Thursday 23 rd
of December 2010
and I arrived to Suvarnabhumi around 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
Took us just a wee bit more than 30 minutes to get from Sukhumvit Soi 23 to the airport. I had checked in 10 minutes later, aisle seat at the emergency exit. I took my lap top and I left for the Mini Mart on the floor between the departure and arrival floor.
I bought a diet drink and a pack of fags and I returned to
the smoking section outside the terminal. I had a few quick fags
while drinking my diet drink.
I passed immigration and security and I spent an hour
walking up and down the Suvarnabhumi airport. I checked every tax free stores for STROH rum,
but no luck.
Taking my seat on the plane was a pleasant surprise. Of course, it started with a bus ride, but when I came to my seat 39C there were plenty space for my legs. And when we left the gate I was pleasantly surprised again. I was sitting in an empty row.
- Hmm, did I make a good impression on the girl
at the check in so she blocked the seats next
to me? I don't know, but she told me that the flight was almost full so I had expected to sit with someone next
to me.
The time passed and I was slumbering in my seat. By now I was sitting at the window, I don't mind looking out. But if there is people in my row I prefer the aisle. Well, anyway, I was slumbering in my seat when I heard the PA system and I thought that we were about to arrive to Phnom Penh. Well, turned out that we were about to take off from Bangkok.
The flight took about one hour and I was comfy in my seat. Phnom Penh airport was very nice. First time for me so I didn't knew how it worked here. We got arrival/ departure card and a VISA application form on the flight. So I had to stop at a desk to apply for the VISA.
- One picture
- I don't have a picture.
- OK, 2 US dollars and we make a copy of your pass port.
- Can I pay with card, I don't have any dollars.
Turned out that I could pay with Thai Baht. But the VISA was 25 dollars and I asked where I
could find money.
- You can pay with Thai baht.
- I don't have enough baht
The guy pointed at an ATM machine and I asked if there was dollars in the machine.
- Yes
I don't have a clue what kind of currency they use here so I asked and he told me that it worked just fine with dollars. I got 400 dollars from the ATM and I paid my VISA.
When I picked up my VISA and passport I asked them if they had their own currency in Cambodia. They just gapedat me and I understood that they didn't understood me or that they thought that I was stupid. So I tried again.
- Do you use US dollars or Scooby dollars?
I never got any answer so I asked the officer when I passed through the immigration.
- We use Riel and it's about 4000 to a dollar. Very cheap!
The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.
The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.
For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonlé Sap river, which connects the lake with the Mekong river, reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish.
- How much for a beer?
- 3 US dollars
- 12,000 riel, not so cheap, I said.
Khmer language reminds me a wee bit of the Thai and the taxi driver told me that it was almost the same. I asked him how they said “ Do you speak English” in Khmer.
- Yiirrk Yiirrk
- What the
it is not even reminds of Thai. More like a bird, I said.
So he wasn't good in neither Thai nor English, but we managed to find my hotel at Sisowath Quay along the Mekong River. Well, actually, it is the Tonle Sap River outside my hotel, but the Tonle Sap river connects
with Mekong outside my hotel. So I can actually see bot the Tonle Sap and Mekong River from my hotel. I had booked and paid my hotel on the internet back home in Bangkok. Paddy Rice and it looked nice on the internet.
Turned out to be an Irish sports bar and if I had known this I would have chose another place. But the people were friendly and the room was OK and no one is forcing me to sit in
the Irish sports bar.
I checked in and I decided to take a walk up the Sisowath Quay before I went to bed. I stopped at a convenient store, no 7 Eleven in sight, and I bought a diet drink.1 US!! And they had told me everything was so cheap in Cambodia. Well, 1 US is almost the double price comparing to Bangkok.
Well, never mind, it's not like I'm going to drink diet drinks until I lose my home.
I continued up along the Tonle Sap River on Sisowath Quay while sippin' on my diet drink. I
From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission in 1995 to assist in the management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Burma became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperation framework.
The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in this river have made navigation extremely difficult.
passed a square or something like that. On the other side of the road was a nice house that turned out to be a restaurant.
The place was located along The Tonla Sap River and I
could imagine the view if it would have been day light. But it was pitch dark so I could not see anything of the river. It is not like in Bangkok with lights on the streets. In Phnom Penh there are lights at the Sisowath Quay and from the hotels and bars along the road. If you're 50 meters West of the Sisowath Quay it is pitch dark. No street lights or any lights in the houses. Reminded me of China a few years back.
Well, anyway, I crossed the street and I went inside asking for the menu. It was a very nice restaurant and by the look of the menu the food was good.
Hopefully the food will taste good as well.
I ordered a pot of tea and smoked salmon for starter. Main course, spaghetti with smoked salmon.
I got my Earl Grey tea and they brought my smoked salmon a few minutes later.What the! This was the biggest portion of smoked salmon I had ever seen.
Well, maybe with the exceptions of SCAN DELI in Bangkok. I soaked
the salmon in the honey mustard and dill dressing and I dug in. What a disappointment!
It was like buying strawberries in Bangkok. You think it's for free until you come home and open your strawberries. You have a cubic metre of strawberries and when you rip open the pack you discover that it's only one layer of straw berries around a cone used for fillings.
You can see on the picture below, it looks huge but it was 4 slices of smoked salmon over 4 leaves of lettuce folded so it looked like 500 grams of smoked salmon. Well, it tasted very good.
My spaghetti with smoked salmon and dill sauce was something of the very best I ever have had. So Bopha Phnom Penh Titanic Restaurant in Phnom Penh is highly recommended by Aladdin.
But cheap? No, I paid 600 baht including tip and that's the same price as at a high end Italian restaurant in Bangkok (And then you have AC). So don't come bursting through the Cambodian immigration with 4 US dollars in your pocket
thinking that you're going to have the time of your life. 
Well, I decided to come back for their salmon tomorrow. Yet again, if you're in Phnom Phen pay Bopha Phnom Penh Titanic Restaurant a visit.
Mmmm, I can't wait to get back for their salmon. 
I walked back to my hotel along the Sisowath Quay enjoying life. I could not help but thinking about Europe and the weather situation. I started my computer first thing after having checked in at
my hotel. E-mail and they asked if I could come and work in week 2.
I have been on the ship before and it is the very best ship I have ever worked on. Outstanding, top notch. But in January??!!
Actually, I wouldn't mind. It's not like I'm going to spend a lot of time out in the cold. But I have my friend and his wife coming to Bangkok in January so I can't make it.
Not good for my reputation, I have turned down a few jobs just because of my friends visit. But I wrote them that I was ready to join next week (Today if it wasn't for me being in Cambodia) if it would help them. Yes, I find it awkward to turn down jobs, but this time I have to do it. 
I went back to my hotel, I have ordered an early wake up call for tomorrow morning. Thai Embassy
opens at 8 thirty and I need to apply for my VISA. But tomorrow night, Friday and that
means party. But I have my concerns. The hotel, no elevator and several stairs to climb to get to my room. No
problem, but coming back 4 o'clock Saturday morning, might be a different story.
And there is not only stairs to climb. Several steps and thresholds to pass and I willhopefully make it back to my room. And I knew myself when I'm a wee bit tipsy.
I remember when I was young and... Well, I was in West Berlin (#1 party town in the world) for a good night out on town. Returning to my hotel and I could not open my door. Yes, tipsy and I wanted to sleep so going back to the reception was no option. So I just went in to another room. Yes, well, this was a long time ago.
Remeber! It has to be on full blast
- TUK TUK Sir?
- No thanks, I will take a taxi.
- Better you use TUK TUK. Taxi driver have a lot of money and I have to rent my TUK TUK by the day.
- How much to the Thai Embassy?
- 2 way set dollars
- How much?
- Set dollars!
- What theis set dollars?
He held up six fingers.
- Hey, listen up! I will give you 10 dollars.
He could not believe is ears. He was gapingat me. He had expected me to say 4.
The driver was waiting while I was having my breakfast and when I was ready we took off towards
the Thai Embassy. It was a 10 to 15 minutes ride,
the TUK TUK was not the fastest vehicle in the world, but I was in no hurry and better safe than sorry.
I got a queue number at the gate and I went in to the VISA department. I was happy to discover that I was the only one there to apply for VISA.
I gave them my passport and VISA application that I had filled up back home in Bangkok. Then I was reminded about a movie a saw a few years ago. Well, a few years,thinking of it and it must have been 15 or 20 years ago.
Well, never mind, it was about a guy coming to the airport desperate to get on a flight.
- Sorry Sir, all flights are full. Next available seat is next week.
- BY THEN I'M SUCKING ON AN EXHAUST PIPE!
Same for me today, they told me to come back on the 29th to pick up my passport.
- BY THEN I'M SUCKING ON AN EXHAUST PIPE!
I don't know if it was due to my ear rings. I spent 2 minutes at the VISA section and the girl spent 1 minute out of the two talking about my earrings. Well, anyway, she took back my receipt and changed the date to the 27th and I can fly back home on Monday night.
I asked for the price and she
told me that it was for free.
I was in a good mood leaving the Embassy, OK, there was a fly in the ointment.
If I had known that it would be this quick I would have ordered my wake up call for 10 o'clock instead.
My driver was waiting outside and we took off towards my hotel.
On my way back to the hotel I saw the sights of Phnom Penh. Good, I don't need to suffer from any agony coming to a foreign country and not have seeing the sights and I can spend the Saturday and Sunday in bed in case of hangover. Yes, that's how I operate!
And good news from the “FIGHT AGAINST OBESITY” department! Leaving Bangkok and my shirt was at least to say small.
- What theI'm eating tuna and carrots only in a combination with heavy duty sport and my
shirts are getting smaller!!??
Before leaving for the Embassy this morning I took on a shirt and this was big. When I was on my
constitutional
back in Bangkok Wednesday night I felt really small. So I was surprised when I took on my shirt Thursday afternoon. Well, seems like I had washed the shirt in 90 and it had shrunk and it was not me that had got bigger.
Back in my room from the Thai embassy I was listening to P3 Hip Hop. The third last show and then there will be no more P3 Hip Hop on the Swedish radio. I have been listening to P3 Hip Hop since they started 10 years ago and the show will be missed. At least by me. Lunch time and I left for my lunch back at the Titanic. I decided to take another way to the restaurant so I could have a look at the town and then I don't have to worry about that again. Took me 15 minutes to walk to the restaurant and before I went inside I stopped to get a picture of Tonle Sap River. And Tonle Sap is small in comparison with the Mekong.
The river is called Tonle Sap and Tonle Sap connects with Mekong outside my hotel. So if I turn
left coming out from my hotel I walk the Sisowath Quay along the Tonle sap River and if I turn right I walk along Mekong River.
Yeah, if you care just check out a map of Phnom Penh.
I have been drinking plenty Mekong but I had never seen the river before so that was kind of fun. 
I ordered the salmon salad and I ordered a cheese platter instead of the spaghetti for lunch. A pot of Earl Grey to go with the food and I could feel how I was growing out of my shirt while eating. The food is really good at the Titanic restaurant. See if I will leave my bed tomorrow, but if I do it will most likely be more salmon at the Titanic restaurant.
- Try the Khmer food?
- Why?
They have Khmer fried rice with chicken, Khmer buffalo and so on. Pretty much the same as in Thailand, just put the word Khmer in front of the name. Then I prefer the salmon.
I wanted to buy a few diet drinks on my way back to the hotel. Can come in handy with a few cold drinks during the weekend. 
When I came back to my hotel after the VISA application I asked for a diet drink in the bar to bring to my room
- We only have diet coke
OK, I will go find a convenient store to buy a diet drink. In my mini bar there are only ordinary drinks. Well, on my way back from my lunch I bought a few diet drinks and a JUMBO size bottle of water. If I wake up with a hangover tomorrow (Hopefully not) the water in my mini bar
wont last long. And for sure, I will not feel like meeting the ROOM SERVICE staff.
No 7 eleven around, but I stopped many times thinking that I had run in to a 7 eleven, but it turned out to be something else with a logo reminding of 7 Eleven's logo. Well, the diet drink tastes the same, never mind the logo. 
I took a few pictures of Phnom Penh on my way back so now I don't have to do that again. I also stopped to buy a few bottles of diet drink around the corner from my hotel on my way back. I took a shower back on my room, soon time to go check out the night life.
Of course, there is a few question marks, will it be Charisma Man or the Obnoxious Man lurking around the corner. One thing is for sure, Charisma Man is the first guy to show up andhopefully the Obnoxious Man will stay away.
I cannot put it better than the taxi driver in Los Angeles. I don't know if I have put it here before. But anyway, I was in a taxi in los Angeles. I was going for a beer and I had a few words
with the driver. It didn't took long before we agreed that it sucked to grow old.
- The hangover is a pain in the arse when you're old!
- Yes, but it's pretty fun being a wee bit tipsy, he said.
- Yes, but it's next to impossible to stay “just tipsy”
He agreed with me. After 4 beers the girls love you. You're witty and handsome.
- Then the problem starts, I said.
- Yes, 4 more beers and the girls ask who the obnoxious son of a b**** is!
- CALL THE POLICE MOTHERF@CKER!!! 
Well, the obnoxious man is not my biggest concern here. I'm more worried about all the stairs to get to my room. And I hope I can make it all the way back to my room when I'm coming back. I don't want to pass out half way up start screaming for help. Yes, I have a story from Houston, coming home in the middle of the night and I could not open the door to my hotel room. Yes, I was shit faced but I came up with a plan. I didn't want to go back to the reception so I layed down outside my door.
- Hmm, if I start to scream the neighbours will complain
and call
for someone to sort out
the problem.
I WAS RIGHT! But the day after the hotel manager called me to his office. But he was more impressed that I had managed to get
back home than angry.
- I never seen someone so drunk before!
I left my hotel room at 17:30 and I walked 1 block up on the Sisowath Quay and I stopped at a place. But there were no music so I continued my walk. I stopped at a place, no music again.
- Do you know a place with music? I asked
- We play music
- I hear f@ck all, I said.
The cranked up the music a notch and I ordered a San Miguel Light. What a disappointment, nothing like the San Miguel you get in Manila so I only had one. Tiger beer is imported so imported Tiger beer will be my choice in Phnom Penh from now on.
Imported beer, I remember one time in Singapore. I was enjoying myself in a pub. There was a sign saying IMPORTED CARLBERG so I ordered a Carlsberg and I took a sip.
- What theis this?
I looked at the bottle, made in Thailand. I got pissed of, they can't make beer in Thailand and if
I buy an imported Carlsberg I expect it to be imported from Denmark. Then we're talking a very good beer. Not as good as the San Miguel Light you get in Manila or the Tiger Light. But one of the best beers in the world. But made in Thailand! No way!
Well, anyway, I had a few imported Tigers (Not from Thailand) and they turned up the music a bit every time I ordered a beer. I asked for suggestions for a good night out in
Phnom Penh. Yes, first time for me in Phnom Penh and they told me to go to the Riverhouse. Just next to my hotel. (They place without music when I was looking for a place for my
first beer)
- Hip Hop santa is in town.
- OK, this one I won't miss, I said.
I asked if they had a disco where there were only Cambodians. When I looked in to Riverhose it was mostly
old foreigners with young Khmer girls so I was looking for something wee different.
They gave me a name of a disco and they told me that it would open at 8.
- But there are no people until 10 or 11!
OK, I get the picture. I left the place and I was walking around Phnom Penh in search for good music. Well, the good music where to be found at the places where they
played my CD. Yes. I always have a CD in my pocket.
It must have been 10 or 11 before I took off to the Khmer disco. I was on my way for a few hours but I ended up at a place and I and we were playing my CD. I was in charge over the remote control so the music was blasting high and it's very hard to leave a place with good music.
I took a Cambodian TUK TUK to the Khmer disco. It
was a well known place. I showed the people the piece of paper with the name of the disco written in Khmer. Same reaction every time: It's a Khmer disco, are you sure you want to go?
I took a Cambodian TUK TUK to the disco, it was a 20 minutes ride. As soon as we left the river side the city was dark and empty. Just a few people to be seen and no lights
at all. When we approached the disco there were some lights to be seen.
I was not allowed inside with my baseball cap on. I tried to bribe the security but no luck.
- What thedo you want me to go in to a disco
showing off my bald spot?
Nothing helped and I had to leave my baseball cap with the security before entering the place.
And what the f@ck? This reminded me of a disco in Bombay
back in 1992 or something like that. It was only guys. Maybe 3 girls and 100 boys. What theis this??!!
Seriously, it was not a gay club, but it was 99% boys at
the place and I would have left if it wasn't for the , and I mean, EXCELLENT music. Disco in FUNKY TOWN and its pretty much PLAENG THAMADA. But here it was stomping.
I mean, I know my way around good music, but this was all new to me. They even had some very good Khmer
music and I was hanging in the DJ booth. They wrote down the names for me and I will go looking for music tomorrow.
I was home early, I had a few salmon sticks at the Riverhouse before going home. I don't know why I was very carefully. But my guess is that I was thinking about the stairs to my hotel room. So I actually remember how I got home.
finished my morning tea I took off to look for the music from yesterday.
- I'm sorry, but we don't have Khmer music. Try the market.
I walked around the market but they didn't had the CD I was looking for. DARN! I had to return to my hotel room as I could feel that the hangover was kicking in.
After 2 or 3 hours I went down to the bar and I ordered an imported Tiger beer. Yes, I'm in Phnom Penh and I want to see as much of the night life as possible before leaving for home on Monday night.
My plan was to go down and drink a beer and bring back 2 or 3 beers to my room. Yes, I don't fancy meeting people with a hangover force 9,8 so if I can have a few beers before going out it will help me a lot. But when I had finished my beer I left for a walk along the river.
Well, what do you know. I left my room at 2 thirty and I came back at 10. Just to get some snus and to write a few words on my web page to sober up a bit. Yes, I have a date and I don't want to go Aladdin style.
I stopped at a place and I asked for a Tiger beer. They only had Kingdom, a locally brewed beer. OK, I can try one bottle. Tasted like shit and I expected a bill, yes, 50 cent tops. But the beer
was 3, 52 US! More expensive than the Tiger beer, and Tiger is a good beer.
As you understand I didn't stayed for a second bottle. I crossed the street because I spotted a bar with a guitar over the entrance door.
- Good, a place with music!
I was disappointed, no music. But as I was walking further in to the bar I could hear music. So I sat down on a stool at the bar.
- Do you have Tiger beers?
- Yes
- Can I please have one? In a wine glass and some ice, please!
I was sitting next to a British guy and he kept on telling me that he had forgotten that it was
Christmas.
- Well, who cares? I said
- Yes, we want to forget the Christmas bullshit, he said.
But we ordered a traditional British Christmas dinner, turkey with stuffing. The
food actually very good, otherwise turkey tend to be very dry and boring. I had planned to stay for a beer or two, but after 15 beers I
turned handsome and I ended up on a date.
Yes, as my friend use to say: Aladdin, you are very funny, until you have too much to drink and you turn in to the Obnoxious Man.
OK, I know, so I decided to return to my hotel to write a few words on my web page before going on my date. Well, I made several stops on my way back to the hotel and my stop at the hotel was just to pick up snus.
Cambodia and there is always at least one of the staff speaking Thai. I was on my way back to the hotel and I stopped at a pub. I spoke with one of the girls.
- Crank up the music!
- Please, put some ice in my beer!
- Please, one more beer.
The American owner asked me how long I had been in Cambodia. I told him that I had been here for 2 days. He thought that I was joking.
- How come you speak the language?
- I speak f@ck all Cambodian, I said.
- What language are you using when speaking with my staff?
- What the?? You're have been running a business in the country for several years and you cannot hear that we're speaking another language.
I mean, you don't need to understand the Khmer language, but at least I think you should be able to hear if we're talking Khmer or Swedish.
You can enjoy some Danish Hip Hop while I'm out having a good time in Phnom Penh.
Remeber! It has to be on full blast
Going back to my room for a few hours turned out to be a smart move. Otherwise I would have
been more than tipsywhen meeting the girls and they would not have learned to know
Charisma Man. I'm pretty sure they would have been disappointed if it would have been the Obnoxious Man showing up.
We took a TUK TUK to the disco, I don't remember the name, but I think it was Saint Topez or something like that. Well, it was 10 minutes or something like that from the river front.
Well. I was back in my room at 4 or 5 o'clock. Not bad for an old guy considering that I had my
first beer at 14 thirty and we ordered a bottle of vodka when we came to the disco around 2 o'clock in the morning.
But now I had had enough of the Christmas. But I learnt one thing. I have always wondering why the British eat turkey for Christmas. I have only been eating dry turkey and I have never liked it. But after today's Christmas dinner I liked it, for the first time in my life.
checked numerous stores for the CD, but so far I have come up with ZIP. I got a hot tip from the guy in the reception yesterday.
- Try the central market
- OK, can you wake me up at 8 tomorrow morning?
They called me at 8 but I didn't get out of bed until almost 9 thirty. I took a shower and
I walked to the central market after my breakfast. Well, they sold exactly the same junk at the market as you can see in Thailand. Well, pretty much the same knick-knacks they sell
at any night market around Asia.
I only found one place selling CDs but they didn't have the one I was looking for. Well, I was leaving when I guy was going to take my picture. His camera jammed and I walked up to him and I got his picture.
- GET A LIFE!
I had planned for salmon after the central market, but I still feel a bit bad after the weekend so I decided to go back to my hotel instead.
I left my room at 14 thirty, I had decided to eat my last salmon in Phnom Penh. And yes, I always make the same mistake when I check for hotels on the internet. I decide to live smack in the night life area and as everything happens along the river in Phnom Penh I decided to live river side. And after 2 days of party I really don't feel like meeting anyone from Friday and Saturday night so it's a living hell trying to get to the restaurant.
I sneak through small back alleys hopping that no one will see me. Next time I will choose a hotel away from the night spots so I don't have to be scared to pass the pubs.
Back from the Salmon at Titanic and my TUK TUK driver was waiting to take me to the Thai Embassy. Of course, I had lost my receipt and they could not find my passport. They had to call someone and finally they found my passport.
I had a last mango shake when I came back to my hotel. Then I shower and I was down to meet
my TUK TUK driver at 16:30 so he can take me to the airport. Nice to go home!
We left my hotel and the driver turned left and we drove up the Sisowath Quay. I had hoped for the driver to choose to drive through the city and thus avoiding the Sisowath Quay.
Well, our driver turned left, just a wee bit worse than turning right. Never mind,
we will just hiss by all the pubs and before people are recognizing me in the TUK TUK we will
have left them behind.
It took us about 30 minutes to get to Phnom Penh International, 4 hours and 40 minutes' before departure time. Check in for Thai airways was not open so I had to kill 1 and a half hour walking around the airport. The opened check in at 18:30 and I was second to check-in in my row. In front of me, a lady and her two kids.
I don't know what the f@ck they were up to, but it took them 30 minutes to check in and when it was my turn the girl behind the counter was embarrassed.
- I'm sorry!
- No problem! I said.
The flight was 50 minutes' long and that was OK, all flights should be just 50 minutes long and it would not be so bad to fly.
I stepped in to my apartment at 22:30 and I went to bed around midnight.
my bathroom and I hope they can start the work ASAP.
Well, coming to COTTO turned out to be nothing but a disappointment. Quotation and measurements had turned in to nothing and I lost my temper. Turned out that it would take them months to complete my bathroom.
My EX Teacher had called me before I left for the tile shop so we meet there at 2 o'clock and we decided to go to Boonthavorn on Ratchadapisek to look for tiles.
And as always when I'm at Boonthavorn I stop to buy some
Thai sweets outside the entrance.
The staff at Boonthavorn gave us the number to the company that they used to put up tiles and my EX Teacher called them.
- They will come at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
We took a taxi back to COTTO on Asok and I took pictures of the tiles I wanted. I asked for delivery times and they told me that they expected them to take 1 week to get the required amount of tiles. Well, 1 week means f@ck all in Thailand.Hopefully the guy that comes tomorrow will give me good news so I can order my tiles tomorrow and he willhopefully be able to finish my bathroom in 2 weeks.
that I had had a severe hangover for 2 days in Phnom Penh,
but obviously it must have been something else. I was very feeble and had been for the last 4 days. OK, Sunday was a good ol' hangover, but the last 3 days had been something else.
I returned to bed and I was watching TV having a rest when the craftsman called. By now it was just a little past 10.
He was late and he told me that he would be here at 11 o'clock. My EX Teacher arrived 10 minutes later and we were
waiting for the craftsman. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing when it
took 3 calls to find my apartment. It is pretty much straight forward to find my apartment. Well, if they can't find my apartment will they be able to redecorate me bathroom?
Well, my worries were soon out the window. The craftsman turned out to be very good, actually, I was impressed. He measured my bathroom and he made a drawing and it didn't take long before I had a quotation and a list of tiles to buy. It took him about 1 hour, what a difference from COTTO on Asok. They charged me 500 baht and after several days they came up with exactly nothing.
I went to COTTO on Asok with my EX Teacher to order the tiles. It took me less than 1 minute to get very angry.
- The tiles are not in stock.
- I know, but you told me that you would have them in 1 week.
- They are not making these tiles anymore.
- What the
They lied me straight up in my face “We never told you that we have the tiles”. What the.... I had been there almost every day for a month and we had decided to go with these very tiles from day one. And now, when I order the tiles they tell me that they are not available. I was furious and we left for Boonthavorn.
I ordered the tiles and I will have them on the 10th of January. The main office is closed over the New Year holiday and they will not open until the 5th of January.
When we were on our way back to Sukhumvit my EX Teacher told me that I should have done everything at Boonthavorn and it would have been ready in 1 day.
- And no 500 baht charge for nothing.
and now it's time to buy new plants. They will deliver my potted plants at 5 o'clock in the
afternoon. Yes, we remember how it looked last spring when they delivered my new plants.
So I had time for some shopping at Big C on Ekkamai before going home. I bought stuff for making chicken curry tomorrow afternoon.
Well I was not surprised when they came from Karaket Garden
at 16:25. I have been buying my potted plants at their shop for many years now. And they always recognize me when 'm coming to their shop. And they have always been in time for delivery of my potted plants.
It took them one hour to replace my old plants with the new ones. The owner of the shop had brought three guys to do the job and while they were working we went to have a look at my condo. It was the first time for her in my condo and she wasn't used to see pink wall paper
and she wanted to see the rest of my apartment.
I still have a few pots without plants and we looked around and she will come back tomorrow with more plants for me. Always very good service at Karaket Garden and if you're looking for potted plants in Bangkok I can recommend Karaket Garden at Ekkamai Soi 8.
The plan was to go watch a movie with the girls from the law office at Lang Suang but they were working late so we had to skip the movie. But one of the girls came over and we went down to SCAN DELI on Soi 18
for dinner. Yes, she loves my Swedish meatballs and she asked if I knew a place in Bangkok with Swedish food. So of course, SCAN DELI came up in my mind first thing.
Well, arriving to Sukhumvit Soi 18 just to be disappointed, SCAN DELI was closed. What the??
The clock was just 7 o'clock in the evening. Well, I will have to call my friend to find out what time they are closing. There was a note saying that SCAN DELI was closed 31 and 1st of January, but today it is only the 30th of December.
I told her that we could come back to SCAN DELI on Sunday and we decided to go eat Thai food at Sukhumvit Soi 11 instead. We had Thai food, green curry and chicken. But I would have prefer the smoked salmon at SCAN DELI.
Well, I'm not sure that I will go back to this restaurant. Well, the food was OK, but they didn't had any mango and sticky rice. Andhmm, maybe my diet is better off without the mango with sticky rice.
turned off. I will never buy a Samsung phone again. Snooze and when the alarm went off for the third time I threw the phone on the floor so it went to 3 pieces. Yes, is there any other way to turn off an alarm that is not turned on?
Quarter to 11 and I jumped out of bed. I just finished making me been when it knocked on my door 2 minutes later.
Constantly ringing my door bell while knocking, no it was banging on the door. I don't know how they f@cking managed to ring the bell, banging the door and pulling the door at the same time. Never forget to lock your door in Thailand. Seriously, if no one is attending the door 3 seconds after the first knock they just step right in. And this can turn in to a major embarrassment.
My EX Teacher rang on my door bell 10 minutes past 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We started
cocking after a few minutes. I was making chicken
curry and she was making Swedish meatballs.
And as usually, there were plenty leftovers that I had to throw away. Two of our friends were going to world trade centre to watch the New Year countdown. Well, 100,000 people and it is impossible to move in the area. We had a few beers (Well, I had a few beers) and we took a taxi to Khaosan Road.
I was surprised, very light traffic and we did it to Khaosan Road in a jiff.
We walked to the Brick bar and the girls had one drink each while I had 5 or 6. Would have been cheaper to buy a bottle of vodka, and for sure, the drinks would have tasted vodka.
We left the place after an hour or so, they
usually have very nice bands playing at the place. But today the music left a lot to wish for.
We walked to the street next to Khaosan and
we sat down at a table on the sidewalk. They had
live music, a guy in cowboy hat playing guitar, and the music was very good.
The girls shared one drink and I had 5 or 6 vodka with orange juice. My mood improved by the minute.
We were waiting for a guy that works at the same law office as my EX Teacher so we moved to a restaurant where I had a few more vodka orange. We were going to Thong Lo and my friend had just come back from India and he wanted to join us. He was coming to pick us up at Khaosan.
By now the Friday night traffic had kicked in so we decided to
meet at GLOW on Sukhumvit Soi 23 and to go from there to Thong Lo.
And yes, going back to Sukhumvit took way longer than to come here. The roads were full of cars but as soon as we reached the highway we could speed up and we arrived to GLOW at 11 o'clock.
We could see my friend's car outside GLOW so we knew that he had arrived.
The plan was to go to Thong Lo to meet some people. But as no one knew the name of the place we
had to wait for some other people to
Tore Skogmans okände kusin går ju inte att lägga ut. Jo, jag får väl lägga ut den också, eller så får man väl höra om det i 5 år. Men eftersom du inte har ö och ä så vet jag inte om Thore Skogmans okanda kusin är okända eller ökända kusin.
come to GLOW before we could leave.
Of course, when they arrived they didn't had a clue about the name of the place
at Thong Lo. And they asked where we wanted to be at the countdown. And by now it was 23:30.
- Countdown, never mind we can stay at GLOW and move to Thong Lo later!
So we ended up at GLOW during the countdown. Well, as I and my friend said: “Countdown??!! Who cares?”
Yes, I never understand why you want to celebrate birthdays and New Year.
Should be 1990 for the rest of my life and I would not have minded to be 22 until the day I died. Well, we left
for Thong Lo around 1 o'clock and it took us 15 minutes to get there. My friend is drinking soda only so he is driving, and he is also worried about the places we're going to. When we
decided to meet at GLOW.
- I can't go to GLOW!
- Ah, they have forgotten you by now.
Pretty much same story at FUNKY VILLA, but no problem, no one recognised him, at least not what we were aware off.
The year of our Lord 2010 has come to an end and we swing right over to 2011 .
Took us just a wee bit more than 30 minutes to get from Sukhumvit Soi 23 to the airport. I had checked in 10 minutes later, aisle seat at the emergency exit. I took my lap top and I left for the Mini Mart on the floor between the departure and arrival floor.I bought a diet drink and a pack of fags and I returned to
the smoking section outside the terminal. I had a few quick fagswhile drinking my diet drink.I passed immigration and security and I spent an hour
walking up and down the Suvarnabhumi airport. I checked every tax free stores for STROH rum,but no luck.Taking my seat on the plane was a pleasant surprise. Of course, it started with a bus ride, but when I came to my seat 39C there were plenty space for my legs. And when we left the gate I was pleasantly surprised again. I was sitting in an empty row.
- Hmm, did I make a good impression on the girl
at the check in so she blocked the seats nextto me? I don't know, but she told me that the flight was almost full so I had expected to sit with someone nextto me.The time passed and I was slumbering in my seat. By now I was sitting at the window, I don't mind looking out. But if there is people in my row I prefer the aisle. Well, anyway, I was slumbering in my seat when I heard the PA system and I thought that we were about to arrive to Phnom Penh. Well, turned out that we were about to take off from Bangkok.
The flight took about one hour and I was comfy in my seat. Phnom Penh airport was very nice. First time for me so I didn't knew how it worked here. We got arrival/ departure card and a VISA application form on the flight. So I had to stop at a desk to apply for the VISA.
- One picture
- I don't have a picture.
- OK, 2 US dollars and we make a copy of your pass port.
- Can I pay with card, I don't have any dollars.
Turned out that I could pay with Thai Baht. But the VISA was 25 dollars and I asked where I
could find money.- You can pay with Thai baht.
- I don't have enough baht
The guy pointed at an ATM machine and I asked if there was dollars in the machine.
- Yes
I don't have a clue what kind of currency they use here so I asked and he told me that it worked just fine with dollars. I got 400 dollars from the ATM and I paid my VISA.
When I picked up my VISA and passport I asked them if they had their own currency in Cambodia. They just gapedat me and I understood that they didn't understood me or that they thought that I was stupid. So I tried again.
- Do you use US dollars or Scooby dollars?
I never got any answer so I asked the officer when I passed through the immigration.
- We use Riel and it's about 4000 to a dollar. Very cheap!
The Tonlé Sap
(Khmer: ទន្លេសាប
; "Tonlé" meaning "Large Fresh Water River," but more commonly translated as "Great Lake") is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.
The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.
For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonlé Sap river, which connects the lake with the Mekong river, reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish.
From Wikipedia
- 3 US dollars
- 12,000 riel, not so cheap, I said.
Khmer language reminds me a wee bit of the Thai and the taxi driver told me that it was almost the same. I asked him how they said “ Do you speak English” in Khmer.
- Yiirrk Yiirrk
- What theit is not even reminds of Thai. More like a bird, I said.So he wasn't good in neither Thai nor English, but we managed to find my hotel at Sisowath Quay along the Mekong River. Well, actually, it is the Tonle Sap River outside my hotel, but the Tonle Sap river connects
with Mekong outside my hotel. So I can actually see bot the Tonle Sap and Mekong River from my hotel. I had booked and paid my hotel on the internet back home in Bangkok. Paddy Rice and it looked nice on the internet.Turned out to be an Irish sports bar and if I had known this I would have chose another place. But the people were friendly and the room was OK and no one is forcing me to sit in
the Irish sports bar.I checked in and I decided to take a walk up the Sisowath Quay before I went to bed. I stopped at a convenient store, no 7 Eleven in sight, and I bought a diet drink.
1 US!! And they had told me everything was so cheap in Cambodia. Well, 1 US is almost the double price comparing to Bangkok.Well, never mind, it's not like I'm going to drink diet drinks until I lose my home.
I continued up along the Tonle Sap River on Sisowath Quay while sippin' on my diet drink. I
Mekong River,
is one of the world's great rivers. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,909 km (3,050 mi), and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually.From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission in 1995 to assist in the management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Burma became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperation framework.
The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in this river have made navigation extremely difficult.
From Wikipedia
The place was located along The Tonla Sap River and I
could imagine the view if it would have been day light. But it was pitch dark so I could not see anything of the river. It is not like in Bangkok with lights on the streets. In Phnom Penh there are lights at the Sisowath Quay and from the hotels and bars along the road. If you're 50 meters West of the Sisowath Quay it is pitch dark. No street lights or any lights in the houses. Reminded me of China a few years back.Well, anyway, I crossed the street and I went inside asking for the menu. It was a very nice restaurant and by the look of the menu the food was good.
Hopefully the food will taste good as well.I ordered a pot of tea and smoked salmon for starter. Main course, spaghetti with smoked salmon.
I got my Earl Grey tea and they brought my smoked salmon a few minutes later.What the! This was the biggest portion of smoked salmon I had ever seen.Well, maybe with the exceptions of SCAN DELI in Bangkok. I soaked
the salmon in the honey mustard and dill dressing and I dug in. What a disappointment!It was like buying strawberries in Bangkok. You think it's for free until you come home and open your strawberries. You have a cubic metre of strawberries and when you rip open the pack you discover that it's only one layer of straw berries around a cone used for fillings.
You can see on the picture below, it looks huge but it was 4 slices of smoked salmon over 4 leaves of lettuce folded so it looked like 500 grams of smoked salmon. Well, it tasted very good.
My spaghetti with smoked salmon and dill sauce was something of the very best I ever have had. So Bopha Phnom Penh Titanic Restaurant in Phnom Penh is highly recommended by Aladdin.
But cheap? No, I paid 600 baht including tip and that's the same price as at a high end Italian restaurant in Bangkok (And then you have AC). So don't come bursting through the Cambodian immigration with 4 US dollars in your pocket
thinking that you're going to have the time of your life. Mmmm, I can't wait to get back for their salmon. my hotel. E-mail and they asked if I could come and work in week 2.I have been on the ship before and it is the very best ship I have ever worked on. Outstanding, top notch. But in January??!!
Actually, I wouldn't mind. It's not like I'm going to spend a lot of time out in the cold. But I have my friend and his wife coming to Bangkok in January so I can't make it.
Not good for my reputation, I have turned down a few jobs just because of my friends visit. But I wrote them that I was ready to join next week (Today if it wasn't for me being in Cambodia) if it would help them. Yes, I find it awkward to turn down jobs, but this time I have to do it.
opens at 8 thirty and I need to apply for my VISA. But tomorrow night, Friday and thatmeans party. But I have my concerns. The hotel, no elevator and several stairs to climb to get to my room. Noproblem, but coming back 4 o'clock Saturday morning, might be a different story.And there is not only stairs to climb. Several steps and thresholds to pass and I will
hopefully make it back to my room. And I knew myself when I'm a wee bit tipsy.I remember when I was young and... Well, I was in West Berlin (#1 party town in the world) for a good night out on town. Returning to my hotel and I could not open my door. Yes, tipsy and I wanted to sleep so going back to the reception was no option. So I just went in to another room. Yes, well, this was a long time ago.
A Christmas song to get us in to the right Christmas mood
Remeber! It has to be on full blast +++++++++++++++
Friday 24 th
of December 2010
and I received my wakeup call 10 minutes past 8. I had a shower and I went down for my breakfast, a pot of tea with a sandwich. Outside my hotel there were the usual crowd of TUK TUK drivers, vendors and beggars.- TUK TUK Sir?
- No thanks, I will take a taxi.
- Better you use TUK TUK. Taxi driver have a lot of money and I have to rent my TUK TUK by the day.
- How much to the Thai Embassy?
- 2 way set dollars
- How much?- Set dollars!
- What the
is set dollars?He held up six fingers.
- Hey, listen up! I will give you 10 dollars.
He could not believe is ears. He was gapingat me. He had expected me to say 4.
the Thai Embassy. It was a 10 to 15 minutes ride,the TUK TUK was not the fastest vehicle in the world, but I was in no hurry and better safe than sorry.I got a queue number at the gate and I went in to the VISA department. I was happy to discover that I was the only one there to apply for VISA.
I gave them my passport and VISA application that I had filled up back home in Bangkok. Then I was reminded about a movie a saw a few years ago. Well, a few years,thinking of it and it must have been 15 or 20 years ago.
Well, never mind, it was about a guy coming to the airport desperate to get on a flight.
- Sorry Sir, all flights are full. Next available seat is next week.
- BY THEN I'M SUCKING ON AN EXHAUST PIPE!
Same for me today, they told me to come back on the 29th to pick up my passport.
- BY THEN I'M SUCKING ON AN EXHAUST PIPE!
I don't know if it was due to my ear rings. I spent 2 minutes at the VISA section and the girl spent 1 minute out of the two talking about my earrings. Well, anyway, she took back my receipt and changed the date to the 27th and I can fly back home on Monday night.I asked for the price and she
told me that it was for free.I was in a good mood leaving the Embassy, OK, there was a fly in the ointment.If I had known that it would be this quick I would have ordered my wake up call for 10 o'clock instead.
My driver was waiting outside and we took off towards my hotel.
And good news from the “FIGHT AGAINST OBESITY” department! Leaving Bangkok and my shirt was at least to say small.
- What the
I'm eating tuna and carrots only in a combination with heavy duty sport and myshirts are getting smaller!!??Before leaving for the Embassy this morning I took on a shirt and this was big. When I was on my
constitutionalback in Bangkok Wednesday night I felt really small. So I was surprised when I took on my shirt Thursday afternoon. Well, seems like I had washed the shirt in 90 and it had shrunk and it was not me that had got bigger.Back in my room from the Thai embassy I was listening to P3 Hip Hop. The third last show and then there will be no more P3 Hip Hop on the Swedish radio. I have been listening to P3 Hip Hop since they started 10 years ago and the show will be missed. At least by me. Lunch time and I left for my lunch back at the Titanic. I decided to take another way to the restaurant so I could have a look at the town and then I don't have to worry about that again. Took me 15 minutes to walk to the restaurant and before I went inside I stopped to get a picture of Tonle Sap River. And Tonle Sap is small in comparison with the Mekong.
The river is called Tonle Sap and Tonle Sap connects with Mekong outside my hotel. So if I turn
left coming out from my hotel I walk the Sisowath Quay along the Tonle sap River and if I turn right I walk along Mekong River.Yeah, if you care just check out a map of Phnom Penh.
I have been drinking plenty Mekong but I had never seen the river before so that was kind of fun.
- Try the Khmer food?
- Why?
They have Khmer fried rice with chicken, Khmer buffalo and so on. Pretty much the same as in Thailand, just put the word Khmer in front of the name. Then I prefer the salmon.
I wanted to buy a few diet drinks on my way back to the hotel. Can come in handy with a few cold drinks during the weekend.
- We only have diet coke
OK, I will go find a convenient store to buy a diet drink. In my mini bar there are only ordinary drinks. Well, on my way back from my lunch I bought a few diet drinks and a JUMBO size bottle of water. If I wake up with a hangover tomorrow (
Hopefully not) the water in my mini barwont last long. And for sure, I will not feel like meeting the ROOM SERVICE staff.No 7 eleven around, but I stopped many times thinking that I had run in to a 7 eleven, but it turned out to be something else with a logo reminding of 7 Eleven's logo. Well, the diet drink tastes the same, never mind the logo. Of course, there is a few question marks, will it be Charisma Man or the Obnoxious Man lurking around the corner. One thing is for sure, Charisma Man is the first guy to show up and
hopefully the Obnoxious Man will stay away.I cannot put it better than the taxi driver in Los Angeles. I don't know if I have put it here before. But anyway, I was in a taxi in los Angeles. I was going for a beer and I had a few words
with the driver. It didn't took long before we agreed that it sucked to grow old.- The hangover is a pain in the arse when you're old!
- Yes, but it's pretty fun being a wee bit tipsy, he said.
- Yes, but it's next to impossible to stay “just tipsy”
He agreed with me. After 4 beers the girls love you. You're witty and handsome.
- Then the problem starts, I said.
- Yes, 4 more beers and the girls ask who the obnoxious son of a b**** is!
- CALL THE POLICE MOTHERF@CKER!!!
- Hmm, if I start to scream the neighbours will complain
and callfor someone to sort outthe problem.I WAS RIGHT! But the day after the hotel manager called me to his office. But he was more impressed that I had managed to get
back home than angry.- I never seen someone so drunk before!
I left my hotel room at 17:30 and I walked 1 block up on the Sisowath Quay and I stopped at a place. But there were no music so I continued my walk. I stopped at a place, no music again.
- Do you know a place with music? I asked
- We play music
- I hear f@ck all, I said.
The cranked up the music a notch and I ordered a San Miguel Light. What a disappointment, nothing like the San Miguel you get in Manila so I only had one. Tiger beer is imported so imported Tiger beer will be my choice in Phnom Penh from now on.
Imported beer, I remember one time in Singapore. I was enjoying myself in a pub. There was a sign saying IMPORTED CARLBERG so I ordered a Carlsberg and I took a sip.
- What theis this?I looked at the bottle, made in Thailand. I got pissed of, they can't make beer in Thailand and if
I buy an imported Carlsberg I expect it to be imported from Denmark. Then we're talking a very good beer. Not as good as the San Miguel Light you get in Manila or the Tiger Light. But one of the best beers in the world. But made in Thailand! No way!Well, anyway, I had a few imported Tigers (Not from Thailand) and they turned up the music a bit every time I ordered a beer. I asked for suggestions for a good night out in
Phnom Penh. Yes, first time for me in Phnom Penh and they told me to go to the Riverhouse. Just next to my hotel. (They place without music when I was looking for a place for myfirst beer)- Hip Hop santa is in town.
- OK, this one I won't miss, I said.
I asked if they had a disco where there were only Cambodians. When I looked in to Riverhose it was mostly
old foreigners with young Khmer girls so I was looking for something wee different.They gave me a name of a disco and they told me that it would open at 8.
- But there are no people until 10 or 11!
OK, I get the picture. I left the place and I was walking around Phnom Penh in search for good music. Well, the good music where to be found at the places where they
played my CD. Yes. I always have a CD in my pocket.It must have been 10 or 11 before I took off to the Khmer disco. I was on my way for a few hours but I ended up at a place and I and we were playing my CD. I was in charge over the remote control so the music was blasting high and it's very hard to leave a place with good music.
I took a Cambodian TUK TUK to the Khmer disco. It
was a well known place. I showed the people the piece of paper with the name of the disco written in Khmer. Same reaction every time: It's a Khmer disco, are you sure you want to go?I took a Cambodian TUK TUK to the disco, it was a 20 minutes ride. As soon as we left the river side the city was dark and empty. Just a few people to be seen and no lights
at all. When we approached the disco there were some lights to be seen.I was not allowed inside with my baseball cap on. I tried to bribe the security but no luck.
- What the
do you want me to go in to a discoshowing off my bald spot?Nothing helped and I had to leave my baseball cap with the security before entering the place.
And what the f@ck? This reminded me of a disco in Bombay
back in 1992 or something like that. It was only guys. Maybe 3 girls and 100 boys. What theis this??!!Seriously, it was not a gay club, but it was 99% boys at
the place and I would have left if it wasn't for the , and I mean, EXCELLENT music. Disco in FUNKY TOWN and its pretty much PLAENG THAMADA. But here it was stomping.I mean, I know my way around good music, but this was all new to me. They even had some very good Khmer
music and I was hanging in the DJ booth. They wrote down the names for me and I will go looking for music tomorrow.I was home early, I had a few salmon sticks at the Riverhouse before going home. I don't know why I was very carefully. But my guess is that I was thinking about the stairs to my hotel room. So I actually remember how I got home.
+++++++++++++++
Saturday 25 th
of December 2010
and I woke up at 9 o'clock. I wasn't very quick out of bed. Took me 3 hours to get down to the restaurant for my breakfast. Some sandwich and when I hadfinished my morning tea I took off to look for the music from yesterday.- I'm sorry, but we don't have Khmer music. Try the market.
I walked around the market but they didn't had the CD I was looking for. DARN! I had to return to my hotel room as I could feel that the hangover was kicking in.
After 2 or 3 hours I went down to the bar and I ordered an imported Tiger beer. Yes, I'm in Phnom Penh and I want to see as much of the night life as possible before leaving for home on Monday night.
My plan was to go down and drink a beer and bring back 2 or 3 beers to my room. Yes, I don't fancy meeting people with a hangover force 9,8 so if I can have a few beers before going out it will help me a lot. But when I had finished my beer I left for a walk along the river.
I stopped at a place and I asked for a Tiger beer. They only had Kingdom, a locally brewed beer. OK, I can try one bottle. Tasted like shit and I expected a bill, yes, 50 cent tops. But the beer
was 3, 52 US! More expensive than the Tiger beer, and Tiger is a good beer.As you understand I didn't stayed for a second bottle. I crossed the street because I spotted a bar with a guitar over the entrance door.
- Good, a place with music!
I was disappointed, no music. But as I was walking further in to the bar I could hear music. So I sat down on a stool at the bar.
- Do you have Tiger beers?
- Yes
- Can I please have one? In a wine glass and some ice, please!
I was sitting next to a British guy and he kept on telling me that he had forgotten that it was
Christmas.- Well, who cares? I said
- Yes, we want to forget the Christmas bullshit, he said.
But we ordered a traditional British Christmas dinner, turkey with stuffing. The
food actually very good, otherwise turkey tend to be very dry and boring. I had planned to stay for a beer or two, but after 15 beers Iturned handsome and I ended up on a date.Yes, as my friend use to say: Aladdin, you are very funny, until you have too much to drink and you turn in to the Obnoxious Man.
OK, I know, so I decided to return to my hotel to write a few words on my web page before going on my date. Well, I made several stops on my way back to the hotel and my stop at the hotel was just to pick up snus.
Cambodia and there is always at least one of the staff speaking Thai. I was on my way back to the hotel and I stopped at a pub. I spoke with one of the girls.
- Crank up the music!
- Please, put some ice in my beer!
- Please, one more beer.
The American owner asked me how long I had been in Cambodia. I told him that I had been here for 2 days. He thought that I was joking.- How come you speak the language?
- I speak f@ck all Cambodian, I said.
- What language are you using when speaking with my staff?
- What the
?? You're have been running a business in the country for several years and you cannot hear that we're speaking another language.I mean, you don't need to understand the Khmer language, but at least I think you should be able to hear if we're talking Khmer or Swedish.
Click on the PLAY button to get the real party feeling
Remeber! It has to be on full blast been more than tipsywhen meeting the girls and they would not have learned to knowCharisma Man. I'm pretty sure they would have been disappointed if it would have been the Obnoxious Man showing up.We took a TUK TUK to the disco, I don't remember the name, but I think it was Saint Topez or something like that. Well, it was 10 minutes or something like that from the river front.
first beer at 14 thirty and we ordered a bottle of vodka when we came to the disco around 2 o'clock in the morning.But now I had had enough of the Christmas. But I learnt one thing. I have always wondering why the British eat turkey for Christmas. I have only been eating dry turkey and I have never liked it. But after today's Christmas dinner I liked it, for the first time in my life.
+++++++++++++++
Sunday 26 th
of December 2010
and I left my room 2 times during the day. First time for breakfast at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Sports bar and they had a cricket game on full blast so I didn't hang around longer than necessary. Dinner at 8 and now there was a soccer game on full blast so I returned to my room as soon as I had finished my meal.+++++++++++++++
Monday 27 th
of December 2010
and it is time to go back home. But I will make a last try to find the CD with the Khmer Hip Hop before going to the Thai Embassy to pick up my VISA. I havechecked numerous stores for the CD, but so far I have come up with ZIP. I got a hot tip from the guy in the reception yesterday.- Try the central market
- OK, can you wake me up at 8 tomorrow morning?
They called me at 8 but I didn't get out of bed until almost 9 thirty. I took a shower and
I walked to the central market after my breakfast. Well, they sold exactly the same junk at the market as you can see in Thailand. Well, pretty much the same knick-knacks they sellat any night market around Asia.I only found one place selling CDs but they didn't have the one I was looking for. Well, I was leaving when I guy was going to take my picture. His camera jammed and I walked up to him and I got his picture.
- GET A LIFE!
I had planned for salmon after the central market, but I still feel a bit bad after the weekend so I decided to go back to my hotel instead.
I left my room at 14 thirty, I had decided to eat my last salmon in Phnom Penh. And yes, I always make the same mistake when I check for hotels on the internet. I decide to live smack in the night life area and as everything happens along the river in Phnom Penh I decided to live river side. And after 2 days of party I really don't feel like meeting anyone from Friday and Saturday night so it's a living hell trying to get to the restaurant.
I sneak through small back alleys hopping that no one will see me. Next time I will choose a hotel away from the night spots so I don't have to be scared to pass the pubs.
Back from the Salmon at Titanic and my TUK TUK driver was waiting to take me to the Thai Embassy. Of course, I had lost my receipt and they could not find my passport. They had to call someone and finally they found my passport.
my TUK TUK driver at 16:30 so he can take me to the airport. Nice to go home!We left my hotel and the driver turned left and we drove up the Sisowath Quay. I had hoped for the driver to choose to drive through the city and thus avoiding the Sisowath Quay.
Well, our driver turned left, just a wee bit worse than turning right. Never mind,
we will just hiss by all the pubs and before people are recognizing me in the TUK TUK we willhave left them behind.It took us about 30 minutes to get to Phnom Penh International, 4 hours and 40 minutes' before departure time. Check in for Thai airways was not open so I had to kill 1 and a half hour walking around the airport. The opened check in at 18:30 and I was second to check-in in my row. In front of me, a lady and her two kids.
- I'm sorry!
- No problem! I said.
The flight was 50 minutes' long and that was OK, all flights should be just 50 minutes long and it would not be so bad to fly.
I stepped in to my apartment at 22:30 and I went to bed around midnight.
+++++++++++++++
Tuesday 28 th
of December 2010
and my schools don't open until after New Year so I will have to try to kill time doing other stuff. But today I will go to see if they have finished my quotation formy bathroom and I hope they can start the work ASAP.Well, coming to COTTO turned out to be nothing but a disappointment. Quotation and measurements had turned in to nothing and I lost my temper. Turned out that it would take them months to complete my bathroom.
My EX Teacher had called me before I left for the tile shop so we meet there at 2 o'clock and we decided to go to Boonthavorn on Ratchadapisek to look for tiles.
And as always when I'm at Boonthavorn I stop to buy some
Thai sweets outside the entrance.The staff at Boonthavorn gave us the number to the company that they used to put up tiles and my EX Teacher called them.
- They will come at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
We took a taxi back to COTTO on Asok and I took pictures of the tiles I wanted. I asked for delivery times and they told me that they expected them to take 1 week to get the required amount of tiles. Well, 1 week means f@ck all in Thailand.
Hopefully the guy that comes tomorrow will give me good news so I can order my tiles tomorrow and he willhopefully be able to finish my bathroom in 2 weeks.+++++++++++++++
Wednesday 29 th
of December 2010
and my alarm went off at 8 o'clock. I got out of bed 30 minutes' later. I had my tea and tuna before having my shower. Darn, I didn't feel well. I thoughtthat I had had a severe hangover for 2 days in Phnom Penh,but obviously it must have been something else. I was very feeble and had been for the last 4 days. OK, Sunday was a good ol' hangover, but the last 3 days had been something else.I returned to bed and I was watching TV having a rest when the craftsman called. By now it was just a little past 10.
He was late and he told me that he would be here at 11 o'clock. My EX Teacher arrived 10 minutes later and we were
waiting for the craftsman. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing when ittook 3 calls to find my apartment. It is pretty much straight forward to find my apartment. Well, if they can't find my apartment will they be able to redecorate me bathroom?Well, my worries were soon out the window. The craftsman turned out to be very good, actually, I was impressed. He measured my bathroom and he made a drawing and it didn't take long before I had a quotation and a list of tiles to buy. It took him about 1 hour, what a difference from COTTO on Asok. They charged me 500 baht and after several days they came up with exactly nothing.
- The tiles are not in stock.
- I know, but you told me that you would have them in 1 week.
- They are not making these tiles anymore.
- What theThey lied me straight up in my face “We never told you that we have the tiles”. What the.... I had been there almost every day for a month and we had decided to go with these very tiles from day one. And now, when I order the tiles they tell me that they are not available. I was furious and we left for Boonthavorn.
I ordered the tiles and I will have them on the 10th of January. The main office is closed over the New Year holiday and they will not open until the 5th of January.
When we were on our way back to Sukhumvit my EX Teacher told me that I should have done everything at Boonthavorn and it would have been ready in 1 day.
- And no 500 baht charge for nothing.
+++++++++++++++
Thursday 30 th
of December 2010
and it was nice to sleep until 10:30. I had my tea and tuna before going to Ekkamai to buy new potted plants. Redecoration of my bathroom is in “progress”and now it's time to buy new plants. They will deliver my potted plants at 5 o'clock in theafternoon. Yes, we remember how it looked last spring when they delivered my new plants.So I had time for some shopping at Big C on Ekkamai before going home. I bought stuff for making chicken curry tomorrow afternoon.
Well I was not surprised when they came from Karaket Garden
at 16:25. I have been buying my potted plants at their shop for many years now. And they always recognize me when 'm coming to their shop. And they have always been in time for delivery of my potted plants.It took them one hour to replace my old plants with the new ones. The owner of the shop had brought three guys to do the job and while they were working we went to have a look at my condo. It was the first time for her in my condo and she wasn't used to see pink wall paper
and she wanted to see the rest of my apartment.I still have a few pots without plants and we looked around and she will come back tomorrow with more plants for me. Always very good service at Karaket Garden and if you're looking for potted plants in Bangkok I can recommend Karaket Garden at Ekkamai Soi 8.
The plan was to go watch a movie with the girls from the law office at Lang Suang but they were working late so we had to skip the movie. But one of the girls came over and we went down to SCAN DELI on Soi 18
for dinner. Yes, she loves my Swedish meatballs and she asked if I knew a place in Bangkok with Swedish food. So of course, SCAN DELI came up in my mind first thing.Well, arriving to Sukhumvit Soi 18 just to be disappointed, SCAN DELI was closed. What the
??The clock was just 7 o'clock in the evening. Well, I will have to call my friend to find out what time they are closing. There was a note saying that SCAN DELI was closed 31 and 1st of January, but today it is only the 30th of December.I told her that we could come back to SCAN DELI on Sunday and we decided to go eat Thai food at Sukhumvit Soi 11 instead. We had Thai food, green curry and chicken. But I would have prefer the smoked salmon at SCAN DELI.
Well, I'm not sure that I will go back to this restaurant. Well, the food was OK, but they didn't had any mango and sticky rice. Andhmm, maybe my diet is better off without the mango with sticky rice.
+++++++++++++++
Friday 31 st
of December 2010
and I woke up quarter to 11 after a terrible night. I managed to fall asleep around 2 o'clock. I woke up at 5 and then my alarm went off at 7 even though it wasturned off. I will never buy a Samsung phone again. Snooze and when the alarm went off for the third time I threw the phone on the floor so it went to 3 pieces. Yes, is there any other way to turn off an alarm that is not turned on?Quarter to 11 and I jumped out of bed. I just finished making me been when it knocked on my door 2 minutes later.Constantly ringing my door bell while knocking, no it was banging on the door. I don't know how they f@cking managed to ring the bell, banging the door and pulling the door at the same time. Never forget to lock your door in Thailand. Seriously, if no one is attending the door 3 seconds after the first knock they just step right in. And this can turn in to a major embarrassment.
cocking after a few minutes. I was making chickencurry and she was making Swedish meatballs.And as usually, there were plenty leftovers that I had to throw away. Two of our friends were going to world trade centre to watch the New Year countdown. Well, 100,000 people and it is impossible to move in the area. We had a few beers (Well, I had a few beers) and we took a taxi to Khaosan Road.
I was surprised, very light traffic and we did it to Khaosan Road in a jiff.We walked to the Brick bar and the girls had one drink each while I had 5 or 6. Would have been cheaper to buy a bottle of vodka, and for sure, the drinks would have tasted vodka.
We left the place after an hour or so, they
usually have very nice bands playing at the place. But today the music left a lot to wish for.We walked to the street next to Khaosan and
we sat down at a table on the sidewalk. They hadlive music, a guy in cowboy hat playing guitar, and the music was very good.The girls shared one drink and I had 5 or 6 vodka with orange juice. My mood improved by the minute.
We were waiting for a guy that works at the same law office as my EX Teacher so we moved to a restaurant where I had a few more vodka orange. We were going to Thong Lo and my friend had just come back from India and he wanted to join us. He was coming to pick us up at Khaosan.
By now the Friday night traffic had kicked in so we decided to
meet at GLOW on Sukhumvit Soi 23 and to go from there to Thong Lo.And yes, going back to Sukhumvit took way longer than to come here. The roads were full of cars but as soon as we reached the highway we could speed up and we arrived to GLOW at 11 o'clock.
We could see my friend's car outside GLOW so we knew that he had arrived.
had to wait for some other people to Leonardo,
inga problem o lägga ut dina foto. Men kvaliten lämnar ju en hel del at önska. Bilderna är ju så suddiga så man ser ju ut att vara berusad.Tore Skogmans okände kusin går ju inte att lägga ut. Jo, jag får väl lägga ut den också, eller så får man väl höra om det i 5 år. Men eftersom du inte har ö och ä så vet jag inte om Thore Skogmans okanda kusin är okända eller ökända kusin.
Of course, when they arrived they didn't had a clue about the name of the place
at Thong Lo. And they asked where we wanted to be at the countdown. And by now it was 23:30.- Countdown, never mind we can stay at GLOW and move to Thong Lo later!So we ended up at GLOW during the countdown. Well, as I and my friend said: “Countdown??!! Who cares?”Yes, I never understand why you want to celebrate birthdays and New Year.Should be 1990 for the rest of my life and I would not have minded to be 22 until the day I died. Well, we left
for Thong Lo around 1 o'clock and it took us 15 minutes to get there. My friend is drinking soda only so he is driving, and he is also worried about the places we're going to. When wedecided to meet at GLOW.- I can't go to GLOW!
- Ah, they have forgotten you by now.
Pretty much same story at FUNKY VILLA, but no problem, no one recognised him, at least not what we were aware off.
The year of our Lord 2010 has come to an end and we swing right over to 2011 .
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it 
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. So
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one.
So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. So Jiffy (also jiff)
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopraSprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben! คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
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