A short travelogue and my view of Phnom Penh and Cambodia July 2023.

In nearly 100 trips over 23 years to Cambodia, I have always felt that friendly welcome from people who took the time to chat for a few minutes. As a tourist, I have "almost" always been treated with respect and I have traveled there because I simply could not let go of such a fantastic country. Of course, I have also had some short times but actually more long times with the same girl as Ol sihxxxx, , whom I met a number of times, e.g. last time in Shv. . Short times are not something I chase, I want to be able to sit down and feel the respect, the discussion, the attention and the friendship. I see the value in exchanging opinions, history, humor and a good laugh, simply hanging out with new people. So far I have always found that in Cambodia.

This time when I land in the middle of July 2023 after six years of longing. Already in the tuktuk from the airport, can I feel that a bigger change has taken place when all the skyscrapers towered up. My first hotel was the Ohana Palace Hotel and I sat there in the rooftop jacuzzi and listened to that "atmosphere" with joy and expectations. Once I started walking the streets of the well-known blocks, 136, 130, 118,110, 5, I see streets that are 99% girlie bars a la Pattaya.

I sit down several times to have a beer and talk to someone. "Buy me lady drink 5 dol,", "buy me lady drink 5 dol," "short time 100 dol." ” , is the only talk in all the bars. I explain that I just want to sit down with my beer. Then I get to sit there alone with my beer and feel the girls' now contempt instead of any attention or friendly glances. No one takes the time, no one cares. I'm just a shit Barang and not even worth chatting with as I'm not idiot enough to pay 5 dollar for a fucking lady juice to talk to someone who can't even speak English or accept the Paris prices 100 dollars + 20 dollars barfine for a short time.

This is repeated in bar after bar and I also leave my undrunk beer after beer. I note that I pay 1100 USA dollar to fly 11 hours to sit alone with a beer and feel unwelcome and despised because as a customer I don't pay for chat in a "bar" without first having been able to talk to the girl and see if she knows English and is nice company or know if she joins, "customer".

I am trying to understand this changed attitude towards barangs / (tourists, are the bars only there for various scams e.g. visas or money laundering, in any case they are not there for the customers, I can probably count the customers on one hand at these 100's of bars the same at 51 an and 104 / 102

If then foreigners buy up bars that don't need to make a profit, the tourists don't need to be given any direct service but an experience of cold and raw fucky fucky unserious prices in comparison with the rest of the mongering world. An industry which has changed the attitude of almost all Cambodian girls from friendly to raw money attitude.

This is why the tourists today flee Cambodia instead of returning, all the other tourists I talk to say the same thing, how unfriendly, harsh and impersonal the country has become, never again.

Then you can say that if now the girls are to have a lady drink for 5 dollars, (and keep 2.5 dol. themselves), in order to even keep company or talk, they should at least be able to speak English, which hardly a 5 part can. This concept is probably the stupidest thing ever seen in the whole world. Even more stupid in the way that it's actually a matter of pure idiotic explanation and humiliation towards me as a tourist, how much of a donkey do they think I am.

At the same time, the Cambodians say that nowadays it is hard and difficult to get money in Cambodia and there you scratch your head. But then they have to start by making the tourists feel welcome again and putting down the New York prices in the bars.

Nah, I didn't find that good Cambodian welcoming feeling that I've loved for over 20 years. I am still happy about this trip because now I can start traveling in the other direction again without missing Cambodia. Unfortunately. I, like many many others, am so disappointed in Cambodia that for me it no longer feels worth the money to return there. Now it will be, Medellin, Dominica and Rio again.

Maybe I moved in the wrong quarter I moved in the wrong neighborhood. Not at all I lived luxurious interspersed with backpackers on 172, I rode the river boats I greeted Ratana's family in their house in PP so I moved around in all parts of PP, I saw the worst crash at Norodom I got to see for the first time a "moto theft", that is, when guys on motorbikes in broad daylight drove and snatched the mobile phone from a walking tourist who screamed and tried to run just in case.

Another event which, according to him, illuminates the new Cambodia; After 2 days of watery diarrhea I felt compelled to go to the hospital. I had European ERV. travel insurance a great travel insurance that also applies to illness and accident. The tuktuk takes me to Raffles medical at 51 an (old SOS clinic). Once there, they get my insurance letter to contact euro alarm, who in turn set up a case. I am examined and a bacteria in the intestine is found. Get a bag of medicine. But I can't leave the clinic. They first want payment from my travel insurance, i.e. on their account. Although European ERV broadcasts a so-called ,” garanty of paymenth ”, then I am not allowed to leave until the actual payment has arrived in their account.

There I sit with my medicine that I cannot start taking. I ask them if I should have waited with the medicine even if I was dying despite a payment guarantee from one of the world's largest travel insurance companies, no answer. Have to wait the next whole day and suddenly they have received the money, goodbye.

At this time I am not at all surprised, once again it turns out that even ordinary working medical staff in the new to me Cambodia have the same raw and cold attitude, full of contempt for tourists. Yes, cash talk, but maybe a little kindness should also be present.

One day when I'm walking on the "riverside walk" away from the riverboats, a girl yells at me. It's a girl who recognizes me from before. She works there as an usher for the boat tours. We get in touch and I chat with her on messenger every day and I regret my experience about the prices for ladydrinks just to be able to talk to someone who doesn't know English alternative to sit alone. Of course she tells me that she now has bad kidneys and has to clean her blood once a week, cost 55 dollars, well I know where that goes. But I just ignore this and I don't forget her last text to me before I cut off our contact. "Why you want lady when you don't spend money"

When I visit a country as a tourist and respect the country / people in all parts, I think it is not an honor to receive contempt in return for no reason.

Yes, there are some lovely glimmers of light, partly because I stayed in a very good hotel, Okay Boutique Hotel str. 19, see picture and partly I saw again a friend from many years. In addition, I enjoyed being able to stretch my legs.

Worst memory. One of the evenings I go to the "Ostro Boka Pot" bar 136/5 opposite Ostro Bistro. I buy myself a beer and immediately a girl comes standing there and rubs herself against me. I explain that I want to sit alone. Then suddenly she becomes loud and narrows her eyes at me and falls a lot angry. I leave the beer and go my way, FyFan that is.

Finally, remember my first trip to Phnom Penh 2021 when I was sitting there and asked another elderly tourist, ” what so special with this ” ? The friendly atmospfer, he said. An atmosphere that is long gone these days.

Maybe the winds will turn for me towards Cambodia one day? Who knows.

Stopped reading after you saying you want to "share opinions"

I've never been in a girly bar nor have I ever met up with a girl like that, I don't think they're known for the lengthy opinions on the history of such and such. I can see why they think your a donkey though, it's like going to the fucking barber and discussing baking tips...

"When I visit a country as a tourist and respect the country / people in all parts". Do let us know when that finally happens because it certainly isn't happening so far. Or, even better, just stop visiting other countries, and stay the f*** at home.

Also, I will not be surprised when the khmertimes releases an article soon about "Western tourists and short time girls" seeing as how a few days before they released their "retiring in Cambodia " article, a bunch of new accounts popped up asking retirement questions.