On Being Back
I miss the old days of 2012 when I first arrived in Phnom Penh and it was wild and free.
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach English."
Credit Jacked Camry & LTO
Credit Jacked Camry & LTO
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- 2000+ Posts! Aghh I Have No Mates
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That’s exactly what Scobienz said when he took over the forum a couple of years ago.
Surprised, but not really, at how many posters who sung the praises of the country, were really not that invested in it and move on when it suits them. At least they’ve got some cool stories to tell, albeit probably secondhand or by association.
Good luck to the originals who never left, I doubt there is anywhere better to go at your age. Keep reminiscing.
"Everywhere we go .. people want to know ...who we are... where we come from !"
Tartan Army retired foot soldier
Tartan Army retired foot soldier
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- I have Cheap Mobile Internet
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good read about a few that ended up in siem rep and are leaving;
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50625479/e ... oing-gone/
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50625479/e ... oing-gone/
- Miguelito
- Ordinary Schmo
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Scobie and I are in different places in our personal (and professional) lives. He needs to retire someplace quiet and I’m like 15, so I have a few more years to kill here.rl66 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 20, 2019 2:02 amThat’s exactly what Scobienz said when he took over the forum a couple of years ago.
Surprised, but not really, at how many posters who sung the praises of the country, were really not that invested in it and move on when it suits them. At least they’ve got some cool stories to tell, albeit probably secondhand or by association.
Good luck to the originals who never left, I doubt there is anywhere better to go at your age. Keep reminiscing.
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- MerkinMaker
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I agree with the OP. This isn't the same place it was 15 years ago, in the last 20 years this place, and especially Phnom Penh has reinvented itself several times and I have to say this is by far the worst iteration.
The problem is urbanistion and the fact that the Khmer way of doing things (let's just call it the rural/village way) doesn't do well at scale and high population densities, you can update infrastructure quickly, but changing behaviour takes generations and this place is going to get much worse before it gets better.
But if you want an expat time machine, I think 2019 Kampot is much closer to 2003 Phnom Penh than 2019 Phnom Penh is.
The problem is urbanistion and the fact that the Khmer way of doing things (let's just call it the rural/village way) doesn't do well at scale and high population densities, you can update infrastructure quickly, but changing behaviour takes generations and this place is going to get much worse before it gets better.
But if you want an expat time machine, I think 2019 Kampot is much closer to 2003 Phnom Penh than 2019 Phnom Penh is.
So many complaining about the current state of Phnom Penh, I'm curious as to what your actual complaints are? Aside from traffic and pollution, which all cities have. I lived in a city of 200k very briefly which somehow had worse traffic than here, so I don't get it. Also, the "it's changed" shouldn't be a complaint imo, considering what it was, ofc it fucking changed.
Did I? I don’t recall saying that and would have been surprised if I did, because at the time of buying it I had just been offered a stupidly paying job in South Africa which I would have taken up except for work visa issues.
I arrived in PNH on a short term contract which was rolled over a few times also, which again makes it unlikely.
Happy to see the quote and be proven wrong though.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in PNH but I never saw it as for more than a few years at most and was thoroughly relaxed about leaving.
- spitthedog
- Is the World Outside still there ?
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Back in the hacienda days when i first visited the KOW in 2002 (think expat 0.5 quaff quaff), it was alot more intetesting, but there was ALOT more desperation in the air.
In Phnom Penh i always remember that whenever you left a restaurant, moto drivers were circling like sharks in anticipation and pouncing on you like their family hadnt eaten in a week or something.
The whole fucking city looked interesting ugly. Like Beirut ugly. Martini's was just stark bare walls, a few tables and the odd attractive young hooker off her head on a pinball machine.
I remember getting to know a hooker one night and i stupidly agreed to go and sit on the wall next to the river in the wee small hours and being approached by her male friend who looked like he wasnt looking to make friends. Lucky i didnt get robbed.
In Phnom Penh i always remember that whenever you left a restaurant, moto drivers were circling like sharks in anticipation and pouncing on you like their family hadnt eaten in a week or something.
The whole fucking city looked interesting ugly. Like Beirut ugly. Martini's was just stark bare walls, a few tables and the odd attractive young hooker off her head on a pinball machine.
I remember getting to know a hooker one night and i stupidly agreed to go and sit on the wall next to the river in the wee small hours and being approached by her male friend who looked like he wasnt looking to make friends. Lucky i didnt get robbed.
"I don't care what the people are thinking, i ain't drunk i'm just drinking"
- the_purple_turtle
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spitthedog wrote: ↑Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:59 pmBack in the hacienda days when i first visited the KOW in 2002 (think expat 0.5 quaff quaff), it was alot more intetesting, but there was ALOT more desperation in the air.
In Phnom Penh i always remember that whenever you left a restaurant, moto drivers were circling like sharks in anticipation and pouncing on you like their family hadnt eaten in a week or something.
The whole fucking city looked interesting ugly. Like Beirut ugly. Martini's was just stark bare walls, a few tables and the odd attractive young hooker off her head on a pinball machine.
I remember getting to know a hooker one night and i stupidly agreed to go and sit on the wall next to the river in the wee small hours and being approached by her male friend who looked like he wasnt looking to make friends. Lucky i didnt get robbed.
Yeah, lucky. Even in more recent years (probably the last 4 or 5) I know 2 guys that fell asleep drunk on the benches at Riverside in the early hours. It didn't end well. One had his pocket cut and lost 2 expensive phones, and the other had his keys lifted and motorbike taken. I think he somehow got the moto back from the cops.
Before the Riverside was repaved etc (10 years ago? ) and most places shut earlier, it was never a sensible place to wander late night/very early morning.
- Lucky Lucan
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That's an excellent description. I loved the battered look the place had, but I always knew that sooner or later someone would come along and make it look nice again. Little did I know how this would involve wiping out whole blocks and the whole place changing so rapidly.spitthedog wrote: ↑Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:59 pmBack in the hacienda days when i first visited the KOW in 2002 (think expat 0.5 quaff quaff), it was alot more intetesting, but there was ALOT more desperation in the air.
In Phnom Penh i always remember that whenever you left a restaurant, moto drivers were circling like sharks in anticipation and pouncing on you like their family hadnt eaten in a week or something.
The whole fucking city looked interesting ugly. Like Beirut ugly. Martini's was just stark bare walls, a few tables and the odd attractive young hooker off her head on a pinball machine.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
- Miguelito
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I'm trying to nail down the formula that seems to be what all the nostalgia is about:
Other white people: There should be a large handful of expats living in the same city. There should be enough to fill a few bars, but not too many so that you're not meeting new faces too frequently when you go out. Any tourism is frowned upon, especially from a younger generation that could be deemed backpackers, hipsters, etc.
Safety: There should be a hint of danger, but little to no actual danger. One should be able to get pissed drunk and home safely at any time of night, but there's always the chance that if one were to pass out drunk on the street they could be robbed.
Electricity: Full working electricity and internet is discouraged. There should be enough each day to get some A/C, and work and check the internet, etc, but cut outs need to occur.
Traffic: The streets should be enough of a mess that they would scare your grandmother back home, but not too much as to cause gridlocks. They should be generally safe enough to ride your moto around drunk.
Scenery: It should be dirty and ugly. Not a cesspool like a Haitian street on a midsummer day after a hurricane, but one must need to watch what they might step in. Fresh paint on buildings is discouraged.
Economy: The average wage for earners should be about 1/40th of the wage of respectable expats, or 1/10th the wage of TEFLers. Locals should not be able to afford nice cars or to dine out at the few nice hotels or Western restaurants, and obviously cannot afford international travel. Typical jobs for locals should be menial, with office workers as the exception.
Hookers: These are a must. They need to be cheap and plentiful, with enough options that you're not shagging your mate's ex and there's a variety cycling through the bars every few months to keep it interesting. A few ladyboy bars too, for good measure.
How does the above sound? Have I got it down?
Other white people: There should be a large handful of expats living in the same city. There should be enough to fill a few bars, but not too many so that you're not meeting new faces too frequently when you go out. Any tourism is frowned upon, especially from a younger generation that could be deemed backpackers, hipsters, etc.
Safety: There should be a hint of danger, but little to no actual danger. One should be able to get pissed drunk and home safely at any time of night, but there's always the chance that if one were to pass out drunk on the street they could be robbed.
Electricity: Full working electricity and internet is discouraged. There should be enough each day to get some A/C, and work and check the internet, etc, but cut outs need to occur.
Traffic: The streets should be enough of a mess that they would scare your grandmother back home, but not too much as to cause gridlocks. They should be generally safe enough to ride your moto around drunk.
Scenery: It should be dirty and ugly. Not a cesspool like a Haitian street on a midsummer day after a hurricane, but one must need to watch what they might step in. Fresh paint on buildings is discouraged.
Economy: The average wage for earners should be about 1/40th of the wage of respectable expats, or 1/10th the wage of TEFLers. Locals should not be able to afford nice cars or to dine out at the few nice hotels or Western restaurants, and obviously cannot afford international travel. Typical jobs for locals should be menial, with office workers as the exception.
Hookers: These are a must. They need to be cheap and plentiful, with enough options that you're not shagging your mate's ex and there's a variety cycling through the bars every few months to keep it interesting. A few ladyboy bars too, for good measure.
How does the above sound? Have I got it down?
- Petrol Head
- Grand Poobah
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You forgot that all waiters, seamstresses and office staff should be female.
Haha - my money’s on Playboy
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