Saftey

1, Tips and good to know
2, My personal experience and view on the subject

Tips and good to know:

Ok, so how to behave to stay safe while in Cambodia? Small list

1, Keep your back clear. No matter how frustrated you get always keep a smile on your face and talk calmly with a friendly voice.

Some guys almost get into fights with nagging tuk-tuk drivers.'

Its not hard. Smile, say no thanks and keep walking. Never let them get to your nerves.

2, Dont stand your ground for trivial things. Before i read about a guy who go to a bar in Phnom penh were he and hes friend drink a few beer and play pool. When they finish and are about to go the staff ask for the 1.000riel (0,25$) per game that a sign said. These guys refused to pay because the sign was so hard to see. It could have ended with a really bad beating of the guys.

In these situations you should just learn from your mistake and next time ask before you start to play.

3, Dressing. Ok, so allot of westerners dont care at all how they dress at home when they are not working. So why would they dress better coming to such poor country like Cambodia? Surely it cannot matter here?

Wrong. Even bums dress better then many foreigners. When the sun go down change to long pants and a shirt. Long sleeves rolled up is preferred. This makes you a little bit invisible as the bathing pants and trunk-top wont expose you as a naive tourist who obviously do not live here.

Moto and tuk-tuk drivers will not nag you as much and people will just not try scam you in the same way as this is a signal that this person probably live in Cambodia.

The other kind of tourists are the ones who look like they just came of the set for the new Indiana Jones movie. Avoid this as well.

4, Never look unsure. Dont go around constantly looking at your map. If you go wrong way. Keep going and round the block. Act like you know exactly what you are doing.


My personal view and experience:

Me coming from a rich european country feel as safe here in Cambodia as i do home.

I walk home almost every time i go out. Walking 15min home 2-5am on Phnom penhs dark streets.

I have worked night for many years so that the scary part with the night no longer exist for me might help me feeling so safe.

I always have long pants and long sleeved shirt at night so you cannot really tell im a "barang" as soon as you see me. Especially not if you come from the back. People tend to be very casual when they approach me (drivers). If they start to nag i tell them i live here and they usually go away same second. Also as i can speak a little bit khmer and always respond in khmer they nag me even less.

The situations where i say you are most likely to get stolen from is when: Sitting alone outside the bar areas maby drinking a beer on a bench. This is what pickpocket girls look for. When they come i put my hands in my pockets. I can often notice how they feel for the wallet pretending to try charm me by touching my legs asking to come with them for some "massage". Then the fingers start to slip inside the pocket.

Other situation is if you go with them. Hide your wallet or count the money inside before. Also if you sit at a restaurant, make sure not to leave anything of value at the outer part of the table. If you have a bag, put your leg through the handle if you can. I always do this when i go with tuk-tuk as well to prevent snatches.

Final word is that i rarely see crime. Those who end up geting stolen from or in bad situations often seem to create the problem themselves. Always smiling and polite will keep you safe.

But of course  there are some bad apples in Cambodia as well as anywhere.