Introduction - looking for rent for sihanoukville

Hello Hunvy,

Thanks for your wishes.
I'm looking for a house to rent in Sihanoukville, as I will spend more time there next year and hotels/guesthouses are not really a long-term solution 

Best regards
Joe

Hey Joe

That sounds like an interesting place you live near Koh  Kong.

I have been thinking of looking for a place to live long term near the Koh Kong area.

Could you help me out with some advice for an expat thinking of living in the Koh Kong and surrounding areas?

I would much appreciate it if you could tell me how to go about looking for land/house to rent... perhaps even in a village in the mountains or up river.

Thanks

Billy

what can you do in that rural province??/  do they even have an atm?? 

I guess its foreign to me because i am from NYC... i need the noise..lol

it sounds so rural

Rural villages provide nature with all it's beauty and possibilities, like trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and much more. The air is clean, but you might find that unimportant
They usually have no atm, banks, post offices, McD, KFC, cinemas, criminality is about non-existent.
It is a nice way to stay away from people that need noise 

Hello Billy,

I have not bought or rented land in a rural area, but I guess the way is to go to a local real estate agent, probably Koh Kong city has a few of them. They know all the places for sale and rent.
I would advise to first try to find a place you would like to live in, and then try to find something to rent or buy, not first buy and then to find out it's not such a good place to live. Good luck.

Btw the place I live in is a eco-tourism project of Wildlife Alliance, locals have changed their living in that the poachers of yesterday are the tour guides of today, farmers turned to organic vegetable produce, people built home-stays in their houses, or guesthouses. The whole village profits from the project, in which 66% of the revenues go to the villagers. Started 8 years ago nowadays they receive more than 4000 tourists per year, quite a large number for a remote village.

that was cute.. i like how you threw that in there.. " that need noise"

i guess different strokes for different folks right?

Having clean air is important...i think your stereotyping me but all you have to go on is what i write..so i cannot blame you for that...

just for your own info... if i am in a country like cambodia, which i love -- i am not looking for a mcdees or any fastfood.. i want to be immersed in the culture of the country that i am in..but asking for an atm is not something crazy.. maybe it is if your in a rural area... i can understand that..

Please don't lump me in like that..


Ruvane

I did not lump you in, you did that yourself, quote from your post: <i need the noise>.

Which is fine, as you say each to his own, I have no problem with that.
It just means that rural villages are not your choice, fine again, just realize that loads of people love to be in unspoiled nature and want to experience how local people live in a remote village.

Btw I live now permanently in SHV, as the enormous humidity of the rain forest caused me problems, so I rented a nice house in SHV and enjoy the life here.

sorry.. maybe i was a bit sensitive!!.. lol.. no worries

so your in snooky now??  I assume thats the total opposite from what you really enjoy right??

.. I personally prefer Phnom Penh to Snooky myself but i can see how you would enjoy nature and all it has to offer.

Have you thought about Kep as an option??   I agree, it gets so humid in PP as well. Like you say its probably for the best if you stay in snooky-- health wise.

Ruvane


Have you ever stayed in PP before?  I personally don't care for the Riverside area to live. I enjoy going out there at nite, but to live there would be out of the question for me.

I stayed in BKK1 which was more quiet then Riverside but not nearly as quiet as where you were


I keep hearing how Russians are coming in by the boatload in Snooky... When i was there last summer I saw a few but not the way its described on khmer440

Snookville is nice, not too big and crowded, not much industry. I like it.

Kep was on my list too, but I met a nice female human being here, so I stay here 

Not so many Russians, like in Pattaya Thailand. I think a nice display of many nationalities here.

Take care.

good for you!

mazel tov!

JoeKhmer      "I met a nice female human being here, so I stay here."

I like this description a lot...tells me you don't expect her to stay inside the "woman" box all the time.

I came to Cambodia 7 months ago to find a "nice female human being" also....so far no luck.   There seems to be a dominance/submissive dynamic going on between Cambodian men and women (like everywhere else, I guess).  I'm looking for an equal partner....LOL

Glad to hear about your good fortune.

Basically SE Asian (young) women are attracted to SE Asian (young) men. I have seen that in Thailand, but here the same story. Result is that they marry very young and after some or more years the Khmer (or Thai) hubby gets mature and thinks why always the same woman since 5, 6 or more years. So he starts to flirt around with in most cases the effect that he leaves his wife for another girl.

Those women are fed up with Khmer men and promise themselves to not marry another Khmer man anymore. That is where we foreigners come in sight.  Not in the last place because some/most of us have a good income or capital. providing a good future for the lady, who probably has 1 or 2 kids, we (I generalize) do not mind to take care of the kids too and we do not really want to have our own kids with the lady (Khmer men would) so she can live with a foreigner and her kids for long time and have a good life. Kids go, in my case if applicable, to private school, get excellent education which gives them a good start into their own adult life.

How to find the right woman is of course another story. There is no recipe for it, just don't sit in your apartment, go out, in S'ville near the market is a nice terrace in front of a French bakery, I sit there every day, watching lots of people (including very elegant Khmer ladies) pass by. Another (and I combine it) good start is watching mothers bring their kids to school on motorbikes. Not all mothers are married, you will notice the difference. Then service women like nurses, masseuses, shop employees, bank and post employees, name it. Look out for them and be positive, one day it will happen! Good luck!

Thanks for your help.  This explains why I see so many very attractive young women with kids out and about on motos, etc. I've been confused why the kids' father isn't with them, thinking if he were me he would be right there, if only to keep lonely guys like me from looking at them and wishing I could be so lucky.

Great suggestions! Thanks again...

A nice addition to your observation of mothers alone and no father. In case you see a man with a helmet on a moto , and mother and child at the back, it is probably a "motodop", motorbike taxi, so the lady is still on her own, in spite of using the motorbike with a man...

Another thing to be mindful of is the way they are sitting with the person.

If they are off to the side?? u know its a Moto....  if the legs are spread open..( for lack of better term).. they are with someone they know very well... not a moto!!!

Haha, good one. But I think the way they sit  is maybe depending on what they wear. Many women wear long dresses or skirts and with that it is impossible to sit other than sideways. Older women also prefer to sit sideways, not to forget the "a few extra pounds" women 

I have noticed that they use a buffer, the child. The child sits normal, the mother would then logically, to have better grip on the child, also sit "normal". But I have also seen mothers sitting sideways and holding their child that hangs in between driver and mother... so you are right too.

You see it is an interesting observation, when you sit on a terrace, solving the world's problems in between two espressos,  and research the type of women with kids you see 

I'm a nature photographer, so I observe. I love women, so I observe... 

damn!! your correct. I didn't take into consideration the type of outfit they are wearing...but i definitely noticed the difference in " sitting styles" .. i assumed it was mostly based on their relationship w/ the driver....

but their outfits definitely make a difference....

I have also noticed the difference if a woman is the wife/girlfriend of the driver or not.

If so she sits close to him and holds his side or even more in the front.
If not she sits as far back as possible (possible with these 40 kg cuties) and does not hold the driver at all.
If 2 not related women/girls, the first one sits behind the driver, but sideways, the second can choose how to sit, mostly spread because I think of better balance...

Cheers

actually i always wondered about this one scenario and now that we are talking,,. i figured you can let me know your thoughts.

I was in a 711 type store walking around and i asked for paper towels/napkins..but the person working there didn't understand me..

then this woman who also shopping helped me.. she was a cutie!!... and she spoke english really well.

she gave a nice smile but then realized she was w/ some guy... i didn't want to be disrespectful..so waved goodbye to both of them ...but i really wanted to speak w/ the girl more.

I suppose it wasn't that serious because you can walk out of your apartment and fall into a woman..lol. so i eventually got distracted but felt like i should of just approached and asked if that was her boyfriend..

it was  a bit tricky cause she was w/ the guy..for all i know it could of been a friend, brother....  suppose i will never know...just a random story that i remembered...

Nice story, I like it as I had a similar experience just a week ago.

I was outside a supermarket where they display larger items and I was looking for a sweeper plus pan. I picked up one  but couldn't see the price. Suddenly a gorgeous young woman in sexy outfit (but still decent) came next to me and tried to help me find the price. I first thought she belongs to the shop, but that was not the case. I noticed the guy she was with but she continued to talk to me. So we chatted a bit, I offered her a drink at a nearby terrace but then she smiled and went inside the shop. When I later saw her shopping and our eyes met she smiled after I gave her a blink. Nice encounter, as happens so often.

In your case you should have/could have started a chat on something innocent, like the price or quality of  a product. In case the guy was her bf and would come closer he would hear the conversation about the quality of tissues or whatever. In between the innocent chat you could have thrown in personal questions, and my first one would have been: Is that your bf? In many cases it is a friend, her brother or a colleague, so surely no reason to prevent a nice personal chat to go on and that might lead to more. Take your chance, but ask her first the honest question if the guy is her bf. If so, be polite but still nice to the lady, she obviously (and most women do) like polite and friendly guys.

Good luck!

WOW!!.. thought i was the only one!! ha..

its funny because i am really outgoing and its an honest enough question. Hey, is that your boyfriend by any chance?..

maybe that's why its getting to me. like the one that got away.....

JoeKhmer,

side note, i tried to email you privately but couldn't...   just for future convos that might not be suitable for public consumption

Let me say that the first question I ask a nice girl when start to talk is: are you married, have boyfriend? Then when the answer is No I'm single, there is nothing in the way to try to get where you want. Favourite of mine is also when a girl holds a baby to ask if that's her baby. If she is single she will hastily say No, I'm single. Don't try to be clever and say some single girls have babies, very bad even if true. Khmer women and girls have a high feeling for honour, and as a single girl you have no baby, that is kind of social law. So no jokes about that, other than the baby is so cute, I thought it looks like his beautiful mother....

hahha where can i purchase your dvd?? u doing speaking engagements??

i hear you!.. makes sense...

the only thing differently ..sometimes u don't have to ask.. assuming there isn't a guy around.. depending on how the convo goes ..it would be natural to assume she doesn't have a bf if she is standing around talking to you!!!  ( or me)....

then again..it would suck to waste a few hours talking up someone to then find that out..

Your last sentence hits the nail. Better ask first than wasting your time....

**

I've enjoyed the conversation so far, but you guys lost me here. Are you "talking up" women? Appearing to be interested in a woman as a fellow human being, but really looking for "sexual access," as they say in Anthro class? Maybe I'm just too old, but spending time with an attractive woman would never be a "waste of time" for me. I'd be flattered and grateful for the attention, and if she liked me, I'd figure she might "hook me up" with one of her friends. A lone guy can look like a stray dog, so I'd be watching to see if any other women around us were taking an interest in me and figure she wouldn't be bothered if she noticed me doing that. Men and women "poach" partners all the time.

Most important, if the woman was "taken" I'd figure she wasn't looking at me as an ATM the way many (most) single women do who are playing a similar game to yours: they don't want to "waste time" on a man they can't get 'financial access" to. No Money No Honey girls are really a drag, no matter how beautiful they are.

Like I said, I guess I'm just too old for games like this.

If you feel sorry for yourself and look like a stray dog, then you're obviously too old. Women don't want "losers", men in trouble or feeling sorry for themselves.

What was meant by Ruvanes is that you start a conversation with a woman, like he and I described when just doing some shopping, or as you say during waiting time for an atm. It is not sexually related as then you would never succeed in getting a decent woman, only bar girls don't mind the sexual content. If you realize that the woman, who looks at you, analyzes you ((and women are great in that)) expects or hopes that you will break the silence and say something that starts a conversation. The "waste of time" that is mentioned is when you get high hopes when a lady is friendly and talks to you, even might accept an invitation for a cup of coffee, only to find out that she has a boyfriend since 2 years and plans to marry in 3 months time. Don't say you would not be disappointed, you would, as you had high hopes that this nice lady would become a close friend or a partner. That is why I advise to get the info about her marital status asap. If she is occupied you can still talk and invite for coffee, but the subjects of conversation are limited to friendship subjects, not love or relationship. Hope I'm clear.

To get access to ladies you have to be positive, go for it! They are much better than we men in feeling the chemistry between people. A woman who talks with you for 5 minutes knows exactly what you could mean to her: just a friend, maybe more than a friend or a possible lover and partner. They are experts and we men think we are clever, but we are not, they have their ways to find out if the conversation leads to more or that they want to finish it politely asap. They are experts in body language, they know what you are or mean by your way of standing, moving, and so on.

So be positive, say to yourself: That woman would be crazy if she does not like me, I will start to talk to her and give her the chance to get to know me. If she does not want, it's her wrong decision!
That way you approach her with self confidence (not to be confused with arrogance). Be self confident and don't show you feel lonely, old, sad, they don't want to see that. Be positive, tell her
how good she looks (easy with mothers with a baby, they love to hear how nice the baby looks and you can relate to the beauty of the mother), ask her about something you want to know (even if you know it already), as you're a stranger in town, ask her how to find a good book shop, restaurant, coffee shop, terrace. When she points out a nice terrace close by it probably means she would not mind to have a coffee with you there. Just see how it goes, it's a game and the women are the rulers, we can only apply. But they are not monsters, they are very cute and sweet in talking and will, if not interested, tell you politely that they run out of time, Khmer women are adorable and very well-behaving. I love them!

wow.. JoeKhmer wrote a novel... but ditto on what he said.. i had one other thought regarding

"Maybe I'm just too old, but spending time with an attractive woman would never be a "waste of time" for me. I'd be flattered and grateful for the attention, and if she liked me, I'd figure she might "hook me up"

I might be reading the above wrong..but we have value.. or maybe i am cynical??.. just cause a woman is attractive and gives me attention--- ..i am not grateful for that...... forget that..
i have value....and needs...

depending on where i fall on that scale.. one might be more important then the other...
half joking -- half serious.. lol

i am not grateful for a woman talking and carrying on a conversation ..  ... as long as i am not being obnoxious...which can be possible..but just cause someone is talking too me does not make me feel grateful..

unsure if i am expressing that correctly... but also like you said...about the "sexual aspect".. that is definitely there and nothing wrong with that... ...

but back to JoeKhmer..  i think he should be my therapist... he seems wise beyond his years!..  ..

Quote: but back to JoeKhmer..  i think he should be my therapist... he seems wise beyond his years!..  ../quote

Just an old bugger with lots of experience, and running out of foolish things to do 

I have been interested in women behaviour all my adult life, and as soon as you leave the male idea to be "logical" you can start to understand them. They are good, in social aspect much better than men, but they have their own "logic". Most men think women have no logic, but that is based on male logic, female logic is totally different, and is assisted by 6th sense, which we men tragically lost...