Some more Phnom Penh

[Coss]

Went and hired a boat to recapture some of the footage that I lost from a previous trip. The tourist boats are lined up on the quay, collecting dust, some with for rent or sale signs on them.

 

The amateur docco I am doing is based on the Mekong and will comprise of footage from the various bits I see.

 

I have some of Laos, some very little. I now have some more of the river upstream from Phnom Penh. I hope to get to the delta and the head on future trips.

 

One nice little sequence I got was two fishing boats, in line, bow to stern, with about five people in each, all hauling on a gargantuan net. I shot this from a distance and my boat closed on them, as we drew near, the feminine members of the fishing team, began to wave, not pausing in the net hauling, but rather using the free hand and hauling with the other, alternately. As the net was nearly in I motioned El Capitain´ to slow and he did a good job of holding us just off the action.

 

When the end of the net was in sight the two boats neatly folded together, like wide open scissors closing, the net being lifted the last few metres between the boats.

 

The catch was small fish about 5 cm in length, bright silver, forming a ball of glistening light in the end of the net, they were dunked, in net, several times to lose any dirt I suppose. The haul, though not huge, was about half a bath tub. Do that several times a day and you could open a sardine factory.

 

There's been quite a wind in Phnom Penh since I got here, a good 10 to 15 knots, I keep wondering about setting up a hobie cat hire business for the young back packers.

 

The Khmer people are as gentle and as nice as they've been in the past, still smiling and despite a few beggars the place seems on the up, though the Global Money fuck up may change that.

 

I've seen a fellow who looks like Frank Zappa, only about 40 years old, he walks a minimum of five cocker spaniels along the river front each day, quite a surreal sight.

 

I went to the Heart of Darkness last night, and I was immediately glad I'd taken a companion, after the compulsory frisking, I quite like these, they tickle me they really do, we went in and the place was nearly empty, at midnight.

 

There were a few handfuls of backpackers, outnumbered by staff, and a couple of commercial ladies who'd seen better days. Five years ago this place was "mass deaths from inadequate fire exits" material. It was a Wednesday I suppose. They had a very pretty light system consisting of pin point lasers twirling constantly over everything and one, with a spacing of about 2 cm the whole place looked like a seething galaxy of red and green.

 

My companion had been sourced from Happy Man, I'd wanted to try a few more hostess bars, but had walked into Happy Man, and become engrossed in the pool table and a sweetie who had her affection setting maxed out. After four hours of this I'd done my budget on Hostess Bar drinks (especially with the rude rate that the NZ peso gets) and it was then we went to the Heart.

 

I'm of mixed opinion on the advent of hostess bars, on the one hand, last time I was here, they weren't, and I often bemoaned the lack of suitable diddling bars. Then it was Martinis, Sharkeys, Walkabout &c.

 

As I'm an occasional tourist I don't have the constraints some expats have in dollars per week, but I find the cost of a good evening out of proportion with the poverty outside the door. Whilst the talent in the bars is good quality and several in each bar rank 9 or above IMHO.

 

The obvious comparison is Thailand where in Patters 1,000 bht will get you a LT, that's about $29, so paying $20 or $30 here is about the same.

 

I've never been a $5 bargain hunter so I can't comment on that arena.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Martinis et al have lost a lot of their talent to the Hostess Bars, therefore finding an uncomplicated beautiful squeeze for $20 is more difficult, and yet the Hostess Bars fill the gap, but some girls apparently ask $30, $40, $50 and so.

 

Mine BTW was $20 negotiated up to $25 + $5 bar fine, not unreasonable but not like it used to be.

 

It would seem the Global Economic Crisis has yet to affect the rich and NGOs here, Mercedes S classes abound, Lexuses (Lexi ?) abound, and in case you weren't impressed, they now have the word "Lexus" in foot high letters emblazoned on each side of the vehicle. Why don't they just have "I have lots of money" tattooed on their foreheads? I guess there's not enough room.

 

I ate dinner yesterday at one of the many riverfront cafes, and had the extreme good fortune to be sitting next to a table of four, twenty something western girls. At first I couldn't place their accent as it had a very affected Paris Hilton sound to it, but then one mentioned chips and it was Kiwi girls it was. I don't know why, but NZ and Aussie girls seem to think that an affected Paris Hilton accent is the height of coolness. And with the words "It's Like.." making up over 50% of the conversation you wonder at these girls utility. Mind you they were pretty I guess.

 

"I mean, my god!!! A guy just like hit on me!!! It's like, you know? He just like said, 'Where you go?' I mean it's like you know?"

 

"What did he want?"

 

"He was just like, 'you go restaurant?', I said I'm like, with friends"

 

"He really like, just hit on you?"

 

"Yeah, it's like eauwww..."

 

And so goes the descriptive encounter of a Tuk Tuk driver touting for a fare.

 

I saw them later making themselves happy at the Heart of Darkness with an assembled group of backpackers, these four girls, each with a Beer Angkor Large, held prominently in front of them like gym bunnies with new water bottles.

 

Resting today....

[Faustian]

Great reports...looking forward to the next!

[Central Scrutinizer]

Love those large Beer Angkors. Wish I could get them in Thailand.

[Hugh_Hoy]

Sounds like you ran into some "Valley Girls" on the waterfront.

 

HH

[waerth]

Yeah really it is like that

cause they like that

they like .... you know?