Got back recently from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Here's as much as I could garner from a week's stay.
Why visit Cambodia?
Cambodia is a raw, developing nation with a fascinating history and beautiful people. It's next door to Thailand, easy to get to and very cheap. Cambodia has some of the world's most breathtaking ancient ruins (Angkor Wat, Siem Reap) a small but vibrant capital city (Phnom Penh) and an emerging beach side and seaside holiday town (Sihanoukville and Kampot).
Cambodia cuisine is absolutely delicious and there is no alcohol tax so you can enjoy many cocktails and terrific wines from all over the world for next to nothing! It's fun and there's some good nightlife. I was surprised how genuine Cambodians are and how many just want to help you in any way possible. They're not as jarred by foreigners as the Thais are.
Wine and cocktails
There's no better place than Cambodia for tasting a variety of wines. You can sample some of the best wines from all over the world for next to nothing because Cambodia has no alcohol tax!
Yep, that's right. You can sit down at any bar or restaurant and drink wine from France, Australia, Italy, Chile, Argentina or more for only USD$2 to $3 a glass. Bottles are typically USD$8 to $15. Blew me away. These aren't cheap bottles. They're good bottles, which would be $40 to $60 in shops or $80 to $150 in restaurants back home. Insane.
Cocktails are $2 to $4. The bartenders are well trained and seem to use top-shelf ingredients like Absolut and Grey Goose vodka. They make fantastic martinis. I worked online for a couple of days sitting in a bar-lounge. From around 9am until 7pm each day, expresso martini was my default drink. Beer is about 50-70 cents a glass.
Cambodian boys
Cambodian boys can be very handsome. Ordinary Cambodian boys you meet (not moneyboys) are very genuine and humble. They're totally friendly and want to have fun just like Thai boys. I met all kinds of boys, from students to waiters, tailors, translators, bankers and tour guides.
I found some of them could be a bit less mature in some ways. For some reason, I was really popular with them. Being the young "exotic foreigner" probably had something to do with it. At the Heart of Darkness on my first night in Phnom Penh, I was dancing with a group of gay boys and there were literally three of them fighting and jostling a little over me. This has never happened anywhere else but it happened twice in Phnom Penh.
I had a bad incident on one of the following nights. I met two boys who were enjoying a night out at the Heart of Darkness. One was very cute but the other wasn't really my type. I ended up flirting with cute one and invited him back to my room. 10 minutes after we got in, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and the other boy was standing there with a worried-looking security guard behind him (worried, I assume, because he wasn't supposed to let strangers in without asking first!). He was jealous and had followed us back to my hotel! What a shocker.
I couldn't believe it. Tensions rose between them and they ended up fighting. First with words. Then hitting each other. I tried to calm the situation (and keep it quiet for my neighbours' sake) but they were really pissed at each other. Eventually, it calmed down. I had to ask both of them to leave. Felt terrible. Apparently they were really good friends before this so I felt really bad about what happened between them. I asked the security guard not to let anyone in without asking first next time. I spoke to the cute one the next day, said I was really sorry about what happened and he said he felt the same way.
The security guard sure enjoyed the excitement and kept teasing me about it LOL. The next night, I decided not to go out and got a massage at Bodia Spa instead. Coming back, the security guard had a big grin and teased, "tonight, alone?!" and laughed.
Cambodia has had a pretty horrific recent history and you get the feeling this affects the boys' mindset. About 20% of the country's population was wiped out by the Khmer Rouge's campaign to turn the country into a communist agricultural nation. An estimated 2 to 3 million people were killed. Today, the country's population is about 12 million.
What impressed me is every single boy I met, with few exceptions, went to school. They all study something, whether doing a degree at university, technical college or just studying English. Most will work during the day and go to classes at night. I'm guessing they think education is the best way to ensure what happened before never happens again there. It's humbling to see this kind of diligence.
Nightlife
The two venues I got to were The Heart of Darkness and Blue Chilli Bar.
Blue Chilli Bar in Phnom Penh is probably the best known gay bar in Phnom Penh. It's only a few blocks back from Sisowath Quay, about 10-15 minutes' walk from the Foreign Corrospondents Club on the riverfront. There are people there every night but it's busiest after 7pm on Saturday nights when there is a short show at around 9pm (from memory). I'm not sure about other nights.
It's full of money boys sitting around eying up patrons and waiting to be approached. You'll never fail to find money boys there if you are after one. But what surprised me is despite the prolific presence of moneyboys, you can meet a lot of ordinary gay locals and expats there too.
I went on a Saturday night. Early in the evening, there were only moneyboys and a few older Caucasian expats. The Western expats are mainly working guys, quite respectable and less sleazy than your typical sexpat Pattaya type LOL. But after 8-9pm a lot of local Cambodians turn up. There were all kinds. I met a few interesting boys, some of whom had worked (professionally) in Western countries. There is a show around 10pm (Saturday only).
At around 11pm everyone either leaves or moves onto The Heart of Darkness.
The Heart of Darkness in Phnom Penh is an awesome disco/club with a big gay section! It's near the riverfront and only a few blocks away from Blue Chilli Bar, a 3 minute motorbike ride or 15 minute walk. A visit to Phnom Penh isn't complete without coming here. It has an infamous history - shut down a few years ago when a patron was shot dead by a bodyguard on the dance floor but reopened sometime later. Today it's quite safe. There are security guards everywhere inside and outside. However, if someone asks you to move to another chair or table, you should comply. You never know who they might be.
The Heart of Darkness is busy 7 nights a week. It gets busy around 11pm. I never stayed until closing time but I assume it closes in the early hours of the morning. It is busiest (packed) on Friday and Saturday nights. I found the music similar to DJ Station - lots of Lady Gaga, good to dance to LOL. On other weeknights, it's still fairly busy but not quite as packed and I found the music wasn't as good as Saturday night.
The "gay corner" is pretty much the whole dance floor area in front of the DJ. When you walk in, turn right. You'll see a staircase going upwards. The dancefloor is on the other side of this. The gay bit is generally in the part of the dancefloor closest to the staircase. One of my Cambodian acquaintances told me, this area is even divided into Cambodian gays and foreigner gays. The Cambodians are in the half closest to the staircase. The foreigners are more on the outside bit. But I wouldn't worry about this.
I know there are moneyboys here but I didn't meet any because I either went there with a few Cambodian boys I met elsewhere or was able to chat up some normal boys there. I met some really interesting characters and had a really great time there. If you meet a cute boy you get on with and want to get a bit more intimate, take him upstairs. There's a more chilled out lounge area with nice couches you can sit on, relax and get to know each other. I read it's a good idea not to kiss (boy on boy) when the security guard/bouncer is nearby but after a while I found they didn't care at all... just smiled etc. :happy7:
I know there's another gay bar called Salt Lounge, which is now closed and another called Pontoon, which recently re-opened but I didn't get around to checking it out.
Things to see and do
During the day and in the early evening: Take a stroll along the Mekong Riverfront at Sisoworth Quay. Visit the Royal Palace and some of the temples and wats if you're interested (I didn't).
Shopping: The Russian Market and Central Market is where you find really cheap stuff. It's worth a visit. Both are within a 10-15 min tuk tuk ride.
There are lots of nice boutiques at Sisowath Quay on the waterfront near the Foreign Correspondents Club with quality Cambodian designed goods, interesting and funny artwork (Stef's Happy Paintings), clothes and Cambodian silk (Sentosa Silk). More expensive but worth it. I found Cambodian silk better than anything I've found in Thailand or Vietnam for both the quality and designs. I loaded up with a huge bag of great gifts for my family and friends. There's also a big modern mall, called Sorya, but I found this pretty disappointing and not so modern. Worth a look though.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and The Killing Fields are best done together. It takes about half a day. You can pay a tuk tuk driver about USD$15 to take you to each location and wait for you. It's an extremely sobering experience. Go to the Tuol Sleng prison (a former school) first. Thousands of prisoners were taken there and tortured to extract confessions (to make the executions somewhat "legal"). When they ran out of room to bury them there, they took them out to an old cemetery, now called the Killing Fields to execute and bury them. Spend an hour there, then move onto the Killings Fields, which are a 30-min ride away.
The Killing Fields are the worst. The grassy landscape is cratered with shallow exhumed ditches and there signs saying, "please don't walk through the mass grave" and "400 women and children were found in this grave". Apparently, they still find human bones coming to the surface when it rains. There's a tree they used to smash babies' heads against to kill them. There's another tree where they hung a loudspeaker to drown out the screams and moans from the neighbours.
Check out Wikitavel or Lonely Planet for other things to visit, like the garbage dump community and Olympic Stadium.
Need a quiet spot?
Corner 33 Cafe and Lounge: If you need a quiet spot to eat, meet or work, I recommend this bar-lounge I found. It's around the corner from the Foreign Correspondents Club (one block back from the waterfront) in Sisowath Quay on the corner of Samdach Sotheros and Preah Ang Makhak Vann. It's on the second floor of a dark red corner building with floor to ceiling glass windows above the Sentosa Silk Boutique retail store.
Open from around mid-morning till about 10pm. It's like an executive lounge, fully air conditioned, quiet, serves nice food, has a fantastic cocktail list, big tables and comfy chairs is relatively inexpensive (mains $3-4, cocktails $2.50) and has free WiFi internet. It's usually fairly quiet so I was even able to phone clients from it.
Getting Around
Tuk tuks are everywhere. Bargain for a good price. I think $1 to $2 is enough for short rides around town.
Get a massage
I recommend visiting Bodia Spa - http://www.bodia-spa.com - at least once! It's conveniently located at Sisoworth Quay around the corner from the Foreign Correspondents Club. It's strictly professional but they have male therapists (cute LOL) and you will get a truly excellent massage there. The facilities, staff, skills and service are 5-star. Price is cheap (by Western standards) but a little more but Cambodian standards but worth it. I had a fantastic scrub, wrap and massage one night there. Cacooned in relaxation and one of the best I've had anywhere in the world. I know there are other spas and massage joints but didn't get to any of the others.
Gay Sauna
There are a couple of gay saunas but I only checked out Galaxy Khmer http://www.galaxykhmer.com. It's a 2-3 min tuk tuk or 20-30min walk from Sisowath Quay. Gets busy in the evenings after 5-6pm. I only saw Cambodians there and they all seemed to know each other so it was hard to get to know anyone. There is no air conditioning in the place, which was quite annoying. Anyone had experience in any other saunas there?
Places to stay
I stayed at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Phnom Penh http://www.fcccambodia.com/phnom_penh/p ... _hotel.php in one of the Deluxe Rooms. It was very nice but I consider it quite overpriced, so if you're on a budget, stay elsewhere. I paid over USD$120/night for it but you can get much better value elsewhere.
- Avoid the Standard Rooms. Get a deluxe room with a nice big balcony overlooking the Mekong riverfront promenade.
- Best possible location in Sisowath Quay near eateries, bars and boutiques. Walking distance to Blue Chilli and Heart of Darkness.
- Rooms are nice and spacious with timber floors, big desk, good WiFi connection and lots of natural light.
- Fantastic delicious breakfast included! Nothing nicer than having breakfast in the FCC Bar overlooking the Mekong River.
- The bar can be noisy but the rooms are extremely well sound insulated. I heard nothing once inside my room.
- No problems bringing guests back. There's a guard on the front entrance 24/7. If your guest has a motorbike they will let him park it securely at the back.
- Don't expect a 5-star hotel. There are lots of imperfections in the rooms and service. It's more of a small boutique.
I've heard good things about Manor House - http://www.manorhousecambodia.com but location doesn't look so good. I've also heard good things about the Bougainvillier Hotel http://www.bougainvillierhotel.com and checked it out. It overlooks the river but the location seems to be a bit further up and slightly more out of the way than the FCC and I wasn't so impressed by the rooms.
I checked out a great guesthouse in the next block North of the FCC with decent rooms with balconies overlooking the river, which was only $25 to $35/night, which was great but lost the business card - sorry. They didn't have a website. If anyone has info, please post. [UPDATE: I found their business card - see my post below]
If anyone else has any other suggestions for places in Sisowath Quay near the river, let me know. I think USD$40 to $80 is a more reasonable rate to pay for accommodation in PP than the $100+/night FCC charges. But it's worth staying at the FCC once.
There are some other nice big 4 and 5 star brand and locally-owned hotels like the InterContinental Hotel and Himawari Hotel, but most of these were too far out of the way for me. I like to be in the middle of everything.
Safety
You need to be more safety conscious in Phnom Penh than you do in Bangkok. Apparently there's large number of "snatch thefts".
- If you're on a motorbike, secure belongings as best as you can.
- If riding in a tuk tuk, keeping bags secured between your legs as low down in the foot well as possible. There are lots of grab thefts from tuk tuks.
- Be careful getting around late at night. Avoid walking anywhere. And if you're on the back of a motorbike or tuk tuk, be alert to what's around you.
- If you're walking around in general, keep your bag to the building side of the footpath. Especially if you have a laptop inside.
Money
Cambodia uses US Dollars, but instead of using cents for smaller denominations, they use Cambodian Riels. If I remember correctly, 4,000 Riels is USD$1. If something costs $1.50 you can give them $1 and 2,000 riels. I found it better to acquire USD before landing in Cambodia.
Be aware they only accept USD$100 notes in pristine condition, no rips or tears, and they will inspect one carefully before accepting it. Don't get mad if they turn it down. It's a lot of money to them. It's best to enter the country with smaller notes because only large establishments like hotels and bars can change $100 notes.
Getting in and out
From Siem Reap you can get a bus (cheapest), a boat (most scenic but a little uncomfortable) or fly (fastest).
Unfortunately, I had client conference calls that day so I decided to fly. Cambodian Angkor Air http://www.cambodiaangkorair.com is a new airline joint venture with Vietnam Airlines and the aircraft are reasonably new. The ticket was USD$100 (can be much cheaper if booked in advance). The ATR-72 turbo-prop flight was about 30 mins. With airport and hotel transit time, it was less than two hours door to door from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Impressive!
From Bangkok, you can fly cheaply to Phnom Penh via http://www.airasia.com for 1,500-2,500 baht.
Avoid flying Bangkok to Siem Reap. Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on that route as a condition of their investment into Siem Reap infrastructure and charge upwards of 6,000 baht. Instead, first fly AirAsia to Phnom Penh first and then go to Siem Reap from there.
From Kuala Lumpur there are cheap flights with AirAsia http://www.airasia.com to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
From Singapore there are cheap flights via Jetstar http://www.jetstar.com to both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Jetstar also do a domestic flight between PP and SR and vice versa but you can only do this if you've done the international flight into Cambodia from SG with Jetstar.
I believe there are some other LCC flights from other countries like Vietnam too. There are lots of full-service airlines flying into Cambodia like SilkAir, Malaysia Airlines, EVA, THAI and more.
Phnom Penh Gay Map
Hope that helps! Utopia has some great info here - http://www.utopia-asia.com/camphnom.htm. There's a fantastic Google map with all the gay venues marked out here: http://www.utopia-asia.com/map/phnom.htm
If anyone has any useful information to add please do so. Everything I wrote is from memory, so if I've made any mistakes or missed anything important, please comment. I'll do a Siem Reap trip report soon.
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Originally Posted by Beachlover
