Khmertrip Stage 4: The Capital Phnom Penh and the bar shooting

© Frank P. Schneidewind

The old flyers on the hotel's door and in the lobby were replaced by laminated ones over the last years, but they still carried the same message :) To avoid shootings and police intervention, all guns or knives, narcotics and IV drugs were illegal. The smoking of happy herbs (marihuana, cannabis) equals cigarette or cigar smoking and is not being punished by law in Cambodia (this changes eventually or has changed by the time this is published)

Us two had a wonderfully safe sleep as I always had when staying here. Even back then, when full auto garbs of gunshots woke you up at night. Fired from various trigger happy dudes battling something out in front of the hotel on the streets. Occasional grenade sounds at night or explosions from mortar shells did indeed sound eerie in the years prior to the millennium, it's much more peaceful nowadays there. guns and machineguns in private hands still outnumber academically educated citizens by far in Cambodia, but a case of Coke is no longer costlier than a 24-case of hand grenades like back then. Cambodia appears peacefull now, but the scars and relics of the 30 years of war are visible clearly in Phnom Phen.

The Monivong Boulevard, the Norodom Blvd. and the Sisowath Quay mark the touristic area's North-South main traffic arteries. All major shops, hotels, restaurants are located along these roads and any tourist does well if he can use these as orientation lines within this City. On Monivong, we witnessed a cinema being decorated with a new ad, those are still handpainted here and cinemas are plenty across town. A lot of manual labor is involved, when they take those giant posters up or down.

We were communicating in an Internet cafe with friends back home or were taking turns guarding our special bike outside. Blue and red colors are reserved for military here and this bike 's plates signalled anybody, that we had close ties with the local Command Center or the Military Police, it repels highly corrupt regular Police very effectively and gets you a bit more respect from traffic rowdies in SUV's or Limos.

Police in Phnom Penh love foreigners for their usual quick payments of many US-$ bills for marginal violations of totally senseless traffic rules. They just love to charge for example, when you steer a bike on these often dusty roads with the headlights on in daylight. To operate one with 5 people on it at night with no lights at all doesn't see to get noticed by the coppers. With Military Police plates, you are well protected anyhow! Cops hate, but not stop or mess with you :) The armed forces are the ultimate power here!

All day we spend running around with our borrowed VIP-bike, this dude guarded it personally with his impressive AK 47 Kalashnikov assault rifle for half a $ or 2.000 riels on the sidewalk around the central market, only slightly more then the mass-parking in a moped corral elsewhere.

The Psar Thmei or Central Market is a landmark in northern Phnom Penh, crossroads for many travelers as buses and taxis operate from here almost nationwide. It's a 1930's colonially inspired structure with countless dealers flocking the hallways inside and out. Slightly raised prices for tourists, but excellent selection in sizes! They have everything under the sun in merchandise here, well worth a visit for anyone.

The Russian Market is even less organized, smellier, cheaper and hotter. The foodstalls here are highly recommended to avoid for all friends, send people you hate here for the infections, that may mess up anyone's trip badly (just joking :)). It's not prejudism, but experience - and not one foodstall in particular, but all of them here :)

The famous Wat Phnom flanks the northern inner city with his park and large roundabout. It also sits on a hilltop and marks the highest elevation here. Here at the roundabout is also the bar located, where we will meet the sweet Miss Sophea later.

The timing was perfect and our short wait at the pool table there was not boring. Our Sophea was introduced by some hidden DJ and the tunes were cranked up. We dropped the queues in a flash and grabbed our drink, whilst rushing to an empty table right by the stage to get a good close-up view.

We were lucky and got a table between the dance pedestal and the toilet and dressing rooms, so the girls always waited next to our table to time their turn when the acting dance team was done, our eyes flew back and forth and their hot bikini dances were neat and decent.

The bar wasn't full, but Khmer (Cambodian) dudes filled the stools in front of the bar and some tables, they were talking with each other or watching the dancers.

The blue dancers heated their performance extatic up and yellow dressed chicks lined up for their turn at our spot.

The glittering butts came really close to us when suddenly a series of gunshots from the bar area made us jump up and take cover. We couldn't spot the shooter and felt pretty uncomfy, the DJ in his cage didn't react much and continued his job. His coolness and his overwiewing position was a good sign. Without a detachment of my namesake PFC Schneidewind his USMarine friends or similar units, I was just checking alternate escape routes :) Stefan herded quickly all dancers into the toilet room and I tried to assess the situation hidden from behind a large concrete post.

The situation deescalated quick, when every second guest was pulling a gun from the waist or holster and aimed at the shooter, who stopped firing when he looked down the double shotgunbarrel of the bartender, aimed at his face! He was then disarmed and taken outside by other armed guests, but Stefan was celebrated by the girs as if he would be the hero.

Mercyfully, the lined up for another pose with me. We discovered that the had wettet themself during the incident much later, when we looked again at these pictures on a monitor :)

We decided to call it a day here, paid and rushed down Norodom Blvd. before all gunsmoke settled. Back to the hotel to change T-Shirts and spent the rest of the night much more peacefully at the Foreign Correspondents Club, upper floor from where one can overlook the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers merging and the traffic on Sisowath Quay. Here my favorite journalist, Mr. Peter Scholl-Latour sat often, when in town during the really wild years. I revisit here every time, when in Cambodias Capital Phnom Phen.

Next morning, we returned the borrowed bike to my old buddy and head out to Sihanoukville with the G.S.T. Bus from Phrar Thmei. 14.000 Riel or 3 $ and a half for the 3 hour ride on blacktop all the way, one stop in the hills halfway. Other buses operate too, but I have reasons to use the G.S.T. one. They even claim to have insurance as per the sticker in the windshield!

The trip was smoothly and without any incidents, the driver must have tapped his airhorns about 10 times every Kilometer, but we arrived safe and sound, one stop was being made at a refreshment post.

Khmertrip Stage 3: Battambang to Pailin to Phnom Penh

© Frank P. Schneidewind





Stefan and I made a side-trip to the secretive Pailin district (no officials or military allowed) on rented 250cc dirtbikes. I dropped my digicam later in a half dry creekbed, that we were negotiating there in order to find the old ruby-community, I happened to know from previous trips here.
The batteries flew out their compartment because of the impact in the flat water at the spot, it was totally dysfunctional until hours later (discharged quick). So no pics of us for hours, sorry!


Emerads and Rubies originate in the hills of Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge controlled and lawless zone. The people here still use ancient and hand-driven tools to cut raw gems and polish them nowadays. Electricity is fed from 12 Volt car or truck batteries, which power some flouorescent bulbs or other light sources. Refridgeration is unheard of here, but ice in huge blocks are being delivered from Pursat or Battambang on occasion, and sold in chunks. Cold refreshments are a real rarity, we must have gulped down 3 to 4 Cokes each to avoid dehydrating in this hot weather then, because we did find one dealer. He kept the Coke, Fanta and Sprite in a barrel with ice, so the bottles were cold and uncontaminated.
It is not advisable to drink anything here, unless sold to you in the original container.
Trust me, a full blown "Montezuma's revenge" compares to a real regular Cambodian diarrhea like a weak fart in the wind!

































The gem stones were all neatly prepared on tools to hold them for further polishing. If you look at Melona's engagement ring, I gave her that ring earlier this year :) - it proudly displays a nice ruby from right here! This trip itself was for "men only" for a lot of reasons, security was an essential one, but there were other issues too.

This Pailin area holds special memories for me. I was born again here, so to speak, when a landmine blew up years ago on a geographical surveillance trip, and injured my right leg badly. It injured a few more of us, but killed the unlucky dude, which stepped on the mine. A young Cambodian man with a good sized family at home :(

The gem cutter's huts were well protected by others outside, wielding AK 47's and with pretty grim looks on their faces, they brightened up, when we gave them a dollarbill each to protect our bikes during our exploration of the huts. Unbelievable, but in the poorest and most war-torn area of Cambodia, the finest gems were handled.

Needless to say, we bought a few. A man never knews, if he needs one someday :)

The price was very right and the digicam's batteries were neglecting any more pictures again! But we were happy, that they gave us a handful of snapshots after the dive in the creek. Rechargeables don't take a beating like quality Energizers or Panasonic Hi-power conventional AA's. In Cambodia's back country, you may search very long for a plug to stick the recharger in.

This bus was supposed to haul us to the Capital of Phnom Phen, it really looked like a decent vehicle until we got closer to inspect details. 3 $ was the fare, which equals 12.000 Riels. Gunshot holes are nothing to worry about, we wondered how the brakes were doing. You always hope, any shooter aims high enough :)

The tires had indeed some rubber left, but a German TÜV or American DOT would have pulled the operating license for this piece of equipment in a heartbeat. Exhaust was noise-tuned, so potential passengers along the roads it traveled, could hear him coming for at least half a mile. Seats were old ones, newly upholstered with a vinyl (chickenpoop and vomit resistant), but we weren't in the market for sweaty butts and sat on our towels.

That was really a comfy transport, considering other options like rooftops of pick-up trucks or clinging to the outside of vans in the back with no foothold for humans. All these folks headed for the big city on the Tonle Sap River, where it meets the Mekhong. Quite a distance, but standards in Cambodia are even lower than in Thailand. Things improve gradually as I can testify, having traveled on anything here from worn out, unserviced military aircraft to oxcarts before.
Military is a lot less present or visible nowadays. In older days, that was quite a difference.

Any transport here is maxed out, the tailgates are always used in the down position to extend the bed, sometimes stretched even further with a couple of wooden doors or something suitable. Dangling kids legs in the windshield signal little hold for them, don't think any further - be happy you're in a bus with wheels and seats. $ 3 is their monthly income, so traveling "rich people style" aboard a bus is not a valid option for them. Kids usually go free with paying parents, but no right to a spot on the wooden boards crossing the beds of the pickups for more cargo, human cargo in that case.
Suddenly we whizzed by other funny vehicles. Roofless buses? No - mopeds of a mere 100 cc engine pulling busloads of passengers on open makeshift trailers. This spot of road was not dusty and blacktopped, so I tried to take a snapshot backwards out of the little ventilation windows:

The mopedbuses were more popular, the closer we got to Phnom Phen, their capacity must have been several dozend of passengers. Gas tank was a plastic canister attached to the side! Snail paced, some rolled in front of our bus, but the loud horns of the bus and his very aggressive driving style forced them one after the other into the dust of the roadside, brutal methods here, but "business as usual" :)

They were really common in the outskirts of Phnom Phen, as you can see:

We arrived a short time later in Phnom, checked a 1 $ motorcycle taxi ride later into my beloved Angkor Hotel and took an extended shower to cool down and get rid of the fine dust, that had clogged every pore of exposed skin. Soap alone doesn't do a proper job, you need to rub eyebrows, mustache and your skin fairly hard!

Later we ate at the famed "Sharky's", a bar and restaurant only 3 blocks from the hotel. My friend quickly was beflirted by this attractive lady, but we were here not on a dating trip. A posed snapshot made this waitress happy indeed, emails were exchanged to send her the photo.

Later Stefan's eyes focesed on something very dark. This lady with black hair, a black dress and pitch black eyes was having dinner at the neighboring table. Stefan couldn't keep his eyes straight and he asked kindly to trade chairs with me (I didn't appear staring and was naturally facing her).
Her name was Sophea, as we found out after her dinner in another establishment near the Central Market (Psar Thmei). Once done with her dish, she accepted Stefan's invite for a drink and told us about her job as Apsara-dancer in a famous hotel on the Sisowath Quay. I love Apsara Dancing and am quite familiar with the grace and beauty on dislplay during those classical performances. Apsaras were the handpicked dancers of the Angkorian godkings a 1000 years ago! Later, she came across with the information that she also has a second dance job near Wat Phnom. Not so Apsara style, but better paid.
I knew Wat Phnom well and we had planned to visit anyhow, so we promised to look her up at the place near the important temple on the following day. That night's sleep was long and good after the long trip here. Stefan nailed me with questions about Apsaras that night :)
He proved to be one of the most compatible people I ever traveled with! Quick witted and with a sunnyboy smile But a task oriented energy, if things don't run so smooth!

Loy Krathong - the romantic light festival

Celebrations are nationwide with special events dotting the country. A recommended site by the author is the big festival in Bang Sai, Ayutthaya for all those who are between the former capital and the current one at the time. A taxi ride from Bangkok downtown should not exceed 320 to 350 Baht. From outer Ringroad just follow the signs to the Royal Arts and Crafts Center. You are not far here from Bang Pa-in's Royal Palaces or the historic Ayutthaya, so smart combinations can be arranged with a day- and nighttrip. No need to bring lots of money here, as it is a Thai and not a touristic event! Every pond, every canal or river or body of waterin the nation will be used for this event and be full of floating candles after dark. If you're a first-timer, just follow any Thai crowd to a river or shoreline. The use of organic materials has become a law in Bangkok for their natural decomposition.

The events in Thailand show a strong North to South decline with Chiang Mai in the North beeing famed for burning paper lanterns that folks release, the "Loy Khoms" can remain visible for long in the pitch black sky. Other highlight-events are being held in the former capitals Sukothai and Ayutthaya but with a more classical approach. We skip rebroadcasting the Loy Krathong fairytale here, it is a focal point on many websites already.

Expect a lot of traffic going that way! Just follow the flow, it will be police guided from far away and the hordes will be sent to parking lots and improvised parking lots. Public transport here collapses in the afternoon. Vehicles are all jam-packed with passengers heading for the venue.

The venue itself is always guarded by the Army and later we understood why! Her Royal Highness the Princess was expected here and no less then 4 Beautyqueens from surrounding districts. Admission to the grounds was 50 Baht and that included all sorts of entertainment on a number of stages spead over the large area in the park along the beautiful riverside of the mighty Chaophaya, the "River of Kings".

Loy Krathong in Bang Sai, that is a yearly highlight for Thousands of Thais, official numbers are surely guesstimated, figures of half a million event-goers float on nice weather days in the media. The event does not appear crowded like a superbowl or 4th of July by the obelisk's reflecting pool in Washington D.C., you alwas have enough room to breathe despite the large crowd there.

The Krathongs always have a colorful array of flowers surrounding the candles and they are precision built handicrafts. Orchids are used in variations by the score.

Krathongs are incredibly inexpensive here, traditionall the revellers without a self-made one gear up at one of the many stores on the sidewalks here. Fulle decorated and ready to float, they command 10, 20 or 30 Baht, depending on their size.

A contest area displays the most delicate and impressive Krathongs, the winners are put up here for public display:

The incense sticks are lit before the candles and the smell of those, the lights and colors are truly mixing to an outstanding blend, that I never witnessed in this intensity before.

Endless detail on some of these floats is shown and true Thai craftsmenship is unquestionable here. The masses move to a large part and we got carried across the entire park this way.

Some of those highly decorated Krathongs seem so top-heavy, they may never really float for long but we end up here at the water's edge and get even more to see.

Small gold colored coins, usually 50 or 25 Satang pieces are added to the floats before their release in the water.

Thai style snackeria with superb foods served for small change also!

The youngest have a lot of fun too, it's a family event and tons of kids are around also.

The site for placement for the Krathongs is a bit crowded at the shore:

Thousands float their candleboats on Loy Krathong Day, full of a lot of wishes for the coming year and a few small coins that naughty kids take. Some cry out, when a nearing incense stick burns their earlobe or a candlewax drops on their tiny hands grabbing the coins.

The majestic huge Krathong on the River tells commercial boats to stay clear of this area and provides a nice backdrop for the endless flow of burning floats going downstream.

The cost for this day was marginal, except the transport. Food was also very low priced. Drinks were sold cheaper directly from ice-boxes here than at the Supermarket! Unbelievable how great a day in Thailand can be without a lot of foreign tourists! Priceless the photo and video opportunities, but tripods will be difficult to haul around. We sure return her for our next Loy Krathong!


© by Frank P Schneidewind