Bangkok/Phnom Penh/Siem Reap Trip Report: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

[vinapu]

you truly have problems, flying this trip , first delay at  at home and now  nerve wracking BKK lines but you made it

[firecat69]

Can't believe you would ever put your laptop in checked luggage. No cameras , laptops phones etc ever in checked luggage. First theft is definitely a problem all over the world and 2nd these items are not covered even if your luggage is just lost. Personal experience with a camera.

[numazu]

Gross about carpeting. I'm going to always wear something on my feet next time I'm at tarntawan.

Yes it is very gross but it is the last thing on my mind when I check in. Always either so tired or with a boy. And the Crowne Plaza carpets look very pristine. Doesn't mean they're not gross, but still, probably better than most other hotels in the area.

 

you truly have problems, flying this trip , first delay at  at home and now  nerve wracking BKK lines but you made it

I am usually very zen and relaxed when I fly but this trip for some reason I was on edge every time I flew. I do hope I've used up all my travel bad luck on this trip. My December trip better be a uneventful one.

 

Can't believe you would ever put your laptop in checked luggage. No cameras , laptops phones etc ever in checked luggage. First theft is definitely a problem all over the world and 2nd these items are not covered even if your luggage is just lost. Personal experience with a camera.

Thanks for the tip. I just don't think about it when I put my work laptop in my check-in. If I bring my personal one I always put it in my carry-on because it is ultra light, but work laptops I just toss them in my checked bag. Never had problems with theft but doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. I've had three iPads in a checked bag once, I was lucky it didn't get stolen then. I'll be careful next time.

[emailbroken]

I pass on this as well , medical insurance yes , but cancellation etc , no , I rather take a chance.

 

Waiting for a next installment for numazu's report impatiently 

It is worth while checking if your credit card provides travel insurance as an added benefit.  Or else get an annual policy.  The annual ones are not expensive at all.  From the UK you can get ones that cover you for losses, delays and medical (15million GBP) for around 20 pounds.

[Guest 2guys]

I have an annual one for medical, losses, delays, natural disasters, ..., not cheap as it's around 280 Euro, but if something happens it could come very useful.

Had family and friends who needed to use their insurance and saved thousands thanks to it. That's when I decided to take it on.

[Marrump]

i arrive in bangkok for 30 days.. the only plan is the first hotel for 3 days(trinity in silom $26)... I don't know how to plan that well, and jugel the boys that I have "promised" to spend time with.

 

I have never done travel insurance.... now I think I should if only for the medical. I have often wondered if the stuff was any good and would work outside of europe........?

 

enjoying the thread thank you

[numazu]

Day 2.3: Welcome to Phnom Penh

 

Cambodia Boy (CB) has been described extensively in my previous trip report. To recap, he is 24, about my height, a Jomtien Complex star, been in Pattaya for about a year now, and has great conversational English. He is probably the most handsome boy I’ve been with in my travels here, has amazing smooth skin, and a polished look optimized to attract the Asian clientele he tends to find on the gay apps. He prefers Asian customers, and his attraction are to Asian guys as well, though he does not have any shortage of farang clientele as well. He rarely gets his customers in Jomtien, and is content in getting tips for drinks and not offs, and prefers to meet his main customer base online. On slow Pattaya days he goes to Bangkok to tap into any Asian customers he can get on the apps. But he prefers staying in Pattaya because this is where his friends are, and prefers the smaller town vibe of Pattaya and Jomtien.

 

He is more hardened by years of soul-crushing poverty than other boys I've met. He dreams that one day he can get out of the money boy grind and get into more legitimate work in Phnom Penh, his real home. But he understands there are thousands of other boys in the same shoes in PP, so it is hard to make it in the city at the moment. He is a sweetheart, and tries to accommodate my wishes as his customer and friend. But once in a while his business veneer cracks and I get to peek into his vulnerabilities and insecurities. He seems to like me a lot, and it seems genuine, so he is the money boy that has been inside my head and heart the longest. Yes, I pay him, but it’s a small price to pay to get this kind of experience: An amazingly complex handsome and sexy boy with great conversational skills willing to show me his life and an insight into his soul, and a glimpse of how much love he can give a person. All I can give him in return is a little bit of money to delay his plunge into more poverty and despair, and hopefully also show him some genuine love and caring that (I think) he obviously needs.

 

So there he was, grinning from ear-to-ear, trying to get my attention at the arrivals area at Phnom Penh airport. Man, this kid is so handsome. He stands out from the others Khmers surrounding him. His face is boyish, amazingly smooth and copper tone, his clothes are expensive and are well put together, and he is wearing a new watch, some new jewelry, and a new stud in his ear. It must be a lucrative few months for him. And then he waves his long arms up and down, and starts jumping up and down to get my attention. I go to him and just stand there. I let him dictate the appropriate greeting while in his country. He takes my hand and shakes it. No hugs or kisses in the cheek like Myanmar Boy. We are playing it straight I see, so I play the game. “It’s so good to see you now!” He says in his boyish voice. I tell him it was slog to actually get here.

 

He then points to a sign that has my name in it. “I think that your tuktuk driver.” I go to the driver and introduce myself. CB then speaks to him in Khmer for a few little bit. Driver does a lot of nodding and words to the affirmative. CB then tells me before we go to my AirBNB condo he needs to get his clothes from his friend’s room he is currently staying at. I tell him I need to get some money into my Smart SIM card. He says we will stop by a convenience store on the way. The tuk-tuk driver leaves to get his vehicle. CB and I talk a little bit more about the trip.

 

“So what you think about the airport? Not big? Not like Suvarnabhumi?” I tell him no, it is not as big as that busy airport. But it’s actually a good thing. I show him photos of the lines in Suvarnabhumi and tell him I prefer the sleepiness of Phnom Penh airport and how not busy it is. He seemed pleased with this assessment.

 

It was raining a little bit but not too bad. The driver comes and takes my roller bag and we all head to the tuktuk. The Cambodian tuktuk is different from the Thai tuktuk. Instead of the motorbike incorporated with the passenger seats by a metal overlay, the Cambodian tuktuk has the passenger seats connected to the motorbike by a hitch. It makes the whole assembly longer, but it improves mobility by the extra pivot point at the hitch. This pivot point is crucial to the maneuverability of the vehicle through Phnom Penh traffic, as I will observe in future rides.

 

The tuktuk through the rain, the cars, other tuktuks. It was actually fun:

 

 

As we go through the streets of Phnom Penh, CB tells me how small everything in PP is compared to BKK.

 

“No big highways and no tall buildings,” he tells me.  I do notice how more rural things are. I tell him that PP is obviously still developing, and no doubt in about 10 years time he will probably see more development akin to a Bangkok. There are many construction sites littered around the route along the way. Whenever we see a big construction site, CB tells me what it is. “A big condo is building there,” or “A new mall is building here,” or “A lot of houses are building over there.” There was a lot of that going on. PP’s future is on the up and up it seems. He tells me if I wanted to buy property in PP it should be now, because PP prices will just be going up as the city develops more into a global city.

 

I hope to god that CB will be part of this development. I want him to have a good life here in PP, and be part of the future of his country. He obviously has a lot of hope pinned on his country as well. I hate that he has to go to Thailand to make a living. He belongs here. He needs to be part of this.

 

As we get to the PP city center the buildings become more dense and taller. Not as tall as BKK obviously but taller than the outskirts. CB says something to tuktuk driver and we stop at a street corner. “I get my clothes baby.” The rain has stopped and the air is still cool and comfortable. The tuktuk driver gets off and takes off his helmet and starts talking to me. He asks me where I am from, what I will do in PP and how I know CB. I tell him America, California, Its my first time in his beautiful city, and I know CB from Thailand. He then asks how I met him. I was not sure CB has mentioned his line of work, so I just tell the driver that I met CB through friends in a hotel. I tell him CB works in tourism. Which is sort of true. I am not offended by him prying. It was innocent enough and he was probably just making conversation while we wait for CB.

 

CB emerges with his familiar duffel bag on his shoulder and we are on our way to the AirBNB condo. CB tells me the condo is in a good spot. It’s close to the riverside, royal palace and close to nightlife and some restaurants. We get there and I was thankful that we got the driver recommended by the AirBNB owner. The place would be very hard to find without the driver’s knowledge, because it had a non-descript façade. The driver takes my roller bag and leads us into the unit. I will not describe the property too much because of privacy concerns. But it was a great unit, and a steal for around $20 - $30 a night. It was two levels, with a day bed/single bed living area , mini kitchen and bathroom on the first floor, and a queen sized bed on the second floor. It was spacious and had the two beds that I needed. The facilities were basic but good enough. The aircon worked wonderfully and made the whole unit comfortable. And the unit felt secure enough from the outside.

 

If you do an AirBNB search in the Phnom Penh city center you get a ton of options:

 

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Phnom-Penh--Cambodia?guests=1&zoom=15&search_by_map=true&sw_lat=11.557030002103636&sw_lng=104.91394823660676&ne_lat=11.576561388925622&ne_lng=104.93420427908723&ss_id=gf06fopa&page=1&source=map&airbnb_plus_only=false&s_tag=Lt5UMYrm

 

Next time I'll check out the hotels, but for now, I intend to invite many boys over, so finding an AirBNB property that can accommodate this seems to be a good place to do this. Just be mindful of the description of the unit.

 

The AirBNB owner told me to pay the driver $7. I give him $8 and he takes it graciously and thanks me. He tells me his phone number is with CB in case we needed him for anything. He also says his number is in the informational placard in the unit. I thank him for his help and he leaves. I survey the inside and indeed the informational placard is there, with other information like contact for the owner, wifi password, and some basic rules in the house. The rest of the unit is very clean and quite comfortable.

 

CB then turns into a chatterbox and tells me about his life the past few weeks. About his customers (with photos, ugh), shopping trips (which explains the new bling), and his illegal border crossing. He asks if I can give him money for his passport renewal ($150). I tell him of course, he needs his passport for his livelihood.

 

He then takes all his clothes of to reveal his new physique. I gave him extra money last trip, and I told him to pay for his gym membership so he can go for the two months he has to wait for me. His hard work shows. He now has more visible abs and biceps, though his boyish twink build is still there. He says he is careful not to become “too big”, but it is obvious he has gained some musculature. He tells me he eats more now to gain some muscle.

 

His uncut cock swings while he walks around the room.

 

“You want?” he asks, pointing to his cock.

 

To be continued

[vinapu]

Can't believe you would ever put your laptop in checked luggage. No cameras , laptops phones etc ever in checked luggage. First theft is definitely a problem all over the world and 2nd these items are not covered even if your luggage is just lost. Personal experience with a camera.

look at bright side , if those are stolen than there's excuse to buy new hi-tech toy

[vinapu]

 

“You want?” he asks, pointing to his cock.

 

To be continued

you do this to us again, cranking heat up and leave, LOL 

[musgrave]

Interested to read numazu's report about the time taken to clear immigration etc at the airport - I had similar experience when I returned home from Thailand in May - seems that it's necessary to factor in some extra time for international departures - always interesting to decide which immigration line to join - even my most considered selections have usually been the wrong ones!!!

 

 

ps really like the addition of the photos in the report

 

Just read the latest report - "you want?" - to be continued!!!! - I'm guessing you didn't say no

[firecat69]

Is it really $150 for a Cambodian passport?

[firecat69]

I will answer my own question which amazes me.  How can they charge their citizens this much even if it is biometric?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_passport

[witty]

Poor countries(but their governments aren't necessarily so) are in the habit of extracting money from their population who are mostly poor.

[vinapu]

Obviously they assume that only rich people will apply as well as those who are going abroad to work and recoup such extortionate fee soon enough.

 

Certainly one feel sorry for a boys who need to fork out such a sum and we can only hope there's enough admirers helping them to an expense.

[Alexx]

Yes, Cambodian passports are very expensive, especially considering that Thai passports are so much cheaper. And that's not it, you also have to pay more if you want to get it within a reasonable time. Also, getting replacements for lost documents (e.g. a certificate of birth) is much more troublesome - and ultimately much costlier - than again in Thailand.

 

I had my doubts about such claims a couple of times myself, but I could verify all of them. Cambodia's public service sucks big time!

[Guest]

I will answer my own question which amazes me.  How can they charge their citizens this much even if it is biometric?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_passport

$100 then ?     I suppose if his existing one has some mismatch of stamps, the extra $50 to smooth things over will not be a bad thing.

 

Several years back, I was told it was $220 by someone who had recently got one.   Probably exaggeration.

[Brummbaer]

Probably true, if they had to grease somebody's palm to move things along, in order not to wait 2-3 months for the new passport.

[numazu]

Day 2.6: Phnom-enal: An afternoon stroll by the riverside in photos

 

He goes to the bathroom and takes a shower. After he finishes I take one as well. After my shower I take the condoms and lube from my bag and I go up the stairs to the main bedroom, and I see him naked, stroking his cock, looking at gay porn online with the volume turned up. I take his phone away and give him a big deep kiss. He pushes me down and I lay on the bed. He takes my cock in his mouth and gives me a blowjob. This boy gets down to business really fast. I am instantly hard. He goes at it for a while before I am close to cumming. I do not want to end this yet so I lift his head to my face and kiss him again. I then lay him down and return the favor. After a few minutes I turn to his ass and rim him. Absolutely immaculate down there. Tastes good, feels even better to my tongue. He moans with pleasure. I slather my tongue down his hole, balls and cock, savoring every inch. I almost cum this way as well.

 

I flip him and get him on all fours. I put a condom on my cock, and I eat out his ass some more. I could do this all day. I put lube on my cock, and some in his ass, and I stick it in pretty easily. He moans a little bit and then relaxes. After a couple of thrusts I couldn’t take it anymore. He has taken me to the brink twice now, and I let go in the condom, screaming my head off. He laughs and tells me “Quiet!”. I hug him with him still on all fours. I flip him over and tell him to chuck wow for me. With my head rested on his thighs I look on as he works himself up to an orgasm. He tenses up and then cums, a lot, and some hits his shoulder and hair and the bed. 10 minutes on the bed and already it has cum on it. He relaxes, still heavily breathing. He rushes to the shower and I discard the condom. I wipe down and watch him shower.

 

After showering and still naked he asks me what I wanted to do. I tell him we already did it. He laughs and says "No! What you want to do?" I tell him maybe relax for a bit and then explore the city? He says OK but we should get out soon to see the sunset by the riverside. I tell him sure we can relax for 30 minutes and then we can head out.

 

After laying in bed we dress up to head out. It is 5 PM when we got out. We duck into a convenience store and he asks me for $5. He then asks the cashier for a cellphone top off. He gets a receipt. He tells me that unlike Thailand, here in Cambodia they just give you a code to enter in your phone so you can add money in your phone. He takes my phone and tops off my phone for me. I take the little instructions that came with the SIM card and got an internet plan. I dial  *087*300# to get the 2GB data for a month for $3. Again, overkill for a month, but for $3 who cares, and I don’t have to worry about renewing my internet everyday. Some of the plans for your info:

 

 

As we make our way to the riverside, I notice some of the bars opening up at this hour. CB tells me that some of the bars are lady bars, but have no gogo ladies like in Thailand. “In Cambodia gogo is not allowed. Lady and boy both not allowed.” But prostitution is still possible right? “Yes, but more hidden than Thailand.” I will find out later how that works. We get to the riverside and get a lovely vista of Tonle Sap river. With the recent rain just ending the air is just ideal for walking. I felt lucky I went today.

 

CB then explains to me what all this looked like when he was younger. “No big buildings before. Now many. Many many people now” He points to the horizon and the land across the river. “One year ago before I go Pattaya no building there. Now many building. It’s so crazy. My country so many building now”:

 

 

This actually reminds me of the Saphan Taksin BTS stop that has all the ferry services that take you to the condos and shopping across the Chao Phraya river. I'm sure one day Phnom Penh will have their own “Asiatique” with shopping, restaurants and ferris wheel. Maybe it IS time to buy.

 

 

We have a leisurely walk on the “Riverside” and just admire the whole atmosphere. Lots of people just hanging out and having fun. The river had some riverboats that had people on it celebrating or eating or singing or whatever else. CB tells me it is a good way to have a gathering, is to rent one boat, maybe $25 to $50 for the whole evening, and have a birthday party or celebration on it. On our strolls we notice some guys playing shirtless football (or soccer, for you americans), and some just hanging out shirtless. I love this city:

 

 

 

And we see this fitness “facility” where some of the people are exercising:

 

 

We walk by some condo developments and CB tells me I should buy a condo in one of these buildings. He has had some customers take him to these in the past:

 

 

And towards the end of our walk we admire the Royal Palace and other cool monuments:

 

 

 

We stay and relax in the area for a while, and get rewarded with this beautiful sunset by the Palace:

 

 

With the sunset comes the night. And the night brings out a different side of the city. As wonderful as this city is in the day, I am about to find out how even more wonderful this city is at night.

 

To be continued...

[ggobkk]

I do believe that your descriptive style of conveying in words what happened in the moment is very special.  The photos enhance the telling.  I have one more day from my trip to post - hopefully tomorrow.  Really glad to know that you have several more days to describe.  Thanks

[lilbob69]

Australian Passport costs AU$254 (10 year validity). I'm getting ripped off !!!!!

[vinapu]

definitely Phnom Penh looks spruced up compare to my last visit there early this century 

[Guest whall]

Ugh! I need more!....

[Guest whall]

Thank you so much for this. You must write for a living.

[firecat69]

Love the stories and the photos!

[Guest]

Another good article, thanks.  

 

As for the building, well if I'm not mistaken, the population of Cambodia has approximately quadrupled in the last 40 years, so that combined with economic growth from near zero, some kind of building boom has been inevitable.