bkktrapper wrote:

shnoukieBRO wrote:

Digg3r wrote: By then there may be other places with $1 beer anyway.

Just think for 1 minute. You guys love the cheap beer price, but those guys are making a profit. Have you considered brewing your own beer? Maybe you can brew a pint over there for like 500 riel?

Just spend the 50 cents for your half foam watered down ankor beer ,then try to explain to the khmer bartender to pour it up to the top and get a sneer from the gossiping expats sitting across the bar.

True dat!

You know what? If expats stopped whore mongering, and 50cent beer guzzling, and instead focussed on brewing cheapo beers they would not only find an income source, but help the expat community and Cambodian, (as well as have an aim, having actioned it, and not lost their mind in the process.) See, it can actually be fun having an 'aim', which leads to a never ending FUN SPIRAL....

frank lee bent wrote:aims and plans are fairly alien to me, thus i would not action much.
that shit is for the military

See Frank, you's is thinking what is called 'negatively'!!!

Instead, think along the lines of bia Hoi, in Vietnam..

http://www.traveldudes.org/travel-tips/ ... tnam/26423 ..

shnoukieBRO wrote:

bkktrapper wrote:

shnoukieBRO wrote:

Digg3r wrote: By then there may be other places with $1 beer anyway.

Just think for 1 minute. You guys love the cheap beer price, but those guys are making a profit. Have you considered brewing your own beer? Maybe you can brew a pint over there for like 500 riel?

Just spend the 50 cents for your half foam watered down ankor beer ,then try to explain to the khmer bartender to pour it up to the top and get a sneer from the gossiping expats sitting across the bar.

True dat!

You know what? If expats stopped whore mongering, and 50cent beer guzzling, and instead focussed on brewing cheapo beers they would not only find an income source, but help the expat community and Cambodian, (as well as have an aim, having actioned it, aand not lost their mind in the process.) See, it can actually be fun having an 'aim', which leads to a never ending FUN SPIRAL....

Think along the lines of bia Hoi, in Vietnam..

http://www.traveldudes.org/travel-tips/ ... tnam/26423 ..

Reminds me of Hanoi.

That beer is nice for the first 3 - 4 but the hangover is worse than any Cambo beers so i avoid having to many.

Risible, will you next advocate that we take up cultivation of Rice?
Why are you intent on putting the locals out of work?
When was the last time you visited? Your statements suggest you have not been within coo-ee of the place, as our Australian colleagues would have it , since well before the days of the Late King.

It appears to me your posts have an insinuating undercurrent which attempt to defame and smear the many good men and women who serve their days here. That which is decried in the behavior of others is often emblematic of an unresolved guilt complex deeply integrated in the psyche of the accuser. This sometimes sublimes through murky political activity or muddled religious mania. Mostly it manifests as mischievous disruption.

It reminds me of the sort of chaps who claim Bath as their place of birth when in fact it is Slough- just like that, but in reverse.

Pity really, a chap like you could have made something of himself in the Railways or Post Office.

phuketrichard wrote: HUH?

bkktrapper wrote:

frank lee bent wrote:what has being alone to do with it?
a support network LOL what is that?

Sometimes i wonder if these guys are actually in the kingdom......


pffffftttt a support group in victory hill consists of the guy next to you in the bar and the hooker serving you a beer.

Absolute classic, best one liner I've read for ages

CowshedCowboyRedux wrote:

bkktrapper wrote:

frank lee bent wrote:what has being alone to do with it?
a support network LOL what is that?

Sometimes i wonder if these guys are actually in the kingdom......


pffffftttt a support group in victory hill consists of the guy next to you in the bar and the hooker serving you a beer.

Absolute classic, best one liner I've read for ages

BKK did a funny

Don't do drugs. Besides the fact that you can open yourself up to extortion attempts, you'll never really know what you are taking. A lot of what they sell here as cocaine is actually strong heroin or "China White", one big line of which has caused misery for hundreds of parents who have lost their darling children to such fatal mistakes.

Beware of the cheap beer that can guzzled so cheaply, and certainly don't wander into a girly-bar double-cut and expect to walk out as you walked in (depending on your temperament, of course). On such occasions, should they eventuate, make sure you have a good look at the change you are returned with: drunk patrons will often find a wallet full of ripped or partially ripped notes the next day, which are useless as currency.

Better yet, don't visit them at all, or if you do, go with a couple of mates, treat the women who work there with respect and perhaps buy them a girly drink and have a chat to them; give them a break from all the incessant grouping they are used to putting up with (they are human beings too though naturally hardened through their bad experiences and admittedly hardened in other ways such as non-stop twerking). It's part of Phnom Penh and there's no shame having a drink or two there in such establishments.

And as another poster posted, do try to develop networks of decent sorts. Go to places like Meta House and appreciate some of the culture on offer. You'll meet good people, people unlike the fast friends who might approach you on 136 or 172 offering you a beer looking to inculcate you in some insane business initiative (scam). You may find some good work opportunities coming your way, and you'll meet people who will invite you along to interesting events that you might not otherwise learn of.

There's loads of lovely people here in Phnom Penh (and other cities or towns) but people can be very wary of newcomers because there are also some of the most unscrupulous con artists and predators you'll ever be likely to meet.

But don't be a snob either. That fat bloke whose just downed his 12th Cambodia might be fluent in Khmer and have some extraordinary stories to impart if you are curious.

Avoid coppers, especially over friendly ones and certainly ones who claim to be personal bodyguards to the King or the Prime Minister, a common ploy.

When researching a place to live, talk to other residents of your building and try to get an honest appraisal of any issues you might have with the landlord.

Make an attempt to learn Khmer, especially the correct polite phrases. It will help immensely.

Get to know you local tuk tuk drivers and perhaps share a beer or two with them on occasion. You'll get cheaper standard fairs in the end and they will look out for you if you endear yourself to them.

One that topic, know where you are going before you jump on a tuk tuk. It's a curious fact that even many of the most experienced tuk tuk drivers have no idea how to even get to prominent landmarks. Learn at the least to say turn left, turn right, and go straight ahead in Khmei, because you'll find yourself having to direct them half the time.

Don't wave your cellphone around, especially in the bar areas. Especially if you are drunk, you may find yourself followed and robbed.

Don't take your laptop or anything else of value out drinking. Take cash and not too much.

Don't take a motodop unless you know where you are going and especially if you've had a few and it's night. I was violently robbed for making that foolish mistake.

If you are attacked or someone attempts to rob you, drop all your cash and run.

All the above mainly concerns safety, I realise.

The main way to prevent yourself losing it is to develop the patience of a saint. Remember that you are a great deal more educated than the people you are dealing with, in all probability, and even if you do manage to communicate what you want, Cambodians have the typical South East Asian tendency to not give a straight answer out of politeness, out of not wanting to seem to not know the answer to what you are asking, or simply because they politely want you to go away and not answer your question and pointing "that way" or saying "yes" is often the quickest way for them to achieve that.

In all aspects of life here things are extraordinarily frustrating and disorganised. Shouting or rudeness will not help your cause or mission generally. Patience, again, is key. After living here you will either turn into a raged-filled crypto-racist or a ironical saint, depending on your attitude and perseverance.

Form strong human networks among the barang community and do your best to do the same with the khmers, especially thoses who live in your neighbourhood, who you work with, and otherwise have to interact with regularly. Personal relationships are everything here.

And on that point about being polite and learning how to address people properly: it will not only endear yourself to your khmer conversants but cause them to think of you of someone of status and class also. And behaving according to their ideas of propriety is greatly beneficial, and will help with that other worthwhile effort mentioned above: developing trustful and respectful relationships with khmers. With Khmers you are either inside their circle of concern and protection or you are not. It's much much preferable to be in the former camp. If you achieve that you'll find that they will be more than happy to help you navigate the culture and the often confusing and frustrating practices of the place.

Good luck.

tl:dr