Travel Tips - Phnom Penh (Ah!) - Faces & Places - March 2004

Wednesday March 31, 2004

Sokha Beach Hotel's Christopher Tan - Film Festival - Lisa Miller Seeks - David Robertson Steps Down - Lucky Market Seeds The Plot - BB World Cambodia's Answer To Mc Donalds - AnAnA Computer - Ho Wah Genting - English Comprehension - Sihanouk Boulevard

SOKHA BEACH HOTEL'S CHRISTOPHER TAN

After three years of looking at a green corrugated steel wall what was created behind those walls will be revealed to the public April 8th when the Sokha Beach Hotel in Sihanoukville officially opens. It is the first four star hotel in Sihanoukville's history or as their brochure states, 'The first International Class beach resort in the ancient mystical kingdom of Cambodia.'

The massive 188-room facility sprawls over 15 hectares of Sokha Beach shoreline property fronted by 1.5 km of white sandy beach.

The hotels Director of Sales Christopher Tan said "We're a breath of fresh air."

To help fill those rooms the hotel is currently packaged in with extended stay tours to Siem Reap. The plan is for tourists to fly directly from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville. That is contingent on the upgrading of the Sihanoukville airport that is scheduled to be ready for use soon.

Tan is targeting all markets. He is looking for the high season to attract European and American guests. Regionally he foresees guests from Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. The hotel is working with local tour operators and travel agents.

Business guests needing meeting rooms will also be compliant with the hotels banquet and meeting room facilities.

The hotel continues to be in the completion process. You can play tennis or other racket sports if you brig your rackets. The courts are operational the equipment is coming.

Two restaurants are currently on the premises. The Asean House offers a different theme every day. Fisherman's Village menu obviously offers fish.

The hotel plans to be up to speed by May when all of the four banquet hall/meeting rooms scheduled to be operational and the activities program fully in place.

The overall benefit is to the citizens of Sihanoukville that will obtain a job and training. This is a massive task as in Cambodia there is very little in the way of experience and training in the hotel industry, particularly first class.

FILM FESTIVAL De CINEMA

Festival De Cinema was presented March 12, 17-21. An enthusiastic turnout viewed twenty four seven films from six countries, Laos, Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia and France.

The event was presented in association with the French Embassy and Cultural Center of France. Christopher Doebler, the audiovisual attaché for the French Embassy and one of the organizers coordinators said the hope is that Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia will each present a film festival yearly on a rotation basis. Laos is scheduled to present one at the end of the year. He added that Vietnam feels it will be ready to participate next year.

Doebler said in his search for films for presentation that he found only one director in Laos. Two of the director's three films were shown at the festival.

A documentary of King Norodom Sihanouk Rio Cineaste showed some clips of some of the kings film productions. An interesting insight was a clip of capacity crown at Olympic Stadium doing card formations making various sayings and designs as the have at the Rose Bowl football game in the United States.

The festival screened the films at the French Cultural Center and the Cinema Cinelux. Doebler felt the event was well attended.

LISA MILLER

FIT Media's creative director Lisa Miller presented a trailer on Agent Orange at the Russian Cultural Center March 30. Miller is having problems placing the film due to the subject matter.

Her film was screened with Battle Poison Cloud an award-winning documentary on the lethal legacy of the use of the defoliant Agent Orange during the war in Vietnam.

DAVID ROBERTSON

After over three years on the job David Robertson feels its time to pass the torch to those he's trained. He's stepping down as Director of Special Projects/Telemedicine/ American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia. Robertson plans to put more time into Bernard Krisher's Cambodia Rural School Program of the two village schools in Preah Vihear, Cambodia.

Roberston will focus on the schools computer-training program. The Nicholas Negroponte Foundation in America donated the two schools.

THE BUZZ

After the Buzz advertising magazine failed the whereabouts of its owner Dean Stanton is unknown. Stanton also formerly worked for First Cambodia and was in charge of Special Projects.

AnAnA COMPUTER - BUSINESS EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

If its computer and business supplies and equipment you're looking for the AnAnA Computer store is a good place to look. It has a large stock on hand on two spacious floors.

Located in the Chaktomuk Building on the corner of Sihanouk and Sothearos Boulevards. Tel: 023-211-543

LUCKY MARKET SEED THE PLOT

After a reader asked where does one shop in Phnom Penh it led us on a trip in finding what looks like a can of worms.

Last month we reported the price of minced pork increased from $3.90 a kilo to $5. For whatever reason the price has returned to $3.90. Must be a cheaper pig.

BB WORLD CAMBODIA'S Mc DONALDS

Major corporations continue to be reluctant to invest in Cambodia due to the instability of the government. That leaves a void in the fast food business. Cambodia refreshingly remains a country where Mc Donald's ain't. Yes the spelling of ain't is correct.

Chy Sila is a young Cambodian entrepreneur that has filled that fast food void with BB World as Cambodia's answer to Mc Donald's. Check out Sila's logo in the picture. Did someone say Mc Donalds upside down?

There are two locations. One on Sihanouk Boulevard between St. 63 and Monivong and the Sorya Shopping Center downtown near the Central Market.

ENGLISH COMPREHENSION

A Star Mart employee was stumped by product delivery agreement that stated that the merchandise was to be delivered DUST FREE.

She asked a foreigner what it meant. The foreigner said there wouldn't be any dust on the product. "Oh she said, I thought it meant we would get the dust free (of charge)."

PHNOM PENH TRAFFIC -THINK ABOUT IT

Many people that have lived in Phnom Penh since the mid nineties say that during that time there were only about 50 cars in all of Phnom Penh. They say most of the populace rode bicycles. Today you can find fifty cars in a one-block area.

HO WAH GENTING TRANSPORT

If you're interested in seeing Cambodia by land one of the best ways to get around to the provinces is on a Ho Wah Genting bus. The equipment is above average to good and the air conditioning works. The fare is inexpensive.

If you travel by taxi seats are scarce and tight. An extra passenger is squeezed into the seats unless you pay for it.

Traveling by bus you will have an assigned seat on most occasions' particularly long trips. There is plenty of luggage space for a lengthy journey.

Taxi's offer limited luggage space that is usually overloaded. Busses travel as far as Phnom Penh to Poipet on the Cambodian/Thai border. They also have a service to Saigon, Vietnam.

The station is located between where Monivong meets Charles De Gaulle and the Central Market. Tel: (855) 23 - 210-359 & 210 - 859

FIRST JOB - BE POLITE

The example of the new Sokha Beach Hotel having to hire and train employees is a massive responsibility. It is more than likely that employees will have their first real job. In the hotels case they will have to find people with the right personality to accommodate first class customers.

As with anyone learning a new job mistakes will be made in the learning process. In Cambodia staff are learnig English and for the most part not fluent English speakers. Comprehension comes in time..

One local manager at an NGO in Phnom Penh remarked how he noticed a group of people commenting how they admired how resilient Cambodians are in their recovery of three decades of civil conflict.

After the comments and being served by a newly trained Cambodian employee the foreigners became rude and enraged that things weren't done the way they would like and yelled at the employee. Other than being embarrassed the employee loses face.

Being considerate and helpful during their learning curve will produce a more positive result. How confident and efficient were you on your first job?

Sihanouk Boulevard between Monivong and Street 51 (Pasteur) is becoming a strong shopping district where you can get most anything you want.

Numerous shops line the street including tailors, camera, photo developing, Internet, opticians, book, office supply, pharmacies, cell phone, CD/record, supermarkets, fast food, records, bars and restaurants.

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