Apartments in Phnom Penh

---

We moved to a new apartment!

We appreciated many things about our old apartment, but we are LOVING our new one! We moved only a few blocks away, but are closer to our office and on a quieter, more residential street. (If you haven't seen it yet, check out Daron's video tour of the new place: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0I9P1no1Rk)

While apartment shopping, it was interesting to compare what foreigners want in a Phnom Penh apartment to what Cambodians want. The largest difference: Cambodians like to live on the ground floor, while foreigners like to live higher up.

Most foreigners (including us), like to live high off the ground because then we can have a good view of the skyline. Plus, the higher you go up, the better breeze you get (important for people who are sweating every 5 mins!). We like to live higher because then our house will not flood when the monsoons hit and our apartment will be less likely to have pests (everything from rats to stray cats to large bugs...you get the point).

On the other hand, most Cambodians like to live on the ground floor, primarily - I think - because they can more easily hang-out with their neighbors and let their children play outside. Also, this allows them to easily run outside to buy what they need from the roaming vendors: snacks, groceries, balloons, etc. (This is more difficult to do when you have to run down 3 flights of stairs.) And, since most Cambodians don't have garages, living on the ground floor allows them to park their motos (and cars!) right in their living rooms. (This is no joke.)

Anyway, all this creates an ideal situation where Cambodians can rent their top floors to foreigners (like us) and make some extra money with the rent. A perfect arrangement for everyone!

---