We still have a friend in our village looking for land to buy, and after several days of hunting we have found some options for him.
Finding Land Is Hard ⛰️
One of the biggest challenges for a foreigner looking to buy land in Cambodia is convincing locals that all foreigners don't have millions of dollars just sitting in a bank account. Most of the Khmers buying land in our village are playing around with several hundred thousand dollars, and even though these guys show up in Range Rovers, the villagers always give these guys a local price even though they have no interest in doing anything other than turning a profit for themselves.
I have a foreign friend looking to spend $10,000, and he rides a secondhand motorbike not as nice as the ones most villagers here have. Regardless, it has been very hard for us to get normal price quotes for the few tracts of land that are available here. One lady in the village even said to me on a Thursday afternoon while sitting in her hammock at home, on land worth $100,000 that she owns outright, that Americans don't have to work hard like Khmer people do. I kindly told her I worked 60 hours a week nonstop since graduating highschool, and never once had an opportunity to just chill in the mobile home park during the middle of a weekday.
I could've worked like that in the USA until I died and never had an opportunity to buy land outright like is common place in Cambodia. Here in Cambodia I would probably work until I die as well and never have a chance to buy land, but years and years of Hive work combined with a very austere way of life have given us the chance to make a downpayment and borrow funds from friends and family to finally own a tiny piece of land in the middle of nowhere. It has been hard dealing with everyone in the village lately because they are getting overly greedy now that my friend is looking to purchase a small plot.
Wildlife Alliance's Most Wanted Man 👮
I hope my friend is able to find something that suits him without being taken advantage of, but that is always easier said than done. After a hot day of viewing a few different places, we stopped by our main wood supplier's house, also known as the Wildlife Alliance's most wanted man. I am joking a bit, but this guy does cut down more of the forest than anyone else in the village. Because the government has made it nearly impossible for the Wildlife Alliance NGO to protect the forest, they can only arrest someone if they catch them in the act, and no amount of evidence is sufficient if they don't physically seize someone in the act of destroying nature. All I can say is that it is damn hard to sneak up on someone in the forest, so they certainly have their work cut out for them.
The locals have set fire to hundreds of thousands of acres this year, and I've watched entire mountains burn to a crisp with all biodiversity lost. Perhaps these forest plants are safer being sold on the roadside than they are in the forest, where their fate is likely to become ashes. After illegally burning the forest in this "protected" wildlife sanctuary, people are allowed to occupy the land, eventually own it, and then sell it. There are only incentives to destroy nature in Cambodia, and almost no penalties for destroying it.
It's sad, but all you need is a box of matches to get into the real estate game here. With less than 100 hours of actual labor, one can eventually own a piece of land that can be sold for over $100,000, and that is what many people here do, so I do get a bit upset when these folks who have never been to the USA tell me I've never had to work hard in my life. The reason our village looks like a wasteland is because of alcoholism, gambling addictions, a lack of maintenance and upkeep, and discarding trash directly in front of their homes. Okay, well now I've rambled and not mentioned much about the search for land with my friend. Too late to turn back now, gotta call this a post and publish it........
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Wow!
When I came to Portugal, in 2018, I had a maximum of 40,000 to spend on a house/ land and some Portuguese tried to sell me places of 300,000.
I then had to explain to them that I wasn't a 'rich' person, just because I came from The Netherlands.
Now I have a lot less to spend and I am back to renting. Money is a weird thing and so are greed and prejudice.
Humans keep surprising me and I love your insights on life and people in Cambodia, no matter how painful it sometimes must feel for you.
In Cambodia you'd have some options with $40,000, but I bet that was a bit of a challenge in Portugal. A friend from the UK came to visit us for a week and bought the land plot next to ours for $16,000 USD, and the one behind us with access to the natural river swimming pool is for sell for $15,000 USD. If we could afford it we'd take it, but we're overwhelmed with our current projects and struggling to fund them, let alone pay back the loan that helped us buy this land.
I think Cambodia is a good microcosm for the human condition, but it's special because there are few filters here, life is very raw, and despite the hardships I love this wild west feeling. 🙏🙏🙏
I thought you had said in earlier blogs that foreigners can't own land in Cambodia. That was why your land had to be listed in Srey-Pov's name, not yours...? 🤔
You're right, foreigners can't, at least ones who aren't millionaires or personal friends of the prime minister. The land I live is 100% owned by my wife, so if she ever chooses to give me the boot and keep it, I told her no worries and no hard feelings, I can and have started from scratch many times in life 🤣😁.
Ah, so wealthy foreigners can grease the palms of corrupt politicians and buy land, then. 😬
Particularly the Chinese government, I think they now own 80% of Cambodia's coastline.
The land cost nowadays is very high especially if it is an access road right away. I can feel you friend. It's hard for me to buy land even in my own country.
Yes, we are lucky to find anything at all we can buy in Cambodia, even though we are 4 hours from any kind of decent medical care or modern shopping. Well, being surrounded by such beautiful nature makes this choice one we don't regret though. 🙏🙏🙏
Wow, how disappointing to read that the locals happily burn down their local wildlife parks. I guess it comes down to education, or lack of.
Unfortunately education always seems to be directly or indirectly the root of so many problems. Money is what talks here, so if I can ever get in a situation where I can take care of my family and also have some extra profits left over, I'd love to convert at least some of the villagers to fishing and hiking guides.
Oh wow. I hope things find a way of working out for you and your friend. !LUV
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It looks like our friend has secured the piece of land next to ours, so it will be nice to have a neighbor we know.
Oh super congratulations. That is wonderful news. Community building is the way to go. I hope this provides a great opportunity for the you all and the community. !LUV the news.
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🙏🙏🙏