Post: #76

I'm in PP now for a visa run.

I hope they'll give me the visa, I have a lot of back to back tourist visa into Thailand and I've heard they're kind of fickle these days.

Anyway, this place has really come along since I last came here 2 years ago!

So much new construction and the night life is more vibrant than I remember it.

Some of the Khmer girls are really sexy too (just got my Cambodian flag)

There's a new place open near Aeon mall called Prokout which is a fitness facility with kickboxing, weights and BJJ.

Check them out on Facebook.

I went and trained jits with some of the guys on Monday night and everybody was super cool.

They've got proper power racks, but the barbells are rusted to hell, the heaviest weights are 10kg, and they don't have clips for the barbells. Typical SEA half-assery.

I also got the "don't drop the weight" spiel whilst deadlifting.

But...all in all you can get a decent workout in for $10.

There's also a coworking space called CoLab (Facebook them too) where you can go if you need to get some work done on a decent wifi connection.

It's kind of run down but there's a little bar counter where you can stand and work in peace for a few hours, or you can sit down at one of the tables.

I was glad to find this place because my so called 4 star hotel must be running on dialup and it's always nice meeting other online peeps.

One great thing about PP is that there's a lot of excellent international food.

Much more so than in Thailand, where if you order a non-Thai dish you're just begging to be disappointed.

But you can get legit Italian, French, etc. food in PP and good wine/beer too.

I know that cities grow on you but based on this stay and my last, I wouldn't settle down here for more than a week.

No beach, gnarly poverty, terrible traffic and lack of development (but this is changing really fast).

Also it bears mentioning that the level of incompetence here from hotel staff to tuk-tuk drivers to bar girls is almost comical.

And my expectations are calibrated to Thailand, so that's saying something.

It is what it is, I guess.

Post: #77

When I was there I went to a local Cambodian gym maybe 10 min walk from pontoon. Cost like $1 for a foreigner. Old school iron type gym. Biggest Asians I have seen in my life. It seemed to be full of gays and gangster types. There was a no gun sign up and here's some guy on the lat pull down machine with a hand gun resting next to him.

I would love a gym there that taught western style boxing and had a decent weight room. Think you will be hard pressed to find this in Asia out of the phils.

Post: #78

Its often possible to pay to access the gyms in some of the international hotels in many asian cities, either just by walking in, greasing someone with a few bucks, or on an organized basis. Sheraton in Shenzhen does this - don't know if any of the international hotels in PP do the same, but would be good to know.

Post: #79

Gangsters frequent Asian gyms. The golden days are long gone. But, this is a long-held fantasy of mine: is there any trance (music) in PP?

'baller

Post: #80

Alright so I've had boots on ground in Phnom Penh for about 6 months now doing military work, an have another 6 left. I'll drop a bit of info on how I've found it so far, as I dont really dive into the local culture

Girls

So I'm going to start off with the fact that I mostly avoid Cambodian girls like the plague. I'm not really attracted to them and they are extremely emotional which I just don't feel like dealing with. Dont get me wrong though, there are some gorgeous ones. My focus is mainly on Expats. If your a half way decent guy you can clean up with them quite easily. The ratio of women expat to men is definitely in your favor. There are many dutch, swedish, french, british and american girls here, you just have to know where to find them.

Where to stay

Alot of things you see online will tell you to stay near Riverside, but I wouldnt really agree with this. Personally to me Riverside has shitty nightlife and is full of sex-tourist. If you're into the dirty bar girl vibe there be my guest. The area I would recommend is BKK1 which is central to everything. Some decent hotels Ive stayed at are PATIO, Villa Sovanna, and Okay Botique.

Transportation

Tuk-Tuks are the most efficient way around the city. When you're arriving from the airport you shouldn't pay more than $7 to get to town. The airport Tuks will eventially budge if not just walk to the main road. I dont pay more than $2.5 to get anywhere in town, don't get ripped off. They do it to tourist all day so you shouldnt feel bad asking for the legit price.

Food

So after multiple food poisoning I gave up on Khmer food so this will be mostly international places, But heres a link to the cheap Khmer food places. http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weeken...ide-2015-0

Brooklyn Bistro- Its a local American food place. they serve Pan crust Pizza, Chicken Wings, Ribs, and craft beer. The owner is from the States.

Bonchon-A Korean chicken wing place. The wings are okay, but the highlight is their Happy Hour. The Happy Hour is from 3-6pm and 9-12am. It features $2 drinks.

Che Culo-Ive only had the wings here, they are probably the best in PP. They are 50cent on wednesdays.

Taqueria Corona- As the name implies its Tex-Mex. The Food is great, and the drinks are even better. This place probably has the nicest staff in the city.

Digbys- An American deli/Restaurant. Their highlight is great sandwiches. Their salads are amazing but pricey.

Oskar Bistro-Amazing pizza but an even better bar. You can bring a girl here on a date. There is also one in Bangkok

Luigis Pizza- Along street 308, the expat community raves that this is the best pizza in the city...I disagree.

Katy Peri pizza- this place is classic Phnom penh. Its a pizza oven on a moto. Its adjacent to Pontoon and is amazing when you're trashed, not so much sober though.

Bars

Bouchon-A french Wine/Martini bar. They have an extremely friendly staff. This place is mostly expats. On Saturdays they have $2.50 matrtinis from 8pm-10. It will get packed

Street 308-A small alley full of bars. Its slightly hipster

Samai-Its a spanish Rum distillery. Once a week on Thursdays they open it up as a bar. This is probably one of the best places to meet women

Eclipse Skybar-Not much too it, just a great view of the city. Drinks are slightly expensive

Reggae Bar-Right Across from Pontoon on the 6th floor. Go after 2. Sometimes there are alot of trouble causing Nigerians here.

If you want more bars just PM me.

Clubs

I wont discuss Pontoon or HoD as they have been discussed already.

VITO-This is my favorite club. This place only really plays 70s and 80s music. Its a mixture of Khmer and Expats.

Nova-This is alot of the younger crowd. They mostly play Hip-Hop. Be aware of Pros

Epic- A Khmer club, where the younger rich kids mostly just want to show off. Had some rich kids try to pick a fight with me and my crew then to hide behind their bodyguards. If the bodyguards weren't packing I''m not sure how well that wouldve went for them .

Post: #81

Good stuff, DMario.

Are there any clubs with good looking, upper class Cambodian girls that seem open to foreigners?

Where would be the place to go for that?

Post: #82

You can find them at Vito or Nova. They arent really that open unless you have a Cambodian social circle though. My social circle is pretty good now, so I finally have access although I don't want them. Sometimes you can find them in groups at Oskar bistro as well.

Post: #83

EVERYTHING here is about status with them.

Post: #84

Giving this thread a quick bump as potentially heading to PP for a weekend in the next couple of months. If anyone is going to be there give me a shout.

Post: #85

Anybody in PP right now? I'll be around if you wanna grab some food or a drink. First impressions so far is that everything is laughably overpriced unless you're in the know. Staff everywhere are extremely incompetent. The expats here are a pretty sorry lot. Drugs of all kinds are cheap and widely available. I'd already be in my next destination but I found a really good poker game with a fun group of guys and some high up Cambodians so I'll stick around at least a few more days. Hope I don't piss off the wrong person and end up in a ditch somewhere.

Post: #86

Mavericko can you be a bit more specific. I didn't have that experience at all when I was there, and its hard to imagine things changed so much so quickly. Also, for basis of comparison, where are you from - so as to provide a sense of what you think normal prices are.

Agreed on many of the lt expats. Many many guys on the last rung of the ladder holding on with one hand. I'm told Sihanoukville is even worse.

I'll be in town for a few days, I think, during the next few weeks sometime and could be down to grab a coffee with anyone around - I'll be with my gal but can get away for a few hours.

(08-05-2016 05:12 AM)el mavericko Wrote:  Anybody in PP right now? I'll be around if you wanna grab some food or a drink. First impressions so far is that everything is laughably overpriced unless you're in the know. Staff everywhere are extremely incompetent. The expats here are a pretty sorry lot. Drugs of all kinds are cheap and widely available. I'd already be in my next destination but I found a really good poker game with a fun group of guys and some high up Cambodians so I'll stick around at least a few more days. Hope I don't piss off the wrong person and end up in a ditch somewhere.

Post: #87

Some of the crusty expats I saw walking around the riverfront looked like zombies. Wrinkled button up shirts, faded khaki shorts, dusty old flip flops, permanently rosy cheeks from constant drinking, dead look in the eyes. Anyone permanently or frequently set up in Phnom Penh? This place finally wore me down and I'd like to come back soon.

Everything is slightly more expensive than Saigon but not that noticeable. I actually think hotels offer a bit better value than Saigon, but I have limited experience.

Post: #88

doublepost

Post: #89

(08-13-2016 10:08 AM)Global Entry Wrote:  Mavericko can you be a bit more specific. I didn't have that experience at all when I was there, and its hard to imagine things changed so much so quickly. Also, for basis of comparison, where are you from - so as to provide a sense of what you think normal prices are.

Agreed on many of the lt expats. Many many guys on the last rung of the ladder holding on with one hand. I'm told Sihanoukville is even worse.

I'll be in town for a few days, I think, during the next few weeks sometime and could be down to grab a coffee with anyone around - I'll be with my gal but can get away for a few hours.

(08-05-2016 05:12 AM)el mavericko Wrote:  Anybody in PP right now? I'll be around if you wanna grab some food or a drink. First impressions so far is that everything is laughably overpriced unless you're in the know. Staff everywhere are extremely incompetent. The expats here are a pretty sorry lot. Drugs of all kinds are cheap and widely available. I'd already be in my next destination but I found a really good poker game with a fun group of guys and some high up Cambodians so I'll stick around at least a few more days. Hope I don't piss off the wrong person and end up in a ditch somewhere.

My bad GE, I've been in a whirlwind of gambling, drugs, and girls for the last two weeks and can barely keep track of what day it is, haven't been on the forum in a while. You already gone?

My first post made too many sweeping statements with no supporting information so your response makes sense. The gist of it though is that pretty much all western foods and products are more expensive in Cambodia than the neighboring SE Asian cities because the country imports nearly everything from Thailand. The ease of opening businesses here as a foreigner does make for pretty good international food options though. The average quality of the women here is also quite low and the pool of hot, available middle to higher class girls here is tiny compared to places like BKK, HCM, Manila, or even Cebu.

All that said there is opportunity here if you're in the right circles and accommodation and labor costs are very, very low. I might be here for a while.

Post: #90

Going to Phnom Penh (first timer) tomorrow until tuesday, if anyone is in town hit me up !

Post: #91

I'm in Phnom Penh and traveling Cambodia Thailand and Laos next several months

Post: #92

Having visited PP once this year, I can say tinder is almost non-existent (probably less than 100 girls total) but I matched with over 50%. Whenever it finally gains popularity it will be a gold mine. The city is in a sad sorry state of affairs, I went to the riverside and was completely unimpressed. Trash everywhere, reminds me of downtown Manila.

Avoid Riverside unless you want to shore hookers, try and fly a place around the Mad Monkey Hostel Phnom Penh (didn't stay here), the neighborhood has lots of western chains, pretty green, and relatively safe. And maybe a 10 minute tuk tuk ride to riverside. AEON mall is nearby also.

Local Talent quite weak except for the Sino-Cambodian mix. Met three girls off tinder, two closes, both I would consider upper tier for Phnom Penh. Was here for a couple days, so pretty solid close rate. The other a real virgin from Thailand working as a doctor. All three were upper middle class, but this place is no pussy paradise.

Post: #93

(12-08-2016 10:43 AM)Putin Closes Wrote:  Having visited PP once this year, I can say tinder is almost non-existent (probably less than 100 girls total) but I matched with over 50%. Whenever it finally gains popularity it will be a gold mine. The city is in a sad sorry state of affairs, I went to the riverside and was completely unimpressed. Trash everywhere, reminds me of downtown Manila.

Avoid Riverside unless you want to shore hookers, try and fly a place around the Mad Monkey Hostel Phnom Penh (didn't stay here), the neighborhood has lots of western chains, pretty green, and relatively safe. And maybe a 10 minute tuk tuk ride to riverside. AEON mall is nearby also.

Local Talent quite weak except for the Sino-Cambodian mix. Met three girls off tinder, two closes, both I would consider upper tier for Phnom Penh. Was here for a couple days, so pretty solid close rate. The other a real virgin from Thailand working as a doctor. All three were upper middle class, but this place is no pussy paradise.

Think your going to the wrong spots...

Post: #94

There is no middle class in Cambodia, nearly all girls in clubs are either pros or semi pros. So nightlife is out of the question unless you're into P4p. Your best bet is to day game but most locals don't know a word of english unless they work with tourists. For me in Cambodia the best targets were backpackers.

Post: #95

(12-08-2016 04:26 PM)ruvanes Wrote:  

(12-08-2016 10:43 AM)Putin Closes Wrote:  Having visited PP once this year, I can say tinder is almost non-existent (probably less than 100 girls total) but I matched with over 50%. Whenever it finally gains popularity it will be a gold mine. The city is in a sad sorry state of affairs, I went to the riverside and was completely unimpressed. Trash everywhere, reminds me of downtown Manila.

Avoid Riverside unless you want to shore hookers, try and fly a place around the Mad Monkey Hostel Phnom Penh (didn't stay here), the neighborhood has lots of western chains, pretty green, and relatively safe. And maybe a 10 minute tuk tuk ride to riverside. AEON mall is nearby also.

Local Talent quite weak except for the Sino-Cambodian mix. Met three girls off tinder, two closes, both I would consider upper tier for Phnom Penh. Was here for a couple days, so pretty solid close rate. The other a real virgin from Thailand working as a doctor. All three were upper middle class, but this place is no pussy paradise.

Think your going to the wrong spots...

If you're going to disagree at least post something useful.

Quote:There is no middle class in Cambodia, nearly all girls in clubs are either pros or semi pros. So nightlife is out of the question unless you're into P4p. Your best bet is to day game but most locals don't know a word of english unless they work with tourists. For me in Cambodia the best targets were backpackers.

As in every capital city in any 3rd world country there is always an extremely small middle class. You won't meet them in the nightlife minus a few select clubs, Epic comes to mind, and that would require extremely tight game.

Tinder was a bit hit for me, since I matched with such a high percentage BUT there's less then a 100 girls on it, so I wouldn't put much stock.

Why come to PP when BKK offers much better returns in terms of QOL & easiness of pussy. Would not come back again.

Post: #96

^ Love it when guys say, "you're wrong" about free info, and post nothing useful.

Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Post: #97

I own Cambodia.

Post: #98

(12-08-2016 04:38 PM)LikeABaller Wrote:  There is no middle class in Cambodia, nearly all girls in clubs are either pros or semi pros. So nightlife is out of the question unless you're into P4p. Your best bet is to day game but most locals don't know a word of english unless they work with tourists. For me in Cambodia the best targets were backpackers.

Wrong! You can definitely meet normal middle class girls at night in Phnom Penh. Granted my info is about 9 months old, but you have places like Chinese House, VITO, Oskar Bistro, The Room, Bouchon, Samai Distillery, Epic, Nova.

Its not gonna be crawling with them, but if you atleast try then they are available.

I spent one year living here and perfecting the Phnom Penh party scene

Post: #99

Haven't been to Cambodia yet, but have talked to several girls online from there. Mixed levels of English speaking ability, it is truly hit or miss. All of them have been very polite, one even started always calling me Mr. (First Name). Cutesy in a charming manner.

The country is dirt poor, but didn't have any girls beg me for money. Perhaps an undiscovered market for LTR/wife shopping? Can't really elaborate a whole lot more at the moment, but as my plans include travel to Vietnam, I hope to give Cambodia a shot and see if it bears further investigating.

Post: #100

I got to PP on Friday afternoon. Immediately hit up Riverside to drink with a girl from tinder who works as a translator. Her friends are there. Both ugly. One has a foreign boyfriend who takes care of her. The other was a drunk salon girl who was drinking since 2pm and interfered every time I tried to isolate.

Had to go home and nap. Got up at 2am and wandered into Heart of Darkness which was empty. Went to Reggae Bar to meet another tinder girl but missed her by an hour. Nailed her Sunday morning when she showed up at my door (a Thai nurse who turned out to be chubby but a good and easy lay).

Tried Pontoon. To avoid $6 cover I had to wait for some Cambo hookers and flirt with them to walk in as a group at no charge. Saw the nasty friend at Pontoon and she was all over me, gross. The cute Tinder girl had just gone home alone

Pontoon is a sad reflection of Cambodian socioeconomics. But at least music is good. Maybe with an attitude adjustment it's a gold mine. IDK. One the one hand, it's a bar full of hookers. On the other hand, they'll fuck you for less than I have spend on failed dates in Usa.

I've never paid for sex. It's not the principle. It's that I know most of these girls are little cum dumpsters taking dick from any guy who will pay. It grosses me out and seems necessarily risky in a country with such high STD rates. Most of these girls are probably fucking multiple Johns a week if not a day.

Then again, when I see what my options are like on Tinder and amongst the backpackers... I think hmm maybe giving $10 to this girl is fair considering she's taking the time and effort to stay skinny, get dressed, go out, etc. Especially since she only makes $3/day. Otherwise I'm just using her, right?

Weird dynamic I noticed. The Pontoon hookers have a totally skewed view compared to normal girls. I'm a tall good looking youngish white guy. Maybe the best in the club in looks and my dress. But the hookers much preferred old fat ugly guys.

My attitude communicates that I'm not a guy that needs to pay for sex. When I chatted them up the hookers seemed annoyed that I was gaming them. They just put me on ignore, then I'd see same girl a few minutes later with a gross old dude. I understand why but still...It really hurt my feelings, lol. Honestly it stings and I was constantly like, really??

There were a few groups of local girls dancing. One group would literally run off dance floor at any approach. The other was more open and I pulled them for drinks at bar. Got a makeout and sealed it the next night with the less cute of the twosome. She works for a big hotel chain and was very anti-hooker. Hung out with me next two days and made a point of paying for everything to show me she was not a prostitute.

You really need to swallow your pride to get hot girls in cambodia. My take is that any "middle class" girl over 8+ in looks isn't giving up her pussy for free. She'd be crazy too. Either she's gonna try to get a long term boyfriend to take care of her or she's gonna be trying to find one every night.

I went to Epic with the cambodian hotel girl and we both had same reaction. nice club but thai style with everyone in cliques at tables. not even a dance floor. we were both like lets get the fuck out of here.

at first i stayed at 11 happy backpacker ($12/night no AC) on 136 near riverside and walkable to pontoon. they said no guests unless they check in with you on first day. i ignored this and didn't have a problem. even that first night when i stupidly brought home a prostitute (kicked her out immediately). the only person who said anything was the security guard who watches the moto outside. and even he was like ok but only for an hour or two she can't stay all night.

so yeah saturday into sunday slammed three chicks there. two from tinder. one from pontoon. moved to golden street for $15/night with free laundry and the hotel doesn't care if i bring back cambodian girls. young dudes at the desk nodded like yeah boy! when i walked my girl in.

drove her moto to killing fields south of town. then north of town for a tour and tasting at kingdom brewery. today we hit the animal rescue center in takao province and a couple temples down that way. too long a ride and had to come back two hours in the dark. thankfully i have lots of moto experience in laos or we'd be dead. take a tuktuk for that one.

my reaction to PP is that there's not much to do here. so either way you move on pretty quick. im a little bummed i missed an 8 on tinder who came in for weekend from takeo to do a photo shoot. she was hitting me up to go to club love but i had my hands full. now i staying right next to it on golden street. funny story about her. in the back and forth texts she says "im not a prostitute but if i have sex with a guy i do want the money". face palm. i think that about sums up cambodia.

still hoping to nail a few tinder girls before i head out. wondering if it's better to hit the coast first? people said it will be more busy there for xmas so better to go now then spend xmas new years in seam reap. any thoughts?