Myriam H
Belgian expat in Cambodia
Forum posts
63
Contacts
2
About me
Belgian
Lives in Siem Reap
Speaks English, French, Dutch, Greek
Registration: 23 December 2018
About
Occupation
I am Self-employed.
My expat journey
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Become an online tutor English/French
Online translations French/English/Dutch
Start my quilting art again
Use my energy to heal animals and people
Mingle with the local population, learn the language and their traditions.
tutor, translator, awareness coach, healer
the people, their generosity, kindness, their spiritual practice, their friendliness; nature and the ease of establishing oneself in the country.
Yangon, Yangon and Bagan, Myanmar
discovering the country and its people, exploring the sacred site of Bagan and visiting the artisans of Inle Lake
Visiting the artisans of Inle Lake (floating gardens, silk artisans, silversmith and long boat makers
Visiting the famous temples of Bagan, visiting the famous wood carvers
The countryside is very beautiful, the people are so friendly and still authentic due to very little tourism visiting Myanmar. They have great skilled artisans and although they live extremely simply, they are very generous.
The saddest fact for me is that the country is extremely polluted; due to a lack of knowledge the people are poisoning themselves and their children.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
discovering the country and its people, working with animals
Tourist and volunteer work with the elephants at Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai.
The people's friendliness, the kindness, the cosmopolitan aspect of Chiang Mai although quite laid back, the beauty of nature around the city, the jungle and the waterfalls.
I absolutely loved the week I volunteered with the elephants, a life changing experience for me
Louangphabang, Louangphabang, Laos
Visiting the capitale, travel across country, travel to thailand by long boat on the Mekong river
Enjoying life in laid back Laos
the country is so nice, people are authentic and very kind. LP is a great destination, a nice little city full of life on the banks of the Nam Khan river and the Mekong.
Our trip to Thailand by boat took 2 days, and was such a beautiful adventure.
Rather polluted, the Mekong is toxic
Hanoi, Ha Nội, Vietnam
Visiting the old city, the lakes, the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and house, traveling around down the coast to Hoi An near Da Nang
Visit of the Old City, HCM mausoleum, the lakes, the famous 68 floor tower with a bar/restaurant on the top floor. Then traveling by train to Hoi An, an organic farming community with a rich Japanese friendship tradition, reflected in the temples and bridges in the old town. Got back to Tam Coc and Tra Nang to visit the caves on a beautiful lake which is a UNESCO heritage site. We also took a cruise on the Tu Long Bay to visit the Karsts. Then a trip in the mountains of Sa Pa in the north where various isolated tribes practice the art of weaving and embroidery.
We only visited the north of the country but it is the most interesting. A beautiful region, diversity in the landscape, lovely, friendly people, Very industrious people, they work from early morning (around 4:00) till late at night (midnight). The highest economically viable country so far in East Asia. It has everything: from lakes to coastal regions, to mountains with cold climates to tropical forests and rice paddies for miles and miles.
Not too clean
Moscow, Moscow Irkutsk, Russia
Visiting the country from west to east by train to reach Mongolia
Visit of Moscow, crossing Siberia with the Trans Siberian Express to Irkutsk, visit to the Baikal Lake, then back on the TSE to the capital of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar
Moscow is worth a visit: a beautifully clean city with friendly people.
Baikal Lake is gorgeous and huge (600 kms long, 20 across), the greatest sweet water reserve in the world
Crossing Russia by train to Mongolia is an unforgettable experience
the food is not to write home about
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Visiting this vast, unknown country, getting to know the people and their traditions
Visit of the capital city, the National Park and the nomads in the semi Gobi desert
Un unforgettable experience in that vast country ruled by the great Genghis Khan. Such diversity in nature between the lakes, the green national park, the steppes and the sandy desert. An amazing country with such a diversity in lifestyles.
People hardly speak any foreign language but they are very friendly and always happy to help.
A country that was occupied by russian till 1998, the food is not to write home about either,
Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
Visiting the capitale, discovering how advanced this High Tech country is, visiting the border with North Korea (the Demilitarized Zone)
Visit of Seoul and the DMZ
Seoul is a huge super modern city, with an extraordinary architecture blended among the pagodas and temples of the past. The DMZ is interesting with the tunnels that were discovered lately, the view to the North, the abandoned frontier city of 300,000 inhabitants across the border in North Korea. All in all a very upsetting experience. On the other hand the country is spotless and the rules rigidly followed.
the tragedy that hit families torn apart by the border. The North Korean authorities allow the population to go and visit the South for 3 days, once a year. They have erected a bridge that needs to be crossed over the river separating both countries: only the people from the North go to visit their families in the South, a facility provided by the South Korean authorities. To that effect they have built a gathering area for thousands of people with an attraction park for the children, music stadium where bands perform for 3 days, and a chain link fence where the families attach ribbons of hope and prayers to be allowed to cross again the next year.
This tradition is only 2 years old, it is a very sad place to witness.
Cul de Sac, Saint Martin
A time when I studied autism, Reiki, working with energies, and healing people and animals alike.
Interpreter/translator for the court, prosecutors office, lawyers, the French authorities, and the business community.
Teacher English/French to kids and adults
Reiki practitioner / healer
Awareness coaching
Emotional Reconnection Facilitator for kids on the autism spectrum with ADD/ADHD or suffering from various trauma (developed my own program for children between the age of 7 and 17), worked in 2 public and 1 private school.
Quilting art
A laid back destination for tourism with great beaches, food and cocktails at sunset with live music on the beach, the famous Heineken Regatta each March, the rich and famous landing on this tiny rock just to sample life around that event, the full moon parties, Bob Marley of course, the marvellous ocean colors, the warmth all through the year.
With the exceptions of a couple of great (artist) friends, the locals don't mix with the 'white' faces. Criminality is quite pronounced
Bakersfield, California, USA
We discovered the area around Bakersfield, the canyons and mountains along the Kern river, Lake Isabella and the old gold mines.
We traveled across California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada, visiting the Grand Canyon, the Colorado river, Indian villages, the Arches and the Natural Bridges, the Moab Valley, Las Vegas and Death Valley, Yosemite park
Had our own renovation and cleaning business
Learned everything there was to know about Quilting Art
Became an awareness coach
The great open space, the American dream of anything is possible in that country all you need is an idea, We enjoyed the friendliness of the people we met, love the artistic side of California, enjoyed learning a new art myself that allowed me to become a quilting artist, the good life and the diversity of nature.
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Attended an awareness program that was to shift my life 180 degrees. We visited Robert Redford Sundance ranch, and attended the famous Park City Sundance film festival that takes place for 1 week in this scenic mountain area.
Following the program and exploring the beautiful area around SLC, hiking through the canyons
The program we followed but also nature around SLC and the city itself which is quite beautiful with lots of green, parks and nice eateries. We stayed with very friendly people and made good friend while we lived there, but in general the population is rather bizarre
Berkeley, California, USA
Lived on a friend's boat before leaving for Utah, discovering the area as well as the beautiful city of San Francisco.
Enjoying being a tourist in Berkeley, San Fran, while visiting the West Coast from Point Reyes in the north to watch the whales all the way down to Morro Bay and its various artists.
The amazing artistic talent everywhere, the galleries, the wild nature, the seals breeding along the 101, the quaint villages and the beautiful landscape. The incredible sense of freedom and the friendliness of the people we met
the cold (again)
Sitia, Crete, Greece
Back to the Greek life and traditions, this time on the island of Crete. Wonderful people, full of love for life and delicious food. We made many friends and really lived a great life on that island. We lived in an area with many beautiful beaches spread around us, as well as typical villages in the mountains around us, where we spent much time with our Cretan neighbors.
A jewelry store for young people, selling mainly silver.
Looking back, it seems like we lived from wedding celebrations to wedding celebrations, and from distilling the leftovers of the grapes to make a very strong alcohol called Raki at the end of the year, alternated with visiting beaches and dancing some more every weekend.
Gemeente Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands
together with my husband we built up our own independent business in journalism (my husband's profession)
Admin and finances
The cold remained a problem, but we lived near the lakes, our neighbors were very friendly, we led a busy business life enjoying bring our project to fruition
Sint Nicolaas, Aruba
the plan was to establish ourselves on this lovely island in the Caribbean but we were not allowed to work legally so we left back to Holland after a few months
freelance photographing, selling cool drinks along the road and whatever else we could find to earn a bit of money
This island was fabulous, with beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal clear water, interesting wild life too, its people are very friendly
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
A brief stay with the man who was to become my husband, while he settled down his affairs before leaving for the Caribbean
Worked as packing employee at Palmolive, the worst job of my life. Only lasted 7 days fortunately.
I loved the city of Amsterdam, unfortunately it was far too cold for me
The cold
Thessaloníki, Central Macedonia, Greece
Discovering the country, the city and its oh so friendly people, as well as the delicious Greek food. I traveled across the north on family outing and around Halkidiki for the holidays
Worked as a nanny to a Greek 4 year old boy and his 12 year old sister. I also worked as a hostess for the same family, as a representative for their sailing company, which is when I met my husband, and occasionally worked as a waitress too.
I fell in love with the people, their kindness, generosity, their zest of living, their dances, and their delicious food
Eilat, Southern District, Israel
I traveled across the country, from Tel Aviv to Haifa in the north, then worked my way down to Eilat by working in moshaves.
After Eilat I moved down to the Sinai (Neviot) to finally end up in Sharm-el-sheik
I spent much time in nature in the sinai and much time with various ethnic groups while working my way through the rest of the country
Worked in the greenhouses for the export of carnations and roses to Holland; worked in the fields helping farmers; worked with a construction team building greenhouses, then worked as a waitress and in various hotels in Eilat and the Sinai, to finally work as a cook in a diving center in Naama Bay (Sharm-el-Sheik)
The rough and wild Sinai, the Beduins that roam that desert, the magnificent Red Sea, the wild life in that region, the various ethnicities I encountered during my life in that country, and the food.
Ä°stanbul, Istanbul, Türkiye
Discovering the country, the people and their culture
Nanny to a 16 month old baby for 1 year, then manager of the Magic Bus office for another year
The rich culture, arts, museum and the kindness of the local people
Brighton and Hove, England, England
Finalized my English studies in a British school during the summer on a grant I won in that language, in my home country.
I then shared the life of a famous actress married to a famous BBC reporter for 1 year, then moved on to my own condo and worked as a waitress in restaurants until I left the country.
Nanny to a 9 year old boy, son of an actress and a BBC reporter.
Waitress
the fresh air, the natural beauty of this laid back beautiful city
Spa, Wallonia, Belgium
Went to school, got my degrees and left for England.
Worked for American companies as a temp when visiting my parents
Activity
Organic products in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, As a consumer in Cambodia, you may seek to maintain a healthy lifestyle by choosing mostly organic products. If you do favour such products, we would like to know more about your consumption habits. Is it easy to find organic ...
I've been a vegetarian eating organic food for many years. I must admit it is quite difficult to find organic products in Siem Reap. We buy at the local farmers that boast pesticide and chemical fertilizer free vegetables and fruit, and we ... Read More
Reading habits in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Books can be your greatest companions whether you have already settled in Cambodia or are now planning your move. Are you an avid or occasional reader? We would like to know more about your reading habits. What type of reading ...
The constant noise pollution is the reason we will not stay in Cambodia too long. A shame really because we love Siem Reap and we love the Cambodian people. But their endless noise is indeed too tiring for Westerners used to limits to noise ... Read More
Reading habits in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Books can be your greatest companions whether you have already settled in Cambodia or are now planning your move. Are you an avid or occasional reader? We would like to know more about your reading habits. What type of reading ...
We actually enjoyed Vientiane very much too. Read More
Reading habits in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Books can be your greatest companions whether you have already settled in Cambodia or are now planning your move. Are you an avid or occasional reader? We would like to know more about your reading habits. What type of reading ...
We have a Kindle account, most of our books are ordered online, a very easy and weightless solution when traveling. We read mostly novels, occasionally the newspaper although they are naturally one-sided and don't really reflect what is going on ... Read More
Payment methods in Cambodia by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Once youre settled in Cambodia, you will need to make some basic purchases, like groceries or pay bills. Hence, it is essential to know the payment methods available in your host country. Which are the most common payment ...
Twinsguy20: I don't understand why the banks refuse to take damaged bills when we receive them from their own ATM. It means that the banks had them before they ended in the ATM. Read More
Payment methods in Cambodia by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Once youre settled in Cambodia, you will need to make some basic purchases, like groceries or pay bills. Hence, it is essential to know the payment methods available in your host country. Which are the most common payment ...
Which are the most common payment methods in Cambodia? Why would you prefer some forms over others? This is a cash society, so I pay everything cash, it's the easiest. Does the amount of money or the type of paid services (groceries, bills, ... Read More
Sense of humour in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Should we set out to explore Cambodians culture through its sense of humour? Indeed, if one is planning to settle in the country, it is best to understand the cultural codes governing humour in order to avoid any ...
@ToCamb2012: I love your perspective and I think you are on point. I have also noticed that gentleness about the people here. They treat us with great respect, and honor is important to them.They go to great length to avoid losing face. These ... Read More
Retirement Visa by ozbaz
Hi can anyone give me up to date information on the Retirement Visa. I am 68 years young and live in Vietnam on a 1 year Business Visa at present but looking to relocate to Sihanoukville ??Regards Barrie
@David Cooke David where are you located? Read More
Sense of humour in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Should we set out to explore Cambodians culture through its sense of humour? Indeed, if one is planning to settle in the country, it is best to understand the cultural codes governing humour in order to avoid any ...
I haven't been here long enough to understand the local sense of humor. It seems that they laugh at what we also find funny, in fact people here laugh a lot. I also noticed that they will laugh if you have an accident or if a sudden unfortunate ... Read More
Retirement Visa by ozbaz
Hi can anyone give me up to date information on the Retirement Visa. I am 68 years young and live in Vietnam on a 1 year Business Visa at present but looking to relocate to Sihanoukville ??Regards Barrie
I and my husband used the agent located at Garden Village Guesthouse, off Sok San in SR. They're very reliable but of course we are older so there was no problem getting our retirees visa. If you can provide some form of proof that you either ... Read More
Best International Shipping/Delivery from US to Siem Reap by guest22
Hi all. I have some rather important mail at my mail service in Texas to get to Siem Reap. I have been looking at the highest service that DHL offers which will get the mail to me in 3 to 5 days. The comparable alternatives for FEDex and UPS take a ...
oh wow, mpmilestogo. I've heard other stories about their delivery, not always reliable indeed. Got another package from DHL today, 2 days ahead of time. Running smoothly :) Read More
Best cities for retirement in Cambodia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, An increasing amount of people want to spend their retirement abroad. Would you consider giving a few tips to those looking into Cambodia for their retirement? What are the most attractive cities for retirees in ...
There are ppl living in SR that go to Thailand for their health, it is their choice and they must have their own reasons for that. That is just the way it is and people must be aware of that possibility too. There might also be various reasons why ... Read More
Best International Shipping/Delivery from US to Siem Reap by guest22
Hi all. I have some rather important mail at my mail service in Texas to get to Siem Reap. I have been looking at the highest service that DHL offers which will get the mail to me in 3 to 5 days. The comparable alternatives for FEDex and UPS take a ...
@ Talliethecat Wow, that was with DHL? That is quite a bummer, but main thing is that you got it ultimately. I use a Cambodian name for the delivery, it generally makes things easier. All the best. Read More
Rent payment by Salavan
When renting accommodation in Cambodia is the rent usally paid every month, what's the norm
We've rented since January in a recently built apartment building. Beautiful condo, great views all around, paid one month deposit and the rent is paid each month. Originally rented for 6 months with one month notice on both sides, renewed in ... Read More
Siem Reap Expats - who want to meet up? by Vincent Le
Hello, I am staying siem riep already. Who want to contact me?
@ Blanche.Lef Une Leffe Blanche est tellement plus Belge que Français! :cool: Read More