2006/03 JavaJ's Cambodia Run Feb 2006
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2006/03 JavaJ's Cambodia Run Feb 2006
| By Javaj on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 03:27 pm: Edit |
JavaJ's Cambodia Run Feb 2006
Finally decided to take the plunge and try Cambodia. Always wanted to see Angkor Wat anyway and figured I'd spend a few days in country and give it look.
NOTE: Didn't take many pics of the ladies on this trip… battery usually dead after a day of sightseeing anyway….
Getting there - Tried to get a direct flight on EVA but they were sold out for the dates I needed. Decided to go to Bangkok instead and found an AirAsia flight for $32 to Phnom Penh from there (Part of an ongoing AirAsia 5th year anniversary special)
Flight left at 7am out of BKK. For those of you who choose this airline here are a few tips:
- Don't have a ton of carry-on luggage as there are no reserved seats and you need to be able to move!
- AirAsia has bus which takes you to plane. Get yourself positioned to roll as soon as the doors open and get to the boarding ladder.
- Let the chumps fight over the 1st couple rows and head to middle where you can be rewarded with exit row seating with lots of legroom!
- If you want food or drink, bring some small Baht bills as you have to pay for everything.
Flight took less than an hour to get there. Air Asia has some honey's as attendants but unfortunately we got one honey and two gay guys. Still service was decent.
Arrival in Phnom Penh - Once off the plane, we headed for immigration. As there's been a lot of discussion lately about getting a visa, here's what was involved:
- Visa applications were handed out on the plane and filled out.
- As you get to bottom of stairs at arrival hall, there is a bunch of clerks. Hand your passport, the visa application and a passport photo to the 1st clerk. (You can get a photo there for a few extra bucks, but cheaper to get it prior to trip.)
- Proceed to the cashier at the end of the line of clerks. As your passport makes its way to him/her they will hold it up so you can see your photo. Hand over a $20USD (Bills need to be in decent shape in Cambodia) and you're done!
Total time was less than 20 min and we were way back in line!
We proceeded past the cashier to the immigration stations. A few moments there and we were done! All in all, a painless arrival.
Phnom Penh
As we headed outside, we met Ben Wee our driver. We hired him from http://www.phnompenhtaxi.com and he turned out to be pretty handy if your time is short. He charges $25 for the day and if you want to use him while you go clubbing all evening he adds $10. As there were two of us, we split the cost making it a pretty good deal.
He dropped us off at the Hope & Anchor Guesthouse (http://www.hopeandanchor-cambodia.com)
Here's what a deluxe room looked like. (About $45 per day)
TIP: Bring lots of small USD bills. $1, $5 and $10's are most useful! Everything in USD
Nice place, but there are others that look newer and nicer and cheaper in the area such as Paragon Hotel next door. Found a email address for it phannakh@yahoo.com. Business card says it goes from $15 for a room.
After a day of sightseeing, (nobody on this site cares about that so I'll skip it) We were up for a massage so after dodging Ben's attempts to take us to a $5 short time place (Man, I don't even want to see something that goes for only $5) we stopped at Yang Chou Massage. Girls were picked from small "fishbowl". You pay $4 for massage and bargain with the girl in the room. I got a nice little honey with some surprisingly nice tits! I made the rookie mistake of waiting too long to start the bargaining and paid what should have been a long time fee of $20. Still, it was a good 1st experience in Cambodia.
The bars were fun Like Sharkey's and Martini. I liked the vibe of the places where all the women are freelancers. All you need to do is make eye contact and smile and they come running whether you want them or not! Decent music selection at sharkeys
I selected a nice little Vietnamese chick out of Martini Bar. Price was $20 for the night. Great attitude, great service.
2nd night it was a gal from Sharkey's (Cambodian) and again I was surprised by the good service. $20 seems to be about the going rate though I think you could get it to $15 with some work.
Went to "Walkabout" Bar. Didn't see many women so worked my way down the street. There was one that had lots of women but the difference was they worked for the bar. Had my eye on one at Sharkey's so headed back there.
NGO's
My opinion of these groups sank even lower while we were driving around town. I spotted some really nice houses all walled in and asked it this was a more affluent neighborhood. Ben replied that all these places were owned by NGO's to house their people. I guess its easier to tell others how to live their lives from the comfort of your own mansion…
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
We were going to take the boat to Siem reap ($25 per person) but after talking to several people we opted for a taxi which Ben arranged for us.($50) so at the same price per person, we got a nice air-conditioned ride up north. Bring some snacks and something to drink as it's about 3 hrs or so to get there.
Checked into Anchor Star hotel. Was quoted $50 per night but got charged $65. Looks like there's some BS taxes on my bill plus 5% for use of visa. Nice room but water smelled (and looked) a bit rusty.
Again, I won't mention much about sightseeing except that You'd be cheating yourself if you missed Angkor Wat. It is definitely worth a day or two of your time… Our driver John had the history down and gave us a brief before we went in each temple.
Nightlife scene in Siem Reap
Not much going on except for the massage parlors. Fishbowl style and my advice is go early as all the good ones are gone early. LT is still about $20 per night. Better yet, bring something up from PP and enjoy the sightseeing. Not recommended as a viable mongering destination at this time.
I expect things will be improving soon in Siem reap. Storm drains are going in to ease the flooding and streets around bar street are being paved. As more tourists flood the area, the girls will follow the money.
No one gets out of here alive!
Original plan was to cross the border at Poipet, grab the train and back to Bangkok. It just wasn't going to work…. Besides, we wanted to get back to Thailand a day early.
Our driver, John Teng (johnangkor@yahoo.com prices same as Ben Wee's) said the road was really bad right now and didn't recommend it. Looked at flights out of Siem Reap but didn't feel like getting bent over by Siem Reap for over $225 w/tax ONE WAY! Opted for short flight to Phnom Penh $75 where Ben Wee arranged a ride to the southern Thai border for us for $65. The ride though long was a hoot! Couple hundred miles of BAD road crossing the hills and though were we told we'd cross 4 "bridges" they were in fact ferries and were an adventure in themselves. What we saw was some prep work for bridges and these "ferrys". I really thought we might go for a swim that day! Still, it was a memorable ride in the country…
The driver dropped us off at the border. Customs out was quick and an exit fee of $5 was paid.
Thai Border to Pattaya
Got there late in afternoon which was bad as we could not catch any of the visa run buses so had to rely on the "mini-bus mafia" to get to Trat. Fee is 110B to Trat, but they will try and hit you for 4000B for a ride to pattaya. Once in Trat, last bus to Pattaya had left so we grabbed a baht bus and made a deal for 1800B to Pattaya. It was a several hour ride but the guy earned his money by hanging it on cruise at 120+kph and basically scaring the hell out of us.
Didn't have reservations anywhere but with a call to a buddy in town at the time, he got us a couple rooms before we got there…
Summary
Cambodia was good experience and I plan to go back, but don't count on Siem Reap to be much of a mongering destination yet. PP has a good vibe to it and I could spend a few more days there on a multi country tour. Girls were not as good looking as in Thailand (Just my opinion, others will differ I'm sure) but did notice a lot of big tits on small frames. They did make up for looks by some great attitudes and service.
Yep, I'll be back…
"Customs out was quick and an exit fee of $5 was paid."
Those scandalous Koh Kong border guards. Thats a new one but hardly suprizing coming from those guys. There is no such thing as a "Cambodian exit fee" other than the airport tax if you leave by plane.
"battery usually dead after a day of sightseeing anyway"
you know they have electricity there?
re: hope & anchor-- very nice cept the twins... did they have a single king option?
"Man, I don't even want to see something that goes for only $5)"
you MISSED out then. The beef your paying for at martinis/sharky's is not any better. In fact, I find the brothels chock full of USDA prime.
nice brief and pics-- thanks!
"Man, I don't even want to see something that goes for only $5"
Oh, Java, my man. Dude. That is so wrong of a statement to make for Cambodia. If you only knew the pleasures and delights I have had for $5 in Cambodia, you would take back every syllable! I've had Viet spinners from heaven for 5 bucks, with some of the best blowjobs ever. Really, I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it.
| By Javaj on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 08:20 pm: Edit |
Sancho - If there's a buck to be made, you can bet the Cambo border guards will find a way. I was actually more pissed off about the guys with the mini-bus service on the Thai side. 4000B to Pattya? Wonder if anyone ever bites...
DM - Yes, they had a king option. The upper floor rooms had a great view but quite a bit of noise from the street. (Single pane glass) The place next door looked to be newer. I'll scan the business cards and get them up soon.
Murasaki - Guess I'll have to take a look at those $5 options next time on a trip that isn't predominantly for sightseeing. I have been wrong on a great many occasions... I liked Sharkey's and Martini's. My kind of establishment
Still had a great time for a 1st trip as it was.
Nicely done JJ. Thinking about a side trip to Cambo myself this summer. Some of this info might come in handy.
| By Blazers on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 09:54 pm: Edit |
Sounds like you got royally ripped off on the taxi prices and I have never heard of Ben charging an extra $10 a night for taking you around clubs..thats total bullshit. Before he would just charge you $20 for the entire day and night and then $25 more recently for the entire day and night...if he is charging $35 for the whole day, then one of the nicest guys has let greed get to his head and charging outrageous prices for Cambodia. Time to find someone else.
I think it's great you got out in the country a little. To many people fly in and fly out. They miss allot that way. I also agree on a purely nonmongering basis, everyone should see Angkor Wat as soon as possible. In a few years it will all be roped off with an official tour on the official tour path with the official tour guide. You can tell everyone you saw it while it was still wide open.
BTW, the $65 for a whole car (as opposed to sharing one with locals) is a pretty good price Phnom Penh to Koh Kong. I think that road is cool. Glad you got to see the contryside. Love those ferry crossings. For anyones future reference, definitely do not pay any $5 "exit fee" though. What are they going to do if you don't pay? Throw you out of the contry? I just hate seeing those piece of shit border guards profit like that.
Personally I would have banged a bunch of $4 Koh Kong babes and crossed into Thailand the next morning ;-) but it sounds like that may not be your style. The Koh Kong chicken ranch is a little "rustic".
The regular mimibus service on the Thai side does not go to Pattaya. It may be a case of you ask a driver who is on a scheduled route with a timetable "how much to ditch your route and all your customers and go to Pattaya instead?" Maybee he thought about it and decided he'd do it for 4000 baht. The minibus service there seems pretty honest to me so I wouldn't hold the high price against them. You probably just ask them to do something they don't do and rather than say no they gave you the price they would do it for. You'd probably have better luck catching something other than a minibus (like a taxi, sangtaw)from Hat Lek unless like you said you caught one of the visa run minibusses. Your solution there sounds like the right one too though. You can also fly Trat-BKK at a more or less reasonable price.
Great trip. You didn't do it like I would but it sounds like you did everything right (except giving Pav Somouth $5 at the Koh Kong crossing and yes I know that fuckers name and where the ill gotten money goes)
| By Porker on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 10:16 pm: Edit |
JavaJ, good reading, thanks. And, like Phxguy, I have Cambodia firmly in the sights for this summer (logistics permitting), and I'm actually looking forward to the $5 short time delights Murasaki describes. Of course when you factor in the price of the driver, the price rises significantly...
The Koh Kong chicken ranch is a little "rustic".
IAS, I will always compare 3rd world discomforts to your tales of sponge-bathing from a rain barrel somewhere in Cambodia. YOU calling someplace "rustic" speaks VOLUMES about the 'amenities' that one can expect there! You say more with a well-chosen 1-liner than just about anyone else can with a several page rant.
Porker. I can not believe you have never been to Cambodia. $5 is tourist pricing. $4 is easy at allot of places and $3 could be had by an agressive, savy bargainer. Livable hotels can be had for $3/night. Ladies can be had LT two for $25 or FOUR for $50 with no girl friend drama. Meals can be had for $1. It is cheap Charlie paradise. All these reports you see here are from high rollers. You could not possibly believe how cheap it is if you make an effort to control costs. Khmer chicks even have big tits by Asian standards. Why the fuck have you never been to Cambodia?
| By Porker on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 10:47 pm: Edit |
Why the fuck have you never been to Cambodia?
Because I am addicted to the high quality medical care offered in the Philippine Islands, AKA COUPS R US! 
| By Javaj on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 11:41 pm: Edit |
Sancho - The road trip was an unexpected highlight, and a real hoot! The "Jesus!" bars in the car got a real workout that day! Got a bunch of video and pics of the countryside.
I agree Angkor Wat will soon have a Disney style parking lot full of tour buses.
One thing I forgot to mention is they are building a big new International terminal in Siem Reap. My guess is it will break the hold Siem Reap Air and Vietnam airlines has on the place. Might be more affordable to fly into soon.
Do NOT say NO to Cambodian $5 pussy! No..no...check it out my friend...check it out...
Thanks for the adventure. Brings back great memories...
I stayed in the Hope and Anchor when I was there last October. My room had a single king in it.
Ben was getting $30 a day for two fo us and that rate covered all day and night.Looks like his prices are creeping up a bit.
Everyone should see Angkor Wat. It is a truly amazing experience! I hope it does not turn into the Disneyesque type of set-up, as that would ruin mu`ch of its natural beauty.
JJ,
I found your report to be VERY informative. I have yet to get to SEA and probably would not have known to bring extra passport photos, etc. Thank you for all the information. Until I finish conquering latin america SEA will have to wait.
Sparky
If you forget to bring your extra passport photo, they also accept pictures of George Washington or pictures of Thailand's King Adulyadej as a substitute.
| By Whitty on Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 02:40 pm: Edit |
yep $1, although i had the guy in Siem Reap ask for $2 (although he put us at the head of the line)
they then photocopy your passport photo.
Bro you must be the guy Ben dumped us for in February 7th to 12th in Cambodia. He charged us $25 for 24 hours which is his rate. If he charged you more he ripped you off. That extra $10 is a new thing for him.
See-- there's a perfectly logical explanation why you got dumped 
$$$
DM Hombre has suspended me but for some reason I cannot see pictures? You paid the account for a couple months right so send hombre a PM for me and tell him I have seen the errors of my ways and to reinstate me from view only or at least let me see the pics. I cant send messages at all now.
Ahora, rather that squawk here, why don't you take it directly up with hombre? If your able to login in, it doesn't appear you are suspended, but rather restricted. Kinda like PG-13.
Yeah I cant send a e-mail and I cant post anything except here for some reason. Send me an e-mail cause it looks like I am being discontinued. Ahora007@hotmail.com that way I dont lose contact with you.