Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

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Kammekor
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Kammekor »

John Bingham wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 11:28 pm
chriz_PP wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 10:36 pm once you are automatically "blending out" the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc.
There is far more garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc in the average western city than I ever see here. I "blend out" that stuff by avoiding scuzzy areas.
You almost make it sound as if Phnom Penh is a modern, well organized city. A place to enjoy....

IMHO both Bangkok and KL play in a league way above Phnom Penh's league. I could start a rant here about Phnom Penh, but I will save that one for later.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Gazzy »

orichá wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:48 am KL is walkable, it has a very nice Chinese old town and market with great duck shops for cheap lunches. KL has super malls and great strolls. Also, free public bus loop downtown. More ethnicity brewing there, Chinese, Malay, Indian... Cool ancient mosques and a botanical gardens. Far more interesting than the monoculture of Thailand and Phnom Penh. The only interesting place to walk in Bangkok, Thailand are the old lanes behind Chinatown towards the river, with their multitude of textile shops, gold shops, Indian restos, etc... And along a few of the canals. The rest of the city of Bangkok is a filthy monster of big city dirt and noise... KL feels far cleaner than either PP or Bangkok.

Singapore is by far the best city for amenities and gorgeous sites, especially the fabulous botanical gardens! I vote Singapore any day over the rest of dumpy Asia, lol...
Yeah except it'll cost you at least $5 to fart in Singapore.
As others have stated KL is ok for a few days, then is as dull as Slough on a Wednesday. Bkk is Asia's playground, right.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by John Bingham »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:52 am
John Bingham wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 11:28 pm
chriz_PP wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 10:36 pm once you are automatically "blending out" the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc.
There is far more garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc in the average western city than I ever see here. I "blend out" that stuff by avoiding scuzzy areas.
You almost make it sound as if Phnom Penh is a modern, well organized city. A place to enjoy....
No, I'm just wondering where people encounter all the "the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc"? Sure, there is sometimes garbage around but the streets I'm on are mostly clean. I can't remember the last time I was bothered by a smell, beggar or homeless person. Does the person who wrote that hang around in some slum on a dump or something?
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Kammekor »

John Bingham wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:20 am
Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:52 am
John Bingham wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 11:28 pm
chriz_PP wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 10:36 pm once you are automatically "blending out" the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc.
There is far more garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc in the average western city than I ever see here. I "blend out" that stuff by avoiding scuzzy areas.
You almost make it sound as if Phnom Penh is a modern, well organized city. A place to enjoy....
No, I'm just wondering where people encounter all the "the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc"? Sure, there is sometimes garbage around but the streets I'm on are mostly clean. I can't remember the last time I was bothered by a smell, beggar or homeless person. Does the person who wrote that hang around in some slum on a dump or something?
Yes, garbage collection has improve a lot over the years, but beggars and homeless people are common. Especially for those hanging out in / around 172 street.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Alex »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:52 am
John Bingham wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 11:28 pm
chriz_PP wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 10:36 pm once you are automatically "blending out" the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc.
There is far more garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc in the average western city than I ever see here. I "blend out" that stuff by avoiding scuzzy areas.
You almost make it sound as if Phnom Penh is a modern, well organized city. A place to enjoy....

IMHO both Bangkok and KL play in a league way above Phnom Penh's league. I could start a rant here about Phnom Penh, but I will save that one for later.
I would have agreed with you ten years ago, but parts of Phnom Penh ARE modern now. If you watch a movie or have a coffee at Exchange Square, that wouldn't be any less enjoyable or feel any different from any other "modern" city. If you walk in the right direction, you won't see much garbage for quite a while either.

Bangkok is just a lot bigger, so for every modern mall Phnom Penh has, Bangkok has ten. If you want to find garbage and slums in Bangkok, you won't have any trouble finding that as well.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Kammekor »

Alex wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:30 am
Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:52 am
John Bingham wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 11:28 pm
chriz_PP wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 10:36 pm once you are automatically "blending out" the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc.
There is far more garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc in the average western city than I ever see here. I "blend out" that stuff by avoiding scuzzy areas.
You almost make it sound as if Phnom Penh is a modern, well organized city. A place to enjoy....

IMHO both Bangkok and KL play in a league way above Phnom Penh's league. I could start a rant here about Phnom Penh, but I will save that one for later.
I would have agreed with you ten years ago, but parts of Phnom Penh ARE modern now. If you watch a movie or have a coffee at Exchange Square, that wouldn't be any less enjoyable or feel any different from any other "modern" city. If you walk in the right direction, you won't see much garbage for quite a while either.

Bangkok is just a lot bigger, so for every modern mall Phnom Penh has, Bangkok has ten. If you want to find garbage and slums in Bangkok, you won't have any trouble finding that as well.
Yes, Phnom Penh has its' quiet bubbles, Exchange Square and the AEON malls can give you the feeling you're in a modern city. But the trip going to and from those places will be like being in another world.

And 'walking in the right direction'. Walking in Phnom Penh is a horrific experience. @Doc67 ranted about that one a few days ago. Even if the footpath isn't blocked by SUV's, Rolls Royces and food stalls it's used as a fast lane for motorcycles and tuk tuks.

Bangkok as a city is much better organized than Phnom Penh IMHO. There's public transport by bus, boat & train, you can easily flag down a metered taxi everywhere, there's efficient mini marts at every corner (except in China town...), the footpaths are generally in use for pedestrians and cars will stop for a crossing or a red light. One way streets are one way streets. Cars turning will use the correct lane, instead of crossing the entire street, blocking it. The concept of giving way is understood in Bangkok, even at crossings for pedestrians. There are bridges so pedestrians van safely cross the main roads. To me, Phnom Penh feels like Bangkok in 80's, but with internet.

Sh*t. You made me rant.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by John Bingham »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:25 am Yes, garbage collection has improve a lot over the years, but beggars and homeless people are common. Especially for those hanging out in / around 172 street.
When people complain about there being loads of beggars and homeless people it's usually because they only know a very limited part of the city - the areas most frequented by tourists.
Bangkok as a city is much better organized than Phnom Penh IMHO. There's public transport by bus, boat & train, you can easily flag down a metered taxi everywhere, there's efficient mini marts at every corner (except in China town...), the footpaths are generally in use for pedestrians and cars will stop for a crossing or a red light. One way streets are one way streets. Cars turning will use the correct lane, instead of crossing the entire street, blocking it. The concept of giving way is understood in Bangkok, even at crossings for pedestrians. There are bridges so pedestrians van safely cross the main roads. To me, Phnom Penh feels like Bangkok in 80's, but with internet.
All valid points.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Freightdog »

Forget the comparison. If you’ve never been to KL, and you can make a good time of it, just go. It’s changed, but I still like it. There’s other bits of Malaya that’s available, too.
Transport was cheap and easy 15years ago. More extensive now. Road traffic too much, though.
Quite Cosmopolitan. There’s food from everywhere, or was. Malay, South East Asian, varied international stuff.
There was an Argentine steak house- it had moved or disappeared when last I was there. It used to be 10minutes walk from Petronas towers.
China town was cheap, varied and pretty good for a night out, or a starting point for more. Our crew hangout was the reggae bar. Last I looked, it was still there.
Bukit Bintang has changed a lot. In fact the entire place has.
There’s plenty of the old colonial era charm though, nestled in.
Worth a trip to Malacca, Penang.

And if Air Asia prices haven’t gone crazy, it can be a good jumping off point for short visits- Langkawi is a short flight away.

It’s not as cheap as it was, though.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Kammekor »

Freightdog wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 10:37 am
It’s not as cheap as it was, though.
That applies to Phnom Penh too, unfortunately.
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Re: Kuala Lumpur vs. Bangkok vs. Phnom Penh

Post by Alex »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:45 am
Alex wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:30 am
Kammekor wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:52 am
John Bingham wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 11:28 pm
chriz_PP wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 10:36 pm once you are automatically "blending out" the garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc.
There is far more garbage, smell, beggars, homeless, etc in the average western city than I ever see here. I "blend out" that stuff by avoiding scuzzy areas.
You almost make it sound as if Phnom Penh is a modern, well organized city. A place to enjoy....

IMHO both Bangkok and KL play in a league way above Phnom Penh's league. I could start a rant here about Phnom Penh, but I will save that one for later.
I would have agreed with you ten years ago, but parts of Phnom Penh ARE modern now. If you watch a movie or have a coffee at Exchange Square, that wouldn't be any less enjoyable or feel any different from any other "modern" city. If you walk in the right direction, you won't see much garbage for quite a while either.

Bangkok is just a lot bigger, so for every modern mall Phnom Penh has, Bangkok has ten. If you want to find garbage and slums in Bangkok, you won't have any trouble finding that as well.
Yes, Phnom Penh has its' quiet bubbles, Exchange Square and the AEON malls can give you the feeling you're in a modern city. But the trip going to and from those places will be like being in another world.

And 'walking in the right direction'. Walking in Phnom Penh is a horrific experience. @Doc67 ranted about that one a few days ago. Even if the footpath isn't blocked by SUV's, Rolls Royces and food stalls it's used as a fast lane for motorcycles and tuk tuks.

Bangkok as a city is much better organized than Phnom Penh IMHO. There's public transport by bus, boat & train, you can easily flag down a metered taxi everywhere, there's efficient mini marts at every corner (except in China town...), the footpaths are generally in use for pedestrians and cars will stop for a crossing or a red light. One way streets are one way streets. Cars turning will use the correct lane, instead of crossing the entire street, blocking it. The concept of giving way is understood in Bangkok, even at crossings for pedestrians. There are bridges so pedestrians van safely cross the main roads. To me, Phnom Penh feels like Bangkok in 80's, but with internet.

Sh*t. You made me rant.
Sorry for making you rant. I actually walk a lot in Phnom Penh; walking from let's say Exchange Square to the Royal Palace isn't exactly a horrible experience in my book.

I don't find Thai drivers more considerate towards pedestrians than Cambodian drivers, and a number of tragic zebra crossing deaths in Bangkok got a lot of news coverage lately. In both Bangkok and Phnom Penh, you need to be super alert as a pedestrian at all times, so I don't see any tangible difference there.

I agree with what you said about public transport, Bangkok is obviously well ahead in that regard.
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