Phnom Penh - Tips, Oct 2007
by greengrasser@yahoo.com

Due to the limit of 30 days for a visitor entering Thailand without a visa (a process called visa exemption), I thought I try Cambodia for my first visit in late October 2007. Phnom Penh is its capital and has a population of about 2 million, 355,000 motorbikes, and 43,000 motor vehicles. "The Economist" recently rated Phnom Penh as one of the ten least livable cities in the world due to its poor infrastructure, electricity, drainage, etc.

Here are some tips and observations.

1. FLIGHT.

I bought an Air Asia round-trip ticket on-line at www.airasia.com . The flights were between Bangkok and Phnom Penh. It cost over 3,800 baht (about $130), which broke down to 900 baht for the fare, 210 baht for insurance (I clicked on "decline" but insurance was added), and over 2,700 baht for tax (included Thailand airport departure tax but did not include Cambodia departure tax).

2. BANGKOK AIRPORT CHECK-IN.

I arrived at the airport a little over two hours before flight time. There were already several lines of 50 passengers each in front of counters that were not opened and did not indicate the destination. Two counters for the Phnom Penh flight opened up about 1 hour and 50 minutes prior to the departure time and showed a sign over the counters stating Phnom Penh. I went to the rear of one of the two lines. Even though the area around the lines was roomy unlike at the old airport terminal, a few Europeans cut into my line right in front of me, as though they did not notice the line formation. When I spoke up and pointed to the rear of the line, they reluctantly walked to the rear, except one guy in his 40s who looked away as though he did not hear me.

Air Asia has a limit of 15 kilograms for a checked bag and 7 kg for a carry-on bag. At the Bangkok check-in counter, my checked bag weighed 20 kg. The clerk held back my boarding pass, until I paid 825 baht (about $25) for the excess 5 kg at the Air Asia counter about 100 feet away near the entrance door of the terminal, and returned with a copy of my receipt.

Unlike a year ago when I checked in and was directed to go directly from Immigration to the departure gate's passengers holding pen, it was a short walk through empty hallway to the staircase to the lower level of departure gates. Now it is a long walk through a multitude of duty-free shops to get to the passenger holding pens before the departure gates.

Before entering the area for the passenger holding pens, security guards asked if you had any liquids, lotions, etc. If you answered yes, then they asked you to remove it from your carry-on bag. They allowed me to empty water from my small flask so that I could keep my flask. A sign said that any container over 100 ml has to be discarded.

3. FLIGHT.

Air Asia flight had no reserved seats. You can be among the first group to board, if you have pre-paid an "express" fee. When regular boarding was announced, all the passengers crowded around the two agents taking boarding passes. Exiting the terminal, we boarded a bus. So, the last passengers to board the bus were among the first to leave the bus to board the airplane along with those passengers pushy enough to board the bus first and grab a space near the bus door and thus clogged the passageway for the rest of us trying to get on the bus.

During the flight, stewardess passed out three forms to be filled out. They were Cambodia visa application form, Immigration form, and Customs form.

The flight left a few minutes late, but arrived at Phnom Penh on time.

The airline charged for any refreshments. Luckily before passing the last security check point in the terminal, I sat on one of the chairs to the side where I ate my lunch and drank a lot of water, which lasted me throughout the passenger wait for boarding and the flight.

4. CAMBODIA VISA at PNH Airport.

Directly in front of the entrance door into the terminal was a visa counter, behind which six Cambodian officials sat shoulder-to-shoulder except for the first and last officials who stood. Passengers lined up in front of the visa counter. I handed over my completed visa application form, one 2" x 2" black/white photo, and $20 bill. The first Cambodian official took them and directed me to stand in another line at the end of the visa counter.

I got into the second line. When a passport was processed with a visa added, the standing Cambodian official opened the passport to the photo page and waved it at us. When I saw my picture, he handed me my passport.

5. PHNOM PENH AIRPORT.

Immigration: Slow line. Electronically photographed. No question, no need to show airline ticket out of Cambodia, no smile.
Baggage: No problem.
Customs: Went to the "no declaration" line, handed my Customs form to the Cambodian official. He waved me through.

6. TRANSPORT TO HOTEL.

My hotel offered a free airport pickup. My driver was waiting with a crowd behind a barrier in front of the terminal's exit doors and he was holding a placard with my name and the hotel's name on it. I waved at him. He met me at the end of the barrier and showed me the way to his unmarked four-door sedan with a right-hand drive. As we got to the airport parking area exit, the driver informed me that I had to pay for the parking charge, which was 1500 riels (about 40 cents). I handed over a dollar bill and received change in riel bills.

Traffic flow is similar to traffic flow in the US, that is, on the right-side of the street. Riding in a right-hand drive car which moves in a right-side traffic flow means the driver should be more cautious.

The ride took about 25 minutes through some traffic and covered about 9 kilometers. The exit ride from my hotel to the airport in the morning through light traffic took less than 15 minutes. For the exit ride, the hotel charged $7.

7. CURRENCY EXCHANGE.

The local currency is the riel. The exchange rate, according to internet web sites, ranged above 4050 riel to a US dollar. However, the US dollar is accepted, at least at every place where I paid. When a place owed me a small amount of change less than $5, it gave me US $1 bills and riel bills for amounts less than $1. When I paid in dollars, stores used the rate of 4000 riel. When I paid in riels, one store (Supermarket) used the rate of 4100 riel.

The advice to bring US $1 and $5 bills is a good one. US $10 bills were not a problem, when I was due change amounting to a few dollars plus. But, a lot of guys advise against bringing $50 and $100 bills, except to pay your hotel bill without expectation of receiving large amount of change. One guy said that he went to a currency exchange place and was able to exchange $100 bill for smaller bills totaling $98. Another guy said that he exchanged $100 bill for smaller bills at his hotel, the clerk gave him $50 worth of small bills, and he was unable to recover the other $50 even after talking to the hotel management.

Another guy who visited Cambodia in Oct 2007 said that the ATM machines provided currency in US dollars and had a maximum of $2,000 per day. I did not get a chance to ask the size of the US bills.

8. GUIDEBOOK.

Many hotels have a free guidebook on their counter, called "Phnom Penh Visitors Guide". It was useful, containing maps and list of hotels, restaurants, and bars. Some of the information in this guidebook can be found at www.canbypublications.com .

9. HOTELS IN CITY CENTER.

For a first visit to a city, I like to stay in the city center or business area. For Phnom Penh, that meant I would not be staying in the tourist area which on the river front along the street called Sisowath Quay. Also, that meant I would not be staying in the monger-recommended hotels, called Flamingos and Walkabout. Note that a couple of internet booking agencies classified several other hotels as being in the city center, such as Phnom Penh Hotel, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, and Sunway Hotel. I estimate that they are at least a 10-minute walk away from the blocks of businesses.

General comments on hotels. A newspaper reporter wrote in early October about the expectation of a record-high two million visitors to Cambodia for 2007 that he interviewed hotels and they claimed to be fully booked for November and December. Hotels posting their rack rate will give a substantial discount for a walk-in rate. One hotel with $30 rooms offered me a ten percent discount if I stayed a week. The better hotels usually quote a charge of $7 or more for a second person in the room. Consider buying in another country and bringing with you a high-power, such as 14 watt, fluorescent light bulb to use in your hotel room to replace the yellowish higher-power, less-lumen light bulb.

Asia Hotel, #170 Monivong Blvd and St. 136, www.cambodia-phnompenh-asiahotel.com . Located one block from Central Market. $15 - $60. $20 for single room with a balcony. Rates include a free pickup from the airport, except you pay the parking charge (less than $1). Its higher VIP rate includes breakfast, free laundry, and free internet use, contrary to its advertisements. Narrow hallways painted white, tile floor for low-priced rooms, thin carpet for high-priced rooms, clean, antisceptic. Two elevators, but usually only one elevator in operation and one elevator did not stop on my floor. Television in adjoining room was easily heard and there were other noise problems at night and during the day. Have to buy a lock to use one of the safety deposit boxes behind the reception counter. Toy store across Monivong Blvd. sold a lock with 3 keys for $2. Gym was in an open area with four old pieces of equipment, such as a no-motor treadmill.

Asia Pacific Hotel, #219 Monivong Blvd, www.asiapalacehotel.com.kh . $25 for single, $35 for standard, and $40 for superior. Rates include buffet breakfast, tax, and service. Located one block south of Asia Hotel. Over-priced. Lowest-priced room was small, the bed took up about 70 percent of the room, and its window opened up to the stairway of the interior court. Quality of the rooms was better than Asia Hotel. Hallway carpet was stained.

Diamond Hotel, #172 Monivong Blvd, www.diamondhotelpnh.com. $30, 10% discount for a week's stay. Rate includes buffet breakfast. Located across a two-lane street from the Asia Hotel. The $30 room was nicely furnished but had no view out of its window.

Holiday Villa, #89 Monivong Blvd, www.holidayvillahotels.com . Posted rates: $110 for standard room for one person, $120 for standard room for two persons. Walk-in rates: $45 for standard room for one person, $50 for standard room for two persons. Rates include breakfast, tax, and service.

New York Hotel, #256 Monivong Blvd, www.newyhorkhotel.com.kh . $30 for standard room, $40 for superior room, and $50 for VIP room. Rates include breakfast, tax, and service. Located three blocks south of Asia Hotel and next to a popular Chinese restaurant, called Noveau Pho de Paris. Refurbished room, tile floor. No swimming pool, no gym. I rate it 3-star.

Pacific Hotel, #234 Monivong Blvd, www.pacifichotel.com.kh . $30. Located two blocks south of Asia Hotel.

Paradise Hotel, #213 Monivong. $30. Located across from Asia Pacific Hotel

Singapore Hotel, #62a Monivong Blvd, sreyrathair_sit@yahoo.com . Located on the same block and close to Asia Hotel. $10. I was surprised that the $10 rooms were acceptable and their bathroom were larger than several $25 hotels on the river front. But, I would only stay in this hotel if my budget was really tight. Air conditioner, its own small bathroom with bathtub, tile floor, and narrow balcony. Full-sized bed took up about 50 percent of the room.

10. HOTELS on the RIVERFRONT.

Most tourists prefer to stay along the river front. Many bars and restaurants are located along the river front, near St. 108 to St. 154. Note that the street numbers jump and the number of blocks between St. 108 to St. 154 were not 46 blocks, but closer to six or eight blocks if memory serves.

Bougainvillier Hotel, #277G Sisowath Quay, www.bougainvillierhotel.com . Located near St. 148. $60 for room in back and $88 for a very large room in front with view of river. 5-story walk-up, tile floor, bed with posters, luxury furnishings, small in-room safe.

California 2 Hotel, #317 Sisowath Quay, www.cafecaliforniaphnompenh.com . Located south of St. 154. $20 room in back and $25 room with river view. Old furnishings, although a tourist guidebook said newly refurbished. Walk-up. Red Hibiscus owner said that he sent his overflow business to Paragon Hotel and to Cozyna Hotel, and he would raise the rates in November for the high season due partly to the US dollar losing value and rising costs. One safe for all guests to leave valuables in separate envelopes.

Cozyna Hotel, #1A Sisowath Quay, cozynahotel@online.com.kh . Located near St. 148. $20. A lady manager was curt and not friendly.

Hope & Anchor, #213 Sisowath Quay, www.hopeandanchor-cambodia.com . Located on St. 136. $20 for small room and view of St. 136, small balcony, old furnishings, non-sectioned off shower, in-room keyed deposit box. $30 - $45 for a room with river view. Walk-up.

Paragon Hotel, #219B Sisowath Quay, info-paragonhotel@yahoo.com . Located south of St 136. $25 for room with river view. Its business card said "friendly staff"

11. OTHER HOTELS.

The Billabong, #5 St. 158, www.thebillabonghotel.com . Located west of St. 63, about one block south of Soriya Market.

Flamingos Hotel, #30 St. 172, www.flamingos.com.kh . Located east of St. 51. $20 for standard room, $25 for deluxe room, and $30 for superior room. Rates include breakfast and internet use. Has monthly rates. Lower priced rooms did not have sectioned-off shower, and superior room supposedly has bathroom with bathtub.

Juliana Hotel, Street 152, www.julianacambodia.com . Located down a side street from the major Street 169. It was about five long blocks west of Monivong Blvd. Location was a block or two from the city center. $66 for superior room and one person, $78 for superior room and two persons.

La Parranda, Mao Tse Tong Blvd., www.laparrandahotels.com Located across blvd. from the InterContinental Hotel, east of Monireth (St. 217). Posted rates: $80 for deluxe single, $90 for deluxe double/twin. Walk-in rates: $45 for deluxe single, $50 for deluxe double/twin.)

12. GROCERY STORES, near Hotels in the City Center.

I like to stock my hotel mini-refrigerator with water, beer, yogurt, and juice. Also, I like to have available peanuts, chips, crackers, and other munchies. One bargain was a kilogram of ground nuts (peanuts) for $1 at Thai Huot Market. Another bargain was a fifth of Johnny Walker Red Label for less than $10. The last two grocery stores had the local newspapers.

Supermarket, corner of Monivong Blvd and Kampuchea Krom Blvd. (St. 128). My receipt said its name was BS Supermarket. It had water, beer, canned goods, and munchies, but did not have lunch meats, cheese, vegetables, fruits, and breads.

Bayon Market, Monivong Blvd, north of Kampuchea Krom Blvd. (St. 128).

Thai Huot Market, Monivong Blvd, few doors away from Bayon Market on one side and Holiday Villa hotel on the other side. It had a liter of tomato juice for about $1.25.

13. BIG EATS.

Hagar restaurant, St. 288, west of Monivong Blvd. $4.30 total, lunch buffet, 11 am - 2 pm, except Mondays. Besides a salad, rice, potato, vegetable mix, and soup, it had two entrees. Has middle-class European and Asian customers. Small restaurant, so go before noon.

La Parranda Hotel, Mao Tse Tong Blvd. $4.50 net, lunch buffet. $5.50 net, dinner buffet. The lunch buffet had two entrees and both were Khmer diced meats and vegetables stews.

Juliana Hotel, Street 152, 100 meters east from Tchecoslovaquie (St. 169). $11 net, lunch buffet. The lunch buffet had half-dozen entrees, including shrimp, beef cutlet. Also had dinner buffet.

Raffles Hotel Le Royal, St. 92, east of Monivong Blvd. Lunch buffet, 12 noon - 2:30 pm, $19 net. Waitress said that the price would be increased in a couple of weeks.

Sunway Hotel, St. 92, west of Wat Phnom. Lunch buffet, 12 noon - 2:30 pm, $15.80 net. Dinner buffet, $18.80 net.

14. CHEAP EATS.

No McDonalds, no Burger Kings, no Wendys, no KFCs, no well-known international fast food chain. There were two hamburger chains where a hamburger sold for about $2 and up. Hardly any fried chicken fast-food eatery. Many pizza restaurants, but not cheap.

Sorya Plaza or Sorya Shopping Center, 4th floor food court. 5,000 riel for a plate of rice and small portion of sliced meat.

Bayon Bakery, Kampuchea Krom Blvd. (St. 128), west of Monivong Blvd. Located a few doors from Supermarket. 2,000 riels (or 50 cents) for various variations of hot dog embedded in bread, and for 12-inch thick breadstick with lean pork strips. Next to this bakery were three other smaller bakeries.

Half dozen Chinese restaurants located along St. 136 side of Asia Hotel. For example, 12 dumplings, boiled or fried, cost $1. Top price of most dishes were $3. Portion size reflected the price. Tourist guidebook cited Peking Canteen as the only one of these restaurants to have a menu in English; not correct. A few others also had a menu in English. I liked the restaurant named Ten Fu, Chinese Food.

15. BEERS.

Many brands of beer were available. Two beers to note.

Black Panther. A stout, 8%, bitter taste.

Mittweida. A mild taste, 4%. Brewed by San Miguel for export.

16. NEWSPAPERS.

I could not find any sidewalk stand that sold newspapers. The following two newspapers were sold at Bayon Market near its entrance and Thai Huot Market at its rear.

The Cambodia Daily. Tuesday and Thursday editions have classified ads, which include some club happenings. Friday edition has some announcements of classes and events.

Phnom Penh Post. Issued every two weeks. Has a long list of events and social clubs.

17. BOOKS IN ENGLISH.

D's Books, #12 St. 178, between Sisowath Quay and St. 13. See www.Ds-books.com . Used paperback novels for $3.50 and up. It purchases used paperbacks for $1.50 if bought there and $1 if bought elsewhere.

Another bookstore was a block away on the west side of St. 13.

Other stores with the word "book" in its name were primarily stationary stores with Khmer textbooks, and some how-to-speak and computer books in English.

18. TRAVEL WITHIN CITY.

Phnom Penh is on the west side of the Tonle Sap River. Streets running north-south are odd-numbered, with low numbers starting from the river and increasing to the west. Streets running east-west are even-numbered, with low numbers starting from the north and increasing to the south. Streets are not consecutively numbered and, in fact, most street numbers seem to count in tens or more. Streets also have names. Street signs are few such that when an intersection with a street sign only had the sign on one corner. Some street signs were weather-worn and could not be read.

Intra-city transports were usually motorcycles (sitting behind the driver or pulling a roofed carriage) and some by leg-driven cycles (seat mounted in front of the cycle). Taxi service was just beginning. So, there were no subway, no skytrain, and no bus except for a few tour buses and buses to other cities.

Moto drivers solicited your business by raising an index finger or by saying hello, while waiting at corners and in front of hotels and bars and while driving by and while driving to stop in front of you even if you were standing in a crosswalk waiting to walk across the street. This was a constant bother while walking anywhere. Further, nearly all of them did not read (for example, St. 154) and did not speak any English (for example, Central Market which has a Cambodian name). But, they nodded their head or said yes when asked a question, like do you know this address written on this paper? The usual advice to have your hotel write your destination in the local language might work. I suggest carrying a map from a free tourist guide.

Some moto drivers at night and parked in front of hotels and clubs will spoke some English. They tried to negotiate a set fare to drive you around all night. This is probably a good idea for your first night or for after-midnight bar hopping. My driver, who looked like a university student, wanted $7.

Not many bars were in locations far from each other. Most rides should cost $1 (less if you are a Cambodian local). A ride from my hotel in City Center to Martini Bar cost $2. Others say that non-Cambodians are overcharged by double. I paid $1 for a ride from Sisowath Quay (river front) to Monivong (St. 93), about 10-minute ride during the day. Near and after midnight, the moto drivers wanted a higher fare.

A couple of times, I encountered a circuitous moto ride, as follows. I showed a moto driver my handwritten destination consisting of two street numbers. He nodded yes to my question of whether he knew the destination. He nodded yes to my offer of one dollar. I sat on the back and held on to the metal rod alongside the bottom of the seat cushion. He proceeded to drive the motorcycle in the direction opposite of where I wanted to go. I yelled that he was going the wrong way. He ignored me. He drove several blocks until he found a parked tuk-tuk (motorcycle-pulled carriage) driver, and had me show my written destination to the other driver, who frequently did not know the destination. So, we went a long way around. When we finally got to my destination, I handed over $1 bill and he wanted another $1. Some guys said that this was a moto driver scam. I think the drivers actually did not know the destination, but wanted the higher fare anyway. One time, a nearby hotel bellboy translated for me and he told the driver that he should have driven another street that was much closer. So, I paid $1 for a $2 ride. Second time, halfway in the ride cruising towards my destination, my moto driver said $2; I paid. I should have carried a map to show the moto driver.

During the day, I like to walk. In the city center, the sidewalks are 10 - 12 feet wide. However, during the day, sidewalks are frequently blocked by cars and motorcycles parked. So, my walks to the nearby markets were double the as-the-crow-fly distance due to zig-zags from building wall to curb and frequently into the street traffic.

19. SHOPPING.

Central Market, between St's. 126 - 136 and St's. 53 - 67. Has a variety of merchandise including paintings.

Old Market, between St's. 108 - 110 and St's. 13 - 15.. Smaller than Central Market.

Russian Market, between St's. 440 - 450 and St 163. Located about four short blocks south of Mao Tse Tsung Blvd. Dvd's were priced the lowest at $2 per disc; but Sorya has a slightly larger dvd selection.

Sorya Plaza, St. 63, near St.154. Located one block south of Central Market. Supposedly the largest mall in the city, but it is not overly large. Has a cinemaplex, roller skating rink, food court, dvd's for $3 per disc, moderate-sized grocery store, etc.

Chinese medicine stores, Charles de Gaule (St.217), near Monivong Blvd. Five stores located next to Golden Stars Club (probably a casino).

20. CASINOS.

I saw several store fronts along Monivong Blvd. and Charles de Gaulle blvd. with a name in large letters that I thought might be a nightclub or a discotheque.

I visited two casinos. They were similar in having rows of electronic slot machines, seats around an electronic roulette wheel, and seats around a 6-foot screen of electronic baccarat. The electronic baccarat game involves a selection of one of three bets: for the dealer, for the player, and for a tie. A sign on a slot machine in one casino said one cent for one credit and minimum purchase of $1. Casinos staff told me that they had no poker machines. I did not see any dealers. A sign said, only for foreigners.

Dragon Club, Monivong Blvd, 1st floor, next to Huot Thai Market.

Paradise Club, #213 Monivong.

21. HAIRCUT.

Along the south side of Kampuchea Krom Blvd. (St. 128), west of Central Market, and half block from Monivong Blvd were half dozen barbershops. No price was written on the glass windows.

Daily, #89B St. 63. Located two blocks south of Sorya Market. A pleasant Cambodian girl in her 20s used an electric razor to give me a fast hair cut for $2, which was the price written on the glass window.

Barber shops along the river front had higher prices written on their glass windows.

22. MASSAGES (non-sex).

Royal Massage, Monivong Blvd, across the boulevard from Holiday Villa hotel. $6/hour, $9/90 minutes. A masseuse washed my feet in the ground floor room, then we walked up three flights of stairs into a room with five mattress pads on the floor. A Cambodian guy being massaged by a girl was on the second pad and another Cambodian guy being massaged by a second girl was on the fourth pad. The pads were about two feet apart with transparent curtain in between. My masseuse gestured at me to take the middle pad and to remove my clothes. I gestured where to put my clothes? She brought a basket for my clothes, which she placed against the wall near the foot of my pad. I pulled the curtains on either side of my pad closed. The girl on the door-side of my pad pulled the curtain opened part-way. I pulled the curtain closed. She pulled back the curtain again part-way opened. As I laid down, the girls started chatting with each other and laughing. The guy on the window-side of my pad had a cb or short-wave radio that had frequent broadcasts. I could not relax, I felt I had no privacy. I got up, put on my clothes, and exited the room. At the ground floor counter, I slapped a $1 bill on the counter and said that there was no privacy, too much noise, girls were talking, and I could not relaxed.

Star Massage, Monivong Blvd, 4th floor, above a club/karaoke (actually a casino), next to Thai Huot Market. $6/hour, $8/2 hours. Furnishings need renovation. Many rooms. My masseuse took me to a room with several mattress pads on a ankle-high platform, but we were alone. Excellent massage, almost identical to Thai massage. However, a few days later, my second masseuse gave me a poor massage. Her worst technique was to use the entire length of her forearm an pushed down on my back, which had no sensation other than light pressings and had no therapeutic value. Upon leaving, I complained to management, which was the first time in my life that I ever complained about a masseuse's poor massage.

A barbershop, #88 St. 13, sign on glass door advertising foot massage. $6/hour. When I requested a foot massage and pointed at the words on the glass door, one of the two ladies sitting in front of the shop took me through the empty shop through a door in the rear. We walked up to the third floor, where there was a room with three tables. I looked at her and pointed at my foot. She took me back downstairs to the shop and sat me in the last lounge-like barber chair. Although the overhead fluorescent lamps glared into my eyes and the smell of hair lotions were slightly repugnant, I thought I would give it a try to relax. After five minutes of hard finger pushes into my foot, a half dozen girls who had been eating on the second floor came into the shop loudly chatting and laughing. I sat up, shouted hey, and pointed at my ears. They quieted down but did not stop. Excellent foot massage, but my return would only happen if there was no other alternative.

Chea Thong, Monivong Blvd, 2nd floor, between Paradise Hotel and Supermarket. $6/hour. The building and stairway looked old and crummy. But, the 2nd floor massage reception area was surprisingly well-furbished in an Asian style. There were half-dozen ladies aged 30s, slightly overweight, large bosoms, in low-cut knee-high close-fitting red dresses. My masseuse took me into the front room where there were half dozen lounge chairs and into one of two side rooms. It was hardly large enough for an unfolded lounge chair and a table, and was stifling. I walked back to the front room and asked for the foot massage in one of the chairs. We were the only persons in the front room. She turned on the television to the Australia channel. After a few minutes of a soap opera which she probably did not understand because she did not understand my English, I mimed-request she turn off the tv, which she did. Excellent foot massage. After she finished, she mimed that we go into the side room where she would massage my body. I declined. I like to keep my foot massage separate from happy endings.

23. HOUSES.

#99 St. 63. My moto driver took me to #99 St. 63. The front of the townhouse-like building was empty like a garage. In the rear was a room and a hallway with a rear exit. Several guys waved to the room. Inside the room were about a dozen girls sitting on a bench that ran around the entire room. Girls were dressed down in a blouse, shorts, and sandals and looked uninterested as well as uninteresting and unappealing. House guys said that the girls were from Vietnam and in-house short-time service was available for $10.

The same block had another nearby house. Directly across St. 63 were at least two more houses. All three houses had the same type of girls and the same approximate number of girls; although it would not have surprised me if a few of the girls sat in twice or more of the four viewings.

St. 154 and Norodom Blvd. One afternoon, I was walking along St. 154 and crossed Norodom Blvd. Near the southwest corner of the intersection, about six storefronts along St. 154 were three guys who invited me to come into the building and see the girls. There were three of them and one of me. I declined.

Sophie Club, St. 118 and St. 53, 2nd floor. One night, about 11 pm I went to this place. The building stairwell was dirty and old. The door of the club was locked and I had to ring its bell. Inside there were no music, no customers, and no air conditioning. There were a lady manager and seven tired-looking girls, who I rated 5 or less.

24. PUBS/BARS AT NIGHT.

This list only has the famous places or the places worthy of note (e.g., more than 15 girls), that I visited. None of them had any entertainment or a show. One place (Barbados) did advertise a band on Friday nights, but I did not visit it when a band was supposed to be there. Many of the places I visited not on this list had zero to a dozen girls. I visited all the pubs and bars that were listed in the free guidebook as having hostesses or girls. By the way, I define a pub as a place with a pool table, with a soccer, rugby, or cricket game on television, and with Aussie, UK customers; but in Phnom Penh, nearly all bars were pubs.

At one bar not listed below, the offer was $15 for short-time service on-premise. Beer price started at $1.50 for a can and more for a bottle. A few bars offered a draft beer for about $1.

Nearly all of the bars I visited 6 pm - 7 pm were empty of customers. The bartenders said that customers came in about 9 pm.

Sharky Bar, #126 St. 130, www.sharkysofcambodia.com . Located 1.5 blocks east of Norodom Blvd. It has been cited as famous. A large pub that can hold over a 100 persons. On a Wednesday night about 10 pm, the place seemed empty with about 25 girls and 15 guys.

Martini Pub, #45 St. 95, www.martini-cambodia.com. Located a block west of Montivong Blvd and a block north of St. 310. It has been cited as famous. To get there, my moto driver turned off of Montivong Blvd and drove along St.95, a street west of and parallel to Montivong Blvd. When he turned off the main blvd, I thought he was taking me to a secluded area where his friends were waiting to mug me. But, it was a shorter route to get to Martini. The place was an enclosed open-sky, garden setting, except for the roof over the bar and three pool tables. There is supposedly a second floor discotheque in a side building. On a Wednesday night about 9:30 pm, there were about 40 girls and 15 guys. Several girls spoke English and asked me if I wanted her. Two fat Cambodian women in their 40s asked me if I wanted a young girl? I was puzzled and said no, because I could select from one of the young girls who looked early 20s. Later, I realized that they might have been offering under-aged girls -- which is absolutely of no interest to me. Unlike nearly all other places, these girls looked like they were free lancers and offered the best prospect of all the pubs.

One Zero Four, St. 104. Located a half block from Sisowath Quay. A narrow bar (no pool table). This bar had the second most girls.

Rose Bar, St. 104. Located a half block from Sisowath Quay. No air-conditioning. I counted about 20 girls.

Shanghai Bar, St.51 and St. 172, www.shanghaibarcambodia.com . Located a half block from Flamingos Hotel and a short block from Walkabout Hotel. Another visitor told me that this bar had 60 girls. But, I only saw 30 girls.

25. DANCE PLACES AT NIGHT.

Heart of Darkness, #26 St. 51. Larger than the usual pub. Good sound system. Interesting wall decor of stone. A large percentage of the crowd were young locals and many were males. A few white tourist females aged 30s were dancing with young Cambodian males.

Riverhouse Lounge, #6 St. 110, 2nd story, on Sisowath Quay. Located above Riverhouse restaurant. Jam-packed on Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007 at 10:30 pm (maybe for Halloween, but no one in costume).

26. OTHER NOCTURAL ACTIVITIES.

The following were listed in The Cambodian Daily newspaper, Friday edition.

Ballroom dance. Friday, 6 pm. Studio K, 204 Norodom Blvd., 012-994-777.

Khmer folkloric dance. Saturday, 7 pm. #71 St. 598, 012-575-973.

Hip hop dance lesson. Sunday, 6 pm. Gasolina, #56 St. 57, 092-985-667.

Shadow puppet. Friday, Saturday, 7:30 pm. #111 St. 360, 023-987-564.

27. CHARITIES.

If you have a heart, then you want to give money to the beggar kid, cripple, or elderly on the sidewalk. I do not give to sidewalk people because giving to one beggar might bring out other beggars. So, I donate to charity organizations. Also, I believe that such organizations offer the possibility of doing something for the needy that will last longer than my small bills.

My hotel room had a booklet published by a unit of the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group. The booklet listed charitable organizations in various cities in Cambodia, including Siam Reap. It mentioned its web site, www.stay-another-day.org, as having a list of such organizations in various countries.

Below is a list of charitable organizations in Phnom Penh and their web sites taken from the booklet.

Artisans Association of Cambodia. www.aac.org.kh
Cambodia Trust. www.cambodiatrust.com
The ChildSafe Project. www.childsafe-cambodia.org
The Cyclo Centre. www.cyclo.org.uk
Friends International. www.friends-international.org
National Centre of Disabled Persons. www.ncdpcam.org
NYEMO. www.business.nyemo.com
Pour un Sourire d'Enfant. www.pse.asso.fr
Sovanna Phum. www.sovannaphum.org

28. PHNOM PENH AIRPORT.

Air Asia counter did not open until less than two hours before the scheduled departure.

I paid $20 for my 19-kilogram suitcase being 4 kg over the limit of 15 kg. Payment was accepted at the check-in counter.

At a window near the stairway to Immigration and the departure area, I paid $25 for the airport departure fee.

There was no refreshment stand in the check-in area of the terminal. Inside the departure lounge, where passengers wait for boarding, there was a coffee stand that sold coffee for $2.70 and up.

Passengers could carry liquids in their carry-on bag.

Air Asia's 8 am flight on Friday in early November 2007 had about 40 passengers for its 150-seat aircraft. The airplane left the gate over 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

29. VISIT TO ANGKOR WAT.

Srey Rath International Travel & Tours, #62a Monivong Blvd, sreyrathair_sit@yahoo.com . This travel agency also has the Singapore Hotel. The staff informed me that a bus to Siem Reap took six hours and cost $5. They could sell me a tour package to Siem Reap, which includes bus and two nights in a hotel for $65 shared with another person who also pays and for an additional $45 if you wanted to be the room's sole occupant. Entrance fee to Angkor Wat would cost an additional $29.

30. BUS TO OTHER CITIES.

Two bus lines had stations across St. 136 from the Asia Hotel. One bus line listed on its signboard only cities within Cambodia and Vietnam. GST bus line said that it has and early morning bus to its terminal in Khao San in Bangkok, which was a nine-hour ride for $18.

Asia Hotel said that it could arrange for bus rides to other cities, including Bangkok.

31. FINAL WORDS.

Phnom Penh has its appeal for certain types of monger. Unfortunately, I am not among any one of those types. A few fellow mongers told me that the city had long passed its hey-days of greatness for mongers and currently was of no interest to them. However, I met a few mongers in the city who obviously were having a good time. One guy said that he had been there three years.

The city is definitely on my list for having acceptable/tolerable hotel room at a low price, where I can rest between visa runs from Thailand. The culture is different and worth more visits. Food and beer were not generally cheaper than Thailand, but a few items were cheaper like hard liquor (such as a fifth of Johnnie Walker Red Label for less than $10, and genuine tequila from Mexico also for less than $10). Prescription drugs, if in stock, and Chinese medicine were cheap. Dvd sets based on a director's works (Eric Rohmer, Fastbinder, Spielberg, Woody Allen (44 films on 4 discs)) were available in Phnom Penh and were not found in Bangkok, Pattaya, and Manila and will hopefully expand to cover other famous directors.

I do not entirely write off Phnom Penh as a destination for return. But, I do have reluctance to recommend it as a top destination for a monger. My advice for the first-timer to Phnom Penh is to go ahead and judge for himself.

Keep on mowing.
GreenG

This is the best report I have seen on PP in a long, long time. I really appreciate the time you put into this report and its done perfectly. I will definately nominate this report for Best Asian report for Nov when we get to that point and maybe the best of the year. Some photos would be nice though.

Which hotel did you choose and why? Where did you pick up dates for the evening and how much did you pay? Were you a participating monger or just an observer?

(Message edited by blazers on November 12, 2007)

WOW!!! Great report.

Excellent and through report, well except for the lack of reports on pussy. still a nice report on PP and where to stay. Mojo.

Lots of useful tips. Thanks for taking the time!

Great report. I will be in PP next week this report will be very handy in planning my trip.rbc100

Excellent report! I hope to be visiting a friend in PP in Feb 08. Will print this and skip Lonely Planet

Jackal

thanks for all the info! Will come in handy when I'm there in a few weeks. All in all it doesn't sound like the funnest place, I have to say