Phnom Penh

The door locks are a bit flakey, and I'm not sure how much I would trust the room safe. A sturdy lockable bag/suitcase gets round both these issues though. The roof bar is easy to miss, but from 6pm > 7:30pm I don't think there is a better place to be in PP. Very few people use it - but if you stay there, head up to it at 6pm, and watch the sun set, the city darken, and the bats fly.

Watch out for floor '0' (zero), which is bafflingly between the ground floor and the first floor. I never got used to it - much to the amusement of anyone I took back with me, as I fumbled with the wrong door.

Rooms at the front are noisy, but rooms on the side I was on face directly on to construction on the roof next door. Deluxe rooms are probably better, but basic room is OK. But the trick is to keep the toilet paper dry in the bathroom. Use the shower, and you'll see what I mean.

Yes, Cambodia/PP is much more than a mongering destination, and you might even fall in love, like I did ...

[QUOTE=AlLostInSpace13]Hi Tunang,
PP is not that hard to figure out. I've made 2 trips before and am planning on a 3rd trip in early July (tough choice between AC and Manila, but PP is the best), may be we'll meet up and "hunt" together.
Try not to think of yourself as a sex tourist. Cambodia is so unique you would probably go even if there's no sex, anyways.
Back to the topic. Just book yourself into the Flamigos hotel and you'll be walking distrance from several action party places. Yes, Flamigos is a bit run down and probably is about 2 star-ish, but it's got lots of action.

Al[/QUOTE]

Indeed srawlaing is the verb to love, bong srawlaing means darling.

The noun to love is snai.

The best khmer and any other music collection at at the garage bar on street 110.

It has the riverhouse on the corner and the bar is about 75 metres off the river on the right.

Look for the sign with the andy warhol banana.

Tell brunt or jeff that I sent you.

I love old and much of the new khmer pop. There are several classic songs from the last couple of years.

No hostesses at the garage, hostess bars generally play incredibly bad music much too loud.

If you need a real garage we service cars as well as buy and sell them.

House 24 street 420 at boueng trabaek.

And there is a new massage parlour about to open directly opposite with five khmer and five Chinese girls-if we ever need a service after a long, hot day in the air con office.

Hey how much are these locals charging.

A lot I suspect.

If you guys want advice please PM me.

Never trust a Cambodian-ever!

I hate to say it, but never trusting a Cambodian is probably good advice.

[QUOTE=Phil Istine]Hey how much are these locals charging.

A lot I suspect.

If you guys want advice please PM me.

Never trust a Cambodian-ever![/QUOTE]

I don't have the answer to your question, but not sure what you are referring to -- did you mean the driver that was mentioned?

[QUOTE=Phil Istine]
My mate in the office here beside me says that beer can be as cheap as 45 baht in Pattaya-is this true?[/QUOTE]
True it is."Can be".
Pattaya New Plaza beer bar complex, opposite soi 7/8, a bottle of Leo Beer goes for 40-45 bahts, a bottle of Heineken for 55 bahts.
Many gogo bars have decent draught beer in a decent size glass for 60 bahts all night.

[QUOTE=Phil Istine]Indeed srawlaing is the verb to love, bong srawlaing means darling.

The noun to love is snai.

The best khmer and any other music collection at at the garage bar on street 110.

It has the riverhouse on the corner and the bar is about 75 metres off the river on the right.

Look for the sign with the andy warhol banana.

Tell brunt or jeff that I sent you.

I love old and much of the new khmer pop. There are several classic songs from the last couple of years.

No hostesses at the garage, hostess bars generally play incredibly bad music much too loud.

If you need a real garage we service cars as well as buy and sell them.

House 24 street 420 at boueng trabaek.

And there is a new massage parlour about to open directly opposite with five khmer and five Chinese girls-if we ever need a service after a long, hot day in the air con office.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info, Phil.
So it is off to the Garage bar if you need your head seen to, to the real garage if you need your car seen to and to the new massage parlor if you need a lube job!

On the other hand Walkabout is a lot better than it looks once you are staying there and if you have one of the better rooms. Even the slightly better than middle rooms are preferable to the depressing boxes of Flamingos IMHO. Of course, 99% of folk will read this, take one look at Walkabout, and run a mile. But for the more wary who suss out a good room, you are amply rewarded. ;)

[QUOTE=Roguesta]I hate to say it, but never trusting a Cambodian is probably good advice.[/QUOTE]
I know what Phil Istine means and, for most mongering type situations it is probably true, even from my experience. But strangely I found myself believing exactly the opposite when it comes to trying to find decent NGOs to support during non-mongering time (you have to be pretty hard hearted to spend long in the country without wondering what you might do to help). There is still the culture from the days of the UN in '92 everywhere, 'NGOs' lining their pockets with tourist bucks, and making a small change donation to some school or village. They have nice offices, big gas-guzzling cars, and talk with a born-again do-good smile. They often include subtle diatribes against local Khmer NGOs for unspecified questionable practices. I have seen many hard-working, honest Khmer NGOs with the sincerity of someone who picks their way past a landmine to help someone less fortunate.

And purely on a mongering level, once you get out of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, I have found moto drivers and bellboys that are kind and helpful without any attempt to rip me off over arranging an escort for the evening, and even point me towards 'decent' places with women just earning an honest living rather than anything reeking of a dodgy, indentured set-up.

The culture of lying and aggressive ripping off is produced mainly by gringos (NGOs or mongers) throwing money around willy-nilly, over-paying enormously, even giving money to beggars. It all creates a culture of laziness and greed - an attitude we, in the West, sadly feel very comfortable with. Add to that a history of (KR) men with guns who basically put people in a position of having to lie to get them to ease up a bit. So while it might be 'buyer beware', I am cautious not to put any moral spin on that against Cambodian people. Get through the defence mechanisms, and the fact that, in an unregulated, prohibition culture, mongering scenes can attract low-life scum, and many Cambodians are among the kindest people in the world.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Cambodian people. But I know that after living here for some time, and now raising a family, that honesty is not one of their strongest traits. I'm talking about life completely outside of the mongering realm (and in the mongering realm, it's much worse). They don't like confrontation, so many times, they will tell you what you want to hear. I own a business, and when something breaks, I can never get one of them to admit to it even if I see them do it.

There is a culture of lying that is expected amongst the Cambodians. Even the prime minister's birth certificate is a lie. He paid to have his birthdate changed so that he could join the Khmer Rouge. My wife's birth certificate, same story, but this time so that she could start working earlier. You can have any official document changed to suit your needs...for a price. Almost every product you see is counterfeit. Calvin Klein is not Calvin Klein; Rolex is not Rolex. I guess my point is to not blindly believe everything you see or hear whilst in Cambodia

I can't argue with what Roguesta said. I'd even second it: if I need something done in a business-like way, on time, correctly, I admit I automatically start looking to see if the business is run by a Chinese or Vietnamese person - which I instinctively feel improves my odds over dealing with a Khmer. I think there's a level of sincerity that goes beyond verbal honesty and business reliability though, and it only comes out when Cambodians don't feel threatened, browbeaten, put in a spot, ridiculed etc etc. On a business level it sadly doesn't appear 'on demand.' I've noticed more Khmer NGO types do a decent job than foreigners, but only in that narrow capacity - cos they are better equipped to give a damn. (I'm not disagreeing with you, just hopefully clarifying what I said.) Whatever the levels of verbal honesty, it also strikes me that [I]in general[/I] I (personally) tend to have sex more readily with Khmers than other SE Asians if I'm in Cambodia. But of course, as with everything, it comes down to the person.

[QUOTE=Christopherd]
The culture of lying and aggressive ripping off is produced mainly by gringos (NGOs or mongers) throwing money around willy-nilly, over-paying enormously, even giving money to beggars. It all creates a culture of laziness and greed - an attitude we, in the West, sadly feel very comfortable with. Add to that a history of (KR) men with guns who basically put people in a position of having to lie to get them to ease up a bit. So while it might be 'buyer beware', I am cautious not to put any moral spin on that against Cambodian people. Get through the defence mechanisms, and the fact that, in an unregulated, prohibition culture, mongering scenes can attract low-life scum, and many Cambodians are among the kindest people in the world.[/QUOTE]

(Here we go again!) I've seen this same cutthroat ripoff attitude in lots of places, most of which don't have many NGO's or mongers. I'd say it's more a 3rd world phenomenon. Only way to prevent it would be North Korean way: not allow tourists. If ya get someone showing up who has thousands of dollars to spend in their pocket, it's human nature you're gonna do what you can to extract some. The West? You think they don't do it to Japanese or Chinese? Anyway, maybe I'm misunderstanding your point. In that case, never mind. Maybe looking to blame someone is the problem. I can understand totally why they'd do it, I'd do the same if I was them. Make some money. Feed your family. It's normal. Annoying, yeah. But to be expected. I think it's more about what happens when people with extra money come into contact with people who dont' have nearly enough of it. Don't think it's anything unique to "the west" - -and if you think about it, being "western" is irrelevant -- its about how much money someone has, or doesn't.

[QUOTE=Christopherd]Whatever the levels of verbal honesty, it also strikes me that [I]in general[/I] I (personally) tend to have sex more readily with Khmers than other SE Asians if I'm in Cambodia. But of course, as with everything, it comes down to the person.[/QUOTE]

Agree totally with this part! When in Cambodia, I much prefer going with a Khmer girl. If there was a stunning Vietnamese girl I might take her, but that would definitely be a negative for me. I might be a special case tho since I live in VN and am looking for a change of pace when I go to other countries, not yet more VN girls. If in Thailand, I'm just as happy to have a Thai, Lao or Burmese girl, doesn't matter. Actually Lao or Burmese might be a bit more appealing just cuz they're something a bit different.

[QUOTE=Christopherd] Of course, 99% of folk will read this, take one look at Walkabout, and run a mile.[/QUOTE]
There's no need to run a mile, I just crossed the road and checked into Flamingo

[QUOTE=Christopherd]I know what Phil Istine means and, for most mongering type situations it is probably true, even from my experience. But strangely I found myself believing exactly the opposite when it comes to trying to find decent NGOs to support during non-mongering time (you have to be pretty hard hearted to spend long in the country without wondering what you might do to help). There is still the culture from the days of the UN in '92 everywhere, 'NGOs' lining their pockets with tourist bucks, and making a small change donation to some school or village. They have nice offices, big gas-guzzling cars, and talk with a born-again do-good smile. They often include subtle diatribes against local Khmer NGOs for unspecified questionable practices. I have seen many hard-working, honest Khmer NGOs with the sincerity of someone who picks their way past a landmine to help someone less fortunate.

And purely on a mongering level, once you get out of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, I have found moto drivers and bellboys that are kind and helpful without any attempt to rip me off over arranging an escort for the evening, and even point me towards 'decent' places with women just earning an honest living rather than anything reeking of a dodgy, indentured set-up.

The culture of lying and aggressive ripping off is produced mainly by gringos (NGOs or mongers) throwing money around willy-nilly, over-paying enormously, even giving money to beggars. It all creates a culture of laziness and greed - an attitude we, in the West, sadly feel very comfortable with. Add to that a history of (KR) men with guns who basically put people in a position of having to lie to get them to ease up a bit. So while it might be 'buyer beware', I am cautious not to put any moral spin on that against Cambodian people. Get through the defence mechanisms, and the fact that, in an unregulated, prohibition culture, mongering scenes can attract low-life scum, and many Cambodians are among the kindest people in the world.[/QUOTE]
I qualify my statement by saying that I have no time for a certain kind of NGO that either tries to push their (usually) Christian religion on desperately needy folks or inject their kind of morality on our hobby. That said, there are more than a few who do not fall into that category - trying to help locals in the countryside set up businesses, for instance. THere is not a part of the health system which does not have NGOs and others trying to fill the gaps.

That said, there are the large donors (World Bank, WHO) who are inclined to spend spend spend and then complain that the locals pocket a small cut. Not surprised given the salaries paid to the expat experts!

As I understand it, the big problem on the Khmer side is the cut that the officials take. But as long as they are on very low salaries, who can blame them?

Yes, in the main centers you are bound to get the kind of guys who will rip you off, send you to places where there are ladies and where they get a commission and so on. But I agree with Christopherd that once you get beyond that and they realize that you are not some dumbass trying to tell everyone how to live or throwing money all over the place, they will accept you as another human being. It is easier to do that once you get out of the main centers of tourism.