ARRIVAL IN PHNOM PEHN & FIRST TRIP TO K-11

Another short airplane ride, this one is domestic so it’s just a matter of walking through the Phnom Penh Airport to reach the ground transportation area. A friend had given me the e-mail address of a driver he had used in Phnom Penh a few months earlier. This driver had been recommended to my friend by yet another guy who had used him. I had corresponded via e-mail with this driver a month before my trip and thought I had things set up. However, while I was still in Pattaya, I had E-mailed him the name of my hotel, flight #, times and dates and hadn’t heard back from him. I was disappointed because the other two fellows had raved about him. The hotel I was using provided airport pick up so I was covered. I walked out of the terminal to see my name on a piece of cardboard and was whisked down town.

I was staying at the Bayon, which is just across the small park very close to the Friendship Bridge. It is a fairly central location and the Friendship Bridge made a fine landmark as I did a lot of my wandering along the river. My room at the Bayon turned out to be half the size of what I had used in Siem Reap … Half as nice, (the AC was not up to the task of the 100 degree plus weather) … polite but not truly friendly. However they made up for those small inconveniences by being twice the cost. The Hotel pick up driver was not driving the Hotel Limo, he was an independent taxi guy. On the way to my Hotel he asked me the usual questions and supplied a lot of information. When the subject of K11 came up he told me that early afternoon was the best time to go and was I interested in heading out that way, only $10 round trip. $10 sounded kind of expensive for a short trip, especially considering all that I had heard about things being so damned cheap in Phnom Penh. But, what do I know … I’m new. I told him sure, just give me an hour at the hotel to freshen up and we will be off.

An hour and a few minutes later we pulled off the paved road leading out of town onto a dirt road with tin roof shacks and Quonset hut type buildings on both sides. At the sound of a car all kinds of girls came scurrying outside. LOTS of girls! I was almost afraid to get out of the car for fear that I would be mobbed. Soon the driver informed me that I had better make up my mind because we were almost to the end. So I pointed to a shack with a couple of cuties in the bunch outside and asked the driver to stop there.

I got out of the car and girls began to surround me, each one competing for my attention. “Pick one”, the driver said. He acted nervous as the crowd of young girls grew, or maybe it was just me that was nervous (I was nervous enough for two). I picked a cute one and me, she and Driver went into the tin hut where Poppasam had been watching. A curtain was swept aside and all four of us were seated at a small table. We all ordered drinks. It quickly became obvious that I was buying. The Driver and Poppasom conversed in a language I could not understand. The Driver turned to me and told me that Poppasam had complimented me on my good taste. I had chosen a very beautiful woman who had just arrived from Vietnam two days ago and was already very popular. I said something like, “How much?”. Poppasam talked to the Driver, Driver talked to me … $35. It occurred to me that the conversation between Poppasam and Driver had probly gone something like, “Hey Fred! Good to see you! How much do you think we can get out of this one?” “Oh, this guy just fell off the cart … the sky’s the limit. 50/50 split?”

I had just embarrassed myself the night before in the Massage place, so I was determined to stay cool. I don’t consider myself cheap. I’ll tip generously when the service warrants. BUT, it really burns me when someone tries to take advantage of me. I countered Poppasam’s offer of $35 with $10. He acted like the thought of only $10 was causing him physical pain and muttered something about $30. I got up, walked out and got in the car. Behind me I could hear the price going down fast. Driver opened the car door and said that Poppasom had said, “Only $20”. I told Driver that if he wanted to get paid he would drive me back to town NOW. We left.

Back at the hotel Driver asked me if I wanted to do something later. With a polite smile on my face I paid him his $10 and calmly told him that his commissions were too high and that I would not be needing him again. That approach felt a lot better than being an ass.

You didn't make it clear if you were paying for ST or LT, if it was LT, then $35 was $15 over the regular price, thus $20 was the standard rate, but if you were just there for ST, then $5 is considered the standard rate. BTW, the regulars pay $3 for ST.

There's no reason why your taxi driver has to come in with you and if he does, then you are going to be paying him a tout fee, same as in most of Thailand. My taxi driver just parked and never came into the building with me at K11.

$10 r/t is a bit expensive for K11; I got $22 for all day use of the taxi, morning to midnight.

What was your driver's name? I wonder if we had the same driver. At times I appreciated his services, but at other times I got really annoyed.

He warned me of potential problems when being surrounded by girls, pickpocketing and such. He also stuck close much of the time, egging me to choose or to get his commission or both. I didn't like the pressure.

I overpaid, but wasn't there long and it was still a bargain. I know the deal now so I'll be better prepared when I return.