jimmie50

You have plenty of time, @aaroninatl, so no need to cram all of your activities into the first couple of nights. As the esteemed @vinapu has said, visit all of the bars and decide for yourself. We all have different likes and dislikes. What appeals to me won't necessarily appeal to another and vice versa. The only way to know is to go, see, and experience for yourself. ENJOY and have a wonderful trip.

Same here, and I pretty much agree with your assessment. I must admit I am partial to Hotmale, as dismal as it seems in recent times, because that is where I discovered Cam. I really enjoyed the shows at Banana more than any of the other clubs, but some of the guys are a little bit too old for my taste. I don't know that some would qualify for twink or twunk, but a few can be found. I know many here really like Freshboys. The show is okay and they have many attractive young men...I am just not a few fan of the big spenders monopolizing the guys for drinks the entire time but then never offing anyone. I also don't understand why the guys would prefer to spend time sitting with someone in the bar for drinks knowing it will not lead to an off and miss the opportunity to go with someone for more money. But that is just me... I like your description of Goodboys...fits perfectly from my perspective.

Cam is visiting with sister #2 for a couple of days since they are taking a break from the fence project. Sister #1 and #3 live in his home town so he sees them all of the time. Sister #2 lives about one hour away, about halfway from the Thai border and the home town. They own and operate a small convenience or general store. He refers to them by number for me so I will know who is talking about by order of birth. lol. What I find interesting is he does not hesitate to video chat with me when he is with his family. This morning his little 3 year old nephew was right there beside him while we were chatting and his sister was in the background holding the 8-month old baby. There is no attempt to hide me from anyone in the family. All of his sisters have added me as 'Friend' on Facebook. He will spend two days with his sister and then return home to collect his parents and the three of them will spend a couple of days visiting relatives in Battambang. I believe both parents have siblings that live in Battambang, so many cousins as well. I believe his brother (and family) will also go on the trip to Battambang. I knew from some of our conversations that Cam had people he knew in Battambang when we discussed where to live...there or Siam Reap...but I didn't realize just how extensive that network was and how much of it was family until he actually went home. Battambang is also where his mother goes to see the doctor, so I believe this is on the agenda as well. I don't completely understand what her health situation is, but I do know she takes medication daily and sees the doctor on a regular basis. It is an hour ride by motorbike to Battambang from his home town.

As much as I loved my parents, I would not be flying halfway around the world to a place I know nothing about nor have ever been to before to spend the next three months intimately with someone who resembled my father. LOL.

OK, to clarify...Cam does NOT remind me of my father. lol. Watching him lay brick brought back memories of my father doing the same thing...that's it. Period. Any other resemblance does not exist...thank heavens.

Quick update...they have finished laying all of the brick. Everyone is pleased with the progress, but also a little tired and they plan to take a few days off to simply relax and recharge. They also need to order the supplies for what is going above the brick portion of the walls. I am still not quite sure what that is, but Cam will send me photos once they get start so I will have a much better idea then. The finished brick work actually looks pretty good. Cam even sent me a video of him laying brick and he looked like a professional. Brought back memories of watching my father do that. It would seem they will be finished with the fence project in time for my arrival in early September...thank goodness. I must admit I was a little concerned as the scope of this project was far more involved than I expected.

Same here. On recent trips that were for an extended period of time, I preferred using Airbnb. I like more space than offered in a hotel room plus use of a kitchen. I also like to feel more like a local than a guest. I have used Airbnb in Central and South America as well. Always been very happy with the accommodations. Even though we were only in Pattaya for one week during the most recent trip to Thailand, Cam and I had an Airbnb there as well. That is also what I have booked for the upcoming trip to Cambodia.

Cam is busy working every day, so he is handling the separation probably better than me. I try to stay busy with my volunteer work at the local senior center and my family helps to keep me occupied. I did find several interesting books about Cambodia in the local library I have been reading as well. We have established a daily routine, though, where we video chat every morning and evening plus exchange text messages throughout the day and share photos/videos. We are both anxiously looking forward to September and being able to spend the next three months together. First item on the agenda once I arrive is to contact one of the local agents to assist with the application for a retirement visa.

Probably in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap there might be a business where they could have rented a small excavator, but in their rural area and his hometown there is nothing like that. I did ask if that was an option. I also asked about a gasoline powered cement mixer. I didn't tell Cam this, but if either of those things were available to rent I would have probably offered to pay for them to make their lives much easier. To be honest, Cam is very independent and determined to complete this project and move on to the new house construction in December. I am not sure he would have even accepted my help. Anyway, they are satisfied and happy with the results. That is all that really matters. Attached photo gives a better idea of the brick work they are currently doing. They have something planned to go from the top of the brick up to the same height as the top of the columns...I just don't know what that is. Cam has tried to explain it to me but my understanding gets lost in the translation. He just says wait until they start that part and he will send me photos.

Yes, I tread softly here. My father was a stone mason. I spent many summers during high school and college working along side him as the 'helper'. I have offered suggestions a couple of times, but in general I just smile and nod my head a lot. lol.

Thank you for asking. I haven't posted much about it recently as I didn't think many forum members were all that interested. The Gay Cambodia section is not nearly as lively as the Gay Thailand section. lol. Things are progressing nicely. They finished digging for the footers, building the framework out of steel rods, and poured the concrete for all of the footers and columns. Mind you, all of this is basically being done by Cam, his brother and his father manually. Even the footers were dug by hand with a shovel. Just yesterday they started to lay brick. They were all very happy and excited to reach this stage. Even his mother is out there helping. She is bringing them buckets of mortar and has her little red plastic bin she fills with brick and brings to them. Certainly is a family affair. Cam assures me they will be finished with the project by the time I arrive next month. I certainly hope so, but understand that things happen with construction all of the time. I will need to keep an open mind and think positive. I am including a couple of photos that show the work but none of the family members for privacy reasons. Cam is okay with me posting as long as nobody is actually in the photos.

I will be in Cambodia 9/5-12/2, but most of that time will be spent in Battambang. We do plan on staying in Siem Reap for a couple of weeks towards the end of my visit. I actually booked accommodations for both places through Airbnb, although that was quite challenging in Battambang. Not many places listed there to choose from, but found a good number of decent places in Siem Reap. You might want to check out Airbnb.

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.