2002-2006 Phnom Penh

[Dinghy]

Oh it's walkable (15 mins maybe) and the streets seemed safe enough but getting around at night with their lack of street signs can be a bit daunting.

I wouldn't do it drunk

[Thomrn10]

Guadente,

I stayed in this area along the riverfront and enjoyed a similar hotel called the Paragon. It was about 2 blocks from the cafe california and the prices are about the same. I preferred this area as opposed to more central for a few reasons. First, it was a short ride or walk to quite a few monger sights including Sharky's which was maybe 10 minute walk and Sophie's which was probably 20 minute walk. Culturally, it was a cool place because of the palace as well as a meeting ground at sunset for the Cambodian people.

I would recommend a tuk tuk/moto/taxi at night as there is potential for danger in the streets. It was more than just a feeling because of the amount of people in the streets and lack of street lights. I am sure people have gotten into trouble.

I also have a strong recommendation with the Cyrcee Club which like Sophies is near the central market. I walked in at 7pm one evening and there were about 30 young ladies many of which were in the 7/8 range. The odds were good for me as I was the only one in there. I chose 2 for 15$ per girl and had an enjoyable hour in a clean air conditioned room. After a 10$ tip between the two of them, I retired to the bar and watched the lovely ladies until I was tempted again. I had a good time at Sophie's but this place was cleaner and had 20 more women and a nicer bar. It was 5$ less at Sophies. Cyrcee is a good memory from my last night there.

[Gaudente]

Surfing the Cambodia Yellow Pages I found this hotel
http://www.cafecaliforniaphnompenh.com/
has someone on this forum been their guest ? As I am quite curious to see Sophie Bar, is it at walkable distance ? (should be about 1km if I read the maps correctly).
Is it unsafe to walk just after sunset , or danger arises only in deep night ?

[Dinghy]

Sure - when I go "out" I take 30 or 40 with me at a time (not too much, not too little) - about 1/4 inch thick (but remember, I tout the "neck wallet")

[Phantomtiger2]

NAH - what he meant was take it to "OTHER AREAS"

Hmm, maybe as the title to his post was "question on building bridges" and about correct "forum"--to mean WSG and not the thread. But it doesnt matter now as I've said we pretty much explained everything.
The next post on this topic should be on the actually opening day when the 1st monger rides this new Hwy.

Cheers and Happy Holidays all

Hey Dinghy, you still packing your wallet with hugh wads of singles?--lol

PT

[Dinghy]

Sure (in a way),
As paved highways and good bridges are nearly non-existant in Cambodia, we are updating progress on easiest construction methods to verify possible completion date and ways to travel from one mongering city to the next in Cambodia --in this case from PP to KK, ---"hopefully" to be completed by next year. So you can all thank me for these latest info when you are all sitting on that bus having a smooth ride from PP to KK--lol

But you're probably right as enough has been said about this for now.

PT

NAH - what he meant was take it to "OTHER AREAS"

[Phantomtiger2]

Have you got the right forum?

Sure (in a way),
As paved highways and good bridges are nearly non-existant in Cambodia, we are updating progress on easiest construction methods to verify possible completion date and ways to travel from one mongering city to the next in Cambodia --in this case from PP to KK, ---"hopefully" to be completed by next year. So you can all thank me for these latest info when you are all sitting on that bus having a smooth ride from PP to KK--lol

But you're probably right as enough has been said about this for now.

PT

[Tomster]

Hi All,

Has anybody stayed at the Holiday Villa in Phnom Penh, I was wondering if it is GF or not?

Can't book flamingos at the moment as the website has had it's account suspended...

Many thanks.

[Fastpiston]

Bridge building these days is very similar to just putting parts together as the beams/roadways over the bridge are all pre-fabricated. Ex: Beams are made elsewhere and already cut to size and shape, ship to the site and only need to be welded into place . The hardest part these days is still the pillars and supports over the water, supports still have to be driven down beneath the water and stabilized before the road can be built on the bridge.
Bridge 4: All the pillars and supports are finished on the water and I saw several trucks with pre-fab road segments and beams waiting to be unloaded as I crossed the Ta Tai river on the barge.

And yes, as I reported earlier, the process is going very well on the KK side of the highway.
So still "hopeful" it can be completed near or at least not too much past the original open date.

PT

Have you got the right forum?

[Dinghy]

Bridge building these days is very similar to just putting parts together as the beams/roadways over the bridge are all pre-fabricated. Ex: Beams are made elsewhere and already cut to size and shape, ship to the site and only need to be welded into place . The hardest part these days is still the pillars and supports over the water, supports still have to be driven down beneath the water and stabilized before the road can be built on the bridge.
Bridge 4: All the pillars and supports are finished on the water and I saw several trucks with pre-fab road segments and beams waiting to be unloaded as I crossed the Ta Tai river on the barge.

And yes, as I reported earlier, the process is going very well on the KK side of the highway.
So still "hopeful" it can be completed near or at least not too much past the original open date.

PT

The beams at the first bridge were being fab'd right on site - just off the bridge approach. Prestressed concrete. I didn't see and plank sections. The "reach and extend" beam mover was being used at both the first and last bridges (amusing little trackway up the centre of one beam to move the beams with a cable winch)

[Phantomtiger2]

Road surface will come after the beams, of course, and it isn't a "snap together process" - thus the time estimate. They haven't made much headway in the SR roadway - I just figured it might be similar in the south as well

Bridge building these days is very similar to just putting parts together as the beams/roadways over the bridge are all pre-fabricated. Ex: Beams are made elsewhere and already cut to size and shape, ship to the site and only need to be welded into place . The hardest part these days is still the pillars and supports over the water, supports still have to be driven down beneath the water and stabilized before the road can be built on the bridge.
Bridge 4: All the pillars and supports are finished on the water and I saw several trucks with pre-fab road segments and beams waiting to be unloaded as I crossed the Ta Tai river on the barge.

And yes, as I reported earlier, the process is going very well on the KK side of the highway.
So still "hopeful" it can be completed near or at least not too much past the original open date.

PT

[Phantomtiger2]

Phantomtiger2,

Thanks! . I hope that you had a good time while there. I think that this area of commerce is so interesting. It has it's own rules. Certainly different from, but yet, the same general principles of marketing and advertisement throughout the world. I will be very interested to see it all materialize in real life soon. But I fear the I am not a good bargainer. I don't have the natural skills or inclination to bargain for everything. Mahalo.

Max!

Despite all the lowdowns and setbacks in PP, its still a fun place if you dont let everything get to you. (ex: the freaking traffic) .I was getting scammed left and right all over St 63--but mainly because I was going there on purpose to get a survey of the whole scene for a report I was going to do here. I left small "bait" money in my pockets in order to see if places on St 63 were honest or not and sadly all 5 places survey were thieves--thats why I said I will never miss that area. I was expecting scams but always hope for the best but never happened so have no honest places to report on St 63. Didnt let it get me down as I always make it up by going to a reliable honest place at night (ex: Sophies etc) and the bars --another reason I said to only go to those honest places and spend our hard earned money there to support them only and keep them open forever if possible.

Nobody is ever born to be a "natural bargainer", its a skill thats learned so when you get there a little practice is all thats needed and soon you will get the hang of it. As a start, if you dont want to bargain too hard or waste too much time, then give them half of whatever they offer (assuming its not too outrageous) and you'll be fine. Bargaining is nothing more than standing your ground and not give in to the 1st offer. Hint: You will know that you have bargained too low when you threaten to walk away and they dont call you back.

PT

[Dinghy]

I was there in june and there were four bridges under construction ant the four river crossings-why would you leave one bridge out?
The bridges are being constructed by the thais using ASEAN funding.The bridges looked pretty far advanced to me months ago and believe me the thai can build as good a bridge as any western company.

Beats me Harry - Going from SV to KK, the first bridge was in beam laying mode - about 1/3 of the way across the river. Piers in place and construction proceeding while we waited. Bridge 2 had several of the piers done and others in works (no beams). Bridge 3 wasn't started - no evidence of piers that I remember seeing. Bridge 4 (the last before KK) had the piers up and beams being set. They were working on the river approaches from KK. I was there 1NOV. The only explanation I might have is that the bridge might be at a different location in the 3rd bridge from the ferry. There a LOT of road preparation underway but NO PAVING.

Road surface will come after the beams, of course, and it isn't a "snap together process" - thus the time estimate. They haven't made much headway in the SR roadway - I just figured it might be similar in the south as well

[Prince Harry]

JULY 2007 --- IN YOUR DREAMS!! - In early NOV (the first) there were 3 bridges under construction (of 4 crossings) - 2 in beam laying mode the other in pier construction, the 4th not even started yet The roadway itself is in the blasting stage near the highest summit (regrade) and nowhere near ready for tarmac. A large portion of the road isn't even ballasted yet (can you say MUD?) I suspect DEC 2008 as a good estimate for finishing the BRIDGES (also based on southeast Asia work scheduling) Of course, once the have the equipment access without needing to use those ramshackle ferries (which can't handle the LOADS), construction might go faster. The NOV trip took about 7 hours from departure at Snooky (bus area) to drop at the KK border crossing including about 2.5 hours waiting for the ferries. YES when IT IS FINISHED, the trip will be all road and probably easier than water (at 40mph, the distance is about 3 hours - you measure distance in SEA as "time" - not "distance")

I was there in june and there were four bridges under construction ant the four river crossings-why would you leave one bridge out?
The bridges are being constructed by the thais using ASEAN funding.The bridges looked pretty far advanced to me months ago and believe me the thai can build as good a bridge as any western company.

[MisterMax808]

Phantomtiger2,

Thanks! . I hope that you had a good time while there. I think that this area of commerce is so interesting. It has it's own rules. Certainly different from, but yet, the same general principles of marketing and advertisement throughout the world. I will be very interested to see it all materialize in real life soon. But I fear the I am not a good bargainer. I don't have the natural skills or inclination to bargain for everything. Mahalo.

Max!