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Travel Tips Cambodia - January 21, 2002

Mail Woes- Road War - Internet Solutions - Boots?


ABC and Pacific Computer shops are most recommended for sales and service in Phnom Penh.

Monday January 21, 2002

MAIL DELIVERY is non-existent in Cambodia, there are no mail carriers. When mail is received at the post office the recipient must pick it up. Locals are sometimes notified that there is mail waiting for them.

Many Westerners take for granted that mail is delivered…we did. It came to light when we needed some important mail to be forwarded to us while on our travels.

The significance of the non-delivery problem came about when we asked businesses how to do that. There is no concrete answer. When you consider that the country has had three decades of civil war and strife you can understand why this situation exists. Many Westerners can't relate.

MOTO TAXI ACCIDENT: An American tourist was involved in a motorcycle taxi accident in Phnom Penh that required hospitalization, a sling and healing time.

On his way home form Martini's bar a tourist the motorcycle driver was driving too fast and hit a pothole that sent the tourist flying off the bike. The driver was also intoxicated.

We choose to get off a bike if the driver goes too fast and hire another one. If we smell liquor on a driver's breath we don't hire him.

ACCIDENT CROSSING STREET: A Canadian tourist was hospitalized after and accident that occurred when he was crossing the street in Phnom Penh. Before crossing he looked in the direction of oncoming traffic. As he crossed a motorcyclist that was coming the wrong way on the WRONG SIDE OF THE STREET hit him.

Look BOTH WAYS when you cross the street. It is common for drivers to drive on the wrong side the wrong way. There appears to be no law to prevent this from happening.

If you see an approaching motorcyclist or car it is more likely they will cut IN FRONT OF YOU and not behind you. There is NO COURTESY OF THE ROAD in Cambodia. In a way it's us against them. The lack of consideration and courtesy constitutes a road war for your survival. Be aware at all times.

Cambodia is not known for having good medical care. We stopped in a medical clinic to weigh ourselves and there was no scale. We have met travelers that have received medical help that found out the doctors didn't speak English and couldn't explain to the patient what was wrong with them.

INTERNET SOLUTIONS: Prices are coming down for access to the Internet at Internet cafes. Just three years ago the price was $10 an hour. Internet access is now available for $1 to $1.50 an hour at many shops in Phnom Penh.

Prices remain high in Sihanoukville. You can use Camintel for $4 an hour with a minimum $2 charge…but BEWARE.

We used Camintel with the need to download on April 6, 2001. We asked prior to use if a certain computer were in good shape and that it would be safe to download. We were told explicitly that there was no virus in the machine.

After doing so we checked the disk for viruses in our computer. The message received was INFECTED BOOT…CAN'T BE REPAIRED. Had we not checked the disk we would have infected our computer. The date of the virus was EXACTLY a MONTH PRIOR.

When we returned to Camintel and explained the problem they denied ALL RESPONSIBILITY and said it was our fault. At first they refused to return out money but after three visits did so. They would not pay for or replace the disk.

A customer in the office at the time said that they were aware of the virus and attempted to fix it but to no avail. We kept the disk for a memorable souvenir. Other than the inconvince and loss we were unable to file our stories until we reached Phnom Penh.

INTERNET THEFT: Some Internet shops in Phnom Penh have a reputation for stealing users passwords. They also are know to read your mail while you're on line from a back room or from another computer in the work area.

Partners of a shop took the password from their former computer teacher who also had a shop. They were taken to court and found guilty of stealing the passwords.

The purpose was to use another person's password so they could save costs on line fees to the Internet. They in turn could cut the price of competitors. At one time the line fee charges paid would set a $2.70 an hour break even price point. With a stolen password a $2 an hour fee was charged. The victim was charging $3 an hour.

New direct to satellite technology is now being installed by many of the Phnom Penh shops. This improves the quality of reception regarding speed and clarity. The Cambodian phones lines are analog and very slow.

The direct to satellite technology eliminates that problem and enables the price to come down. The technology is only available in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

If you have sensitive information to deal with on the Internet KIDS Internet Lab is recommended: (016) 832-785 - (023) 218-452 - 17A, Street 178, Phnom Penh.

COMPUTER SALES, SERVICE & PARTS: If you travel with a computer and need repair or parts they are HARD TO FIND in the country. There is a lack of parts and qualified technicians.

The most recommended shops for these services are:

ABC Computer (Phnom Penh): (023) 212-004 - 170 Norodom Boulevard

Pacific Computer: 213-402 - 176C Street. 63

ALOE VELA? - An interesting experience occurred when we shopped at a Phnom Penh market for some skin moisturizer.

We picked up a jar of David Jones Aloe Vela moisturizing cream with Aloe Vela Oil. We noticed the consistent ALOVERA spelling error every time it was spelled on the jar later. The cream didn't smell like those that we purchased in the past. The jar was sealed but half empty. The texture was thinner than before. At this time we don't know if it is a boot.


© 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

 

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