jimmie50

Apologies @vinapu...thanks for that reminder. I was just responding to post by someone else and didn't stop to think what the actual topic was. Yes, I have never been to Arni Hexa hotel. My comment was specifically directed to Magic Hand massage shop.

OMG...absolutely my worst experience ever...anywhere. Based upon my experience I would avoid, but some adventuresome soul might enjoy the challenge.

Sorry that I will miss you. I will be in Southeast Asia during that time, but not Bangkok. Plan to be in Cambodia 9/5-12/2. That should come as no surprise to anyone. lol.

Correct. I did not mean to imply it would cover one trip abroad that would last one year. There is a restriction on the number of days per trip. This would just be good for someone who travels extensively on multiple trips during the span of one year.

In the US, I have used Allianz and InsureMyTrip. I like Allianz because they offer an annual plan as well as per trip. If you travel a lot during a one year period, it is nice to purchase the annual plan and not worry about it each and every time. I like InsureMyTrip because they offer multiple plans from multiple companies and do a side by side comparison. They also allow you to purchase what you need...not a one size fits all type situation. I usually am less concerned about trip delays, lost luggage, flight cancellations, etc. because I always purchase my ticket on credit card that include such protection plans. I am primarily interested in the medical coverage for emergency situations and accidents.

I think it was American Express back in the 1970's or 1980's that had a series of commercials with the theme "don't leave home without it". That is my theme song when it comes to travel insurance...I never leave home without it. As @PeterRS2 said, it only takes a heart attack, serious stroke, motorbike accident or some other catastrophic event to wipe a person out financially. Not willing to take that risk myself. Airfare certainly ain't cheap these days, either, and with the volatile situation in the Middle East not to mention craziness in other parts of the world that could erupt at any moment...travel is a huge risk these days in general and a big ticket item for most people. Personally, I am not willing to take the risk of traveling without insurance.

In the US, a crown probably starts around $1500 and could go as high as $4000! If you also need root canal, that would add at least an additional $600 to the cost...probably more. A simple, uncomplicated extraction here can probably be done for around $75-100. Cam is feeling much better now. He is able to eat solid foods again, although he said he is avoiding anything spicy at the moment. Little to no pain now, and that is not from the tooth but from the extraction. The Cambodian version of Tylenol works for that pain...as does one or two beers. lol. He and his brother were drinking pretty heavily last night after unloading the wood for the concrete molds.

Well, I can see that this forum is not nearly as active or interesting as the Thailand forum. However, I thought I would give a quick update on the construction project and on Cam. They have completed the digging of a footer around the entire perimeter of their property, put together steel rods into a framework and have it positioned around the perimeter as well. Next up is to build the wooden molds around the steel framing so that they can begin to pour concrete. They have had rain the last two days so been unable to work. Cam is hoping they can begin building the wooden frames tomorrow. The timing of the rain was actually a good thing, because Cam has been dealing with a toothache. It was bad enough over the weekend that he actually went to the local hospital to see a doctor. The doctor (no idea if this was an actual dentist, a medical doctor, or what the level of education was) required $40 up front before he would even see Cam. Good example of the corrupt system. No payment, no office visit...period. This doctor wanted $100 to put a crown on the tooth in question. Cam did not care for the doctor, did not trust him, and refused to do the crown. He went to see someone different on Tuesday. This is someone his mother took him to when he was a little boy. Anyway, the end result was a tooth extraction for $10 and Cam was satisfied with that. Poor guy was in a lot of pain over the weekend. He was taking their version of Tylenol without much benefit. Difficulty sleeping and eating. Said it was even hard to focus on work. When we did our usual video chat this morning he said it was much better now that the tooth was removed. I am not sure that a crown would have done much good as it sounds like he also would need root canal. That was never mentioned by the first doctor. If he was in that much pain, something must have been going on with the nerve as well as the tooth itself. A crown alone would just cover up the tooth but not fix any nerve damage. Makes me think the first 'doctor' had very little training in the dental field at least.

Same here. Tried it and felt the same way...sensory overload.

I had problems off and on yesterday, 6/26, but it has been fine today for me. @TotallyOz did mention he would be upgrading the system sometime this week. I would imagine during that process that the site might be inaccessible and you get a message like 'site cannot be reached'. Just a thought...

Well, it would seem the internet and cellular service is not always the most reliable in the rural area where Cam's family lives. There have been a couple of times now where he had no internet access for approximately 8 hours. He uses Metfone, and says it is better in the larger cities (Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh). Think I might look into some type of satellite service I can pay for in advance of my upcoming trip so I don't run into such a problem. Evidently Starlink is illegal in Cambodia. Anyone have other suggestions or recommendations? Since we will be in Battambang and Siem Reap most of the time, I am hoping it will not be an issue. A little more than six weeks now until I leave for Cambodia. Anxious to see Cam, but a little nervous exploring someplace new...especially after reading about all of the corruption everywhere.

I did one trip of 14 hours from San Francisco to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific on my way to Bangkok. More recently did San Francisco to Singapore for 20 hours. I wasn't sure about it when I booked that flight, but it wasn't so bad. I am doing that same route on my upcoming trip to Cambodia. San Francisco to Singapore; Singapore to Siem Reap.

This is one of the reasons I was hoping to find a more up-to-date book about Cambodia. Most of the books available were written more than 30 years ago, so I would hope things have improved in that regard.

I checked and Amazon actually has the book in stock. It is a little on the expensive side...$65...but from the description I think it will provide more up to date and in-depth information that I am looking for. Thanks for the recommendation.

I have checked amazon, but was hoping to find something a little more current. Most of what amazon has to offer only includes events through approximately 2010. I was hoping to find something beginning around 2018 to the present. They had a couple, but not the hard copy...only online editions through Kindle. I hate reading books online. I am old school and want to actually hold the book in my hands and flip the pages. I tried to locate a hard copy of the two more recent books but it seems they are only available on Kindle. I am not that desperate.