jimmie50

I am unfamiliar with Wise. The first I heard of it was via this forum. I did see the post about US issued Wise cards not working in Cambodia. I actually went to my bank in person yesterday afternoon and they assured me that my Visa debit card would work in ATM's located in Cambodia. They have had other customers use their cards without any issues. I do not use my credit cards to obtain cash advances. Fees are too outrageous for that. The bank also said my credit cards would work, but as has been mentioned by others on the forum who have been to Cambodia before, 'cash is king' so to speak. Major international businesses will accept credit cards, but the smaller shops and independents most likely will not. The bank also made another suggestion. They said if I ran into any problems, Western Union has locations in Cambodia. If in a bind, I could always send money to myself from my bank account via Western Union to be picked up at the local office. Of course, that would require paying a small fee. I have also thought about asking Cam for his bank account information. We have had a discussion about this before. I could use an online service such as Remitly and send money from my bank account to his bank account and then he could get it for me that way. Again, I am sure a small fee would be involved. Once I am actually in Cambodia, have applied and received the retirement visa, I can open up a bank account. Then it won't be a concern. I can transfer money from my US bank account to my Cambodian bank account and vice versa. I would have a debit card for both banks.

I suspect we will mostly use Riel. Cam will have used up all of his Baht by the time I arrive. He has a few 'souvenir' US dollars he has collected over the years that he has saved and I am sure will not spend. They were from customers at the bar and sort of a collector's item for him. He has a one dollar bill and a five dollar bill. I gave him a five and ten dollar bill to add to his collection. For the most part, he will be using Riel so that will most likely be what I use as well once there. I do need to make sure my bank cards will work in Cambodia, though, so that I can withdraw Riel from ATM's without any problems.

Until you made the comment, I did not even make the connection. Completely missed that, but guess since 'Cam' is a pseudonym and not his real name I did not make the connection. I can be pretty slow to catch on sometimes. lol.

Do we get to select the 3? lol. I know who would be number 1 on my list!!!

Cam seems happy to be home. I think it helped that he spent the last three months with me so that his daily schedule was more 'normal' and not centered so much around bar scene and night life. It has made it easy for him to adjust to a more regular schedule and routine being home. However, with a 13 hour time difference, we are still trying to figure out best times to video chat. Today he went to his brother's house where the entire family gathered to celebrate his homecoming. Parents, Brother, 3 sisters, spouses, 14 nieces and nephews, plus a few aunts, uncles and cousins. He was excited because they were cooking a goose, as well as pork and seafood. The last we chatted they were all sitting around drinking beer and doing karaoke. His father and one brother in law in particular really enjoy singing. They have an old, antiquated device that looks as though it came from a museum, but it works. lol. Next week he, his brother and his father will begin to build a temporary structure on the back of their property where his parents will stay while the new house is under construction. They want to build the new house in the same location as the current house, so it needs to be torn down first. But, his parents will need someplace to stay on a temporary basis. From the way Cam describes it to me, it sounds more like a camping trip. Not sure I would want to live like that for several months. Anyway, they need to get the temporary housing up so they can begin moving things out of the current house and start tearing it down. Cam wants to get as much of this done before I arrive in September. He doesn't want to be driving back and forth every day from Battambang to his hometown. That would be about one hour each way on motorbike.

Appreciate the responses and have some updated information regarding my questions. 1. The Airbnb will actually provide transportation to/from the airport. Cam will be checking in one day before I arrive, so he will be able to ride to the airport with the driver, help with luggage and the e-sim, and ride together back to the condo. Already provided my flight information to the Airbnb so we are good to go. 2. Thanks to online Cambodia group at Facebook, two travel agents have been recommended to help with the retirement visa. I also received some good information about visa on arrival. Immigration will assume that all Westerners want a tourist visa without even asking. That is their standard issue, which is good for 30 days. It can be renewed one time for an additional 30 days. After that, you must leave the country for a certain number of days. When you return, you start the process all over again. You have to specifically request the 'Ordinary Visa' if you plan to convert to a Retirement or Business visa for long term stay. While you can do the retirement visa process yourself, I was encouraged to use the travel agents because it makes things go faster and smoother. They have all of the contacts, know all of the loop holes, and quite often can bypass some of the required documentation as well. Cost of the Retirement Visa for one year is $300 USD and the agents charge $30 fee. Everyone said it is well worth the $30 to avoid any problems or issues, because even though you can apply in Siem Reap at the Immigration Office, everything gets sent to Phnom Penh. If you do it yourself, you have to travel to Phnom Penh. If you are missing anything, then you would need to return to Siem Reap, get whatever you were missing, then go back to Phnom Penh again and hope nothing else was wrong or missing. Using one of the agents eliminates most of the risk. Only concern is giving them your passport to send off to Phnom Penh. Definitely a little nervous about that. Siem Reap Travel/Visa Agents: LV Trust Travel and Tours WhatsApp: +855 88 505 7263 Cam Smile WhatsApp: +855 97 805 6805 3. I know from my experiences in Thailand that any bills you plan to exchange must be new and pristine. However, in Thailand I always carried large bills of 50 and 100 USD to exchange. As has been mentioned here, in Cambodia you can use USD but it is best to carry small denominations. Cam said ones, fives and tens would be best. Twenties might be doable some places, but he said not to bring fifties or hundreds unless I intended to go to some currency exchange place. He also said the same as forum members...new and pristine bills. Cam said people will also accept Thai Baht in addition to USD and Riel. Pretty common. He paid the driver on the Cambodian side that took him from the border to his house in Thai Baht. No problem. I actually have some Thai Baht left from this last trip, so will take it and try to use it up. Not sure when I might be back in Thailand. 4. Recommended cell phone stalls for e-sim at the airport are Metfone, Smart, or Cellcard. These three carriers handle most of the traffic in Cambodia. Some people purchase in advance at Holafly or Simify. Metfone is best for remote areas while Smart is the fastest. Cost is around $6 for 60GB/month. The condo has free WIFI, so 60GB should be more than enough for those times when we are not at the condo. Cam used True in Bangkok and I had AIS. True is not available in Cambodia so he uses Metfone. He said AIS is also available in Cambodia, so I may just continue with them. Won't know for sure until I actually get there.

I will be in Cambodia...either Siem Reap or Battambang. Let me know if you decide to take a side trip that direction and we can get together.

To be honest, until meeting Cam I gave little notice to the border conflict other than what appeared in the US news...which is never much. I believe many Cambodians did return at the beginning of the war...even guys working in the bars. This was encouraged by the Cambodian government...I think the line of reasoning given was loyalty to your country. With the border closed, if they decided to return to Thailand for work at some later time, they would need to do so illegally. They would not be able to obtain a visa. If they had a visa, getting it renewed might be the challenge. This is all unfamiliar territory for me and until getting together with Cam it was never on my radar. Definitely a real learning experience on my part. I also ordered some books to read about Cambodian history and culture before I return in September so I am better prepared for those political conversations Cam liked to have over Youtube videos. Back to school at 75! lol.

I was able to have a nice, long video chat with Cam this morning Denver time and he talked a little more freely about the trip. I think beforehand he didn't want to share too much information with me as he did not want to worry me. You are correct in that before the border conflict escalated in 2025 and essentially closed, the regular price was 2000. It has increased due to the risk factor. There is little concern for the Cambodians who are returning home once they actually have crossed the border and are in Cambodia. Even if they run into military or local police, there are no problems. In fact, they are usually welcomed home as the Cambodian government has encouraged all of its citizens in Thailand to return to their home country. The problem is on the Thailand side of the border. Police and military want to capture the Cambodians returning home for two reasons according to Cam. First, they want to arrest them so there is an official record that they were in Thailand illegally so if they ever apply for a visa in the future it will automatically be denied. Once arrested and the arrest is officially recorded, they deport them to Cambodia. The second reason is your basic corruption and police wanting to shake down those returning home for as much money as they can...if caught. So, police along their journey are actively looking for Cambodians who have been in Thailand illegally to line their pockets. Cam said that is why they travel by night, take different routes all of the time, and they even changed vehicles several times during the trip. I was curious if he actually knew any of the other people in the group, but they were all strangers to each other. All had been in Thailand legally prior to the conflict and border closing, so could no longer do the visa run and had to resort to this method of travel in order to return home safely.

Quick update: Cam has arrived home safe and sound. A total of 9 persons made the trip plus driver. They were all packed into a van. Couldn't have been very comfortable. Took a little over six hours to drive as the driver was trying to avoid police check points. They traveled by foot through the forest once they reached the border for about 1km. From there he was able to get a car to take him directly to his home. That ride was approximately two hours. There was a period of time where we could not be in communication as they all had to avoid using their phones. That was the most frustrating part...not knowing exactly where he was or what was happening. I was extremely nervous about him and the others walking through the forest because of the danger of land mines. Current rates are 5000-7000 Baht. Not a bad days work transporting 9 persons to the border at 5000 Baht each. He does that several times each week. The price on Cambodian side has also gone up. Cam ended up paying 1000 Baht for the ride to his home. We did video chat briefly when he first arrived, then he was going to crash. He said he wasn't able to sleep during the trip. Big sigh of relief on my part. Thanks to everyone for their concern and support. Much appreciated.

Apparently this individual has been making these border runs for quite some time. All of the Cambodian guys seem to be aware of him and use his services. There will be several others making the journey tonight along with Cam, so perhaps safety in numbers? Anyway, approximately 7:30pm Bangkok time and he is awaiting pick up sometime between now and 10pm. They actually pick the guys up wherever they currently live. Cam reassures me it will be fine, but I am still anxious and worried for his safety. I will keep everyone updated. Oh...and because there are several traveling at the same time the price is only 5000 Baht from Bangkok to the border. Once in Cambodia, the price to his home will only be 200 Baht. Big difference!

Well, I have arrived back in Denver safe and sound. Flights were all good, connections went smoothly, and on all three flights we somehow managed to arrive at our destination at least ten minutes early. Suvarnabhumi was very busy. I was able to bypass the majority of folks and went to the seniors/disabled line for immigration and security. That was smooth sailing compared to long lines elsewhere. Taipei was busy, but not nearly as much as swampy. The thing that always gets me in Taipei is even though you just got off a secure plane into a secure area without ever leaving…they still make transfers go back through security. Strange system to me, but I see that a lot in Asian airports. They do it in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan as well. All three flights were full. I was surprised by this. Based upon news reports, travel in general is down due to high cost and the situation in the Middle East. That certainly did not seem to be the case on these three flights. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was sad leaving Cam, but he surprised me by insisting that he ride with me all the way to the airport. He did not want to part ways as we left the condo one last time. Neither one of us was quite ready to say goodbye. I kept in touch along my journey via text, and in Taipei and San Francisco he called for brief video chats. He met his bar buddies that first night after I left to say their goodbyes. There was six or eight of them that shared snacks and a large bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label. I think he said they played cards as well. That would have been July 8th. July 9th he met his other group of friends and they went to some market for food and drinks, and then ended up at the pool hall to play snooker. That will be his last hurrah. He will take transportation to the border this evening (10th). I did ask Cam if the border is officially open now and he said no. They do not cross at any official check point. More a situation of locals crossing back and forth. He doesn’t know about guys returning to work, but said if they were it was without any type of visa. Some people are getting across because of medical emergencies, but even that was limited and only for 14 days. Over the three months we were together, we accumulated a lot of stuff. When he first arrived at the condo, he had one small piece of luggage and said it contained pretty much everything that he owned in Thailand. We went shopping a number of times. He would never ask for anything, and trying to get him to tell me things he needed or wanted was like pulling teeth. We also bought a few things we needed for cooking in the condo, and had a good supply of cooking supplies that we gave to his roommates. All said and done, we made three trips to his room each time carrying three large grocery bags from Tops filled with stuff. I tried to persuade him to let me purchase a larger bag as I could not see how he could possibly manage everything going back home in that small one. He repeatedly refused, so I eventually gave up. He claimed to have a large soft sided bag he could cram full of everything. He also kept reminding me that he has to be able to carry everything across the border by hand, so he did not want a big piece of luggage. And, as usual, I overpacked. I did not wear half of the clothes I brought with me. I am determined when I go to Cambodia in September to only bring one large bag and one small carry on. My last two trips to Bangkok I have traveled with two large bags and one carry on. Way too much stuff. I arrived in Denver at 8:30am local time and have managed to stay up and stay busy all day. Hopefully, I will be able to sleep tonight and adjust to the time difference quickly. Have to wait and see how that works out for me. lol. I might make one more post on this thread to let everyone know about Cam’s journey home. Then I will be switching to the Cambodia forum.

Cam is not concerned about it at all. Says it will be no problem for him as he is returning home. He has other Cambodian friends who have done the same thing recently without any issues. Not sure what the situation would be in reverse if he tried to enter Thailand without a visa. My understanding is obtaining a visa for Thailand from Cambodia is not an option currently, but not 100% sure of that.

If you are a follower of the Gay Thailand forum, you have probably read some of my posts about an upcoming trip to Cambodia in September. For those of you who have visited before, I have several questions: 1. Can you recommend a car service from the airport in Siem Reap that can be reserved in advance to take you into the city? Cam is planning to meet me in Siem Reap, but he will be on a motorbike and that just isn't practical for picking me up at the airport considering I will have two large suitcases. Our plan is to just meet at the Airbnb (condo) instead, so I need to arrange for translation from the airport to the condo. 2. I need to apply for the retirement visa and it has been suggested to me that rather than doing this on my own I should go through a reputable travel agency in Siem Reap. Can anyone recommend a reputable travel agency that provides this service? 3. Should I exchange any USD for Riel on arrival, or just carry USD? I know it is readily accepted in Cambodia, but also would prefer to have some local currency as well. Can you recommend a currency exchange that has decent rates? 4. Does the airport have stalls where you can purchase e-sim and get a local number? I always us AIS in Thailand, but not sure if they are available in Cambodia. Thanks! Appreciate any and all responses! Cam is not much help when I ask him these questions as he has no idea, either. lol. We are like the blind leading the blind.

Well, it is with mixed emotions that I begin to wrap up this unusual trip report. Unusual in that it did not include details about visits to bars or massage shops or other such escapades. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this three month adventure with Cam, but it has turned out to be an amazing experience. Staying away from Silom was a good decision for us both. I suppose to some our time together will appear as somewhat mundane and boring. We have simply enjoyed the time together as a couple. We have had some interesting, in depth conversations about politics in Cambodia, about our families, about life in general, and about hopes and dreams for the future. It was fun to venture outside of Bangkok to Pattaya and Chiang Mai for a change of scenery. We enjoyed cooking meals together, trying new restaurants, going shopping at the various malls…and even playing snooker with his friends. Having us get sick at different times was a learning experience for us both, but we managed to survive even that. While I am sad that the time has come for us to temporarily go our separate ways, there is also a sense of peace and calmness this time. I am confident that our feelings for each other are strong and genuine. After spending so much time together over the last three months, the next eight weeks apart will be a bit of a challenge, but not nearly as stressful as the separation was between the first of April and my return in May. My journey back to Denver begins the evening of July 8 with layovers in Taipei and San Francisco. I will eventually arrive home sometime around noon on July 9. Cam departs for Cambodia on July 10. Since he has no plans to return to Thailand as of now, he will have one last night out with his bar friends and one last night out with his snooker pals. While I do not know all of the specifics, there is an individual that runs private car service from Bangkok to the border area with Cambodia that is safe to cross. The drive takes around four hours and they travel at night. He will have to walk the last 100 meters or so across the border with his belongings. Once in Cambodia, there are others there waiting who are willing to provide transportation from there to his hometown. Of course, all of this will require payment for the two drivers of approximately 7000 Baht total. The drive from the border to his hometown will be about one hour. Surprisingly, airfares for the trip to Siem Reap were much better than I expected given the current situation in the Middle East. In fact, I just received notice that there was a price drop of $150 USD so the fare was adjusted accordingly (yes, I did the guarantee). Depart Denver on September 3, once again connecting in San Francisco. Will have that long flight again to Singapore, then on to Siem Reap arriving on September 5. Will spend the first week in Siem Reap before moving to Battambang for the remainder of the trip, although we might go back to Siem Reap a few days before my return trip to US is scheduled on December 2. That is yet to be determined. Airbnb is secured in both locations. Will probably start posting in the Cambodian forum, although it doesn’t seem to be very active. Not sure how effective or helpful that will be. Hopefully people will respond. I already have a few questions to post.

+1

This is not specifically about the bars, but low season in general. Had a message from Paradise guy just last night. He has no idea I am currently in Bangkok. He was telling me how bad business is at the shop and there are very few customers. He was asking if I might be able to send him a little money to help pay his rent. This is the first time he has ever asked, so I am inclined to believe he is in somewhat dire straits and business really is bad.

Nice rainbow fireworks display last night presented by IconSiam in celebration of Pride in Bangkok! We didn't know about it in advance, but could actually see some of the display from our condo window. Imagine it was quite spectacular in person with the reflection of the sparklers in the river in addition to the sky.

I don't see any image?!? Am I missing something?

I cannot speak from first hand experience as we have been staying away from Silom on this trip. Our plan was to visit Banana Bar last night as an end to my birthday celebration, but because of the election and alcohol ban, Soi 4 was dark other than G's. Cam does keep in touch via text with a couple of his buddies at Hotmale and what you report seems to be what they are telling him. Several nights in a row there has only been one or two customers at the most. They haven't even been doing the shows because no customers, and some of the guys are simply not showing up for work because they are not making any money. I don't know about the other bars/clubs, but I think Cam's information is pretty accurate for Hotmale. Perhaps Hotmale isn't the best example, as it has other issues (see @macaroni21 posts on his blog regarding this bar / https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2026/05/06/this-bar-makes-me-hot-under-the-collar/)

Quick update on the birthday celebration...had a nice dinner with his two friends. Cam had arranged with one of his friends to pick up a heart shaped birthday cake which they somehow managed to sneak into the restaurant. At the conclusion of dinner the restaurant staff brought out the cake along with plates and a knife for cutting. It was complete with candle and other customers chimed in as they all sang 'happy birthday'. After dinner we headed to the pool hall where we managed to get in three games of snooker before heading to Silom. Unfortunately, neither Cam nor I realized it was election day in Bangkok and Soi 4 was completely dark with the exception of G's. All of the clubs were closed and no alcohol sales permitted. The guys only ordered Coca Cola for dinner, so the alcohol issue didn't come up. Not sure how the pool hall managed, but they were selling beer to customers. Since they were drinking beer, the issue didn't come up. Only after we arrived at Soi 4 did we find out about the election and ban on alcohol sales. By this time it was midnight, so we just grabbed a taxi and headed back to the condo where we had some whiskey and coke...well, Cam had a whiskey and coke night cap followed by play time. It was time to receive my present. LOL.

That was his first trip up north. Other than a previous trip to Pattaya with friends and the back and forth to Cambodia on visa runs, he hasn't ventured outside of Bangkok. He did enjoy the trip and in the future could probably be persuaded to visit again...although minus the long car ride.

Finally made it to Chiang Mai, although I am not sure I would attempt such an adventure via private car again. The car service itself was great. I just didn’t realize how long it was going to take on the drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, and again on the return trip. With stops, travel time was around 10 hours. Two full days for travel, so that left us three days for exploring Chiang Mai. I used the same car service that I use to/from Suvarnabhumi and also used for the trip to Pattaya. Probably a little pricey, but I have been very happy with the service. Given Cam’s status, it was more about my peace of mind and need to be sure he was safe. If we ever visit in the future, hopefully his status will not be an issue and we can go by air or train. Cannot report on the gay scene in Chiang Mai as we did not visit any of the bars or club. Pretty much did typical tourist stuff with a local guide. Enjoyed exploring the Old City, Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang. Also traveled to the mountain temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Visited nearby hill tribes and learned a bit about the Karen and Hmong communities. Took a trip up to Doi Inthanon and saw the Two Pagodas. Stopped at an elephant sanctuary along the way. Went to several night markets in the evenings, but my favorite was the Night Bazaar. All in all, it was a great trip. Back in Bangkok now and realize that our time here is growing short. Does not seem possible that two months have already passed. Today is my birthday, so we have invited a few of his snooker buddies to join us for dinner, then we will play some snooker together, and the two of us will probably end up going to the late show at Banana Bar before heading back to the condo. This will be one of the few times we have gone to Silom on this trip. We have managed to avoid the area for the most part. Focus of this trip was to be on each other and away from the gay scene. While I try to avoid watching Youtube videos now that have anything to do with Cambodian history when Cam is around, he feels very comfortable expressing his opinions around me and there have been several evenings that he has gotten riled up. Most of the time he has listened to something on TikTok or Facebook that has prompted this reaction. I have learned the best thing for me to do is simply listen to him vent without making too many comments.

During my visit this past Feb/Mar/Apr with my very active social life and an extensive list of regulars, I can say that none of them talked about other clients. Not one mention. Of course, to be fair, I also didn't ask any questions. I was less concerned about what they did with others and more concerned about what they were going to do with me. lol. Must get our priorities in the right place.

Same for me. It has been super fast loading yesterday and today (Sat/Sun).