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Khmer Discos!
Phnom Penh, 8th
June 2002 (Part 2)
During the day we'd accidentally bumped into Paul & Laura, the
couple that were on the Mekong Delta cruise with us. They'd invited
us over to see their guesthouse and to go out for a drink in the
evening.
They were staying in a well known guesthouse by the lake called the
`Number 9 Guesthouse'. I'd heard a lot of mixed reports from this
place, general opinion was that the atmosphere was fantastic, but
the rooms were pretty dire. So that evening we saw it for
ourselves...
After a short moto ride across town we turned down a side street to
find a big sign saying `No. 9'. We wandered in and found Paul, Laura
& Henrik (the Swedish guy) sitting on a couch waiting for us.
Excitedly they led us over to the main social area...and...wow! It
was fantastic! Before us there was an expansive area of wooden
decking, dotted with comfy chairs and lazy hammocks. All of the
seats were arranged to look out over the lake, a stunning view in
the twilight. The place looked peaceful, tranquil and a great place
to chill out . Henrik assured us that this totally relaxed
atmosphere persisted all day. The guesthouse made a fortune from the
large number of travellers who spent all day just sitting/lying by
the lake, not moving, except to go to the toilet. People would spend
weeks here just relaxing, ordering food & drink every so often, to
chilled to budge at all. (Note that the main source of income of the
guesthouse wasn't the food or drink. The countless grinning, spaced
out faces around us suggested the popular pastime here!)
Amy and I were both tempted to move here later, but Henrik reminded
us of the nasty rooms. Seeing as my idea of fun is not lying by a
lake all day higher than a kite (I get bored quickly) I don't think
I'll move here. Anyway, the OK Guesthouse is great (not just
OK), even without a lake, and I won't be spending much more time in
Phnom Penh.
After we'd stared at the view for long enough, we headed off for a
bite to eat and a drink or two. The location for tonight was a
nearby Indian restaurant where some of Paul & Laura's other friends
were eating. The next couple of hours were spent chatting & drinking
plenty while waiting for the food. When it eventually came it looked
nice (Amy & I had already eaten, so were just drinking) but I don't
know if it was worth the wait...
After a while Henrik left, telling us that he had to get ready for a
Khmer disco. He told us when & where it was in case we wanted to
join him later. Which, in fact we did! After the meal, Paul & Laura
went back to the guesthouse to enjoy a bit more of that `Number 9
Atmosphere' while Amy & I went to check out the Khmer Disco.
I didn't know quite what to expect, but it turned out to be great
fun! When we arrived we quickly spotted Henrik and the others,
mainly because they were the only Westerners in the building! At the
table were Henrik; his 2 female, Swedish friends; two English people
we knew from our guesthouse, Jo & Scot, and 2 other English people I
didn't know. So we joined them to a make a motley crew of 9.
The placed was packed with partying, yet well controlled Khmer
teenagers, all wearing their best togs. A live band provided the
music, and in between in each number, as they paused, everyone
returned to their tables, and then got up again when the next number
started! Strange!
It was a fab place and all the locals were really friendly to us.
They loved seeing Westerners taking part in a real Khmer disco. They
all wanted to chat with us and many of them pulled us over to dance
with them. Scot & Jo have been in Phnom Penh for weeks and usually
comes here twice a week. They've managed to learn quite a lot of
Khmer phrases, which really impressed the Khmer teens. They can't
work out why a native English speaker would want to learn their own
little language. Nonetheless they're always impressed by even a
little effort.
The rest of the evening passed quickly, and before we know it, we're
back at our hotel calling it a night...
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To know the road ahead, ask those coming back
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