CAMBODIAN ODDS AND ENDS

COST OF LIVING IN CAMBODIA

Well, my visit to the village (see videos below) showed me that it is indeed possible to rent a place cheap (with bills, under $40 per month) but you wouldn't want to live there. It is in a village and not 'a nice place to live'. For that amount, you get a decent sized living space, bucket showers, some electricity, no wifi and woken up by lots of noise at the same time your neighbors get up every day. Since it's a village, that's five or six AM.

Even then, I'm not so sure that it is actually a 'cheap' place to live. The nice guy from Belgium who I interviewed has basically become the 'godfather' of the village. He's paid money to build a very basic school and given fairly large cash loans to many of his neighbors. Either they pay it back or he eats at their house to diminish the debt. Considering they eat rice and maybe part of an egg, it's not a lot of food. The Belgium man said he's lost a lot of weight since living there. While this is a great diet plan for Americans, it doesn't look all that healthy.

In short, not how I'd like to spend my time. I am sure that the villagers are grateful to have him around.  Not something I think I would enjoy.  I don't like lending money to anyone (friends or otherwise), especially since I don't have any.  Nor do I like being tied down to one place for long.

INTERESTING LINK FOR ALL THINGS ABOUT CAMBODIA

Check out this.

THE NEW NEW NEW PLAN

I could get my visa extended once for only one month for $45 or leave the country when my visa is done. Should I go by land to Thailand, I get a free two week visa. I can then re-enter Cambodia should I be so inclined. At that point I can either get the long extendable (and no proof required) business visa for $25 or the lame tourist visa for $20.

Not sure what I'd like to do on this yet, however. I have found a town in Thailand close to Cambodia that is reputed to have extremely cheap places to stay.   I may just go there and enjoy the free Thai two week visa (land crossings) then head back into Cambodia.  Or, perhaps start working my way toward Georgia and a job at a hostel to try to save money.

LOGANISMS

I've been thinking about a great hidden camera thing. Tuk tuk drivers always are bugging people by saying "Tuk tuk?" I've been imagining the bloke who says "Don't mind if I do". He then grabs hold of the side or rear of the tuk tuk and begins to wildly dry hump it. I'd be very curious as to what would happen. Sadly, since the Asians I've encountered don't have a dearth of imagination, my guess it would simply be a demand for money. Sigh.

If you ride in a tuk tuk in Cambodia, one of the things they always ask when they drop you off is "What are you doing tomorrow?" Unfortunately, their English isn't good enough to understand the phrase "Furiously masturbating." Please - give generously to the "Get Cambodians to understand English so that Logan's stupid jokes can be understood" fund.



MOVIE REVIEW - THE GUARD

Some other traveler or tourist I had met suggested I watch 'The Guard'.  They said it was funny.  On the cover of the movie, it describes it as 'raucous comedy'.  Personally, I think whoever put that there needs to be beaten to death with a dictionary.  

It's an hour and a half of my life I'll not be getting back.  2/10.

VIDEOS

Venetian Village 1

Venetian Village 2
Tuk Tuk Ride Back
Siem Reap War Museum





COSTS


Liter bottle of 'Kiprinski' vodka, $5
Large bottle of Kahlua, $13
Box of milk, $2


Ticky (snack bread with vanilla or chocolate), $1 per box


Box, 300g 'Frosties' (aka "Frosted Flakes" for USA), $3.80


War Museum - tuk tuk there and back again, $4.  Admission $5.  Was it worth it?  Meh.  So - so.