Some questions about living in rural Cambodia
Some questions about living in rural Cambodia
Apologies for the long post if you want the short version skip to the bottom. i've been thinking of leaving the city life and heading off to spend a year in the countryside. I've lived in many countries over the years and I've always like heading off into the sticks and just relaxing, the problem is you can't really get a job there but now that I have a bit of money saved I've been considering moving out to the stick somewhere in Asia, I like the slow pace of life and the chance to immerse yourself in another language. Anyway I was looking at Vietnam I've lived in Ho Chi Minh city for a year and loved Vietnam and the Vietnamese but the visa is a bit of a hassle to do what I want not many countries will give you a long term visa if you don't have a job, but Cambodia will! Plus the language is non tonal which is a nice bonus. Anyway with that bit of background I have a few questions about life in Cambodia.
The first is about the level of development and finding a place to stay. Vietnam is not a wealthy country but except for the most remote areas when you go into the countryside the villages generally consist of small cement houses with tiled floors, with open vents and windows to the outside. When I look at pictures of Cambodian villages I basically see only one room wooden shacks built on huts, but that is the same for Vietnam and I know the towns there ae actually quite more developed than that. Is this all there is out in the sticks? Does a typical village or town outside of the city have any concrete houses or is it just one room huts? I would be interested in renting a room in a house or maybe renting a one room hut, but I'm not to keen on sharing my sleeping space. Ideally I'd like to rent a room from a family in a concrete house or a pagoda, but I'm not sure if this is a realistic expectation or not. And then there is the matter of price I was thinking about $100 would be enough for room and board in a place like that but I'm not sure I could be way off base.I don't expect anything fancy no ac or running water, just four walls for myself. Would it be reasonalbe to expect electricity? I do need that.
The next question would be how to find a place, I don't speak any Khmer, so my plan would be to stay in Pnom Phenh for a week and hire a tutor for a week, study and practice intensively and get some of the basics down, then head for a touristy town like Kampot hang out for a month or two get the lay of the land practice some more Khmer and then ask around and see if anyone knows someone who would be willing to rent to someone out in the villages.
What locations wold you recommend for this? I really don't know Cambodia well enough to know what the benefits and drawbacks of the different provinces are, so if you were heading to the rural areas which would you choose and why? I was thinking near Kampot because I've seen some nice pictures of pepper plantations there, but I'd like to go somewhere with little tourism industry.
Finally safety, I've traveled a lot but mostly to repressive police states who keep everything under firm control, I understand that in Cambodia the government is almost non functional and there are a lot of guns floating about. Is it safe to go off the tourist trail and into the less visited parts? And are there any particular dangers I should be worried about.
Short Version, I want to rent a room in a village in a rural areas, how much would that be, how to find someone willing to host a foreigner, where to go, and anything I should watch out for?
The first is about the level of development and finding a place to stay. Vietnam is not a wealthy country but except for the most remote areas when you go into the countryside the villages generally consist of small cement houses with tiled floors, with open vents and windows to the outside. When I look at pictures of Cambodian villages I basically see only one room wooden shacks built on huts, but that is the same for Vietnam and I know the towns there ae actually quite more developed than that. Is this all there is out in the sticks? Does a typical village or town outside of the city have any concrete houses or is it just one room huts? I would be interested in renting a room in a house or maybe renting a one room hut, but I'm not to keen on sharing my sleeping space. Ideally I'd like to rent a room from a family in a concrete house or a pagoda, but I'm not sure if this is a realistic expectation or not. And then there is the matter of price I was thinking about $100 would be enough for room and board in a place like that but I'm not sure I could be way off base.I don't expect anything fancy no ac or running water, just four walls for myself. Would it be reasonalbe to expect electricity? I do need that.
The next question would be how to find a place, I don't speak any Khmer, so my plan would be to stay in Pnom Phenh for a week and hire a tutor for a week, study and practice intensively and get some of the basics down, then head for a touristy town like Kampot hang out for a month or two get the lay of the land practice some more Khmer and then ask around and see if anyone knows someone who would be willing to rent to someone out in the villages.
What locations wold you recommend for this? I really don't know Cambodia well enough to know what the benefits and drawbacks of the different provinces are, so if you were heading to the rural areas which would you choose and why? I was thinking near Kampot because I've seen some nice pictures of pepper plantations there, but I'd like to go somewhere with little tourism industry.
Finally safety, I've traveled a lot but mostly to repressive police states who keep everything under firm control, I understand that in Cambodia the government is almost non functional and there are a lot of guns floating about. Is it safe to go off the tourist trail and into the less visited parts? And are there any particular dangers I should be worried about.
Short Version, I want to rent a room in a village in a rural areas, how much would that be, how to find someone willing to host a foreigner, where to go, and anything I should watch out for?
It's a piece of piss. Boring tho...
Massive stalker
I've been living in rural Cambodia for over 7 years and, and it suits me well, but that's because I've got work to do that requires nothing more than a laptop and a 3G connection and keeps me busy during the day and provides met with enough money to live a decent live. If I would spend my time here without anything to do I would be bored to hell within weeks (maybe days, definitely not months) and be an alcoholic by now just because the only thing I could think of was lying in my hammock and enjoy the view over a cold beer.
As long as you stick to (the area) around provincial centers you will be fine finding decent housing but don't count on bargains price wise. A decent house where I live will cost you well over 100$ a month (water will come from the well, usually 11 months a year) and electricity is not included. Food will generally be the same price as in PP, not cheaper, unless it's really local food. A lot of food comes in from other provinces and is thus not that cheap.
My advise: don't go for any medium/long term commitments. Travel to a provincial center and stay there for a while, you can start in guesthouse and explore from there using a (motor)bike. Quite some foreigners try, but only few manage to live far away from the 'Penh' for a longer period of time. Also count on regular trips to PP to stock up on items unavailable in the boonies (Western food, shoes & clothes, branded medicine, to name a few) some R&R and an occasional visit to a doc. Healthcare in the boonies is nearly non existent, even in the provincial centers.
As long as you stick to (the area) around provincial centers you will be fine finding decent housing but don't count on bargains price wise. A decent house where I live will cost you well over 100$ a month (water will come from the well, usually 11 months a year) and electricity is not included. Food will generally be the same price as in PP, not cheaper, unless it's really local food. A lot of food comes in from other provinces and is thus not that cheap.
My advise: don't go for any medium/long term commitments. Travel to a provincial center and stay there for a while, you can start in guesthouse and explore from there using a (motor)bike. Quite some foreigners try, but only few manage to live far away from the 'Penh' for a longer period of time. Also count on regular trips to PP to stock up on items unavailable in the boonies (Western food, shoes & clothes, branded medicine, to name a few) some R&R and an occasional visit to a doc. Healthcare in the boonies is nearly non existent, even in the provincial centers.
- Lucky Lucan
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Vietnamese tend to build on the ground. I'm not sure I'd describe the traditional stilt houses here as "shacks built on huts". There are of course some pretty-shoddy looking shacks around, some are lived in and some are just used part of the year during harvest or whatever.Darzin wrote: When I look at pictures of Cambodian villages I basically see only one room wooden shacks built on huts, but that is the same for Vietnam and I know the towns there are actually quite more developed than that. Is this all there is out in the sticks? Does a typical village or town outside of the city have any concrete houses or is it just one room huts?
Anyway, an average traditional wooden house is often fairly rudimentary, with a large living space and a two or more bedrooms. Most now have concrete stilts, and are often partially built of brick/ concrete, whether it's just the bathrooms or a larger central area.
Wood is much too expensive for most to build with now, so new houses are generally made of concrete.
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think you would be better off spending a bit more time in country before venturing out into the boonies
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Right, maybe a long weekend first?Jamie_Lambo wrote:think you would be better off spending a bit more time in country before venturing out into the boonies
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at the very mostgavinmac wrote:Right, maybe a long weekend first?Jamie_Lambo wrote:think you would be better off spending a bit more time in country before venturing out into the boonies
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I can't stay around those kind of places for long, they're all muddy and there are always fucking cockerels crowing and dogs barking and weird country bumpkins sneaking around in the shadows wielding machetes/ adzes/ slash hooks etc.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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Our of curiosity, what are the pros/cons of building a country house with wood v. concrete? Would people choose wood if it were the same price as concrete? I would think concrete would be desirable because it's more durable, no termites, etc. Do people not like concrete homes them because they are ugly or get too hot or something?Lucky Lucan wrote: Wood is much too expensive for most to build with now, so new houses are generally made of concrete.
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Thanks for the advice, that's kind of what I want to do, next year I'll have a lot of online work to do, and figure I may as well get out of the city. Also how much would it cost to rent a small but decent house? And do you think it would be possible to just rent a room from a family as opposed to a whole house? And if so any idea how much that would cost?I've been living in rural Cambodia for over 7 years and, and it suits me well, but that's because I've got work to do that requires nothing more than a laptop and a 3G connection and keeps me busy during the day and provides met with enough money to live a decent live. If I would spend my time here without anything to do I would be bored to hell within weeks (maybe days, definitely not months) and be an alcoholic by now just because the only thing I could think of was lying in my hammock and enjoy the view over a cold beer.
As long as you stick to (the area) around provincial centers you will be fine finding decent housing but don't count on bargains price wise. A decent house where I live will cost you well over 100$ a month (water will come from the well, usually 11 months a year) and electricity is not included. Food will generally be the same price as in PP, not cheaper, unless it's really local food. A lot of food comes in from other provinces and is thus not that cheap.
Those certainly look much better than what I was seeing.Vietnamese tend to build on the ground. I'm not sure I'd describe the traditional stilt houses here as "shacks built on huts". There are of course some pretty-shoddy looking shacks around, some are lived in and some are just used part of the year during harvest or whatever.
Anyway, an average traditional wooden house is often fairly rudimentary, with a large living space and a two or more bedrooms. Most now have concrete stilts, and are often partially built of brick/ concrete, whether it's just the bathrooms or a larger central area.
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after 2 days at the gf's house in Svay Rieng, (Like the 2nd photo above) i cant wait to get out
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I'm building a new house at the moment, so needed a place for a few months. Just off Rd 4, 5 mins from the provincial market, fairly run down, but structurally sound brick house with large garden for $50 a month.
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Try one of the many village homestays offered in Siem Reap, Battambang, Kampong Cham or Kampot for a few weeks first. Aside from the excitement of KNY you will get very bored without a visit to a city once a week. People go to sleep at the fall of darkness and the food is rice with whatever the family grows or buys from a roadside stall in the surrounding villages.
The novelty will wear off in a few weeks if you don't have a pressing distraction like work or 100 books to read. This is why the majority of village stays are tied to a project like "toilets for orphans" so the foreigners have something to do between 7am and 7pm. The looming boredom is why many villages seem to have almost no one between about 15-30 years old, because they all left for the city to work and play.
I dispute that most new houses in the sticks are concrete. Many foundations/stilts are now being built of concrete, but everything at floor level and up is usually still wood or metal cladding. The concrete single shop front building boom is limited to the provincial towns that don't flood and high land along the highways
The cost of the bottom pictured house would be in the ballpark of 15-20K, which gives the owner 3+ rooms at the top (communal area, kitchen, several bedrooms divided up how the owner wants) and a brick room at the bottom (subject to flooding if you live in the wrong place). To rent that house I'd expect little change from $150 pm, more if it is very close to town.
The novelty will wear off in a few weeks if you don't have a pressing distraction like work or 100 books to read. This is why the majority of village stays are tied to a project like "toilets for orphans" so the foreigners have something to do between 7am and 7pm. The looming boredom is why many villages seem to have almost no one between about 15-30 years old, because they all left for the city to work and play.
Can't move a concrete home. If you look closely many wooden houses are just resting on concrete foundations and if the owner has enough friends he can move it.gavinmac wrote:Our of curiosity, what are the pros/cons of building a country house with wood v. concrete? Would people choose wood if it were the same price as concrete? I would think concrete would be desirable because it's more durable, no termites, etc. Do people not like concrete homes them because they are ugly or get too hot or something?Lucky Lucan wrote: Wood is much too expensive for most to build with now, so new houses are generally made of concrete.
I dispute that most new houses in the sticks are concrete. Many foundations/stilts are now being built of concrete, but everything at floor level and up is usually still wood or metal cladding. The concrete single shop front building boom is limited to the provincial towns that don't flood and high land along the highways
The cost of the bottom pictured house would be in the ballpark of 15-20K, which gives the owner 3+ rooms at the top (communal area, kitchen, several bedrooms divided up how the owner wants) and a brick room at the bottom (subject to flooding if you live in the wrong place). To rent that house I'd expect little change from $150 pm, more if it is very close to town.
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I'm thinking a wooden house might be cooler as it doesn't bake in the sun?
Hey, have you ever heard of any white dudes going off in the jungle for awile in the KOW like Ed Stafford but like with clothes and shit?
Wot would be the likelihood of getting shot by timber smugglers, bandits, drug gangs, or yer balls blown off by a land mine?
I may be some time...
Hey, have you ever heard of any white dudes going off in the jungle for awile in the KOW like Ed Stafford but like with clothes and shit?
Wot would be the likelihood of getting shot by timber smugglers, bandits, drug gangs, or yer balls blown off by a land mine?
I may be some time...
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