Phnom Penh

[WintersLight]

Hi All, just returned from a work trip to Phnom Penh, Bangkok and Singapore, for about a week each. Didn't do much in Singapore due to work commitments, but did have some time in the other spots.

Phnom Penh: Lots of negativity towards the scene here recently, but it was my first mongering experience in SE Asia and I found it pretty easy and rewarding, actually. Maybe because I prepared by going back through this forum and kind of knew what to expect, so thanks to all the vets on here who have contributed through the months / years and really kept the board going.

Phnom Penh doesn't have the variety that Bangkok offers, in terms of where to find some action; there's none of BKK's massage parlors / nuru-gel salons that are a guarantee of sex (there are a lot of massage parlors, but most are known as rip-off spots that don't even offer FS, so I didn't bother to try). Also the online scene like FIWFANS or ThaiFriendly doesn't seem as active in PP, if it's active at all. And there isn't much in terms of freelancer street action, unlike Nana Plaza or Thermae in BKK, except a few spots on Str 51 for your trans meth-head needs, and some clubs like Pontoon, which is barely holding on. And maybe I missed a lot of these scenes, as I was only there for a week; if so let me know!

So instead what you have is bars and bargirls, scattered along a few different areas. The Riverside streets like 136 and 130 are the "busiest," at least in terms of bars and girls on the street yelling for your attention, but in early February there still wasn't much action customer-wise. For me, though, the 130/136 scene was pretty overwhelming and almost too slick; I couldn't quite tell if all the bars and clubs there were mainly of the hostess variety, where they milk you for pricy drinks, lead you on for a bit, then present you with a bill and that's it, or if there was still a lot of "take-out" available. So many of the girls there seemed way more interested in looking at their phones than in talking, leaving it to the shoutiest one among them to try to flag down customers. And even when customers went up to them, they barely acknowledged it, which was weird, because the amount of girls-to-customers was about 10-1.

I wound up just walking down 130/136 for the scene, but Streets 118 or 104 were far more mellow and laidback, with some nice-looking women who seemed more than happy to head home with you. I also checked out Str 172, which is is a bit further away, but that was extremely dead, with only a handful of bars operating, and none of the staff outside them caught my eye.

The Street 51 area is far quieter than the riverside, but rewarding for me. It was formerly best known for the Golden Sorya Mall nearby, which was a huge source of freelancers, but that's been knocked down, so just a handful of hostess bars remain, along with the Heart of Darkness and Pontoon nightclubs and, as mentioned before, a few shuffling meth-heads. I walked into the Lady Fox Bar around the corner from Shanghai Bar / Restaurant (which had some freelancers, though a bit older), as I had some some pix of their staff and was atttracted to their 'full-figured' curves, but the women there were just full-figured, not curvy, LOL. White Cobra ((or the bar at its spot) had a group of loud tattooed Chinese dudes out front, living it up and grabbing the hostess's arms; one motioned me to come over and join them for some 'boom boom! Good time!" But I just smiled and walked on, not wanting to get too involved in that.

I finally went into the bar nearby, Plan be, which according to the mama-san had just opened recently. She was super friendly and asked me to choose from a quartet of smiling women; I chose the one with the biggest smile, and within about one minute we were quickly making out, with her guiding my hand to her breasts. "She likes you!" The mama-san said. I bought a drink for the girl and for the mama-san and her friend (always make friends with the mama-san, and always look generous, at least for first impressions), and by the time I had had three sips of it the mama-san was already telling me, "She likes you! Take her short-time! She can't do Long-time, has to help her mother! She good girl!" (Aren't they all, LOL). She quickly quoted me a $15 bar fine, plus $16 for four drinks, and a $50 short-time fee for two hours for later. And in about 10 minutes after walking into the bar, afer paying $31 for the barfine and four drinks, I was out the door with the girl and heading to my hotel. She was 25, big smile, short and curvy, nice natural breasts (most of which disappeared after the push-up bra was off, alas), and super giggly and excited.

Spare you the details, but it was fun. Really into it. Not quite an amateur, but not the jaded or all-business professional you're likely to encounter. Total cost for two hours: $81 ($15 barfine, $16 drinks, $50 fee). Got her WhatsApp contact, and two nights later she reached out, asked what I was up to. I was too tired to go over to the bar, so she volunteer to just come over to the hotel if I paid her barfine later, so, well, yes, of course. We did it all again. Total cost for about 2. 5 hours: $65 ($15 barfine, $50 fee).

Another night I was walking around the city and came across the infamous Cyrcee's Secret Bar on 130 (130 further down from the Riverside, though, cross-street 49.) It was open but I didn't go in, as around the corner is what seems to be another new spot, Sona Horny Secret Bar. (Terrible name, I know). It's got a Japanese anime mural on the outside wall, a pretty friendly door-guy, and a mama-san who was even friendlier. She dragged me into the bar at around 7 pm, with about 7-8 girls and exactly zero customers. Some 'roommates' originally from Kampot sat down next to me and, after some hellos, started making out with me even before the drinks were ordered. One was 32 (I learned this later), the other 27, both thin, all-natural bodies and faces, pretty cute. Again, I bought them both a drink, along with the mama-san, and within five minutes I was out the door with the 32-year-old. Barfine also $15, drinks about the same, and girl fee was also $50. They've got a relatively decent short-time hotel two blocks away, so we went there for fun. Next night I was back for the 27-year-old. (They were offering doubles, but I'm too old and was way too tired for that). Since we went to their short-time hotel, the sessions were each a little over one hour, as none of us really wanted to hang out there after the business was done. You could also take them to your hotel, if you'd prefer.

Sona Horny seems new (mama-san said it was a month or so old, but who knows), with a 'secret upstairs' for more fun. Other women working weren't the most eye-catching, but they all seemed, uh, friendly. Before 8 pm you might have the place to yourself; after my fun with the ladies, I walked them back to the bar (always a gentleman, LOL), and noticed it was a little more hopping.

Finally, I stopped into Pontoon a couple of nights to check it out. First night it was full of steroid bench bro's acting wired, men over 74, and a small handful of women, plus music so loud you could hear your teeth rattling, so I left after about 10 minutes. Second night they offered a free drink, and while I was sipping it I caught the eye of a woman, normally dressed, eyeing me up. She came over to me and started talking / flirting, and at first, as naive as I am, I thought Oh wow, I'm going to pick this normal lady up. She was mid-30's (35, I found out later), elegant more fine-boned classic features, but dressed in a "regular," non-slutty outfit of jeans and t-shirt. Then, of course, "I like you, but could you pay for me to come back with you?" Anyway, I still brought her back to the hotel. Total cost: $55. No barfine, no drinks. (At Pontoon the ladies drink for free on non-weekend nights). She stayed for about two hours, we had a good time.

Overall: none of the four women I hooked up with were clock-watchers, all-business, or impatient. They were all surprisingly kind, super easy-going, and friendly from the start. I think it helps if you go into the situations with a smile and a friendly, open attitude. "You have good heart," "I like you; You so nice," is what I heard a lot of. "Some guys rude, too rough. " Of course, that's maybe kind of like when people describe unattractive women as "having a nice personality," LOL, but I'll still take it. (Full confession: I'm late 40's, Caucasian, normal height and size, so not extra-large or even super-buff, which from what I hear kind of scares some of them off). It doesn't seem like most of the women there are hardcore professionals (though probably on Streets 130/136 they may be, since it's where everyone goes), so it makes sense they're more open with guys that don't have attitudes and aren't total dicks, as that kind of drama is just not worth it for them.

Also: be generous, especially for first impressions. Check the cost of course, but buy the girl and the mamasan a drink without whining about it. It'll pay off later; barfines of $10-$15 might be more like $25-$30 if you're being a dick. When you leave the bar, the girls will probably have a tuk-tuk driver nearby they'll want to use, and it'll be way more than what a Grab or PassApp tuk-tuk will be. But just let them do it, as it's probably someone they trust to look out for them, and even a tuk-tuk charge that's twice the amount means its just $2 USD instead of $1 USD. Also, learning to say even Hello, and goodbye and thank you in Khmer will get you a lot of smiles, whether with the bar girls, the tuk-tuk drivers, the hotel staff, or whoever. Maybe they're laughing at you, who cares, but it does break the ice and they appreciate it.

Finally, as always, when they ask you when you arrived / when you're leaving, it's always good to say I've been here for a week or more, so they don't think you're a total newbie, and I'll be staying for a couple of weeks, so they'll want to make sure to treat you well enough, for some repeat business later.

Sorry for long report, just wanted to add to the forum and give a snapshot of the scene in 2024. I'll post my Bangkok experiences in that forum later on. Might actually return to PP for work in the summer, so if anyone has any tips / suggestions on those riverside bars along 130/136, places that aren't just hostess bars, that'd be great.

[Nyezhov]

For sure, but it's a fun experience anyway!

Not when you are from the States mate, hell I've put decarbed Moon Rocks on pizza like oregano, yum nomnom.

Now if the pizza was good, and the weed was better than mountain ditchweed, that would be one thing.

Did ya ever watch villagers smoke weed? They chop up ditchweed with tobacco into a fine powder and then rip it from Bamboo bongs. Its horrible just to think of.

[Bigstud]

I'm sure I get better weed than what they put on the happy pizza.

For sure, but it's a fun experience anyway!

[Nyezhov]

I love that typo: "sit on the terrorist"! The Ethiopian place on Street 172 is great. I always get their vegan combo. Just down the street is Amazing Happy Pizza. Their pizza is only so-so but you can ask them to make it "extra happy"!

Pizza 4 P's has very nice Japanese-style pizza and pasta. They have many branches in Vietnam. I guess your next FR will be about the fake blondes! Bon appetit!

I'm sure I get better weed than what they put on the happy pizza.

[Bigstud]

I was recently in Phnom on a fast overnight. I got a deal at the silver mountain Hotel for like $23 and it's on street 172. The staff is fabulous, and the place is nothing special, but clean.

I didn't get a chance to hit the girly streets, although there are a couple of girly bars on street 172. It's a lot quieter over there though than down where the action is a few blocks over which is why I stay there. There's some excellent restaurants on that street including an Ethiopian place which is fabulous.

However, my only report is about the pizza restaurant on the quay near street 148? Which is called Pizza4 or something like that. Dudes, it was the best pizza I've had in Southeast Asia. Plus, you can sit on the terrorist and over at the quay while chowing down and it's worth the 20 bucks it cost me including drink and coffee. Seriously great pizza.

That shows what happens when you get older and have been living in Asia a while. Pizza is more important than the fake blondes hanging out in front of bars.

I love that typo: "sit on the terrorist"! The Ethiopian place on Street 172 is great. I always get their vegan combo. Just down the street is Amazing Happy Pizza. Their pizza is only so-so but you can ask them to make it "extra happy"!

Pizza 4 P's has very nice Japanese-style pizza and pasta. They have many branches in Vietnam. I guess your next FR will be about the fake blondes! Bon appetit!

[Nyezhov]

I was recently in Phnom on a fast overnight. I got a deal at the silver mountain Hotel for like $23 and it's on street 172. The staff is fabulous, and the place is nothing special, but clean.

I didn't get a chance to hit the girly streets, although there are a couple of girly bars on street 172. It's a lot quieter over there though than down where the action is a few blocks over which is why I stay there. There's some excellent restaurants on that street including an Ethiopian place which is fabulous.

However, my only report is about the pizza restaurant on the quay near street 148? Which is called Pizza4 or something like that. Dudes, it was the best pizza I've had in Southeast Asia. Plus, you can sit on the terrorist and over at the quay while chowing down and it's worth the 20 bucks it cost me including drink and coffee. Seriously great pizza.

That shows what happens when you get older and have been living in Asia a while. Pizza is more important than the fake blondes hanging out in front of bars.

[Betong]

Is the Paradise Hotel a decent place to stay?

If you mean the Paradise on Monivong, it's like many around there -- old but somewhat refurbished, big rooms but otherwise nothing special. The areas you read about here are all closer to the river. My advice would be to stay within a few blocks of the river, anywhere from St. 110 to 154.

[SexInStl]

Is the Paradise Hotel a decent place to stay? It seems it's in a great part of town to access some of the areas I've read about here.

[Vendelo]

You are correct.

You agreed to pay $100 for overnight. She left after 2 hours.

The implication is that you didn't hand her $100 as she was walking out the door. Otherwise, that would have been an agreement for $100 for 2 hours.

Unless you gave her the money in advance, but you would never do that.

I don't argue with strangers on the internet.

[Vendelo]

Are ones, fives and Ten US notes still widely accepted in PP? All new bills. TYA.

I was in PP in November 2023 and locals accepted 5 and 10 dollar bills. But they inspect them. Must be perfect and current; an older 5 dollar bill was rejected even though it was perfect.

[StevePtt]

The prices being quoted here. You may as well go to Paris, Barcelona, Germany.

Regional Australian cities look at classifieds where happy endings are 40 and FS 50 with Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, often students.

[MyHandle88]

Are ones, fives and Ten US notes still widely accepted in PP? All new bills. TYA.

[Explorer8939]

Once again. Do you even read? Where does it say I paid $100 for 2 hours? where?

You are correct.

You agreed to pay $100 for overnight. She left after 2 hours.

The implication is that you didn't hand her $100 as she was walking out the door. Otherwise, that would have been an agreement for $100 for 2 hours.

Unless you gave her the money in advance, but you would never do that.

[Rick Rock]

How was the quality of the two girls - 0 to 10?

0.

Those are ice / yama / meth heads. Even if you wanted to go the low cost street walker route you'd be better off at one of the pick up spots used by locals.

[GreenBud]

I've been addicted to Kobe Beef since staying in Japan.

That's outside my budget.

It's difficult for me to even eat Wagyu now.

Wow! Costco is selling a large chunk of frozen A-5 graded Wagyu. Haven't tried it because I cook for one, and it's ridiculously expensive. I usually get the prime graded tenderloin or ribeye (with cap). $25 per pound (in bulk, non-restaurant) for prime graded beef is my budget.

When did you last go to that buffet?

Last November. It seems each day has a different theme. Friday is Schezwan, Wednesday is Korean, I think Monday was Japanese. I take locals there, and they absolutely love it. They should; the cost is about half a week's Cambodian minimum wage.

I love buffets

I hate buffets. I always overeat. But I still go.