Here’s the rundown on the first full day of my visit to the lovely city of Phnom Penh.
I did a morning walk about to reconnoiter the neighborhoods surrounding my hotel. So, I’m at the end of Street 136 on the riverside. One block up, the next street is numbered 130. The street after that is 118, and the final road I explored is Street 110. If there is rhyme or reason to this system of numbering, I can’t fathom what it is.
I wouldn’t call the streets themed, but each of them tends to have the same type of businesses clustered, although not exclusively. For example, Street 136 is where most of the bars that cater to foreigners are located. Primarily girly bars, but I’ve not been inside any of them (yet), so I don’t know if they have dancers or not. I plan to hit a few of them this weekend, and I’ll report what I find out. There are also some bars on the other streets, but more spread out. I prefer bars where you don’t get accosted by thirsty girls, and I’ve found a couple of those already. I’ve enjoyed observing some of the creative names on many of the bars. I already posted a photo of the Step Wife bar; here are some others:
Again, I haven’t actually been inside any of these venues yet, but I’ll at least sample a few soon. I took the photos on the morning stroll, so most were not open.
I returned to my room to blog and nap. It’s a nice enough room for my purposes and seems reasonably priced at $45.
I met up with my buddy Denny in the afternoon, and we did some more exploring. Our first stop was his favorite massage parlor. He got a leg massage, and I received an overdue and much-needed foot scrub and pedicure. The girls were very friendly and cute. I’ll be back soon for more!
Next, we walked to a big park that featured some structures and shrines that I assume were in honor of Buddha.
After exiting the park, we did some more walking on the city streets.
I’m learning that being a pedestrian here is almost a talent. You need to have faith that the drivers will avoid you and keep moving. If you stop or make a sudden move, it throws all the vehicles maneuvering around you off and increases your danger. It was a similar experience walking the streets of Saigon.
Our next stop was the Hard Rock Cafe.
After enjoying the happy hour promo (buy two, get one free), we made our way back across town. Traffic was much heavier at this time of day, but all the drivers successfully avoided hitting our sorry asses. The next stop was Denny’s regular hangout, a bar/restaurant on Steet 130 called Larry’s.
Denny is very popular with the ladies in this venue, that’s for sure. I got introduced to the American owner, coincidentally also named Larry. I ordered some chicken quesadillas for dinner, and they were outstanding. It was one of the girls’ birthdays, and Denny bought a nice cake for her and a round of drinks for all the girls. I bought the second round or at least thought I did. When it came time to pay the tab, we were advised that Larry had comped everything. I’ll get the occasional free drink, but I’ve never seen that kind of generosity in a bar before. I felt a little bad because I’d been feeding my new favorite quite a few drinks thinking It was out of my pocket. Oh, well. Thanks again, Larry!
We left Larry’s and headed back to Street 136. We decided to have one move before Denny left for home. I don’t remember the place’s name off-hand, but it is a regular type bar.
That’s pretty much how the night ended. Denny went home across the river, and I went to my cozy hotel room.
Meeting up with Denny again this evening. He’s taking me to his favorite Korean restaurant. Oh, and he has also set me up with a blind date who will be joining us for dinner. I’m not sure what to expect, but just in case, I went to the pharmacy for some Cialis.
Look for a full report on the outcome tomorrow.
The first full day of what will be a string of full days. Nice.
So, I’m at the end of Street 136 on the riverside. One block up, the next street is numbered 130. The street after that is 118, and the final road I explored is Street 110. If there is rhyme or reason to this system of numbering, I can’t fathom what it is.
Asian culture? Rational and linear? Yeah, good luck with that.
Oh Yeah, I reckon that’s enough of these bar signage photos.
The Oh Yeah Bar (technically, it should be “Oh, Yeah” with a comma, but you can’t expect the alkies to be grammarians) was the only one whose name really appealed to me.
The smallish bathroom, but the shower water pressure is strong, and the water is hot. I like it!
Are you supposed to tip housekeeping in Cambodian hotels?
That damn post is a strange sight to see. I haven’t banged into yet when I make my nighttime pee runs, but the week is young.
Maybe it’s a load-bearing column, so it can’t be moved, and they did the best they could in arranging the room. I don’t know.
I’m not sure what this is called. A pagoda?
I wonder. It looks empty of any religious items like altars, etc.; maybe it serves a religious purpose on occasion, but stands empty otherwise. Or maybe it’s a completely secular structure.
The red-and-gold color scheme reflects a Chinese influence; the complexity of the design reflects an Indian influence. If Cambodian Buddhism follows the pattern of Thai Buddhism (and it seems to), it’ll be an older style of Buddhism with deep Indian roots, called either Theravada (Way of the Elders) or Hinayana (Smaller Vehicle) Buddhism. Temple architecture will look fancier than the simpler, somewhat less sophisticated stylings you’ll see in Korea and Japan (the Buddhism in Korea and Japan is of the Mahayana/Greater Vehicle variety, which is a couple centuries younger).
Some steps I didn’t take.
The snake imagery in this shot comes from the nagas, snake-beings found in both Hinduism and Buddhism (some nagas supposedly arranged themselves as shade to protect the Buddha while he was meditating).
Best clock ever!
I’m mentally comparing it to the Horloge Fleurie (Flowery Clock) in Geneva.
Our next stop was the Hard Rock Cafe.
We had one of those in Jamshil, but it went under, and I can see why. I don’t know why I went there several times because, even though the service was okay, there was always one major thing wrong with the food each time I visited. Once, it was a stale appetizer. Another time, the burger was awesome, but the fries next to it were cold, as if the chef had only grudgingly fried them superficially. Awful. At other times, the drinks were watery, or the dessert sucked. You get the picture. If a place shows that little care for the quality of its food, it’s gonna lose business. I hope your Hard Rock experience was better.
This is not to say you can’t buy a thirsty waitress a drink.
She needs money so she can keep growing that impressive forearm hair!
I hope the Korean food turned out to be good, and may your blind date end with warm, gooey spurts of happiness.
Dear John,
They do say imation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness like me but, frankly, those bar owners there don’t appear to possess a modicum of creativity at best and are simply lazy at worst. The Vodoos are mine tell them.
Before your time here young Sir we also had inferior bars to mine in my little town called Catwalk and Cowgirls too. And although no Heartbreak, there was a Sweetheart at one time too.
I hope the only Wet Spot you find there is in that big bed of yours.
Wishing you were here.
Dave, don’t tell Jerry, but they have an Alaska here too. The easy fix is just to add Phnom Penh to “Bangkok, Angeles, Subic” on the signage. That’ll teach ’em! The only Wet Spot I’ve seen so far was after my massage. There’s still time, though.
Good luck at the SOB. See you next week!
Kev, there doesn’t seem to be much of a tipping culture here, but I’m continuing with my habit of doing so, including the hotel housekeeper. I was actually curious if she would take the dollar I left on the pillow and was glad to see that she did.
I should have said that clock was the best I’ve ever seen. I wonder if they were channeling the Horloge Fleurie when they built it. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, or so it’s been said.
I was also surprised to see Hard Rock Cafe was still in business. I thought the whole chain was going under when they pulled out of Seoul. I didn’t eat at this location, but the menu photos were impressive. I might stop in again and see if the food is as good as it looks.
Thanks for the insights on different forms of Buddhism; I’m totally clueless, but it seems to be a big part of Cambodian culture. I’ve only seen one temple here so far, and it was impressive in it’s grandeur.
I’ll be writing about the food and the “date” later in today’s post.
Loved that Honeypot to Loco narrative. Guess from a woman’s perspective the bars would be called, Seems Less Obnoxious Than The Average Prick I Meet, He Doesn’t Beat Me So I’ll Marry Him, He’s Turned Into a Duvet That Farts and Drinks.
Don’t take that personally of course.
You are very lucky to know Denny it would appear. He some gadfly retired millionaire? Seems to have a rash passion to splash the cash on the lash.
Actually, I’ve known Denny for over 25 years now. First met when we both worked for the Postal Service in South Carolina. Our paths often crossed over the years, and I hired him to work for me in Korea. He retired shortly after I did and moved here to Cambodia. He’s not rich, but he is living large, that’s for sure. He worked hard for than pension!
Hopefully you were able to try out the bed
QP, nope, no company in the room this trip.