A Series of BAD Decisions
I leave one guest house as it gets too noisy with kids playing and building work. I soon regret it when I end up living in a hut in Kep Cambodia and I can hear every word my neighbours say. The next day I move to another hotel where the neighbours are singing karaoke. Karaoke is a big problem for expats and digital nomads in South East Asia. It’s a big part of Cambodian culture but is so alien to us. To take over the peace of a whole village with noise is part of the culture here but for a. Westerner it feels very intrusive. Being a digital nomads is wonderful but also exhausting as you never know where you will be resting your head at night and if you are going to be given peace.
The digital nomad life looks like a dream on Instagram, but the reality is often much louder.
In this video, I learn the hard way that the grass isn’t always greener (or quieter) on the other side. After leaving one guesthouse to escape construction noise, I ended up in a hut in Kep, Cambodia, where the walls were paper-thin.
From neighborly conversations to the non-stop local karaoke culture, finding a moment of peace has become a full-time job. It’s a fascinating part of the culture here, but as a Westerner trying to work and rest, it’s a massive challenge.
Being a digital nomad is wonderful, but it’s also exhausting when you never know if your next ‘home’ will actually let you sleep.
In this video:
Moving house in Kep, Cambodia.
The reality of noise pollution and karaoke culture in SEA.
Why digital nomad life isn’t always relaxing.”
Support the Channel & Connect ☕
If you find value in these videos, consider supporting my work so I can keep bringing you authentic content from the ground:
Patreon: patreon.com/Tom_Greatorex
Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/tomgreatorex
SOL Wallet: 7MrDguLeVjgiTkpHXh6e8u7bNr418mgs5Y9uadpo7KpF
Check out my second channel: @TheBMirror
Focusing on self-development, shadow work, spirituality, philosophy, and psychology.
Contact aho.greatorex@gmail.com
digital nomad, cambodia travel, kep cambodia, digital nomad life, travel vlog, digital nomad struggles, living in cambodia, travel mistakes, Southeast Asia travel, karaoke culture, noise pollution, nomadic lifestyle, travel reality, working remotely, expat life in cambodia, guesthouse review, travel fail, series of bad decisions, life on the road, travel problems, budget travel, Kep guesthouse, cambodian culture, digital nomad problems, travel tips, solo travel, nomad vlog.
33 Comments
❤❤👍👍
I hate noise can't bare it..across the street their gardens face my road..these two eastern European families moved in and they let their kids scream morning till night..you can't sit in garden even opening windows in heat is no go.. you get no peace..I remember when I was a kid you never screamed morning till night in gardens .they were ppls peaceful place sanctuary ..I've lived in my place 22 years and sat in my garden less than 10 times..my neighbour moved other week cos of it.x
Cant stand foreigners , i couldnt do it myself never left britain although it may be interesting to many ive never seen the appeal myself of visiting other culture or 3rd world shitoles and never will we might have migrants but we are still first world ,i love my country my England , my home .
Tom. If you can't take noise then go into the jungle for a bit. You are in Cambodia after all. Also learn a few words of Khmer. All the best
Grow up lad
Your eyes looked baged
The reefer has been a blessing to me. It gets me through my worst days. It's the only thing that helps with my depression, rage, nightmares and thoughts of ending it all.(PTSD) Living my life in nature was the other piece of the puzzle. Cheers!!!!
UTO Tom! 🦉
😊👍💙
Do you read reviews or just randomly choose?
Tom you pay for a room and of course you have every right to expect them to turn the music off , Chinese New Year or not! As any one would be expected to when celebrating New Year in England. Pusses me off people calling you racist because you dare complain. Just because they are not Caucasian doesn’t mean they can’t f in do what they want. The level of retardation in a few who make crass , immature comments on here, threatening to ‘ report’ you because they are so far up their own backsides, They really do need to grow up.
Get a small remote house on air bnb, will be more expensive but you could make better content. Happier on this channel and you could do fasting and breathwork vids for other channel. Maybe it's not possible, just a thought. Another great vlog tho tom
Gotta love a wee cottage on some land in the sun with dogs and chickens and gardens!
Miserable w@nker 😂
I mean it but to go remote hymnalyia highef up yoou go less people
yes to the interview!
Tropical places are always noisy. If it's not the people, it's the jungle.
so what camera do you use?
I feel like you are really homesick… And its heartbreaking to see what governments are doing to people.
…I know there are many others that are leaving their homes .. and about to leave..
I hope that things change and you can find your peace again 👍
I also want to say that I'm afraid of what the future holds ..
When I found your channels they have really helped me ..
You are a real person.. when there is so much fake and lies in this world…
We should just be ourselves.
And you can be hilarious amid the uncertainty..
I just appreciate you and everyone in the comments 👍
Thank You 😊
Dude! Get yourself to Don Det Laos.. totally up your street. You need to be away from cities.
If you don't like Don Det then well🙆♂️….
Or if they stand on the veranda, making a video, you're fucked!!
Mate, you've been circling Thailand. What did you do to get banned? I hope it's not about monarchy.
Our monarchy is national security. Also without it – the curator of fine culture trickling down to general population, we would have been a riff-raff land.
Likewise, the UK would be just a nation of chavs.
Awesome mate. Really enjoying the journey. Hopefully one day I can escape prison island (UK)
18:15 WTF ?????? From which planet is she from? Only in South East Asia 😅😅😅 That's why I love you're videos. Fuck the "everything is amazing" 0815 tourist travel vloggers.
its crazy she matched her clothes to match her white mask lol
If you hate nose so much, why don’t you just deliberately deafen yourself? Then you wouldn’t be bothered by noise ever again. You could put a metal dustbin over your head, and have a friend hit it with a cricket bat until your eardrums burst. If you had any friends.
That music will stop to be replaced by night time music maybe? Clubbing until the early hours. Deep bass etc. A Cockerel sounding the wake up call at sunrise.
Tom, your camera is really great. Which one do you use? What's the name
Expat interviews are popular content. People are interested in their lives and how they got there and expats are often lonely and isolated so they're happy to talk. It's a win-win.
I think your opening statements to strangers are too direct, I know nothing of the area but i think you should say excuse me and please and wait for a response before chasing up with the call to action, i think their pace (calmer) is like 5-10 seconds slower than EU countries and if you accommodate that they would treat you better? It seems like sometimes they are pissed off and I think it could be that – But who knows I could be wrong.
Could always come back to londonistan
Hello lovely, is this really working for you, I know you are trying really hard in different countries, but maybe come back to the the UK for a while to really understand what you want xx