THE REAL DEAL

I'm sure this will put some people off.  Honesty always does...

I came here, to these forums, looking for clues.  I found... well, disinformation, if any at all.  If I had read this message I would have saved about $2,000 (US).  I leave this for the next guy, in hopes of saving him that money.

I got off the plane late at night.  The Star Wood Guest House agreed to pick me up, which they did.  On my way from the airport to the hotel, my heart sank.  Phnom Penh is a ****.  Plain and simple.  And it gets worse, as you go.

The first thing that happened to me was, I got sick.  Not really sick, but sick enough to know I had better back off - take it easy, or wish I had.  Luckily I met a man on here and he told me what to get.  It worked but there were a few days when I could not do much, and felt bad. 

The sickness comes from unclean water...  Think about this.  There is no governmental inspection of food, of any sort, in this third-world country.  You roll the dice, every time you eat.  Good luck.

You will not live in Cambodia as you lived in the US (britan, etc.) and live cheaply.  Foodstuffs are more expensive than they are at home!  I still have trouble believing that.  Milk is more than double.  Ah, but the Khmer don't drink milk...

You are pretty well on your own.  The police will demand payment for their services and, from what I saw, I don't think they would get involved in violence.  Better be ready to protect yourself...  The Khmer are not violent.  The local criminals are sneaky, instead.  The violence, if any, would likely originate with another foreigner.

That, of course, is my perception and has its roots in my short experience, in Cambodia.  I am a huge man, 300 pounds and over six feet tall.  Maybe a smaller person would be more likely to be the recipient of violence.  I do not know.

You can see Phnam Penh in one day.  After that, there is little to do.  There is the bar scene, of course.  The w***** are everywhere!  And they make no bones about it...  If you seek a "sex vacation" you're in the right place!  Myself, I do not drink, or do drugs.  My choice.  If you choose differently, more power to you.

BUT... wow.  I saw a lot of old men (like myself) with young women on their arm.  And I must believe those old men think that woman is there, because of love. 

But not me.  This life has taught me that when you live in a lie you LOSE, and you lose HARD.  This is simply prostitution.  The term is different; the lies, deeper, but it is an escape from the grinding poverty of Cambodia, for the young woman. 

That is all it can be... can EVER be.  The difference between myself and them is I have the courage to face it, for what it is.  Age is NOT attractive to a prospective mate, in any human society, anywhere. 

I heard that jobs teaching english were to be had and the pay would serve you well, living in Phnom Penh.  Not so, from what I saw.  My local friend made more than the average teacher and said, time and again, he needed 25-50% more than he made, in order to live as he would like to live.  He told me of the cost of a toaster - $50 !!

I will end this by saying that something spiritual happened to me while I was there.  It remains, after my return.  Was it Cambodia... or was it something that was, perhaps, ready to happen to me; triggered by the stress of the plane trip, the jet lag and the different environment?  I can not say...

The last day there I bought a cool fish at the Russian market.  He is an articulated fish - he bends and seems to swim.  The epiphany not withstanding, he's a $2,000 fish.  He sits atop my entertainment center, grinning .)

I would appreciate it if you would leave this post here.  I feel it is a fair representation of what awaits those, that go there.