Hi guys i'm new here. I've lurked the forum for a while and only yesterday did I finally sign up. I've seen these datasheets, and having just been to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia I feel I can contribute. I'm going to do a datasheet for just Phnom Penh as of now but if any of you guys want a datasheet for the other places I visited (went to the majority of towns there), then just holla.
My trip was Thailand -> Cambodia -> Vietnam. I had already booked a return flight in Bangkok so I have to do the opposite of this trip to go back. I.e Vietnam -> Cambodia -> Thailand. As a result, I was in Phnom Penh twice and loved it both times. Travelled for a total of 4 months and 2 weeks. Was only in Malaysia for 1 weekend (visa run) and it sucked.
Tuk Tuk drivers
The secret to having a good time in Phnom Penh is to find a good tuk tuk driver. A lot of the Tuk Tuk drivers are from the villages in Cambodia and have came to the capital due to the demand of tourists and an opportunity to make more money. However they suck. They don't know much English as they haven't had a good education, and they don't know all the roads in phnom penh and they get lost, take ages, then charge you more for the fuel costs etc. If you find a tuk tuk driver that speaks English, is not ripping you off, comes across as friendly but not too much of a 'try hard' in order to get your money, and knows the area you are going to have a great time. When I got off the plane at the airport in phnom penh, I had at least 5 tuk tuk drivers all desperate to take me from the airport to a hostel. I ignored the first few as they seemed too desperate and probably would overcharge me. I saw a guy at the side who didn't wave at me or anything. He spoke great English, we had a chat about football etc. He told me what there is to do in the area, I asked about the nightlife and he told me Pontoon was the best and said that everyone is making out all night long. He then offered to pick me up from my hotel the next day, take me round to the tourist places etc and we would organise a fee before leaving. I knew some other people who did similar things with tuk tuk drivers in other parts of SEA.
Since the tuk tuk drivers really don't know the area at all, if you organise a price beforehand a lot of the time they will just make estimated guesses and may overcharge just in case its far away. Since you don't know if it is far away, you don't know if it is worth it. At the same time, if you do know how far it is from where you are and the tuk tuk driver doesnt, you can often agree a price lower than what it should cost!
Hotels/Hostels
Vary in price completely. The nicer ones are usually along the riverfront/riverside. I stayed in a nice one called G11. I was doing an organised tour so that was the hotel included in the tour (usually expensive but they reduce it for tours - think it is around $40 per night if not on a tour). But I arrived a little before my tour group for some independent fun. The cheapest hostels are around $5. If you want to be cheap, I recommend looking for the hostels near where all the attractions are. So basically near either:
A) The nightlife spot - Soyra shopping area
B) Riverside
This means you can walk home after a night out or after going to the riverside. Or if you do take a tuk tuk/motorbike taxi, it would be cheap.
Eating
Western food along the riverside. You can get some tasty food there but it is a lot more pricey than the local food. Having said that, the western food is still cheaper than what you will find in the US/Europe. I absolutely loved the local food though - very healthy. Lots of vegetables and soups. Everywhere is quite similar in terms of food. Similar to Vietnamese food. There are many beggars around; particularly on the riverfront and if you sit outside they will hassle you a lot. A lot of the pro's hang about by the riverfront during the day as they are bored and have nothing else to do. If you see a hot girl or a group of them hanging out (or maybe with a westerner she fucked the night before) then they are probably pro's. They have a habit of hanging out with the guy she fucked the next day too (it's quite cool to be honest as she will show you around the area and stuff).
Daytime
I liked to enjoy the food. Also there are the killing fields and mass genocide museum but that is really sad and depressing. There are some nice temples I went to, there is a shooting range where you can shoot down a cow (srs!!). Didn't do all the activities but it was still cool. It is very laid back and just sitting along the riverside is enjoyable. There is a little outdoor area I would use for pull ups, dips and other exercise.
Nightlife
Amazing! No exaggeration. I hear people harping on about the Philippines for ease of bangs, but I am sure Phnom Penh is right up there if you head to the right spots. It is all about location. You want to go to the Soyra Shopping market. Here is where you will find many bars, Pontoon nightclub and Heart of Darkness. Nightlife only starts getting good very late on and goes on till the early hours of the morning. So no need to get there early. I tended to have a little nap at 7pm (my sleeping pattern was fucked) and woke up at 10.30pm. Got ready, then left at 11. That was generally speaking - i did go there earlier occasionally too.
If you are by yourself, the girls will love you. I didn't even need to approach much. The girls would constantly be coming up to me. I was actually having to reject girls.
All the bars are in close proximity so work out which does the cheapest drink you want and go there. I liked the Angkor beer and it is only 50 cent!!! A great bar I recommend is the Swiss Bar. This is because it is right along the alleyway by Pontoon and the entrance to the Soyra market. So basically everyone who walks past will notice you. You stand out so well. I had girls coming up to me left, right and centre each time I sat here. If you don't want a pro - watch out for the features that give it away (her ridiculously high heels, she may have a kid near her who she says she doesnt know or claims isn't hers, short skirts, loads of make up - the obvious stuff).
To impress them:
- They seemed to love my shirt I was wearing. It was a cheap button up shirt I bought in Thailand but they loved it as they thought I was smart.
- There is a supermarket/corner shop by the soyra market and there are free samples of all the colognes and stuff like that. I would spray lots of the expensive samples on me then leave. Girls would constantly compliment me on my smell.
- Give a hint that you want sex after some chatting. They are so easy to get into bed you don't even need to be that subtle or flirty with them.
You are going to see loads of older men out there with the woman. But that doesn't mean that a good looking guy can't bang without giving them money. There are so many girls out there it isn't hard - girls seem to outnumber guys. And it seems to be all local girls and all foreign guys.
My bangs
First night - Met 2 girls early on. They approached me at the Swiss bar. They sat either side of me. She showed me a condom in her bag and knew what she wanted. I knew she was a pro (i usually avoid them) but didn't care. Her and her other pro friend go out together all the time. We drank a few Angkor's together. Chatted, felt her up in public. Went into Pontoon for a bit and danced (she was crazy at dancing). Went back to hers and banged her. Then we went back out as it was still going on. Drank more. She then knew some westerners who were living in phnom penh and chatted and danced with them (obvs fucked her) so I was like 'fuck it' and was chatting to another girl (shows how easy it is if I can already get with another girl in just 2 mins). She got pissed off so I just said 'you were doing what i was doing'. Then we apologised, danced more and fucked again that night. I slept with her into midday the next day and fucked again midday. By this point my dick was in pain and tired from non-stop grinding with her and so much fucking in a short space of time afterwards. She then showed me around the area and I finally went back to my hotel afterwards.
2nd night - Went out again and same girl saw me arriving on the tuk tuk. She said she thought i would be coming out again and waited for me. We went into Heart of Darkness (decent club but isnt as good as Pontoon) and danced again. It got a bit boring really. Can't remember what we did afterwards but I was kind of bored that night. I think we went to a small bar and danced there (barely anyone there). Eventually we went back to hers another time, fucked again. I slept with her. Got horny during the night and fucked another time. I then stumbled across to my hotel at 8am (still drunk) to meet my tour group. Just before I left though she started to cry saying how her family was so poor and she was only a pro to help her family and she hates it and how her mom was ill and she needed to help her because she couldn't even remember her own daughter's name or anything about her due to the illness. She was trying to play the sympathy card and I left.
3rd night - Didn't go out as I had eaten something bad and I was ill.
When i arrived in phnom penh a few weeks later:
1st night - Drank at Soyra Beer Garden. All the girls working there were chatting to me one at a time - they weren't pros. After a few beers I left. But the girl told me she finishes work at 3am and added me on fb. I was going to meet her at 3am, but I found another girl instead so flaked her. Was awkward as f*ck with this other girl. She looked good but was weird as fuck and couldn't speak (she had 'mute' and if she tried to speak I would just hear this funny noise, so she wrote everything down to me and used sign language to communicate). When she got back to mine, she didn't have any ID on her so we couldnt fuck. She said to me, lets go back to the club then. I was tired, it was about 3.30am and just went to sleep instead. So she fucked that night up.
2nd night - When I woke up after the 1st night, I messaged her on fb asking what she's doing and stuff. She said she was upset we didn't meet after work and asked if I fucked the other girl. I made up some excuse. We then agreed to meet up that night as it was too hot to do anything in the day. We chatted at the place she worked. Shared some Angkor beers and she introduced me to her sister who also works at the same place as her (but this time the girl I liked was off work). Brought her back to mine. We fucked but she was shit in bed. I told her I'm heading off to Siem Reap the next morning and she wanted to come. She bought her own bus ticket from my hostel reception, went back to hers and she brought her clothes along and we went there. Fucked several more times in Siem Reap.
To Summarise:
Could've got at least 4 more bangs but I already had a girl (so much choice!)
Best club is Pontoon. Second best is Heart of Darkness. Go in both, see which looks busier, better etc as it is free to get in so leave if you don't like it and luckily they are located less than a 100 metre walk from each other. Plenty of other clubs/bars/a huge casino around but they weren't as good or were go go bars. GoGo to the bars before hand. Make yourself look approachable and approach others if you feel like it.
If your a good looking lad, don't bother paying for the pros.
Use the bars for cheaper drinks and place yourself so that all the girls can see you.
Always negotiate prices with tuk tuk drivers and seem confident like you know the way.
Any specific questions...feel free to ask
My trip was Thailand -> Cambodia -> Vietnam. I had already booked a return flight in Bangkok so I have to do the opposite of this trip to go back. I.e Vietnam -> Cambodia -> Thailand. As a result, I was in Phnom Penh twice and loved it both times. Travelled for a total of 4 months and 2 weeks. Was only in Malaysia for 1 weekend (visa run) and it sucked.
Tuk Tuk drivers
The secret to having a good time in Phnom Penh is to find a good tuk tuk driver. A lot of the Tuk Tuk drivers are from the villages in Cambodia and have came to the capital due to the demand of tourists and an opportunity to make more money. However they suck. They don't know much English as they haven't had a good education, and they don't know all the roads in phnom penh and they get lost, take ages, then charge you more for the fuel costs etc. If you find a tuk tuk driver that speaks English, is not ripping you off, comes across as friendly but not too much of a 'try hard' in order to get your money, and knows the area you are going to have a great time. When I got off the plane at the airport in phnom penh, I had at least 5 tuk tuk drivers all desperate to take me from the airport to a hostel. I ignored the first few as they seemed too desperate and probably would overcharge me. I saw a guy at the side who didn't wave at me or anything. He spoke great English, we had a chat about football etc. He told me what there is to do in the area, I asked about the nightlife and he told me Pontoon was the best and said that everyone is making out all night long. He then offered to pick me up from my hotel the next day, take me round to the tourist places etc and we would organise a fee before leaving. I knew some other people who did similar things with tuk tuk drivers in other parts of SEA.
Since the tuk tuk drivers really don't know the area at all, if you organise a price beforehand a lot of the time they will just make estimated guesses and may overcharge just in case its far away. Since you don't know if it is far away, you don't know if it is worth it. At the same time, if you do know how far it is from where you are and the tuk tuk driver doesnt, you can often agree a price lower than what it should cost!
Hotels/Hostels
Vary in price completely. The nicer ones are usually along the riverfront/riverside. I stayed in a nice one called G11. I was doing an organised tour so that was the hotel included in the tour (usually expensive but they reduce it for tours - think it is around $40 per night if not on a tour). But I arrived a little before my tour group for some independent fun. The cheapest hostels are around $5. If you want to be cheap, I recommend looking for the hostels near where all the attractions are. So basically near either:
A) The nightlife spot - Soyra shopping area
B) Riverside
This means you can walk home after a night out or after going to the riverside. Or if you do take a tuk tuk/motorbike taxi, it would be cheap.
Eating
Western food along the riverside. You can get some tasty food there but it is a lot more pricey than the local food. Having said that, the western food is still cheaper than what you will find in the US/Europe. I absolutely loved the local food though - very healthy. Lots of vegetables and soups. Everywhere is quite similar in terms of food. Similar to Vietnamese food. There are many beggars around; particularly on the riverfront and if you sit outside they will hassle you a lot. A lot of the pro's hang about by the riverfront during the day as they are bored and have nothing else to do. If you see a hot girl or a group of them hanging out (or maybe with a westerner she fucked the night before) then they are probably pro's. They have a habit of hanging out with the guy she fucked the next day too (it's quite cool to be honest as she will show you around the area and stuff).
Daytime
I liked to enjoy the food. Also there are the killing fields and mass genocide museum but that is really sad and depressing. There are some nice temples I went to, there is a shooting range where you can shoot down a cow (srs!!). Didn't do all the activities but it was still cool. It is very laid back and just sitting along the riverside is enjoyable. There is a little outdoor area I would use for pull ups, dips and other exercise.
Nightlife
Amazing! No exaggeration. I hear people harping on about the Philippines for ease of bangs, but I am sure Phnom Penh is right up there if you head to the right spots. It is all about location. You want to go to the Soyra Shopping market. Here is where you will find many bars, Pontoon nightclub and Heart of Darkness. Nightlife only starts getting good very late on and goes on till the early hours of the morning. So no need to get there early. I tended to have a little nap at 7pm (my sleeping pattern was fucked) and woke up at 10.30pm. Got ready, then left at 11. That was generally speaking - i did go there earlier occasionally too.
If you are by yourself, the girls will love you. I didn't even need to approach much. The girls would constantly be coming up to me. I was actually having to reject girls.
All the bars are in close proximity so work out which does the cheapest drink you want and go there. I liked the Angkor beer and it is only 50 cent!!! A great bar I recommend is the Swiss Bar. This is because it is right along the alleyway by Pontoon and the entrance to the Soyra market. So basically everyone who walks past will notice you. You stand out so well. I had girls coming up to me left, right and centre each time I sat here. If you don't want a pro - watch out for the features that give it away (her ridiculously high heels, she may have a kid near her who she says she doesnt know or claims isn't hers, short skirts, loads of make up - the obvious stuff).
To impress them:
- They seemed to love my shirt I was wearing. It was a cheap button up shirt I bought in Thailand but they loved it as they thought I was smart.
- There is a supermarket/corner shop by the soyra market and there are free samples of all the colognes and stuff like that. I would spray lots of the expensive samples on me then leave. Girls would constantly compliment me on my smell.
- Give a hint that you want sex after some chatting. They are so easy to get into bed you don't even need to be that subtle or flirty with them.
You are going to see loads of older men out there with the woman. But that doesn't mean that a good looking guy can't bang without giving them money. There are so many girls out there it isn't hard - girls seem to outnumber guys. And it seems to be all local girls and all foreign guys.
My bangs
First night - Met 2 girls early on. They approached me at the Swiss bar. They sat either side of me. She showed me a condom in her bag and knew what she wanted. I knew she was a pro (i usually avoid them) but didn't care. Her and her other pro friend go out together all the time. We drank a few Angkor's together. Chatted, felt her up in public. Went into Pontoon for a bit and danced (she was crazy at dancing). Went back to hers and banged her. Then we went back out as it was still going on. Drank more. She then knew some westerners who were living in phnom penh and chatted and danced with them (obvs fucked her) so I was like 'fuck it' and was chatting to another girl (shows how easy it is if I can already get with another girl in just 2 mins). She got pissed off so I just said 'you were doing what i was doing'. Then we apologised, danced more and fucked again that night. I slept with her into midday the next day and fucked again midday. By this point my dick was in pain and tired from non-stop grinding with her and so much fucking in a short space of time afterwards. She then showed me around the area and I finally went back to my hotel afterwards.
2nd night - Went out again and same girl saw me arriving on the tuk tuk. She said she thought i would be coming out again and waited for me. We went into Heart of Darkness (decent club but isnt as good as Pontoon) and danced again. It got a bit boring really. Can't remember what we did afterwards but I was kind of bored that night. I think we went to a small bar and danced there (barely anyone there). Eventually we went back to hers another time, fucked again. I slept with her. Got horny during the night and fucked another time. I then stumbled across to my hotel at 8am (still drunk) to meet my tour group. Just before I left though she started to cry saying how her family was so poor and she was only a pro to help her family and she hates it and how her mom was ill and she needed to help her because she couldn't even remember her own daughter's name or anything about her due to the illness. She was trying to play the sympathy card and I left.
3rd night - Didn't go out as I had eaten something bad and I was ill.
When i arrived in phnom penh a few weeks later:
1st night - Drank at Soyra Beer Garden. All the girls working there were chatting to me one at a time - they weren't pros. After a few beers I left. But the girl told me she finishes work at 3am and added me on fb. I was going to meet her at 3am, but I found another girl instead so flaked her. Was awkward as f*ck with this other girl. She looked good but was weird as fuck and couldn't speak (she had 'mute' and if she tried to speak I would just hear this funny noise, so she wrote everything down to me and used sign language to communicate). When she got back to mine, she didn't have any ID on her so we couldnt fuck. She said to me, lets go back to the club then. I was tired, it was about 3.30am and just went to sleep instead. So she fucked that night up.
2nd night - When I woke up after the 1st night, I messaged her on fb asking what she's doing and stuff. She said she was upset we didn't meet after work and asked if I fucked the other girl. I made up some excuse. We then agreed to meet up that night as it was too hot to do anything in the day. We chatted at the place she worked. Shared some Angkor beers and she introduced me to her sister who also works at the same place as her (but this time the girl I liked was off work). Brought her back to mine. We fucked but she was shit in bed. I told her I'm heading off to Siem Reap the next morning and she wanted to come. She bought her own bus ticket from my hostel reception, went back to hers and she brought her clothes along and we went there. Fucked several more times in Siem Reap.
To Summarise:
Could've got at least 4 more bangs but I already had a girl (so much choice!)
Best club is Pontoon. Second best is Heart of Darkness. Go in both, see which looks busier, better etc as it is free to get in so leave if you don't like it and luckily they are located less than a 100 metre walk from each other. Plenty of other clubs/bars/a huge casino around but they weren't as good or were go go bars. GoGo to the bars before hand. Make yourself look approachable and approach others if you feel like it.
If your a good looking lad, don't bother paying for the pros.
Use the bars for cheaper drinks and place yourself so that all the girls can see you.
Always negotiate prices with tuk tuk drivers and seem confident like you know the way.
Any specific questions...feel free to ask