Shopping galore, etc

Day 7 (13th March 2008)

Started off by getting a bus ticket to the Laos border from Sorya Transport, the ticket is only U$18 up to the border (will save me the hassle of having to haggle with tuktuk drivers in Stung Treng and for my alta-presyon not to rise up!) and comes with a pick up van to the bus station (saved at least U$2). I still have to check with ZJ kung ano na yung visa ko coz I might need one after all, eh inubos ko na ang pera ko!!!

Ay ang ganda ng interiors ng Bistro Lorenzo, complete with a hanging “Atras Gloria Abante Pinoy” t-shirt hanging beside the wine rack!! Nakakatuwa talaga sya! Nagkagulo na kami sa order kasi parang gusto ng ubusin ni Ganda ang lahat ng nakalista sa “Filipino Specials”. We settled for Menudo, Pork Sisig, and Sinigang na Baboy just for breakfast! Nakakaloka na ito!
Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung)

Oh my God! Ang mura ng mga damit dito! Can you imagine you can get shirts for only U$2.50!

Check this out.
We can’t wait to sample the “Halo-halo Special” of Bistro Lorenzo (balik na naman po kami doon! Hehehe) after 3 hours of being inside the cramped and scorching hot interiors of the Russian Market.

Afterwards, I went back again to the Lao PDR embassy kasi I want to be sure that I really really don’t need a visa to go to Laos. Ang kulit no! Kaya ayun, kinulit ko ulit yung taga-embassy and he again promised that there is NO NEED FOR A VISA FOR FILIPINOS! Nainis na yata…hehehe…kaya umuwi na ako agad.

Since it’s our last night in Phnom Penh, after dinner at the Bistro (as in, mas marami pa talaga ang inorder namin ni Ganda), we went back to our favorite hang-out, the Liquid Bar. As usual, the “regulars” were there again (“regulars”, meaning mga girlalo na palaging nakatambay doon kasi naghahanap ng mga foreigners lalo na Caucasians). Kaya nang-okray na lang kami ni Ganda and then we realized, naykupo paano na kung iniisip din nila na “sino ba yung dalawang babae doon, kawawa naman at walang pumupulot na Kano sa kanila!” hahahaha…..

The Third World reality of prostitution is never more pronounced than here in Phnom Penh. I don’t know if I’m being biased but I can’t help but notice that tonight it seems as if the whole place swarmed with Caucasians (okay lang sana kung me mga itsura ba eh wala!) who are doddering old, with rheumy eyes ogling the girls they are with or chatting up girls half their age at the bar counter. And it seems to be accepted by everyone. Although we noticed a group of tourists (backpacker group) pointedly looking at the table next to us, an old guy who looks not a day below 50 with a humongous tummy and a semi bald head being cheesy with a thin Khmer girl who is about 20-22 yrs old and is wearing a backless fitted blouse and wearing heels.

Well, realities of Third World life…..