Phnom Penh, Cambodia pt 1

We leave Siem Reap by bus at noon. Cramer is feeling like death. He is sweating, feeling hot, has a headache, and experiencing overall discomfort. We manage to get on the Mekong Express Bus and find a seat. It is about 5 hours to Phnom Penh (PP). Now we're going to PP and meeting up with someone named Territ. In a strange coincidence my aunt meet a guy named Chuck Sacchi a few years ago when she was in New Orleans. They became friends. Chuck eventually married a woman from Cambodia named Moch. Chuck lived in Portland and wanted to get married. Moch's Uncle worked with Chuck and told him he had a niece looking to get married. Chuck came to Cambodia, met Moch, and they were soon married. Chuck and Moch own a house in Portland and in PP. So my aunt told her friend Chuck that I'd be in PP, he was generous enough to offer his house to Cramer and me. He said that Moch's brother lives there, Territ, and he would be happy to show us around town. After a few e-mails and a couple of phone calls, I contacted Territ. Everything was a go, he would pick us up at the bus station at 6:30pm. We would have a place to stay and someone to show us around, this was working out great. The only problem now was that Cramer was down and out. We pulled into the station at PP. We call Territ and he is only a few minutes away. He pulls up on his scooter. Cramer and I each have a huge backpack. Originally Territ wants us to jump on the scooter. I can't quite see how we're all going to fit. We tell him we'll take a tuk tuk and follow behind him. It sounds like a good plan. Well, until the tuk tuk driver decides to take a different route and loses him! WTF. We're asking the guy why the hell didn't you follow him? He kind of just looks at us grinning. We're really close to where he lives, but don't have the exact address. The other problem is over here you need different sim cards for each country and we still didn't have cards for Cambodia, so our cell phones didn't work. I have Territ's phone number and try to give it to the guy to call him. Well as luck would have it the guy's cell phone has no battery left. Come on dude, you're killing us. Finally we walk down the street to a lady with a public cell phone? Ok. We finally get a hold of him and he shows up to led us the last few blocks to his house. The house is in a nicer part of PP. Its like a townhouse, but here the main entrance is almost like a garage. Many people have stores in in the first part or even park their cars in it. Territ parks his scooter in it, but its a huge room with wicker furniture and a tv too. In the back of the first floor is a bathroom, a washing machine, and the kitchen. The house is narrow, but long, and has 3 floors. The second floor is another bathroom and 2 bedrooms. The 3rd floor is another large tv room, with a balcony toward the street, and another bedroom. The stairs go up to the roof where there is a nice covered area to sit or have a party I guess. Obviously Chuck has some money. I don't really know how much it costs, but this is a really nice place, well beyond what most of the people in PP can afford. Cramer heads to bed right away, still fighting something. Cramer asks Territ to take him to the doctor in the morning if he isn't feeling better. Territ takes me to a restaurant he likes called Happy 7. We walk in and it is really nice, there is a ground floor, with many locals eating. We head up to the terrace section above. Territ is 26 and a really great guy. He seems to have a little swagger about him. He just finished the University at PP for accounting. His English isn't great, but its good enough to have a good time. We order enough food for about 6 people and order a bunch of Angkor Beers, Cambodia's #1 beer. All the waitesses are smiling at us as we leave stuffed and buzzed and go back to the house for the night.


The next morning Cramer is still feeling like crap. Territ takes Cramer to the doctor and finds out he has gotten food poisoning somewhere along the line. He gets a bunch of pills and stuff. He still isn't feeling good, so he's going to rest again. Territ is going to take me around town and check out some of the tourist sites. The first place we go is the national museum. Its pretty cool, but small. Its mostly statues of the Buddha and Hindu statues from different periods. Its only takes about 45 minutes to walk through it.

Next we head up to a hill that is famous as the starting place of PP. Its called Wat Phnom. Apparently an old woman named Penh found a wooden log floating down the river one day. Inside the log were 4 statues of the Buddha. She placed the statues on this hill and soon the town of Phnom Penh started. Phnom Penh actually means Penh's hill. There is a big monument on the hill. Here's a picture of Territ and me in front of the hill.

Next we went to the Royal Palace. It is a nice place, but doesn't compare to the Imperial Palace in Bangkok. There are still some really cool things to look at and I get a few good pics.

On the way home from the Royal Palace it started to pour. Territ quickly drove the scooter to a corner 7-11 and we ran in to avoid the rain. It continued to pour for about an hour. When it finally let up we jump back on the scooter and high tail it home. Many of the streets are flooded with a foot of water. Everyone just carries on like normal. Almost home and it starts to pour again. We get soak. Cramer is starting to feel slightly better, but isn't ready to do anything. After a quick nap Territ and I head back out to the Happy 7 Restaurant again around 8pm.

We head back up to our favorite spot from the night before, but the whole restaurant is packed tonight. We get a table close to where we were. We order less food tonight, but continue to enjoy the Angkor Beer. After dinner I convince Territ to take me to a bar on 136 Street. We saw the add on one of the maps. It shows a picture of a bunch of girls. The bar is what is known as a Hostess bar. Pretty much a bunch of girls are there to wait on you, laugh at your jokes, and give you tons of attention. I'm not sure what else they do... Territ doesn't seem to be enjoying it as much as I am. What can I say I love attention, even when its somewhat fake. 4 girls are standing around our table smiling at us. I end up talking to a really nice girl name Alin who isn't even working there, mostly because she can speak English the best. They also have a guy playing some nice cover tunes. Smoke on the Water, Fire in the Sky.... After a few more beers we call it a night and head back home.