General Info

[Tman777]

I only spent one day in Phnom Penh and I didn't go to the firing range or to the Killing Fields. I started early, hired a motorbike/driver for $10 for the day and visited the Central Market, The Royal Palace, The National Museum, Phnom Penh itself (a small hill with a temple) and the Prison. That was plenty and occupied a full day. In PP I ate at The Riverside Restaurant on Sisowat Quay. Nice French food and they are associated with a neighboring establishment named MatiHari. While eating dinner at the Riverside bar, a nice looking young thing sat down next to me dressed in black. The waitress, dressed in white, explained that all the ladies in black were from MatiHari and were available to take home ($30) and all the ladies in white were not available. Since I preferred the "lady" in white, I passed on the "lady" in black and went to Martini's instead.

The Sisowat Quay in PP is "restaurant row" and is quite close to the hotel I stayed at (Regent Park) and, I was told, Heart of Darkness Bar is nearby and it was recommended by a couple of ex-pats. Since I was only in PP for the one night, I didn't try Heart of Darkness.

[Chikan]

Tman777

That's ok..I can understand sometimes when you don't want to hassle. Any other restaurants that you'd recommend? Sounds like a few days in Cambodia was enough...did you hit the firing range? That's something I still want to do someday! Gotta relive my nam days!

[Tman777]

Chikan: I think you are correct regarding the driver--I just didn't want to hassle with finding someone else right then and, like I said, he obviously needed the money. Regarding the hotel, I don't think I overpaid much. Siem Reap is full of all kinds of hotels from the new Sofitel at about $300/nite up all the way down to fleabags. The Sakura Village was middle of the road and it might have been slightly overpriced--but not much.

Also, I neglected to talk about the nightlife in SR. Frankly, I and most tourists were really exhaused after a full day at the temples, but I did check out the Martini's in SR--it is now strictly a disco. Not my style, begins late and loud music. I spent no time there. Apparently there used to be an outdoor "bar" associated with it, but no more. I did visit Zanzibar (Zanzy Bar) on each of my two nites for "before dinner drinks" and it is a nice little place. Run by a French speaking Belgium fellow and there are lots of pretty Kymer ladies available. On the second nite I took up one girls offer of a $15 massage at her place. Her room was quite close to Zanzibar (about a 5 min. walk) but it was down a dark dirt road and, frankly, about half-way there I began to get concerned about the neighborhood. It turned out OK but I don't know if I'd do it again.

Her attitude was nice and she was about a 7 in looks. Really, don't go to SR for the mongering.

BTW, I ate each night at The Red Door, a very nice little place in the middle of town that served French food. Good service, prices and ambiance.

[Chikan]

Tman777

Good report. Nice to hear something current. Maybe the other more seasoned vet's can concurr, but that seemed to be a lot of US cash that you spent! $50 for a hotel? $120 US for 3 days to have some guy drive you around.....Again, maybe I'm way off base, and I'm not attacking you personally; just seems expensive! I can see Freeler rolling his eyes sky-ward if he reads the Cambodia forum....

[Tman777]

Just returned from a 3 day trip to Cambodia. Bought the air ticket in BKK at Excursion Travel on Soi 5 for about 11,000 baht. BKK to Siem Reap for two nites, then flite to Phnom Penh for one nite and then back to BKK. I had some passport photos taken on Soi 5 before I left BKK for the Cambodian Visa. The visa processing at the Phnom Penh airport is quite efficient and costs $20. BTW, I flew on President Airlines, a Cambodian carrier. Probable only have one airplane, but the service and equipment was OK, especially for a 1hr 10 min flite.

After obtaining the visa, I had to make my way to the Domestic terminal for the continuation of the flite to Siem Reap. If you ask, people will direct you but no information was originally volunteered, so I was a bit confused about where to go. The domestic terminal is very close, so it's no problem to walk.

Arriving in Sie Reap, there is a taxi desk directly outside the terminal doors. You pay $5 (Yes, everything is in $US) to the desk and they assign you to a taxi for the trip into town. On the drive in the driver made it clear that he'd like to be my guide for the next couple of days and show me the temples and whatever else I need. He was fine, though the 1985 Toyota Camry was kinda ragged. Originally, the driver told me it would be $20 per day. I didn't have any hotel reservation so the driver suggested he knew a small hotel near the Old Market for $50 a day. I said fine and he took me to the Sakura Lodge. Pretty good location, very clean, lots of beautiful wood furnishing and internet access in the lobby. All in all, it was fine. By the time I got settled into the hotel it was about 3PM and the driver said he'd be back to pick me up at 5PM because it was important to view the sunset from the top of a small hill near Angkor Wat. It was the right thing to do I suppose, because the hill was covered with people and it is quite a site to see.

Next morning a 7:30 AM, driver was back for a full day of temple viewing--including some that are 30 to 40 kilometers out of town. On the way to the first temple, the driver informed me that because we were going to the "far away" temples, the price per day would be higher. By then, of course, I was sitting in his Toyota at 7:45 Am and half way to a temple. It was really no big deal but I ended up agreeing to $120 for the three days of service--trust me the guy needed the money and he was very helpful and always at my disposal. He even ended up taking me to his home the last day, clibed up a tree, dropped a couple of coconuts, hacked them open and shared a drink with me. It was quite an experience--most of the people have no running water and no electricity or phone. I didn't feel bad about giving him $120, but you should be aware of the issue and probable hash out the total agreement up front.

In order to view the temples (which my driver said were al sold to a Viet Namese syndicate!) you need to buy a ticket. The ticket is $20 for one day, or $40 for a three day pass. The 3 day pass requires a photo which they will take for free at ticket booth.

No ticket is required after 5PM, so you can view the sunset for free and a a one day ticket for the next day. Really I think that's enough.

The flite to Phnom Penh leave Siem Reap late in the day and the a domestic arrival is pretty easy. Walk out the domestic terminal and lots of taxis will be available for $7. I stayed at the Regent Park for $45 and I think the location was fine. Quite close to the National Museum, the Palace and the waterfront area with many restaurants. It was, however, a long ways from Martini's Disco, but really only a $3 taxi ride. Martini's is really quite a nice place (OK, not NICE) but OK. It has a food court area, a separate disco, and a large semi-outdoor bar area. It has all the "ladies" you'd want to meet. Mostly VM, I think. I met lots of friendly Ex-Pats there and had a very nice time, though I didn't indulge. I was assured the $20 price was for all nite.

Although I didn't visit the Killing Fields, I did take a tour of the prison and it's a very moving experience.

There are no ATMs in Cambodia, but you can change US travelers checks into dollars for a 2% fee. Carry lots of $1 bills and also obtain lots of 1,000 real local currency notes to give to the many, many deserving beggars.

[Headhunter2000]

Anyone have any info on the border town of Poi Pet?

[Guy #2]

Maurauder, when you get back from your trip, post some addresses of Thai and Cambodia hot spots so we can all enjoy the same experience. Tell us which places to avoid.

Skinless, who gives a shit about that issue? That's not my fucking problem. We can't all save the goddamn world. Maybe you should become a priest and fuck altar boys. HAha.

[MondaysChilde]

Marauder - Congratulations are in order.

The best favor you can do yourself is (a) stop spending money in U.S. massage parlors; and (b) do some online research to learn the scams, and gain knowledge from the tips and wisdom of those who have gone before.

But stop spending $$ on U.S. flesh, immediately. You'll be glad you did!

[Erik]

For me, the arrogant Thai leadership has tryied to take advantage of the pre-election situation in Cambodia to manipulate people and provoke shit out there. The Khmers, who felt insulted in their well founded national dignity, have reacted in a primary way, as they are far less shrewd and sophisticated than the Thais, and don't really know how to deal with the world media, like the Thais do. Now the Thais pose as victims. Flights between the two capitals are cancelled for now, the border in Hat Lek/Koh Kong is closed (I don't know about the Aranyapratet/Poipet one), Thai aid to Cambodia is on stand by (should not involve big amounts anyway), and diplomatic relations have been downgraded. All that at the initiative of the Thais, who obviously try to escalate the incident. Don't worry guys, the border with Vietnam is no problem, and that is where the best girls come from... Less bastard Thai businessmen in Cambodia can only be a good thing for this lovely country.

[Skinless]

greetings eathlings. i am at this moment reading an article by kathy marks from the independent newspaper which circulates here as a sunday supplement. here are some quotes for your comments about svay pak : """"
oral sex costs $5; $500 buys a six-year-old boy for a week.

the girls are, in effect, sex slaves: they recieve no money, only food, and armed guards stop them running away.

if thepolice did their job properly, they could arrest 50 ****s a day.

a unicef survey concluded that 35 per cent of cambodia's 55,000 prostitutes were under 16.

svay pak, once just an anonymous village, is now extolled in the darker recesses of the internet.

the child sex trade, once tiny, is now booming. """"

[JT]

I would really like to know about Pailin too. I heard that it is like "Las Vegas" in a small way. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

JT

[Erik]

Anybody knows of the scene in Pailin ?

[JDietz]

Penhball Gone, KM11 arrives.

For those of you who don't already know, Lucky has decided to pull the plug on www.PenhBall.com because of all the bull he had to go through the last couple of months.

I wish him the best and thank him a lot for all the effort.

I hate to see the community go, though, and therefor opened up a new bulletin board site, which I hope will grow into what Penhball was.

the address is: www.km11.com

I hope to see a lot of familiar and new faces around.

Thanks!

[ZX10]

Carlos,, do u know lawrence from austrialia??

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[Admin]

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