On Being Back
- Lucky Lucan
- K440 Knight Captain
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- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 12:24 pm
- Location: The Pearl of the Orient
It's just a case of rose tinted glasses. The city was much more of a dump back then, with unpaved streets and shanty towns everywhere. The lakeside was horrible, like an Indian slum overrun by drug dealers and junkies. It was almost impossible to get anything to eat late at night, and the only reason places like Martini seemed good was because there were so few other choices.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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- 5 minutes to kill
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- Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 4:20 am
- Location: Canby, Oregon USA
I left in 2001, and in my opinion, we had very interesting years in the '90s. Sure it was hard in '97, but people were friendly and looked out for each other, The Riverfront was mellow, and an elephant often came walking down the street.
All the expats knew each other, for the most part. It's so developed now, it seems. Kind of a big concrete wasteland. I bet things are still pretty mellow in the countryside, though. I'll be back soon enough.
All the expats knew each other, for the most part. It's so developed now, it seems. Kind of a big concrete wasteland. I bet things are still pretty mellow in the countryside, though. I'll be back soon enough.
- Playboy
- 20,000 Posts; I need professional help !
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- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:30 pm
- Location: Hotel K: Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Contact:
EdC are still cunts.
GavinMac probably still wonders about what areas of town to avoid.
The early 00s were a fun and exciting time to be here. As has been mentioned by others it was a much smaller, and closer knit, Expat community. Most of us knew each other, knew who we could, and more importantly who we could not, rely upon in a tight pinch.
All of this change and chaos was simultaneously going on, along with the inherent difficulties of living in a foreign country, with a foreign culture, and a language that we nearly spoke. Along with the additional challenges of it being a third world country back then.
There was little Internet and no smartphones, no Facebook expat groups being used as an instant
Cambodia concierge.
No Google maps, little to no GPS.
It was wild, it was exciting, there was a hint of danger.
There was shit on the streets, there was broken tarmac roads, there was only electricity sometimes.
We did not live like kings, but we explored as adventurers, wondering both in delight and horror at the new challenges that we faced head on and (sometimes) overcame.
We loved, we lost. We climbed back on horses and tried again.
By God, we lived - not existed !
"We, the sons of John Company, have arrived"
PB, That has to be the longest post you have ever made.
I refuse to go out with nothing more than a whimper followed by a small farting sound and a shit stain on my bed sheets..
Just thought I'd share that with you.
Just thought I'd share that with you.
- batshitcrazyweirdo
- Batshit Crazy Weirdo
- Reactions: 3
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2015 3:24 pm
- Location: Bat Cave
He just misses home. Let him reminisce n stuff. Guess that means the UK wasn't so nice.
I love bitches n gonna fuck Texas and the USA+ right up their god damn ass! Hallelujah!
- spitthedog
- Is the World Outside still there ?
- Reactions: 124
- Posts: 5721
- Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2014 10:19 pm
When i was in Ikea in barangland the other week there was something both nice and depressing about how imaqulate and safe the place was compared to cambodia.
There were arrow lights projected on the floor guiding you in a maze through a shopping experience which kind of made me smile thinking about the comparison to Cambodia.
The shanty shack places are dying out in Cambodia and its more on the rails these days, but i get the impression debt is a big factor behind the growth. IMHO a common theme in the region is that there is often one good money earner in the family who the others rely on for loans etc, whilst the rest have a relatively easy life swinging in a hammock for the majority of the day.
I went to Vientiane recently. Fark, i never recognised anything in the place. Full on concrete now and boring compared to years ago. The businesses seemed completely empty during the day. Full of new cars and nice bars. Laos is a classic example of the above i reckon.
It will end in tears at some point....dunno when though.
Myanmar is the place to go right now for that adventurous feel imo.
On the flip side, i am currently working like a Japanese prisoner of war in barangland. What a life eh?
There were arrow lights projected on the floor guiding you in a maze through a shopping experience which kind of made me smile thinking about the comparison to Cambodia.
The shanty shack places are dying out in Cambodia and its more on the rails these days, but i get the impression debt is a big factor behind the growth. IMHO a common theme in the region is that there is often one good money earner in the family who the others rely on for loans etc, whilst the rest have a relatively easy life swinging in a hammock for the majority of the day.
I went to Vientiane recently. Fark, i never recognised anything in the place. Full on concrete now and boring compared to years ago. The businesses seemed completely empty during the day. Full of new cars and nice bars. Laos is a classic example of the above i reckon.
It will end in tears at some point....dunno when though.
Myanmar is the place to go right now for that adventurous feel imo.
On the flip side, i am currently working like a Japanese prisoner of war in barangland. What a life eh?
"I don't care what the people are thinking, i ain't drunk i'm just drinking"
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- Feminist Watch List
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- Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Paradise sur Mer; aka Sihanoukville
Not the original one that the OP is referring to, it closed about 2007, was between st178 and st154 on the riverfront. A great expat hangout in its day.
Note to self: Must be nice to morons.
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- I live above an internet cafe
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- Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:41 am
Places and individuals change. Nostalgia is just a distortion of the past and perhaps some survival mechanism innate within us all that allows us to think the past was better than it once was in order to make the present more bearable. I now look back at my school days with affection even though I know at the time I hated it.
I haven't been to PP in over a decade and I live in Vientiane - a town that, if I were 15 years younger I would think of as so boring but now really like as it suits my current needs and desires. A mate of mine recently went to PP and said it was horrendous mainly due to the state of construction going on and the state of many expats.
I loved PP, perhaps more than any city I have visited, but I was also aware that if I tried to live there long term I would have got myself in a world of trouble and would probably be dead. Saigon almost killed me too and I was only there for 4 years.
I haven't been to PP in over a decade and I live in Vientiane - a town that, if I were 15 years younger I would think of as so boring but now really like as it suits my current needs and desires. A mate of mine recently went to PP and said it was horrendous mainly due to the state of construction going on and the state of many expats.
I loved PP, perhaps more than any city I have visited, but I was also aware that if I tried to live there long term I would have got myself in a world of trouble and would probably be dead. Saigon almost killed me too and I was only there for 4 years.
So Jim called his bar the same name?
It was on Sisowath near where Shooters is now and became Sundance I believe?
pew, pew, pew, pew!
- horace
- I can not turn my computer off ...
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- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 12:27 pm
- Location: different planet
^ Cali2 in its original location was a great place to hangout on the riverside for many years but Jim got shafted by a huge rent increase and moved. The second location was never as good as the first. Has the original building been occupied yet or does it still stand empty?
k440, something to do when you're pissed.
Surprised you weren’t shocked by the influx of ... Indian three wheeled remorks. (You all thought I’d say Chinese, didnt ya??)
So Jim owned both. Oh I see.horace wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 12:36 pm^ Cali2 in its original location was a great place to hangout on the riverside for many years but Jim got shafted by a huge rent increase and moved. The second location was never as good as the first. Has the original building been occupied yet or does it still stand empty?
Not been up that way for a while. Shooters bar is/was for sale.
I met a very nice girl (not like that) who worked at Cali2. Sorted me out with a phone and all sorts. Sitha was her name.
I often wonder where she is now.
pew, pew, pew, pew!
She's still around and doing well.YaTingPom wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:38 pmSo Jim owned both. Oh I see.horace wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 12:36 pm^ Cali2 in its original location was a great place to hangout on the riverside for many years but Jim got shafted by a huge rent increase and moved. The second location was never as good as the first. Has the original building been occupied yet or does it still stand empty?
Not been up that way for a while. Shooters bar is/was for sale.
I met a very nice girl (not like that) who worked at Cali2. Sorted me out with a phone and all sorts. Sitha was her name.
I often wonder where she is now.
The original Cali 2 is now where Five Drunk Men is, I believe. All 2 or 3 floors totally renovated.
TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
Is she really? She’s not a typical bar girl, not that I ever thought she was. Good English couple of kids?slavedog wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:45 pmShe's still around and doing well.YaTingPom wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:38 pmSo Jim owned both. Oh I see.horace wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 12:36 pm^ Cali2 in its original location was a great place to hangout on the riverside for many years but Jim got shafted by a huge rent increase and moved. The second location was never as good as the first. Has the original building been occupied yet or does it still stand empty?
Not been up that way for a while. Shooters bar is/was for sale.
I met a very nice girl (not like that) who worked at Cali2. Sorted me out with a phone and all sorts. Sitha was her name.
I often wonder where she is now.
The original Cali 2 is now where Five Drunk Men is, I believe. All 2 or 3 floors totally renovated.
If you know where she works PM me. I lost her number ages ago.
pew, pew, pew, pew!
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