Reasons To Come To Cambodia

[Nyezhov]

Thanks all for your input. I'm booked for two nights each at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for my first visit to Cambodia. Hopefully I'll get an overview of both locations before I head over to Thailand. Since I'm in the area, I'm also going to Ho Chi Minh and Jakarta as well. I don't expect the mongering at these places to be anywhere near Thailand but at least I would have visited and hopefully anything unique at the different cities. Will definitely report on all locations.

In Siem I highly recommend the Tito's suites on Night Market Street.

[Exoticspirit]

Thanks all for your input. I'm booked for two nights each at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for my first visit to Cambodia. Hopefully I'll get an overview of both locations before I head over to Thailand. Since I'm in the area, I'm also going to Ho Chi Minh and Jakarta as well. I don't expect the mongering at these places to be anywhere near Thailand but at least I would have visited and hopefully anything unique at the different cities. Will definitely report on all locations.

[Nyezhov]

Thanks for this contribution. How were the costs in general, especially with regards to the girls in PP compared to Thailand? And as far as non-monger sight seeing goes, were there anything in PP worthwhile that Thailand doesn't already have?

If you have no business in Cambodia over and above your pecker, then you're wasting your money and time in PP. It's like Bangkok was 30 years ago IE a transportation nightmare, and a basic shithole. Unlike Bangkok, the Watts and attractions are seedy and dirty, the whole city other than some fancy streets is filthy, and everything is overpriced for what you get.

If you have business there, there is pussy to be had, but the quantity, quality and pricing is far better in Bangkok. If you want to see the sights in Cambodia, you need to go to Siem where the temples will just blow your mind. Phnom is a waste of time.

And before some Fanboy gets upset by the foregoing, keep in mind that I live in Cambodia. I've been to Phnom Penh five times since January 1st.

[WintersLight]

Thanks for this contribution. How were the costs in general, especially with regards to the girls in PP compared to Thailand? And as far as non-monger sight seeing goes, were there anything in PP worthwhile that Thailand doesn't already have?

Yeah, good question. Prices were a bit cheaper than Bangkok in PP, but not a crazy amount; say you like to stay in nice, comfortable hotels that are 4-star equivalent or boutique-types, and they'll be about $15-$20/ and less than in Bangkok. Grabbing a good lunch from a non-mall type of place might be a dollar or so less than in Thailand, but one thing I noticed is that the quality of the ingredients was MUCH better in Bangkok, no matter how cheap it was. You can get noodles or rice with meat and veggies in Thailand for $2-$3 USD and still be amazed at the quality, but the same in Phnom Penh and you're thinking, "Well, this meat is all gristle, no wonder it's just $2. " So Thailand definitely won the food category for me, but on the other hand some of the Cambodian specialties—like amok, the fish curry, or their breakfast noodle soup—is really good. You've just got to ignore the $2 versions of them and go for the, well, $6 versions of them, which is still a great deal to most of us.

In terms of sites, I can say that Phnom Penh as a city wasn't that great, sorry to disappoint all my friends there that are (or hopefully aren't) reading this. First it's about 1/4 the size of Bangkok, and 1/4 the people, so it's like a provincial capital versus BKK's megalopolis, and still developing. It's a flat city in a valley, so all that heat and smog just stays around, and there's no public transit. Hard to walk around too due to heat and crap / non-existing sidewalks. Some neighborhoods have some cool colonial or mid-century architecture, but mostly not. Riverside area is nice to walk down, and the museums if you're into that are actually pretty amazing. I was working all day in these different hospitals in the city, so got to see some different areas, and I'm glad I did, but wouldn't necessarily tell anyone they needed to visit them. (Working all day also meant I didn't have as much time to sight-see, so take my words with a grain of salt, though). The people I was working with would take me out at night and that was great, so I actually had an amazing time there, but I still don't think I'd recommend it over Bangkok. (Personally I found the people in PP way friendlier, though). BKK has great public transit, you can get anywhere easily, and lots of areas to check out or wander around, from riverside and canals to big parks (PP has barely any green space), shopping centers if you're into that, cool neighborhoods. And if you're debating between PP and some island beach resort in Thailand, go for the beach resort for sure.

All told, I can't wait to go back to PP because of the really lovely people that I met there, but I wouldn't need to go back to PP just to see the city. Whereas BKK I feel I barely touched the surface of the things I could see there, even without the mongering scene.

[Exoticspirit]

As someone who just got back from both countries (well, three, as I visited Singapore too, all as part of a work trip), I'd say it wouldn't hurt to visit Phnom Penh, mainly if you don't like crowds, as at least it's far more mellow than some of the Bangkok areas.

Thanks for this contribution. How were the costs in general, especially with regards to the girls in PP compared to Thailand? And as far as non-monger sight seeing goes, were there anything in PP worthwhile that Thailand doesn't already have?

[WintersLight]

I'm planning my trip to Thailand later this year and wanted to ask the guys who have experience in the mongering scene in both Thailand and Cambodia, what are reasons if any, that I should divide my travel time between Thailand and Cambodia? Should I stay in Thailand or make some time to come to Cambodia as well with regards to the mongering scene?

As someone who just got back from both countries (well, three, as I visited Singapore too, all as part of a work trip), I'd say it wouldn't hurt to visit Phnom Penh, mainly if you don't like crowds, as at least it's far more mellow than some of the Bangkok areas. You don't have to wade through quite as many drunk punters as you do in BKK, especially when it comes to the packs of 'Lads on Tour' that are all over Soi Cowboy, Nana, or Patpong. More dudes than around a football stadium urinal, sometimes. The Phnom Penh riverside streets like 136 & 130 are the busiest comparisons in terms of sheer numbers of bars and women, but in early February at least there still weren't many customers on the street. And if you go over to the quieter riverside streets like 118 or even 104, or over to Str 51, there's hardly any punters around, and you'll have the bars to yourself many times. (Again, this was early February so maybe its different in other times, but I've heard that Jan / Feb is the high season?

Also, many of the bargirls in PP haven't spent as much time under the plastic surgeon's knife as in Thailand, so there's not as many K-bots. (This turned me off in BKK, a lot of the Thai women there seemed to be mimicking K-pop standards of beauty, full of fake noses, fake chins, fake breasts, etc). And sure, those nice-looking natural breasts disappear pretty quickly once the push-up bras come off, but sometimes that's better than the lopsided boob jobs you might encounter in Bangkok. There's plenty of natural beauty in Bangkok, of course, but there's A LOT of surgery.

Finally, the women I picked up in PP all seemed a little more easy-going, casual, and quicker to warm up. Maybe it was luck, but they didn't seem as 'professional' or down-to-business as some of the women in BKK. If you go into a bar with a good attitude and a smile, you'll probably be making out with someone in about three minutes, and off to your hotel or a short-time spot pretty quickly after that.

Main difference of course is that PP doesn't have quite the variety: it's pretty much all bars and bargirls. I personally couldn't find any massage / nuru-style spots that are a guaranteed good time in BKK (plenty of massage spots in PP, but they've all got bad reputations as rip-offs, so I didn't even try), and I know that online spots like FIWFANS and ThaiFriendly are all over Bangkok, but I didn't know of any in Phnom Penh. And the freelance scene around Nana Plaza or Thermae puts anything in Phnom Penh to shame; I did wander into Pontoon once and picked someone up, but there were probably only 8-10 women there, trying to get themselves heard over that shit music they play. Around Pontoon and Str 51 there were a few toothless meth-heads shuffling about looking for tricks, but I wasn't desperate enough for that.

Due to the variety, Bangkok is worth more time, but PP is worth at least a few days or a long weekend in general. City itself is kind of overwhelming, but the people are all super friendly, and it seemed easier to strike up ordinary conversations there than in BKK.

I'll be posting a longer review in the PP forum soon. Thanks to all those who have contributed and who I learned from before heading out.

[CDawg3141]

I'm spending a month in SE Asia in March / April centered around Thailand and have been searching for a city or two to visit as a palette cleanser and to experience something different. Currently I'm thinking I'll fly into Tokyo for a few days, maybe up to a week, then continue my journey to Thailand.

In reading the board I saw a lot of people post favorably about Phnom Penh and wanting to go back after a good visit, so I've been researching in that thread and then happened upon this one.

It's been helpful to learn that it is not worthwhile to visit for mongering. I never even figured out what the main mongering attractions were. Just a lot of complaining.

So I'm thinking Jakarta although I've yet to research that option.

[Nyezhov]

Cambodia is definitely not cheaper except for alcohol. Thailand offers a much better value overall. The reasons that that I am in Cambodia is because I already have a strong network established and it's easy to live here long term as far as visas.

I stay in Cambodia because far more laid back than Thailand and cheaper for me. I do my mongering in Bangkok. I don't find the Cambodian girls to be particularly attractive, they wear out young, and BJ's are not the norm. It'll cost you 50 bucks in non-pen for something that's halfway decent, and you're better off doing the same thing in thailand.

[Mongering1]

Cambodia is definitely not cheaper except for alcohol. Thailand offers a much better value overall. The reasons that that I am in Cambodia is because I already have a strong network established and it's easy to live here long term as far as visas.

So I take it that even the lower cost of rooms, food and maybe the girls are not worth the trip if I'm going to Thailand anyway? Or maybe the costs have gone up?

[Exoticspirit]

So I take it that even the lower cost of rooms, food and maybe the girls are not worth the trip if I'm going to Thailand anyway? Or maybe the costs have gone up?

[Shegoy]

I'm planning my trip to Thailand later this year and wanted to ask the guys who have experience in the mongering scene in both Thailand and Cambodia, what are reasons if any, that I should divide my travel time between Thailand and Cambodia? Should I stay in Thailand or make some time to come to Cambodia as well with regards to the mongering scene?

So my friend it all depends on your choice. IMHO Depends whether you are interested in sex on your face with just Thai bath being dished around or some hunting and fishing as well. If former, nothing beats Pattaya or any other destination in Thai. No where can you fufill your kinks in a better manner. Don't even look any further. But if the latter then I would personally prefer Cambodia / Laos anyday. I am discounting Vietnam because its a cusp. YMMV Cheers.

[Exoticspirit]

It is based on the availability of women. You can find quality in Cambodia (Phnom Penh) but in much fewer quantities than in Bangkok or Pattaya. All it takes is one great woman to make a great trip but if you're looking for multiple different ladies a day or even a week it's easier to find in Thailand.

This is really good to know, thanks.

[Houston Player]

Thanks for your opinion. Is this based on a lower quality of women and / or perhaps higher prices in Cambodia compared to in Thailand?

It is based on the availability of women. You can find quality in Cambodia (Phnom Penh) but in much fewer quantities than in Bangkok or Pattaya. All it takes is one great woman to make a great trip but if you're looking for multiple different ladies a day or even a week it's easier to find in Thailand.

[Maila]

I only went to Siem Reap and I thought it was a great place to see temples. There were hordes of small time massage places and some really seedy shoulder to shoulder massage beds separated by thin curtains and hush hush sex going on there. Maybe there were other nicer places. But I had a hard time imagining it in Siem Reap. Although the Phnom Penh might be different.

Thailand OTOH has both touristy stuff as well as entire sections of the city devoted to sex. Pattaya is an entire town of it, which wasn't very much to my liking as I want other touristy stuff. I liked Phuket / Patong myself given its proximity to really nice beaches, clubs, drinking bars, etc. But that raises prices and transportation there was horrid. The way I saw it, all these cities in SEA have different profiles in what they offer and different balance and you got to find your fit based on time and what else you want (or maybe nothing else).

I'm planning my trip to Thailand later this year and wanted to ask the guys who have experience in the mongering scene in both Thailand and Cambodia, what are reasons if any, that I should divide my travel time between Thailand and Cambodia? Should I stay in Thailand or make some time to come to Cambodia as well with regards to the mongering scene?

[Exoticspirit]

Visit multiple cities in Thailand and forget about Cambodia if mongering is all you want to do. I live in Bangkok, and I enjoy short 2-3 day trips to Cambodia for a change of pace. But if I was coming to Thailand with limited time, I wouldn't waste it in Cambodia.

Thanks for your opinion. Is this based on a lower quality of women and / or perhaps higher prices in Cambodia compared to in Thailand?