanting everything available at your door step.

In my experience it is not poverty and lack of education that causes crime but wannabe rich chancers.  You can wander around India and find people who have nothing but a sackcloth and begging bowl to their name, but they would never steal your shoes.  Go to any small village in Cambodia and they will share their last morsel of food with you, but then they have never heard of the wealthy foreigner.  It's only in tourist areas where greed raises its ugly head and criminals come down from the big cities to hit on the unsuspecting barang.   Keep your money in the bank.  Just take enough cash in your pocket to last you the day.  Don't get drunk in public.    Steer clear of the taxi-girls.  Be sensible.  Live a life of debauchery and you can expect the inevitable consequences.  I lived quite happily in Sankat Bei for 5 years without any trouble.  Granted my neighbours would help themselves to all my mangoes and climb over the fence at 5am to steal the leaves off the maringa trees rather than come to the front door during the day and ask for them, but that's the nature of the beast. 

I have left now due to ill health and  am so so sad for the loss of my tranquil life in Sihanoukville. I dream of the  garden  I'd lovingly created from old car tyres filled with dead dirt from the riverbeds.  I fed them every day with mulched kitchen scraps and planted a variety of local fauna.  Watching the garden  flourish was more rewarding than raising my own children!   

I miss my lovely neighbours and the children I saw grow from scrawking babies to schoolkids.  Even the mangy old flea infested dogs that I fed with my scraps have a place in my heart. 

My house is probably available to rent now:  2 bedrooms, bath, kitchen and large fenced yard.  Lovely Khmer landlady and reasonable rent.  The usual annoying 'traditional' design with horrendous sliding (not) metal garage doors.

Think Sihanoukville has enough 'scum of the earth' already.  Does it really need any more?  Entertaining you say.  In what way is 'scum'  entertaining, pray?   A theatre would be nice.  A bit of culture maybe, or is that too much to ask?

So many bad vibes, lol. These posting these misadventures are often asking for it. Drinks, drugs or pure stupidity. I have  spent a lot of time in Asia and Cambodia IS the safest place I have ever been.
Stay away from prostitute, drugs and don't abuse alcohol and you'll have a good time.
Been wise is simple. Just apply some common sense to your daily life...

Those looking to prey on the unware will always play down any risks and crime.

auntyskitchen wrote:

Think Sihanoukville has enough 'scum of the earth' already.  Does it really need any more?  Entertaining you say.  In what way is 'scum'  entertaining, pray?   A theatre would be nice.  A bit of culture maybe, or is that too much to ask?

People watching is entertainment.

What an idiot.
Look back at your life and learn from your mistakes instead of making the same one again and again.
You said you blow over $80,000? This was your mistake, stop blaming others for your failures.
You are as thick as an Australian, lol.

I admit I made a mistake. I wasn't aware of how bad Sihanoukville was. I still have a business in Kampot. I still have other ideas and projects I will persue in Kampot. I won't be making the same mistake again and pardon me if I choose to warn others about making similar mistakes.

Sihanoukville is a brilliant place, but obviously not for everyone.

I have few friends there; one who live there for 9 years = never had an issue what so ever with anyone.

Michel from l'Ambassade and now The Corner restaurant is a friend too.
He's been there for ages 12/15 years.

He had a bar 15 years ago, sold it and bought a guesthouse with 8 bedrooms. He now have 16 bedrooms.
Last year he open the Corner restaurant which is doing really well.
All in tiny Victory Hill.

Looking at other people success is my way of learning and moving forward, not at other people clumsiness/failures.

Oh dear, BKK John, what an horrid picture you paint of Sihanoukville, and not the one I have taken away with me.  Of course, I didn't live in the tourist area nor did I consort with ladies of the night.  My motodop was a darling and honest as the day is long, as was my tuk-tuk driver, Smithy.  My nieghbours were all very friendly and we all watched each others backs against thieves and vagabonds.  The only troublesome people coming to live in my little suburb were Western prats moving in with their new lady friends.  Always seemed to end in tears, with belongings being thrown over the fence and small, now homeless,  children weeping.

I hear tell my ex-neighbour Mr Heinz (of the bookshop era) has recently died.  RIP Mr Heinz.

I to got on well with and was more accepted by many local Cambodians than many of the s***of the Earth expats that Sihanoukville seems to attract. And there seemed to be less crime in and around Victory Hill than down at Orcheauteal. I guess people only see what they want to see and everyones experience in Sihanoukville will be a little different.