Feburary 2009

David Richards

Budding pro, club player or fitness freak, once you are bitten
by the tennis bug there’s no way you can put the racket down
Court In The Act
The satisfying sound of ball on racket, a determined cry of ‘out’ or ’net’: for the tennis bum the game is without doubt the only thing

Tennis anyone? Yes, it’s an old cliché, but whether you are a long-time resident or a world traveller passing through on your way to the next adventure, Phnom Penh offers a number of possibilities for those who enjoy playing tennis.
Probably the nicest and most convenient facility is the tennis court at Himawari hotel apartments on Sisowath Quay, next to the Cambodiana. Even though there’s only one court, it is well-maintained, has a new net and an exceptional playing surface. There is also a beautiful view of the river as a backdrop with soft, cool breezes coming off the water, minimising the heat and making it comfortable to play. Tennis rackets and balls are available at no charge, though having your own kit is always advisable. The daily rate is $7 per person per hour (ppph), monthly is $100, quarterly at $270, semi-annual at $500 and the yearly rate $950. Membership includes use of the court, swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room and fully equipped gymnasium. It also includes a 10% discount on food, beverages, laundry and dry cleaning. Matches can be arranged with hotel guests or you can organise to play against your own opponent.
Second on my list would be the VIP Sport Club on Norodom Bvd near the Angkor Beer Store, which is a handy location for grabbing a cool refreshment either before or after your workout. It has three excellent courts and the overall quality of the facility more than makes up for the lack of a view. It also has daily rates of $6 ppph, monthly $60, quarterly $150, semi-annual $260 and yearly for $450. All package rates include use of the tennis courts, swimming pool, gym, sauna, steam room, aerobics and the ping-pong table. There is also a $40 coupon for use of the courts on seven occasions of your choosing, seven days a week. They will also arrange matches for you with players of similar ability. This is a truly exceptional facility with a professional club atmosphere and is high on my recommended list.
Next up is the Cambodiana on Sisowath Quay. It has two reasonably maintained courts with an indoor/outdoor carpet playing surface, the real advantage of which is that it allows you to play in the rain (provided it is not the monsoon variety). In addition to absorbing water, it is an excellent shock absorber for joints and tendons. There is a professional on hand for instruction and coaching.
The daily rate for playing is $10 ppph, weekly $30, monthly $56, semi-annual $310 and yearly $600, which includes use of the courts, personalised fitness programmes, activities such as aerobics, an outdoor swimming pool and sundeck, children’s pool with slide and fully equipped gym. As with the Himawari, membership packages include discounts on food and beverages, room rates, laundry and dry cleaning, karaoke room and rock entertainment.
Finally there’s the Olympic Stadium. There are eight courts at $15 a month. If you want to play the tennis coach it will cost you $5 an hour plus $1 an hour for a ball retreiver. You will also have to provide rackets and balls. The playing surface is concrete with a layer of paint, so playing on it can be challenging when the ball bounces off the seams or cracks in the cement and it takes a much greater toll on your joints and muscles.
Tennis is undoubtedly a great form of exercise that provides an excellent workout regimen, but paramount is the fact that it’s heaps of fun.

As you reminisce about times past, the memories that stick are the ones with sensual associations. Like a song on the radio that brings a sheepish smile as you remember your first kiss or how a whiff of perfume solicits crazy former girlfriend memories you wish you could forget.
Cambodia may not be a lost love affair, but it does offer experiences that will engage your sensory receptors and create memories that will leave a lasting impression. Perhaps the most visually stimulating icon of Cambodia is Angkor Wat. However, Phnom Penh offers other sights through its art galleries and cultural centres.
Hungry for art and a tasty salad? Head to Java, an art gallery/restaurant on Sihanouk Bvd near the Independence Monument. It has ongoing art showcases that display the work of many local and expatriate artists. Other art galleries worth checking out are Reyum on St 178 and Scan near Wat Lanka.
If you are into moving art, Meta House on St 264 offers a weekly round of indie films. Additionally, the Bophana Audio Visual Centre on St 66 is building a storehouse of antique Khmer films that can be viewed on computers on the second floor. The French Cultural Centre is also at the forefront of cinematic ventures and recently hosted the Cinemakong film festival.
The sounds of Phnom Penh begin at dawn, with clucking chickens and alarm clock roosters. This progresses to the chant and step of early morning shiatsu practitioners and jogging health fanatics on Sisowath Quay. Later, the soft hum of early office and flight-time motos mix with the muffled clip-clopping of ox-drawn pottery wagons. By 7am the city is awake, alive with the sound of kids riding their bikes to school, while cars respond with obnoxiously loud honking horns.
These sounds reach a crescendo as the day goes on; at night they are muted and merge with the faint, melancholy chants of the monks. But don’t mistake the quiet ambience as the sign of a sleeping city, because Phnom Penh’s still rockin’.
One venue keeping the music alive is Talkin to a Stranger on St 294, which is a great place to hear live music and enjoy a cosy, outdoor barmosphere. For a swankier place with equally great music, you can head to Q-Ba in the Cambodiana hotel, a live music lounge that brings in first-class bands from around the world.
Other venues offering live music are FCC and Sharky’s. If you are looking for something more culturally authentic to Cambodia, head over the Friendship Bridge to Chrouy Changva, where you will find a row of restaurants on the river offering food and entertainment, from Khmer comedy to karaokesque performances.
My recommendation for the frugal traveller is the night tour, which starts at the Independence Monument, works its way down the riverfront and takes in the high-pitched cry of the food cart vendors tending their fluorescently lit goods. Then get your tuk-tuk driver to take you to Russian Bvd, close your eyes and take in a whiff of fragrant frangipani flowers, then turn into Monivong and head for the lake. Although it is what I imagined the other side of the tracks would be like, most of the guesthouses there have a restaurant/bar where you can grab a cheap beer and soak up the stars reflected in the lake’s untroubled surface.
But don’t forget your insect repellent.

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Feb 2008

Fred Tittle

The argument on the best diving in Cambodia is between three areas - Condor Reef, Virgin Reef and the Corner Bar.
Cambodia's Best Scuba Diving?
It really comes down to a matter of personal Scuba diving preferences.

In other words, do you like to see small stuff, big stuff or lots of stuff? Condor gets visited by whale sharks, Virgin Reef lives up to its name as being totally unsoiled and the Corner Bar is where all the cool fish hang out.
Plumes of water shooting into the air followed by belly-up fish with vast grey graveyards of coral are what most expect to see in Cambodia when they go scuba diving for the first time. Those that have been here will tell a different story, however, one of large, very much alive reefs populated with schools of fish, sometimes so large that a diver might swim for 50 metres viewing the same school. And contrary to expectations, and the trends elsewhere in the South East Asia region, Cambodia is seeing more and different kinds of fish today, as the effects of the bad old days wear off and the fish populations continue to reestablish themselves.
Condor Reef is the real deal adventure and can only be done when the conditions are perfect, hence the best bet is between April and May, as there's absolutely no cover if a storm comes. The nearest sanctuary is Koh Rung and that's a three hour ride or more if the seas are against you. The rewards can be spectacular though, as large pelagics including "walk-on-water sharks" are seen there on almost every trip. A few centuries ago a Chinese Junk hit the reef and spewed Ming vases onto the sea floor - the complete vases have all since been recovered but shards of vase can still be found. At least Advanced Open Water (with good navigation skills) is advised as this site can have ripping currents.
Koh Tang, the home of Virgin Reef, will most likely be the future of diving in Cambodia as the coastal islands get more tourism. The trend will be to go further out to get that Robinson Crusoe end-of-the-world feel, and here you have two beautiful, deserted tropical islands surrounded by nothing but clear water reefs and blue ocean. The reefs here are productive with larger fish and the schools seem to be getting bigger. Turtles, dolphins, sail fish, tuna, large cobias and other pelagics are still seen today on a somewhat regular basis and if Cambodia ever assigns a real Marine Protected Area (MPA) it is hoped this is where it will be rather than at Koh Rung.
Today the vast majority of diving and dive courses takes place in the Koh Rung group of islands, 14 miles off the coast of Sihanoukville, with the main dive sites being on Koh Kron and Koh Rung Samleom. The Corner Bar sees by far the most divers in a season, featuring plentiful anemones, huge schools of blue-lined snapper plus great and yellowtail barracudas. You'll also find large elephant ear corals and massive bommies covered with multicoloured Christmas tree worms to look under for interesting things like blue spotted rays, puffer fish and, for macro lovers, dart like pipe fish, as well as several species of colourful nudibranchs. This spot was named after a popular Sihanoukville drinking establishment that has seen a lot of fish stories, on-gassing and re-hydration by the local dive professionals over the years.
Dive schools operating at the moment are EcoSea Dive, Scuba Nation, DAM and the brand new Dive Shop. Chez Claude runs charters on demand and is the only active operator with extensive knowledge of the extended range reefs including Condor. So the question still remains, given my choice which is the best? As a notorious dive junkie I'm forced to say, all of them of course!