JUNE 2015:
OVERVIEW:
My costs start in Sihanoukville (“Snooky”) and include:
- A Tuk Tuk from town centre to Otres 2 Beach
- 20 nights on Otres 2 Beach
My costs end in Otres 2 (as I embark on my River Adventures). Normally, you would incur a further US$5 Tuk Tuk cost to get back to Sihanoukville.
CROSS REFERENCES:
For more information, read my post on Otres Beach.
Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country.
Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country.
Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures.
SPREADSHEET SUMMARY:
MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON GRANDPAcking COSTS:
Accommodation: My typical accommodation included a cable TV, in-room WiFi, and aircon with breakfast included.
Transport: You need a Cambodian driving license to drive a scooter. If not, the police checkpoints will fine you when they stop you – and, in Snooky, they love to stop you for the fines. As a result, I hardly used any transport because (1) Otres 2 was too far away from anywhere to use a bicycle and (2) the Tuk Tuk to / from town was expensive and (3) I didn’t want to feed the police with daily fines / income. As a result, my transport costs are lower than they should have been when compared to what I have been doing in other GRANDPAcking locations (where I would have rented a scooter).
Food: Typical food for the day would be about US$9.00.
- Breakfast: Free Buffet Breakfast (including Eggs & Bacon) = average US$0
- Lunch: A Noodle Dish or Fried Rice or Curry with Rice or Tom Yam Soup with Rice, big bottle of water (swapping the water for a Fruit Juice would have been the same cost) = average US$4.00
- Dinner: Something for about US$3.50-6.50 like Pizza, Burger, Amok, or Curry (NO Fruit Juice – which would have added another US$1.50) = US$5.00 average
My ‘Cost of Existing / Day’ was NZ$41 / US$29 / €27 / £20. This put a reasonable roof over my head, gave me minimal transport, gave me all of my other basic necessities, fed me 3 times each day in a ‘reasonably priced’ restaurant, and paid for my refreshments.
My available ‘LIVING Funds’ each day were NZ$39 / US$28 / €26 / £18.
I spent most of my time hanging around the beach and got everywhere on foot. As a result, LIVING was almost free except for some beers in the evening and a fare bit of partying.
My actual GRANDPAcking costs came in at NZ$50 / US$35 / €33 / £24 per day.
WHAT IT SHOULD COST 2 GRANDPAckers:
Accommodation: You should be able to get a similar room for US$25 / night.
Transport: There is a budget for Tuk Tuk day trips into town each week. Otherwise, Otres is a small community and walk-able.
Food: I have increased my costs to account for the costs of Fruit Drinks and Juices that I didn’t bother buying.
After making such adjustments, the ‘Costs Of Existence’ of 2 GRANDPAckers is about NZ$67 / US$48 / €45 / £32 per day.
This is about US$9 per day to LIVE on (i.e. 16% of their GRANDPAcking is available for LIVING).
With that money you could:
- Upgrade your Dinner to a Seafood Platter for 2
- Drink 18 Happy Hour beers
- Buy 1 or 2 personal ‘luxuries’ in the local store
- Rent 2 bicycles or (almost) take a Tuk Tuk into town and back
- Rent 2 kayaks for 1 hour
- Save up for 2 days and rent a Hobycat for 1 hour
Having so little available day after day means that you will be living very ‘tightly’.
CONCLUSION:
I was sensible with my expenditure without being ‘too frugal’.
I wanted for nothing and did everything that I wanted to do. But, if I had been in Otres 2 on a longer-term basis, the lack of LIVING funds / options would have started to make me a bit ‘stir crazy’.
If I had spent all of my resultant ‘LIVING funds’, I would have only been slightly more comfortable (or a lot more intoxicated!). 🙂
Would I recommend Otres 2 to GRANDPAckers? No.
Don’t get me wrong, Otres 2 is a very nice place to be and you will have a good time and meet some great people – it is still worth a visit, but not on a ‘several months per year’ basis.
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