jimmie50

You have plenty of time to take in all of the sights and sounds. No need to try and do it all within the first couple of days. I understand it can be intoxicating once there, but you also need to listen to your body and get some rest. What works for me may not work for others, but in all of my various trips to Thailand to visit my friends...and more recently for my own pleasure (lol)...I have learned when flying from the US to schedule my arrival in the morning sometime before 12noon. I then stay busy the rest of the day until what would be a reasonable bed time that first night. I usually am able to fall asleep easily because I am so tired and wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to go. My body clock seems to adjust pretty quickly for me following that routine. I have planned the same for my upcoming trip to Cambodia. Unfortunately, the same does not work in reverse for me. It takes me several days when I get back to Denver to recover from the jet lag.

Supplies were delivered yesterday afternoon for the work on the back section of the fence. They have plenty of brick from their initial order to complete the back section, but needed to order more concrete, steel, sand and gravel. They finished digging the footer, so will begin making the steel frame to go inside the wooden molds before mixing and pouring the concrete. Including some photos of the materials that got delivered and you can see some of their work in the background on the two side sections. Once they have finished the concrete and brick work on the back section, Cam will order the wire mesh they plan to install above the brick.

Sounds like a wonderful time. A very happy birthday to you.

FYI...if only one or two customers they often cancel the show. Hopefully that won't be the case when you visit, but you should be aware that possibility does exist.

Some things are best to remain private...at least until you know each other much better. Just see how things play out.

I would have been tempted to grab the phone and throw it out the window.

As @Enchanted_Elixir said, it is a mix of twinks and twunks. I actually enjoy the show at Hotmale. Even though they may have some drag numbers, they only have one drag performer and some of the guys join her with dance routines. In regards to Sunday and week nights...Hotmale doesn't seem to get many customers these days regardless of day of the week or even time of year. That is where my bf worked and he is from Cambodia. Not sure what their make up is at the moment...I know he has two 'friends' still working there who are from Cambodia. I cannot say about the rest. I say 'friends' because they are not best buds or anything like that. More acquaintances I guess you might say as they are from the same place and work in the same place. People Cam considers his friends are those people he grew up with back home and stays in touch with.

This was in Taipei. My ex didn't seem to think anything about it. He said that was just normal routine...pushing and shoving the elderly out of the way. Very aggressive behavior from my perspective. Then again, keep in mind this was many years ago...more than 20 years ago. Hopefully things have changed.

Interested in hearing your impression of Hotmale based upon this assessment of Goodboy.

I witnessed something similar in Taiwan on my first visit there with my ex back in 2004. At that time the MRT was very limited and most of it was still under construction, so this was actually people waiting for the bus. Never experienced anything quite like it, nor have I forgotten it.

Correct. When I first met Cam, I had several from the various massage shops I was juggling, including him. As things progressed from there, though, the others were eventually dropped. I still occasionally hear from several of them via Line or WhatsApp. Usually it is just a quick hello, asking me when I plan to return to Bangkok, or simply 'how are you'. That would be Chaicana, Green, and Paradise. I don't ignore and politely respond, but don't engage in lengthy chats. Simply say hello, doing fine, no plans for future trip.

There is some element of excitement for me in the massage process. Yes, some of the shops you know going in that the massage will not be the main focus. More attention will be paid on the extras. Half of the fun or excitement in getting massage is to see just how far the masseur will go...will he or won't he...and what are the limits. I guess it's a game for me. In the bars, you know exactly what you are going to get before you walk out the door with someone. You have negotiated in advance for ST or LT as well as what they will or won't do. There isn't that same element of surprise that I find with massage.

I wasn't looking for a boyfriend...especially with one of the guys working in one of the bars. I was just enjoying the experience...but look at me now. Preparing to be with him in Cambodia for the next three months and getting a retirement visa in the process as well. Just go with the flow and have fun. If you enjoy spending time with this guy...go for it. Nothing wrong with that at all. If it turns into something more serious...congratulations. We will be here cheering you on.

And your wallet.

Well, since USD is my home currency, I always have a small amount with me when I travel. I will carry a larger amount than usual on this trip since USD is one of the two primary currencies in use in Cambodia. I plan to carry mostly smaller bills (ones, fives and tens...maybe a few twenties). However, I do plan to carry four $100 bills. The fee to the government for the Retirement Visa is $300 and must be paid in cash. I will need to pay at least an additional $100 to the agency in Siem Reap to handle the application process for me. I have already picked up my cash for the trip from the bank and made sure they are all brand new bills. I literally stood at the counter inspecting every single bill as the teller counted them out. lol. I think she was amused...but also a bit perturbed because I was taking so long. She said I wasn't the first person to do it, nor would I probably be the last. And, she also said it was always people traveling to some Asian country.

I guess I am a creature of habit. Regardless of where I have traveled, I have always taken US currency with me to exchange on arrival. The exchange rate is terrible if you do it in the US...especially at the shops located in the airports. Absolutely ridiculous the service fees they charge and the exchange rate is always horrible. Many, many...more than I would like to admit...many years ago you could place an order with your bank for foreign currency. It was provided as a service with minimal charge and the exchange rate was excellent. Unfortunately, most banks don't do this anymore. I could just use the ATM on arrival as my bank basically refunds any service fees. At least in Thailand, I find SuperRIch and Xone to be convenient, easy to deal with, and provide a good exchange rate. My preference is always to travel with a decent amount of cash and avoid the ATM's as much as possible. Just my personal preference. For the trip to Cambodia, since it is a dual currency system with one of those being the USD, I plan to travel with a decent amount of cash...ones, fives, and tens mainly. I also plan to take a few larger bills for the retirement visa application and agency fees. I will exchange some for Riel, even though Cam says it isn't necessary. I would be more comfortable using the local currency, I believe. I also have some leftover Baht I plan to take. Cam says many places in Cambodia will accept Baht as well. I might just let him deal with that. lol.

I definitely have my radar on high alert. Kind of expecting the worst but hoping for the best kind of scenario. Cam has not asked me for any money to date. I made sure he understood the $50 was just to be sure it would work as an emergency plan if needed to be able to access my money from the US. I did tell him to use the $50 for food...as in treating his family to a nice meal or something like that. I know his siblings all have jobs and some type of steady income. His parents have income from the farm via selling of rice and sesame seed. While I hate approaching the meeting of Cam's family with some pre-conceived notion, I do need to be somewhat prepared for this situation if it does arise. I am not planning on becoming someone's personal ATM.

Interesting and humorous side note. You may recall I mentioned when Cam refers to his sisters he uses numbers rather than names to make it easier for me to know which one he is talking about. During our video chat this morning, he was telling me that sister number 2 was there visiting with the family and they would spend the night. Husband of sister #2 had come to help with the fence project. So, tonight there will be family dinner time, karaoke, and most likely the consumption of many beers. lol. The humorous side note…later in the conversation he referred to his brother (first-born) as sibling #1 and himself as sibling #5. Then he informed me his mother refers to me as #6. lol. I guess that means I am considered part of the family?!? Not quite sure how to take that.

I agree 100%. I don't bother to read or look at anything that is created by AI. Not interested in that at all. It is one thing to edit a photograph that you have taken or had taken...but to digitally create something out of nothing...it just doesn't look real to me. And the text written by AI...so over the top. Nobody talks that way.

Well, the short break has ended and Cam is back working on the fence project. On Monday they cleared the area around the back of the property where the back wall will go. Tuesday they started digging for the footer. Cam has placed the order for more supplies. They have plenty of brick to complete the entire project, but he needed to order more steel rods, concrete, sand and gravel. He also had to order the netting that will go above the brick portion of the fence. He calls it netting…I refer to it as wire mesh. To be honest, until they actually have it, start to install, and then he sends me photos I really am not sure what it is. They plan to build some sort of gate for the back wall to allow for access from that side. I assume it will be wood, but he hasn’t said other than they plan to make it…not order it. I finally discovered why he always refers to money in USD and Baht…never Riel. During our video chat yesterday he was telling me they will probably spend an additional $500 to finish the fence project. He then was talking about the new house. He said they would probably hire two or three local people to help when they start construction on the house as it will be too much work for just the three of them (Cam, his father, and his brother). Other family members will be able to help from time to time, but they have families and jobs. He mentioned they would pay them daily and would not need them every day. He mentioned a dollar amount they planned to pay and I asked him if that was in Riel. He laughed and said he never uses Riel when talking to me about money because I don’t know anything about its value or exchange rate. He always uses USD or Baht so I will understand. LOL. So it has been for my benefit. Such a sweetheart!

Been busy trying to make sure I have all of the required documents that I will need on arrival in Cambodia to apply for the Retirement Visa. I plan to apply online in advance for the 30-Day Ordinary E-Class Visa. This is different from the routine tourist visa most people get on arrival. Both in the books I have read and the online expat groups, this has been stressed to be sure it is the ‘Ordinary’ E-class…not the tourist VOA. I had passport photos done yesterday, including a digital file. The digital photo I need to submit online with the E-Visa application. The hard copies will need to be sent with the application and documents to the Immigration Office in Phnom Penh. I also have letters from Social Security and the pension board in California verifying that I am, in fact, fully retired and what my monthly income is. I obtained a criminal background check from the local police department. The only document I am lacking is the Health Certificate, which I can obtain in Siem Reap once I have arrived there. I plan on using a local visa agency and they will make the arrangements for the Health Certificate. If any of the documents need to be translated into Khmer, the agency will also take care of that for me. In total I will probably spend around $600. The initial fee for the 30-Day Ordinary E-Class Visa is $30 and can actually be paid online via credit card. The fee to convert the visa into an ER retirement extension will run around $300. The visa agency in Siem Reap will charge anywhere from $100-200, depending on what else they need to do in the way of documentation. I am assuming this will all need to be paid in cash, so will carry enough large bills to handle these expenses. Somewhat nervous about handing over my passport to the visa agency to send to Phnom Penh, but I am told this is a fairly routine procedure. Will have a photo copy of the passport to keep with me as well as digital and hard copies of everything. If anyone has been through this before and is aware of anything I may be missing, please let me know. Cam is not much help with this stuff as he does not really know how it works. He will only be helpful once I am there and need assistance with communication.

This is my one and only complaint about Quarter Saladaeng. I enjoyed my extended stay here with exception of noisy neighbors at 3am doing their 'recreational activities'.

So, WU says they do not have brick and mortar shops in Cambodia but have partnerships with several banks. As it happens, their main partner is the same bank that Cam uses...ACLEDA. I set up an account online with Western Union and was able to successfully send to Cam's bank account $50 USD using my debit card. I should be able to send him money that way if I get in a situation where the ATM does not work or I have problems using my debit card there for some reason...or run low on cash. To be honest, I was a little hesitant to send him money this way because up until now, he has never asked for anything. Well, I should clarify that statement...we originally met at Hotmale and I was his client, so of course he asked for and received his fee and very generous tip. But since the relationship changed from client to boyfriend, he has never asked for anything. I hope this experiment doesn't start something I may regret later on down the road. But, better to find out it will work in advance instead of waiting until I arrive in Cambodia and then have problems. I also learned on my various trips to Thailand to have a secure VPN that allows me to appear from anywhere in the USA, as some of my accounts have enhanced security features that block access to their websites and accounts from overseas. I assume it will be the same or even more so for Cambodia.

I have no intentions of getting on any motorbike with anyone other than the driver. I refuse to be more than a single passenger and will make that very clear to Cam. I will also remind him...probably daily...that I am old and my bones or brittle. I would rather get to our destination unscathed and in one piece versus as quick as possible.

As always, you have a very good point @vinapu! I did not consider that possibility.