2012/2013 Indochina Tour - Day 8 (Phnom Penh part 1)

Phnom Penh. Well unlike the last time where I kinda breezed through the place, we have a couple of days to spare in this city.

We're staying at Salita Hotel and for US25/night it's actually very decent. It's only a few months old when we got there so it's still clean and fresh. There's no underground parking for the bikes but we're happy enough with the 24hr security provided.

Malaysia......you welcome also!

Our security.....good enough.

One thing about Cambodia is that the people are pretty proficient in English, which is a great relief but it also worked against me in the sense that I didn't bother to pick up basic Khmer other than "Akun" which means thank you. Usually I'd make an effort to at least ask "where is the toilet?"(very important hokayyyy) in the local language, but this time around even this I failed.

We found the city to be quite easy to navigate as it's made up of square blocks with the "happening" riverside to the East as your marker. It is also a flat city, coz just as with the previous hotel I stayed in, the hotel's restaurant is on the top floor, which in Salita's case, is on the 10th. Just look at the pictures and you have an idea of how flat the city is.

10th floor where you get a bird's eyeview of the city

Pretty flat I'd say

You would think Husref is taking my picture right?

Well think again

Though the hotel is a little bit far from the riverside it is actually near to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or S21. I think it was just 500 metres so we walked there. It's my first time there and after that visit, I can safely say it's my last. The sun was shining and this being a former school it is both open and airy, yet with what transpired here through Cambodia's dark Khmer Rouge rule the place gave out a grisly unnerving chill.

What you see on the left is the gallow where prisoners were tortured and hanged

This fella wouldn't last 5 minutes back then.

Chum Mey...1 of the 7 known survivors of S21

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It is disturbing to be looking at rows and rows of photographs of inmates knowing very well that those eyes staring back at you met with a terrible and gruesome end, even kids are not spared. I'm just glad that they did not display pictures of those being tortured. I'm not generally squeamish but I don't think I'll be able to hack it if it is too much in your face. I'm left to my imaginings and in it I softened the blow by conjuring a less painful and traumatic end to the eyes that are looking back at me.

I ask myself, how is it possible for someone to torture and kill their fellow man (woman and child) en masse, just because you don't share the same idelogy, or religion, or ethnic group. It is silly, it is stupid and you would think that places such as S21 serves as a stark reminder of what can happen when you allow emotions and fear to rule. I can't help to be reminded by what is happening in our current political scene where the race card is being played by both sides much to the detriment of the greater good.

I left Toul Sleng feeling empty and drained and not recalling the steps back to the hotel, for all I wanted to do is to wash this feeling off and fully clothed, I stood under the showers.

2012/2013 Indochina Tour - Day 7

Day 7 on our trip. Wohooo, it's been a week on the road.

We had our 2 days of break in Sihanoukville and now it's time to head out to Phnom Penh. It's a pretty short ride of less than 300km so we can afford to take our time. On your travels, what makes it even better is always the people you meet along the way. You may keep in touch, you may not, but for that brief period you're friends and enjoy each others' company. So we started the day saying our goodbyes to new acquaintances.

Johhny and tattoo surfer dude

Spanish jewelry maker family from Spain

Aaron, but of course in M'sia his name would be Harun

We also took a last look of Otres Beach, not knowing when will we step foot over here again. With the development going on over there I really doubt the place would ever look the same. You just hope that there's some common sense applied when developing with care taken to preserve the beauty of the beach. I mean that would be a reason why I would head out there right? Nice clean beach, not too heavily developed, retains its rustic charm. I shudder to think that Russian money would turn this place into another Pattaya.

New resort

Just lovely

Mushroom Point - another booming guesthouse on Otres

I stopped to take a picture at the main roundabout in Sihanoukville, not because I love roundabouts (I don't!). They have this statue of a male and female lion on it and I thought it's quite hilarious how from certain angle it looks like they're humping. (Yes....I do really need to go out more).

Hey you two at the back! Stop humping!

While this was happening, Husref went ahead so you can imagine my heart skipping a beat when I saw him by the side of the road with the Police. One look and you know this is not good, and when I stopped it just confirms my suspicions. 

He greeted me nicely. That was enough to put me on guard. Guys, you know that tone of voice that your GF or wife would use when she wants something, or right after she dinged the car? Yes....that one. The one that gets your ears up just as a Gazelle would in the prairie trying to suss out what sort of danger is out there. Well Mr. Copper was using that tone and as soon as he mouthed "International Driving Licence?" I knew we're gonna get it. But with that tone, you also know he wants something else.

I thought I'd still give it a try, so I gave the usual bullshit of "I always ride here no problem", "Your embassy said ok", "You look good in uniform" (well not the last one, esp after my confusion with Ten) but you can tell that he wasn't budging. Then he said the magic words you know would be coming but try very hard to steer away from. 

Cop: "You buy beer, I no fine"

Me: "What beer?"

Cop: "Angkor"...then he adds "One box"

Me: (Gulp)"One box?"...I'm trying to do the math here but it doesn't help that I failed here, so I asked

        "How much one box"

Cop: "Ten dollarrrrrr"

Me: "What?!!" (Actually my response was such coz I was shocked that it's quite cheap, but he was shocked as well, and must have thought I was balking coz it's expensive.)

Cop: Ok five dollarrrrrr

Hahaha....I told Husref pay the man and I asked to take a picture with the fella, which he happily obliged. I really don't care about his picture though, my thoughts were, if we're stopped again later I'm gonna show the police the picture and tell em. "This guy has your beer!"

Five dollar beer cop.

The above was actually the last time that we were asked for the International Driving Permit by the authorities. It's no big deal but I think next time I should get 1 done.

The ride up to Phnom Penh is in stark contrast to when we made our way to Sihanoukville. It made such a huge difference to not have people blind you to death. They have little respect for motorcyclist where if they want to come out and overtake and be on a collision course with you they would. It's like they know you'd come off worse and would do the necessary to avoid them, which we do, with handlebar slapping about silly as we're pushed to the road shoulder, loosing grip in the gravel, trying not to hit the dog that's minding it's business but is now directly in your path, while muttering curses under your breath. Other than that.....it's all good man. Lol

I think this is a cool pic.

See what I mean. They just come out. YOU avoid THEM

If possible, the cop wants the whole truck.

Was pleased to roll into Phnom Penh and see Maybank. I was running out of USD, mainly because I failed to change before I left as a result of last minute planning, so quickly popped in there and used the ATM to get some dollars. Withdrew USD300 and was charged RM930 for it.

Hidup Maybank!

It's pretty much 2 years on the dot that I last rolled into Phnom Penh but the last trip was purely a hit and run as we overnight in PP en-route to Vietnam. It was also then that I filled up at Total and was given USD10 extra change. Something that bothered me all the while and so i was pleased and relieved  when I saw the Total was still there. I stopped and gave an attendant the USD10 trying very hard to explain what happened and why I was giving this money. I doubt she understood me at all but I didn't care. I'm here to put the record straight. That's all.

Posting it in FB got positive remarks all-round until of course one fella (Yes, you Kevin!) had to point out that with inflation I owe more than US10 and most probably I owe them double. Well you just had to put a damper on my feel good factor didn't ya? Coz the next day I friggin lost the hotel key card (the master copy it seems) and was charged wanna guess anyone? Yes...You Ass Dee 10. Karma is a bitch and she's out to get ya! Lol

2012/2013 Indochina Tour - Day 5 and 6

Look at what I found!

Husref...convinced we're gonna end up in jail for this stunt.

Remember I was telling you about the pretty woman that did our conveyance form at the Thai/Cambodia border of Trat/Koh Kong? Well I managed to sneak a pict paparazzi style. So to the left you can see the decoy that I used (wasn't too pleased I might add), so that I can pretend to take a picture of him when we all know the focus is elsewhere.

You know, in real life she's pretty, but in my picture she actually looks like a ghost. You know like one of those photos where there's nobody there and at the edge an image of a person appears. Oh well....anyways just in case you guys don't believe there's a pretty chick working in the immigration booth in the middle of nowhere, there's the proof.

By the way wanted to share this, when the waiter showed us to the hotel the night before and I agreed with his recommendation, I wanted to thank him and say goodbye, which I did. Then as I was unpacking the bike I saw that he was still outside....hmmm that's odd, but since he knows the people there I thought he's just chilling out with them, that is until he came back towards me. Now mind you he's a tiny fella, now I'm short, so if any guy is shorter then trust me, he's short. Fella is barely pushing 5'2", so in no way I felt threatened, but what transpired next had me a teeny weeny worried. Also his name is Ten by the way.

Ten: I go now

Me: OK *hmmm I thought we did this 5 minutes ago

Ten: I go now  *extends his hand to shake so I did the same

Me: OK, thanks again *I let go of his hand but he was still holding on to mine and looking me in the eyes.

Ten: I go now

Now this is the point when my train of thought went into hyperdrive and I'm imagining weird stuff but a guy looking me in the eye, holding my hand, not letting go. I mean come on, you can only think of one thing right? Yes...I was thinking, ohhh shit, fella is gay and he wants to hump me! In my mind Ten wants to shine his tiny flashlight up my bum bum and I kid you not I was ready to judo chop his hand if he didn't let go the next second, which thankfully he did.

Only much much later did I realise, Ten was looking to get a tip for his good deed. Aiyaaa facepalm! Good thing I didn't break his hand though. Now that'll be a tip he'll never forget.

We planned for a couple more nights in Sihanoukville and based on our poor and limited research Otres Beach seems to be the quieter part of Sihanoukville which also has a number of guesthouses. So the plan was head up there, find Wish You Were Here (a guesthouse) have breakfast there and see whether we can secure a place to stay.

Nice Beach Hotel....ok la you don't suck that bad but we want better

Otres is about 10 minutes ride from Occheautal with an inland way and through the beach. It's not really on our GPS so we kinda pawed our wy through before we found Wish You Were Here.

That's Johnny....and yes, he's wearing only a sarung.

The name is really saying "up yours" to Corporate life

I adore my pancakes

See! not lying

You know, there is something infinitely cool when you go to work wearing only a sarung. I mean tell me that's not cool and I know you're lying. I love his story of how he ended up there, more than a year ago he was at the beach with his friend Aaron getting stoned and it that very stoned state he said, wouldn't it be nice to have a place here that we can chill out. So there you go, we've been told not to do drugs coz it fucks up your thought process and granted, yes, drugs do ruin lives, but here we have a couple of stoner hippies in a very stoned state that decided to open a guesthouse/bar/restaurant and actually did it. I mean I've met so many "coherent" and "sober" people who yap about what they're gonna do, yada yada yada and a year down the road, they've done nothing to achieve what they said they would. Of course you'll hear all sorts of excuses for not doing what you said you would. So really, 2013 is a new year. Talk less and do more is what I say.

Hmmm I'm rambling here, anyways Johnny was full but he suggested for us to go to just ride along Otres further in there're new places. 

That's how we found Honey Moon Bungalows. Mike (who was topless as well that I'm beginning to think it IS a uniform after all) says he's got a couple of rooms for us.At USD18/night for a fan room it's not exactly cheap but it's pretty cheap around here.

The wifi password is ExtremlyLarge...i kid you not.

Now, the cool thing about this place is of course the fact that we get to park our bikes rigt in front of our rooms.

It's been a while since I last used a mosquito net

So now that the accommodation is sorted, there's nothing left to do other than to chill out, veg out and do absolutely......nothing. I mean, that's the idea of a holiday right? You already work hard all year, so when you're on a holiday, don't you want some time off, as in really off? No riding, no phones, just wake up late, veg out, go for a massage, swim a little, watch the sunset, eat and that's pretty much it.

I leave you with more pics of Otres. If you have any plans to come here, do it soon. The landscape is changing everyday, with more and more resorts. bungalows and guesthouses coming up. In a few years it may no longer be peaceful and idylic.

Nice clean beach

A nice bungalow type guesthouse, WildBeach

Fortunate to watch a couple of beautiful ones when we were here

A Spanish family. It's awesome that they expose their kids to these sort of experiences

Aaron, Johnny's partner. See what I mean about the uniform?

I really do envy these Mat Salleh's who just picks up and sets themselves up in a foreign country, braving through all sorts of challenges. They're taking a huge risk as they're leasing the land from the owner, in a country that is corrupt that recently 35 businesses closed down because a large corporation bought over the land and had the government do the dirty work of kicking those people out. They were given 2 weeks notice before heavy machinery came through and tore it all down. So it is not without worry that they are there, yet they are and of course the most important thing of all, they're happy. Something we all strive to be.