It was a good day here in Phnom Penh yesterday. And I’ve got the pictures to prove it. Are you ready? Let’s go!
I started my day with a very pleasant river walk.
It looked like this.It is a rare treat in this city to have space to walk unimpeded by traffic.I didn’t pause to work out, but this is something I used to see during my Seoul days.The river is deep, and the river is wide. Is that milk and honey on the other side?A nice statue. No signage indicating what it represents, though.The Buddhist Temple across the road.I liked the look of this place as a possible beer-drinking venue with a view. It turns out I was back here in the afternoon to give it a try. I’ve got pictures coming of that later in this post (trying to stay on a sequential timeline),What in the name of Alfred Hitchcock is this?I’ve never seen so many pigeons congregating in one place like this.This section brought back memories of walking the Han River bicycle trails during the Seoul chapter of my life.A PP skyline view.Still need to schedule the river cruise.This is where I crossed the road and headed back in the opposite direction.I’ve been seeing this guy all over town.No English translation on most of these, and I don’t have a clue.Thanks for the English translation, Buddhist University.The entrance to the King’s place.Hey, I haven’t seen a Woori bank since I left Korea.Maybe I’m in Koreatown?More evidence that Buddha’s followers are the predominant religion. Come to think of it; I haven’t seen any signs of Christianity.I see a lot of these guys in orange walking around too.
So, that was my morning. Later that afternoon, I hooked up with Denny, and we started our Friday festivities. He had made arrangements for us to be joined by two lady friends for dinner at 7:30, so we had a couple of hours to fill until then. I find that drinking beer is a grand way to pass the time. So, we started at the big building I had seen on the morning walk. It’s six floors of bars/restaurants, so I suggested we get as high as possible.
It turned out to be this place on the 5th floor was open. Stairs are the only way up. We were the first customers of the day.The view from our perch.And the view from the other side of the venue. I thought about what my life might look like sitting out on my balcony, waiting for the bars to open. I’m enjoying my time here, but city life versus the small-town joys of Barretto tells me I made the right choice.
A Facebook friend had asked me to visit a bar called Sundance on Street 172 and say hello to his friend, the owner. I’d never been to that part of town, so we set out to find it. As I mentioned before, the street numbering system makes no sense here, but once we reached Street 154, we knew we were getting close. And then we found it. I was pretty surprised to see a street with several bars and foreigners milling about on this side of town.
I got a chuckle out of seeing a Dolce Vita, my hangout in Seoul for many years.The inside of Sundance. A cozy place with a good expat vibe about it. I could see myself hanging out here if I lived in the area. No bargirls, which is a nice change of pace sometimes too.
I had another laugh while using the restroom at Sundance:
The message above the urinal. And then I couldn’t get that “Jenny” song out of my head for hours.
After greeting the owner and chatting some, we started making our way back towards more familiar territory. We passed a bar where Denny knew some folks, so we popped in there. There were lots of friendly bargirls, and I was enticed to give a couple of them something to drink. One of them took a liking to me, and we became Facebook friends right then and there.
Nice to meet you, Mayry. (that’s the way she spells it, so don’t blame me!)
It was time to pick up our dinner dates, so we grabbed a tuk-tuk and headed out. First stop was Sharkey’s, the bar where Denny’s girl works. Then it was on to Xanadu, a bar across the street from my hotel where I was going to meet my companion for the first time. With our gals on board, we headed for the restaurant.
I don’t remember the name of the place (I’m getting bad at that, I know), but it is purported to be the highest-rated in Phnom Penh. It was pretty fancy and had indoor and outdoor dining options; we chose to eat on the patio outside.Denny and his date.Nice to meet you, Yaya!I had the steak, which was huge and very tender. Also, it was $65., the most expensive meal I’ve ever consumed. Sorry, though, it wasn’t as good as the steak I enjoy (at a lower price) at John’s place in Barretto.
After our meal, we decided we’d have some live music for dessert at Hard Rock Cafe.
Denny even sang one with the band. (the band was from the Philippines)
Our drink and dessert tab came to around twenty bucks, and I once again attempted to use my “old” one hundred dollar bill. And once again, they at first declined to accept it. When I pretended not to have an alternative method to pay, the waitress left for a bit, then came back and told me they would accept the old bill but only value it at $90. Okay, deal.
The new and the old. For some reason, it’s a big deal to the merchants here to only accept the latest version of Mr. Franklin.
The next stop was the rooftop of what I understand to be Phnom Penh’s tallest building (57 floors). Very fancy and nice.
A view from on highCity lightsAnother sweet viewSome soft live musicAnd occasional fireworks at the bar.
Then it was time to call it a night. The tuk-tuk dropped Denny’s gal off at her place, and the remainder of our group went to Yaya’s bar because she said she had to work. I was pretty much toasted at this point but went in for a last beer. Denny told me Yaya really liked me, but honestly, that’s not the vibe I was getting from her. She hasn’t responded to a message I sent this morning, which probably confirms that she has no interest in seeing me again.
But her bar is right across the street, and I do tend to get thirsty, so we’ll see.
10 thoughts on “Strollin’ on a river”
Didn’t you intimate in one of your last posts before traveling that there was a street crime vibe about the city? Doesn’t look like it from these pics and stories…
I realize that you have been dining at the top end of the Cambodian price range, but I will be curious once you finish your trip as to how prices compare there to the PI?
It’s been a little confusing. Everything is priced in dollars, and things seem high to me at first glance–what $9 for a hamburger!? Then I do the math, and a burger might be 400 pesos (or $8.). So, I think some things are a little higher here, but most are priced similarly.
Well, that is one someone said on a Thailand base website. My friend who lives here said it was BS. I have not felt threatened or seen anyone who looks dodgy at all during this trip. I’m exercising normal precautions, but I have not found any reason to feel unsafe.
You won’t see many signs of Christianity there because they were all burned and smashed during the bad old days of communist insanity in the ‘70s, but the busted bells from the old French cathedral are in front of the National Museum, which is well worth a peek if you’re into ancient Buddhist statuary and stuff or just want to kill time.
Have fun and beware of the notorious Cambodian starfish.
I’m likin’ that river walk, although the Mekong(?) sure has a muddy look about it.
It’s doubtful that you and Yaya will fall in love during your short time in Cambodia, so I wouldn’t stress about whether there was any sort of connection. I’m sure there are other Yayas-for-a-day out there.
I see there’s a river called the Tonle Sap that converges with the Mekong right about at the location of the Palais Royal de Phnom Penh. How much of the riverside walk was along the Tonle Sap, and how much was along the Mekong?
Kev, the Mekong is definitely not clear water. It has a strong current and lots of grass-like green stuff floating downstream. I think the Tonle Sap junction must be where I turned around, there was a bridge that I didn’t cross, and that must have been it.
Yeah, any future with Yaya is down to a couple of days unless she wants to move to the Philippines. Saw her in the bar she works at last night, and she was friendly (I was buying drinks, of course), but I’m pretty sure it’s all business for her. She’s good at her job.
DS, Hadn’t thought of that–those Khmer Rouge fuckers were heartless. Did a tour of the killing fields on my first trip here and was traumatized by what I saw. Hard to believe human beings could be that cruel.
Does this place have biking paths too?
it looks so modern and clean
definitely cleaner than Manila or even Bangkok.
I’m sure you have visited many cities in Asia so you’ll be in a good position to make a comparison.
The main reason you chose the Philippines 🇵🇭 was the ease of communication with English as the lingua franca .
Other than the big city slum that is Manila, is there another city that offers the same vibe that you have in your city now? I have heard Cebu or Davao offer some amenities suitable for a man of your proclivities.
but your mountain mansion looks regal by any standards
thanks for the writing
we all are thankful that you keep writing even during your vacation. Well, I guess you’re always on vacation but still you keep longer hours than most workers I know.
Have you met anybody to fall in love with ?
how do they compare to your usual eye candy in your neighborhood?
James, my friend here says there are some, but I’ve not seen any in the parts of town I’ve visited other than the riverwalk. PP is a very nice city overall; my only real complaint is that walking the streets feels like a game of frogger.
Manila is the worst city I’ve been to in the world, but even it has some nice sections like Makati and BGC. I checked out Cebu on my first trip to the PI and liked it, then did a return visit several years later, and it was almost a Manila Jr. The problem I had with Davao was the Nazi-like attitude of the authorities. I was a vaper back then and made to feel like a criminal. No thanks! Coincidentally, I met a guy yesterday who lives in Dumaguete City (a place on my list to visit), and he hates it, especially the air pollution. He’s here scouting out a place to live in PP, and he’ll be moving soon.
Upon reflection, maybe I’ve just become a small-town guy. And I really would miss the mountains and beaches if I lived here. The language barrier is another issue for me–imagine a world where the bargirls don’t get my jokes! I was in a shop looking to buy some shorts, and the old woman shopkeeper barely spoke any English. I was ready to buy size 36, and she looked at me and said, “forty,” (I couldn’t find out if the sizes were different than I’m used to or if she was calling me fat, maybe it was both). Since I couldn’t try them on, I left without making a purchase.
As to finding love, no luck there either, although I haven’t been looking. It would be just my luck to meet the love of my life here and then have to leave her behind. That said, I’ve jokingly asked a couple of gals if they wanted to move to the Philippines with me. No takers so far. I do find Cambo gals quite attractive and haven’t seen the obesity that is becoming more prevalent with Filipinas.
Didn’t you intimate in one of your last posts before traveling that there was a street crime vibe about the city? Doesn’t look like it from these pics and stories…
I realize that you have been dining at the top end of the Cambodian price range, but I will be curious once you finish your trip as to how prices compare there to the PI?
It’s been a little confusing. Everything is priced in dollars, and things seem high to me at first glance–what $9 for a hamburger!? Then I do the math, and a burger might be 400 pesos (or $8.). So, I think some things are a little higher here, but most are priced similarly.
Well, that is one someone said on a Thailand base website. My friend who lives here said it was BS. I have not felt threatened or seen anyone who looks dodgy at all during this trip. I’m exercising normal precautions, but I have not found any reason to feel unsafe.
You won’t see many signs of Christianity there because they were all burned and smashed during the bad old days of communist insanity in the ‘70s, but the busted bells from the old French cathedral are in front of the National Museum, which is well worth a peek if you’re into ancient Buddhist statuary and stuff or just want to kill time.
Have fun and beware of the notorious Cambodian starfish.
I’m likin’ that river walk, although the Mekong(?) sure has a muddy look about it.
It’s doubtful that you and Yaya will fall in love during your short time in Cambodia, so I wouldn’t stress about whether there was any sort of connection. I’m sure there are other Yayas-for-a-day out there.
I see there’s a river called the Tonle Sap that converges with the Mekong right about at the location of the Palais Royal de Phnom Penh. How much of the riverside walk was along the Tonle Sap, and how much was along the Mekong?
Kev, the Mekong is definitely not clear water. It has a strong current and lots of grass-like green stuff floating downstream. I think the Tonle Sap junction must be where I turned around, there was a bridge that I didn’t cross, and that must have been it.
Yeah, any future with Yaya is down to a couple of days unless she wants to move to the Philippines. Saw her in the bar she works at last night, and she was friendly (I was buying drinks, of course), but I’m pretty sure it’s all business for her. She’s good at her job.
DS, Hadn’t thought of that–those Khmer Rouge fuckers were heartless. Did a tour of the killing fields on my first trip here and was traumatized by what I saw. Hard to believe human beings could be that cruel.
Does this place have biking paths too?
it looks so modern and clean
definitely cleaner than Manila or even Bangkok.
I’m sure you have visited many cities in Asia so you’ll be in a good position to make a comparison.
The main reason you chose the Philippines 🇵🇭 was the ease of communication with English as the lingua franca .
Other than the big city slum that is Manila, is there another city that offers the same vibe that you have in your city now? I have heard Cebu or Davao offer some amenities suitable for a man of your proclivities.
but your mountain mansion looks regal by any standards
thanks for the writing
we all are thankful that you keep writing even during your vacation. Well, I guess you’re always on vacation but still you keep longer hours than most workers I know.
Have you met anybody to fall in love with ?
how do they compare to your usual eye candy in your neighborhood?
James, my friend here says there are some, but I’ve not seen any in the parts of town I’ve visited other than the riverwalk. PP is a very nice city overall; my only real complaint is that walking the streets feels like a game of frogger.
Manila is the worst city I’ve been to in the world, but even it has some nice sections like Makati and BGC. I checked out Cebu on my first trip to the PI and liked it, then did a return visit several years later, and it was almost a Manila Jr. The problem I had with Davao was the Nazi-like attitude of the authorities. I was a vaper back then and made to feel like a criminal. No thanks! Coincidentally, I met a guy yesterday who lives in Dumaguete City (a place on my list to visit), and he hates it, especially the air pollution. He’s here scouting out a place to live in PP, and he’ll be moving soon.
Upon reflection, maybe I’ve just become a small-town guy. And I really would miss the mountains and beaches if I lived here. The language barrier is another issue for me–imagine a world where the bargirls don’t get my jokes! I was in a shop looking to buy some shorts, and the old woman shopkeeper barely spoke any English. I was ready to buy size 36, and she looked at me and said, “forty,” (I couldn’t find out if the sizes were different than I’m used to or if she was calling me fat, maybe it was both). Since I couldn’t try them on, I left without making a purchase.
As to finding love, no luck there either, although I haven’t been looking. It would be just my luck to meet the love of my life here and then have to leave her behind. That said, I’ve jokingly asked a couple of gals if they wanted to move to the Philippines with me. No takers so far. I do find Cambo gals quite attractive and haven’t seen the obesity that is becoming more prevalent with Filipinas.