Phnom Penh

[SouthEaster]

Don't bring many 1 and 5 dollar notes. They are making a push towards Riel and the use of these has diminished a lot. Bring a few for initial transport costs and as another poster said, bring only new crispy 50's and 100's. You can still use any dollar note but you will find most transactions are in Riel, even though they keep pricing everything in dollars!

[Fenyx]

I participate in the Thailand and Mexico forums. I have RTTFed the last 100 pages of this PP forum to find out about paying in USD. I haven't found recent information so I will ask:

1) Should I expect to pay in USD?

2) If the answer is yes to question no. 1, what denominations should I bring? Dollar bills, tens and twenties?

3) Should I bring some Riel?

Thanks in advance.

1) You can pay in USD or Riel, both are accepted. Riel is fixed to the dollar at 4000/4100 riel to $1 and they are used interchangeably. Most prices are quoted in dollars but more commonly you will be given the price in both USD and Riel. You have to be careful with USD because they will not accept old bills, torn bills, or bills with any other defects at all, e. G. Pen markings. Also note that when paying with USD you will typically be getting change back in riel, so be sure to count your change before you leave because I have been screwed over before.

2) $10, $20, $50, $100 are all accepted. Many places won't take $1 or $5 anymore, although tuk tuks generally will still accept $1. The ATMs disperse $100 bills only but they can be difficult to use for small purchases as places won't want to give change.

3) You don't need to if you already have USD and is easy to exchange to Riel because of the fixed exchange rate.

Generally I carry both riel and USD. I use riel for all my everyday purchases, food, tuk tuks, buying anything at the market, etc. And USD for more expensive items. But you could absolutely get by using only riel if you want.

[Horatio]

I have limited experience in Cambodia, so verify with others but I had a hard time with old looking hundreds. People wanted new crisp ones because they suspected the old ones were fake.

I participate in the Thailand and Mexico forums. I have RTTFed the last 100 pages of this PP forum to find out about paying in USD. I haven't found recent information so I will ask:

1) Should I expect to pay in USD?

2) If the answer is yes to question no. 1, what denominations should I bring? Dollar bills, tens and twenties?

3) Should I bring some Riel?

Thanks in advance.

[Sammon]

I participate in the Thailand and Mexico forums. I have RTTFed the last 100 pages of this PP forum to find out about paying in USD. I haven't found recent information so I will ask:

1) Should I expect to pay in USD?

2) If the answer is yes to question no. 1, what denominations should I bring? Dollar bills, tens and twenties?

3) Should I bring some Riel?

Thanks in advance.

Bring lots of $1, $5, $10, $20, few $100 . Dollars are generally accepted. $1 roughly equals 4000 Cambodia riel. Not sure now but $1 gets you transportation point to point few years ago.

All girls and bars accept dollar bills.

[Vendelo]

I participate in the Thailand and Mexico forums. I have RTTFed the last 100 pages of this PP forum to find out about paying in USD. I haven't found recent information so I will ask:

1) Should I expect to pay in USD?

2) If the answer is yes to question no. 1, what denominations should I bring? Dollar bills, tens and twenties?

3) Should I bring some Riel?

Thanks in advance.

[Mongoose312]

As a generalisation. The "average" Khmer girl traditionally has darker skin. The lighter skinned lovelies more than likely have some Chinese ancestry. Which is quite common.

As factors such as socio economic factors also come into play. Ie province girls that many grow up in rural areas compare to capital city upbringing and wealth.

And of course there are the skin whitening products and bizzare almost "glad wrap with a very strong skin peeling cream" process some girls with go through for lighter skin.

I prefer the more traditional dark skin Khmer girl look.

DingoD.

Interesting that the Khmer language is a branch of the Austro-Asiatic Group, so it's more similar to some languages spoken in India than Thai / Lao. The Khmer people were part of a different, earlier wave of migration than the Thai and Vietnamese-although Vietnamese as a language did also emerge from this same root. Khmer are generally darker with wider noses than Thai, but as many have pointed out, it's really impossible to tell.

[Sam Sanuk]

I'll take number 2 and possibly number 3 if I had a more revealing photo. Don't care what her nationality is. I would turn down 1 and 4 even if they were freebies and they were super horned up.

For those who are curious, #1 and #4 are Thai. #2 and #3 are Khmer. Too bad BB wasn't attracted to #1. One of the best service providers you could ask for. Photo below was taken a few years ago, but shows enough of the merchandise to make many interested, IMO. #4 provided the best GFE I ever experienced.

In any event, the responses (albeit a small sampling) tends to validate my belief that "you can't tell a book from its cover". .

[Banana Boi]

I'll take number 2 and possibly number 3 if I had a more revealing photo. Don't care what her nationality is. I would turn down 1 and 4 even if they were freebies and they were super horned up.

[Explorer8939]

Referencing your photo examples, and having almost 60 visits to Southeast Asia starting in 1970, my take is that judging nationality by color skin can be next to impossible. One reason is nationality is established my lines drawn in the sand (so to speak). Just looking at Filippino girls, Thai girls, and Khmer girls from 20 feet way, you could be hard pressed to "know" their nationality.

Generalizations abound. Northern Thais are lighter in skin color than Southern Thai gals. Viets whiter than Khmer or Thai's.

With that in mind, I've I've put together a collage of "usual suspects" numbered 1,2,3, and 4. Two are Khmer and two are Thai. I know all of them personally. Here is a little test for you. Which two are Thai? (I'll post the correct answer in a few days.).

Sam.

Back in the day, "Mon" people lived everywhere. Thais came down from China, and they had lighter skin, there just weren't so many of them, and most settled in the north.

[DingoD]

I would almost with 100% certainty say #4 is Khmer. The other 3 all have a generic look that I personally can't pick from these photos, so I'll have a stab in the dark that #2 is also Khmer, leaving #1 and #3 as our Thai representatives!!

I'll be sampling my own Khmer in 3 days when I arrive on Thursday morning!!

Cheers.

Referencing your photo examples, and having almost 60 visits to Southeast Asia starting in 1970, my take is that judging nationality by color skin can be next to impossible. One reason is nationality is established my lines drawn in the sand (so to speak). Just looking at Filippino girls, Thai girls, and Khmer girls from 20 feet way, you could be hard pressed to "know" their nationality.

Generalizations abound. Northern Thais are lighter in skin color than Southern Thai gals. Viets whiter than Khmer or Thai's.

With that in mind, I've I've put together a collage of "usual suspects" numbered 1,2,3, and 4. Two are Khmer and two are Thai. I know all of them personally. Here is a little test for you. Which two are Thai? (I'll post the correct answer in a few days.).

Sam.

[Fenyx]

I've heard various inputs on the girl friendliness of hotels in PP. Can you give me input on this?

I'd be more surprised if a hotel in PP wasn't girl friendly tbh. I haven't stayed at Tao or Sun&Moon which seem to be popular here but I have previously stayed a three different hotels and all were girl friendly: Harmony, Baitong, and Courtyard Marriott.

Harmony is the hotel I'd recommend. It is on street 148, just a couple blocks from the bar action only about a 3-minute walk away. Prices are about $35-$40 per night. Rooms are good, wifi is good, the gym is one of the better hotel gyms I've been to and the star is the rooftop pool and skybar. Good food and excellent views of the Riverside, especially at night. I've stayed there three times and never had a problem bringing a girl back. They may ask for ID but not always, depends on who is working the desk I guess, but no extra charge.

Baitong is in BKK1, about a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride from Riverside which isn't too bad. The hotel is one of the nicest in PP, got this cool eco / jungle vibe to it, two different pools, a nice seafood restaurant, and an outdoor rooftop bar. More expensive at $60-$70 per night but BKK1 is a nicer area of PP than Riverside. Lots of great restaurants, coffee shops, and other shops all in walking distance. They never bothered me bringing girls back, not even to check ID.

Courtyard Marriott I wouldn't recommend just because it is too expensive for what you get. They were the most strict with IDs on girls as they always took the girls ID when I brought them back but again otherwise no problems. Rooms are modern and they have a nice rooftop pool and skybar too but the neighborhood isn't particularly interesting and again it is too expensive compared to other hotels in PP. It is more oriented towards business travelers than tourists.

Hope that helps, glad to answer any other questions about PP.

[RonnieMonger]

Referencing your photo examples, and having almost 60 visits to Southeast Asia starting in 1970, my take is that judging nationality by color skin can be next to impossible. One reason is nationality is established my lines drawn in the sand (so to speak). Just looking at Filippino girls, Thai girls, and Khmer girls from 20 feet way, you could be hard pressed to "know" their nationality.

Generalizations abound. Northern Thais are lighter in skin color than Southern Thai gals. Viets whiter than Khmer or Thai's.

With that in mind, I've I've put together a collage of "usual suspects" numbered 1,2,3, and 4. Two are Khmer and two are Thai. I know all of them personally. Here is a little test for you. Which two are Thai? (I'll post the correct answer in a few days.).

Sam.

I'll take a guess. Even if wrong.

1. Thai.

2 Filipina.

3. VN.

4. khmer.

[Revrez]

3 and 4 are Thai. Easy work.

Referencing your photo examples, and having almost 60 visits to Southeast Asia starting in 1970, my take is that judging nationality by color skin can be next to impossible. One reason is nationality is established my lines drawn in the sand (so to speak). Just looking at Filippino girls, Thai girls, and Khmer girls from 20 feet way, you could be hard pressed to "know" their nationality.

Generalizations abound. Northern Thais are lighter in skin color than Southern Thai gals. Viets whiter than Khmer or Thai's.

With that in mind, I've I've put together a collage of "usual suspects" numbered 1,2,3, and 4. Two are Khmer and two are Thai. I know all of them personally. Here is a little test for you. Which two are Thai? (I'll post the correct answer in a few days.).

Sam.

[Fastpiston]

So was it the Tao Riverside Residenceyou stayed at? And they have no issuesbringingback girls to room?

I've heard various inputs on the girl friendliness of hotels in PP. Can you give me input on this?

[Sam Sanuk]

Hello as a frame of reference can you help me understand what you mean by Khmer look? Does the average Kmer girl look like the darker skin girl or the lighter skin?

Referencing your photo examples, and having almost 60 visits to Southeast Asia starting in 1970, my take is that judging nationality by color skin can be next to impossible. One reason is nationality is established my lines drawn in the sand (so to speak). Just looking at Filippino girls, Thai girls, and Khmer girls from 20 feet way, you could be hard pressed to "know" their nationality.

Generalizations abound. Northern Thais are lighter in skin color than Southern Thai gals. Viets whiter than Khmer or Thai's.

With that in mind, I've I've put together a collage of "usual suspects" numbered 1,2,3, and 4. Two are Khmer and two are Thai. I know all of them personally. Here is a little test for you. Which two are Thai? (I'll post the correct answer in a few days.).

Sam.