I started the day out simply enough. I walked to the store, paid $2 for some bread and ramen, and called that my breakfast/lunch.
I then went out for a walk. I’d begun to feel a bit more adventurous, having survived the last night’s adventure, so I wandered around the river, taking pictures, and appreciating the beauty of what was around me. One element of that beauty was a sign that said “Krud”, a branded bottle of beer.
I had two, and then decided that I was ready to brave Pub Street again - although that wasn’t the actual aim. The actual aim was to search for this fabled “Canadia ATM” that didn’t have fees. My funds were looking slim, and anything I could do to make them last a little longer was worth trying.
Just after heading out, I stopped at the mart, and grabbed another beer, for the road. The security guard outside looked at me with a mild form of disdain.
Sok San Road #
To get to the ATM required going through Pub Street, and I handled that well enough. There was bustling activities, bars on the street, tuk-tuk drivers everywhere. The drivers everywhere else seem happy enough to give me a lift, but the ones here, near pub street, are of a darker shade. I was offered drugs, massage, young girls, and “boom boom”.
None of that was my concern - what I wanted was to save money, and that took me past Pub Street, onto Sok San Road. As I was walking towards the ATM, I was propositioned by a lady outside a restaurant - the Lady Khmer Kitchen. I didn’t immediately stop, but I looked at the menu, and it seemed quite fair. Some of the places here are clearly inflated - my benchmark for a fair price is if I can order fried rice for $1.50, and they fit the bill.
I kept going, put in my card, set the expected value I could pull out (sans fees), and discovered that no, they did indeed charge a fee. I got my card back, and set out further. I saw a Maybank ATM, and having used them in Malaysia, and found them trustworthy, I gave them a shot. I found they still charged a $5 USD fee, but also were only equipped to dispense USD. I once again rescued my card.
I pulled out my phone, used my magic data, and discovered that BRED bank supposedly only charged a $4 USD fee. $1 seems like a trifling difference, but it was enough to give them a shot. I did precisely that, except I’d tried this too many times, by then, and only pulled out 100,000 Real, instead of the 140,000 I calculated should have been possible. I checked my receipt afterwards, and saw 41,132 Real, as my available balance.
Which is to say, I was running very low on funds, making these trifling amounts really seem to matter. It was put into perspective, talking to another lady at the Guesthouse, who’s problem had to do with her slightly torn $100 bill not being accepted. Then again, she’s scarcely gone outside, having ordered Grab for all of her meals, and seems quite content to cloister herself in her room until her boyfriend arrives in a week. I think I prefer the experience with a hint of destitution – it forces me to live like the locals do, because if they can survive on very little, then maybe I can too.
Lady Khmer Kitchen #
After I hit the ATM, I looped back to the lady who beckoned me along the way, and decided to sit down. They had $0.50 draft beer for Happy Hour, and Happy Hour ran from 7 AM to 12 AM.
I ordered a beer, and $3 chicken wings. This was a bit of a splurge - I’d been aiming to spend $1.50 on meals, however I wanted to venture back out to Pub Street, and it seemed wise to temper my drinking with food… That, and I love chicken wings, and deserve a little treat.
I got my food, and the fries were unsalted. At first, I viewed this as a problem, however their was a dish with a strange sauce, and I wondered. Ordinarily, I’d be opposed to such a vague notion - I’m distrustful of unfamiliar sauces, but these fries needed salt, and so I gave it a try. This was a wise choice - the sauce was salty, and a small dip of the fry was enough to light up my taste buds with something quite suited for the task - salty, and peppery, but without being spicy.
I sat here for a while, and watched the people go past. It wasn’t that busy - a group looked at the advertisement for happy hour, wondering aloud when it ended. The sign they were looking at didn’t say, but the one inside said midnight, and they didn’t get that far. A group of Europeans sat down, and had a drink, but they didn’t linger. Tourism here used to be booming, before COVID, bud I’d heard that numbers were still down more than half. That’s probably why the lady out front tried so hard to get me to sit down.
In the end, I’m glad that she did. All of the staff working, that I could see, were women, and I’m not talking sex workers. I’m talking good, honest work, charging fair prices, and delivering good food. I had another beer, and then I set out for Pub Street.
Pub Street #
I got a bit lost this time around. I’d run out of cigarettes, and spent a while trying to find somewhere to buy them. Nobody had precisely the ones that I wanted, so I wound up settling for a pack of Marlboro Menthol’s. She said they cost $3. I exclaimed “THREE DOLLARS!” and she proceeded to hold up two fingers. That was better, but still high. I handed here 20,000 Real’s, and she tried to offer me 3 for that price, but I told her I didn’t need 3, and took me one at the slightly inflated price.
From there, I went walking, looking for which club I might like to go to. There were many, however what kept repeating was the Temple branding. I found the Temple Sky Club, where I’d been the other night, and saw that it was 21 years old, Khmer owned, and placards thanking the people for their support.
There was also Temple Club 3. This was similarly lit - lots of lights, lots of dancing, lots of tables. I looked up, and the building was 3 stories, but only the main floor was occupied. In past days, with plentiful tourists, this seems like a place that would be completely packed.
I went to the Sky Club. I meandered up to the 2nd floor, and ordered a drink. At the Temple Bar, which I’d passed earlier, they had $0.75 beers, however here they were $1.50. I ordered one, and danced around a bit. The problem was that I wasn’t properly drunk enough to enjoy this venue, today. There wasn’t a proper dance floor, but rather lots, and lots of tables, and the groups at the tables were insular. I tried to dance in the vicinity of one, perhaps giving a friendly smile to one of the women, and it was taken to mean some form of innuendo, for which they dutily summoned a man. Not in a threatening fashion, but, not particularly friendly either.
I went up to the third floor, seeing the same women I’d play foosball with, a few nights back, and the pool of water with boards overtop, once again. I walked to the edge, took a picture of the road below, finished my beer, and then left.
Hookers #
I was a bit tipsy by this point. Earlier in the night, as I was walking, there were a couple of women who made eye contact with me, as I passed, and one of them reached out to touch me. I kept walking.
I walked past many Tuk Tuk’s. They offered me Drugs. They offered me Women. Young Girls. Boom Boom. I walked past massage parlors, and in all of these instances I’d used the one Khmer word I learned, earlier that day when I was buying the Krud from the shop across the street - Akun, meaning “Thank You”. I said Akun, while gesturing no with my hands. The women at the massage parlor implied I was a homosexual, for refusing to indulge.
I kept walking, for a couple blocks more, until I got close to the river. I was a bit tipsy, by this point. Not drunk, but not in the greatest shape to walk home, either. A driver asked if I wanted a ride, and I said yes, and we were off. I asked if he knew where I was going, and he said yes, but he didn’t really. Instead, I had to guide him, letting him know when to turn, to arrive at our destination. Once we got there, I asked if he had 2,000 in change, as I handed him a 10,000 Real bill, and that’s what I received.
It was just past midnight, at this point. An early night, by any means, but that’s not such a bad thing. Earlier in the day, I was making note of my new surroundings. My residence in a makerespace. The presence of another Engineer. The opportunity to do something more with myself than my prior surroundings had availed. It was Saturday night, and that’s why I went out, but in so doing I realized that the places that I’d gone weren’t actually my vibe. If I was drunk, I might not have cared, but if I was drunk, and alone, then I wouldn’t have been safe there.
There’s a Full Moon Party at the Galaxy Store next Saturday. I think that’s more my vibe.