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Phnom
Penh (Ah!)
Part 2 - USA'S
AMAZING RACE VISITS PHNOM PENH
D. J. Ken - National Radio Text Service
It's the second consecutive visit by the reality series to Cambodia - Top 3 Phnom Penh Stories one remains and two make change - TOP 3 PHNOM PENH STORIES
Wednesday September 30, 2009
IT'S ON!!!!!! It the second visit by the program to Cambodia as during their series last season they visited Siem Reap. The Amazing Race 15 features 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The show began in Los Angeles, California and the contestants then flew to Tokyo, Japan for the first hour (leg one) and moved on to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in the second hour (leg two) of its two hour special season opener Monday. According to the Amazing Race schedule they were in Vietnam for this coming weeks episode being leg three and then came to Phnom Penh for the yet to be televised leg four. At the time of this writing it is not clear if the program will continue to air two legs for one episode. In using caution if you care to see Amazing Race in Phnom Penh tune in this Monday and the following week. During leg five they will leave Phnom Penh and move on to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Some of the more prominent members of the cast are Poker players Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap and her husband Brian Kleinschmidt, and Harlem Globetrotters Nate "Big Easy" Lofton and Herbert "Flight Time" Lang. One member of the cast, Zev Glassenberg, has Asperger syndrome. NOTE: During last season Amazing Race visit they had a task for the contestants to shoot basketball on a floating basketball court. The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism doesn't know where the court is and didn't take the time to view the series to make note. The Ministry is also not aware of the season's activity. TOP 3 PHNOM PENH STORIES Surprisingly the February 2009 column remains at the top of the list. This goes into the GO FIGURE FILE as we can't figure out what is so interesting about this column. Last months Part 2 Phnom Penh column took the second position. That focused on the Phnom Penh Top 3 stories but the new twist is our Shoppers Guide review. The big change for the ratings was our coverage of Phnom Penh Burning that resulted in unruly students unhappy by the comments of a Thai actress regarding Angkor Wat belonging to Thailand. The result being Thai owned businesses in Phnom Penh were burned to the ground. The event took place in January 2003.
SHOPPERS GUIDE TRADING PLACES As the building boom continues in Phnom Penh one result is that businesses are moving to new locations. The Paragon shopping Center is undergoing numerous changes as much of that structure is now vacant and undergoing remodeling. The Big A remains in the building but the electronic and furniture store Kfour has relocated to the Big A's former location on Monivong Boulevard. Parking is a problem at this location. The PSC computer store has shut down their location opposite Phsa Thmey (the Central Market) and are have relocated to St 169 opposite Baktouk High School. Their phone numbers are 023-999-992, 012-977-799 & 012-923-300. One of the challenges purchasing anything in Phnom Penh from business who do business with tourist and resident foreigners is understanding a sales person's English. The situation is improving but there is a long way to go. For the foreigner it is better tat you don't try to speak all of the English words that you know to show your expertise in the language. Speaking words that the seller can understand will serve the buyer better. One major problem is that if you're spending several hundred dollars for items such as a computer or cell phone is that you understand what the warranty covers. Most stores don't sell an International warranty and that the product must be repaired in Cambodia. The term for a computer is usually one year on parts and labor and four years on service. Many of the sale personnel lack product knowledge so be sure to understand what you are purchasing for your money. It is better to clarify if the repair technician speaks ENGLISH. If something goes wrong with your purchase and the repair person doesn't understand what you're saying can put you at a disadvantage. We have run into the problem where they did and spoke in an articulate manner but their comprehension of English was lacking and they made mistakes which we had too pay for. After carefully explaining what was wrong with our computer and what to watch out for they did the opposite and created another repair problem. The result being that we paid for a repair had to have another due to their mistake and suffered the down time for the repair. In Cambodia the acceptance of responsibility is hard to come by. GOOD ENGLISH COMPREHENSION = BETTER UNDERSTANDING IN TRANSACTIONS When making a purchase it is wise to talk to a person who: 1. Speaks good English. When purchasing a product that may require repairs it is wise to inquire if the shops repair technicians speak English. 2. Has a good COMPREHENSION of English. 3. Has good PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. We visited PTC Computers on Monivong Boulevard and asked how a product worked. Several sales girls who spoke English fairly well tried but could not explain how the product functioned. 4. IS HONEST and serves the customers needs. NATIONAL RADIO PUBLISHED IN 5 LANGUAGES We are published in five languages, English, Thai, French, Russian and Khmer (Cambodian language). Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio © Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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