Saloth Sar

Disastrous month of August for businesses of Damrai Street (174) The month of August was awful for several bars on street 174; this week four bars were victim of the Phnom Penh small businesses over saturated market. 1) The Thirsty Elephant Bar 2) Generations Sports Bar 3) Q Bar 4) Unicorn Bar Surely the business failure isn't something you want to think about when you start a business. Here in Phnom Penh new small trades open at the breaking neck speed in recent years they also closes at even faster speeds. But based on my own seven months survey I can state that three fifth of small retails business startups will fail in the first six months. Only about two fifths survives two years or more and most investments will be lost. These figures are rather grim. There are a multitude of conditions that can result in a business failing, most small commerce’s that go out of business make similar mistakes. The reason for business failure is often tied to the reason the owner started the business. Is your primary reason for starting your own business the desire to make a lot of fast money? Do you think that if you have your own business that you'd have more time for you and your family? The right reasons for starting a business; you must have dedication, care for for what you’ll be doing, and strongly believe in it. Based on your market fact finding and investigation that your product or service would fulfill a real need in your district, factors to consider: · Where your customers are · Traffic, accessibility, parking and security · Location of competitors · Condition and safety of building, lease duration · Potential problems and solutions · Capital equipment & supply list · Income statement & cash flow (this one is crucial) · Sales & expenses Simply put, if you have a business today, you need a website & social media presence. A common fatal mistake for many failed businesses is having insufficient operating funds. New business owners often do not understand cash flow or underestimate how much money they will need for startup and they are forced to close before they have had a fair chance to succeed. They also may have an unrealistic expectation of incoming revenues from sales. It is vital to establish how much money your business will require; not only the costs of starting, but the costs of staying in business. It is important to take into consideration that numerous businesses take a year or two to get going. This means you will need enough funds to cover all costs until sales can eventually pay for these costs. You also need to be different, you need to stand out from the crowd, and make consumers feel like yours is the place to go, as frequently as possible. Think about the people you’re targeting, your budget, and services you’re willing to offer. Know what your audience wants from you. Don’t surmise any details do your groundwork and increase your chances of success. To be followed: part II, Successful Small Business

Sexy and bright, somewhere I read that when she was detained at the Holloway prison she went for an IQ test and score over 140, I think it was in the Lord Denning report. cheers

I just got the information that Miss. Christine Keeler pass away on Dec 04, 2017, from a chronic pulmonary disease and was aged 75. Now all the main players involved in that scandal are death. Christine, Mandy and Stephen must have a blast up there, God bless them. England was so exciting in the 60s, I'm missing those years.

Add-on information for the Airport Shuttle: Effective on Oct 31st the price for the Airport Shuttle will be 2.50 USD for single ticket and 6.00 USD for family ticket, until then this service remains free of charge. I also attached the complete trains table ( pic 2, 3) Cheers

No the new name is ‘’The Pub’’ and it looks pretty good (see pics) the inside set up is almost the same but a bit more cleaner and orderly. Valentino’s the chains and padlocks on doors, the rise and fall of the sissy empire in less than nine months. I got the confirmation from someone working in the new building (ref Old Flamingo’s Hotel) this apartment building is not open to the general public, this edifice belong to a Chinese group and it will be used for their personnel.

There is no major change with the Airport Shuttle, you should be able to get your ride on the old equipment. The city is very quiet cause of the election people will be back on the job tomorrow, most of the business were closed for 3 days including most of the bars, the girls will be graving for cash good timing for you. cheers

The Skirts Bar is now closed until the new location will be completed.

As off yesterday the Valentino's complex is now closed, the poster mentioned that it closed for renovations, why renovating a new building?

Like the old sawing “ill gotten gains never prosper” these smooth-operators might look good for a while until the international jurisdiction catch them, and then the party is over cheers.

Here a few updates for Driver License renewal As last April 2018, there is no need to go to the General Dept of Public & Transport for new or renewal of driver license, it can be done at the new Aeon Mall 2 in Sen Sok City on Street 1003, inside the mall on floor 2 there is a nice and modern office of the General Dept of Public & Transport. There is no modification of the procedure described by Peter Storm last Nov 2017, this new office have the equipment to takes photo on site if you don’t have any. The office is located just beside the Acleda Bank. Cheers

First in 2016 the St 174 also identified Sabay Sabay with a large overhead gaudy banderol by the owner a prominent German businessman (sic) of the Valentino’s Hotel & Cabaret he paid $$$$ for that, now every expats living in PP knows what happened to him, the St 174 now renamed Damrai Street (meaning Elephant in Khmer) Since the owner was arrested and deported in Feb, 2018, this business is slowly fading off, look like the Swam song. (Pics 3a/3b) The unfilled land on the corner of Preah Monivong and St 174 will be the site of the new Tower of Sathapana Bank, a Japanese investment this time not Chinese. The construction is going full swing seven days a week. (Pics 9a/9b) The clients of the nearby New Castle 2 hotel will be issued with ears plugs free of charge for the next two years. Just across street 174 in front of the Damrai Coffee Shop there is a new type of business a bit refreshing a school for dance & recording studio, it used to be a scruffy guesthouse, it opened last May 2018, perhaps there is a need for this type commerce. (Pic8) Now going west near Pasteur St 51, there is three bars with gay orientation; The Wall, Unicorn Bar and the Q bar (pics3,4) all of them are fairly new not more than a year, I never witness much activity at these bars, on the other side of the street the holdover Skirts Bar(pic 5) will be moving soon to an unknown location, beside the Tool Box Bar (pic6) still there but next one the Caribbean Lounge is now closed for good. Right on the corner of St 174 and St 51(Pasteur) the Khmer Grill Restaurant is also gone after ten months of operation, and replaced by an open air concepts bar by the name of the Thirsty Elephant Bar ( pic11) own by a barang, a trio from the bargain bin losers performs earsplitting tawdry music every night I didn’t see any nubile during my visit, sorry I’m not a bar fervid. The Korean Spicy Soups restaurant located at the old Walkabout location is doing well attracting young Asian teens and Korean travelers.(pic12) There is another new coming business still on St 174 near St 63 where the defunct Beliza Club closed since 2015 (7a,7b) it will go alive again as a lavish SPA the name will be Thai Odyssey offering a full line of massages and skin treatments. The opening is scheduled for Nov 2018; the location is buzzing, I saw a flock of coolies toiling none stop to remove the rubbish and to start the restoration, it could be a good plan for such business, that area have numerous existing large hotels, two additional will be opening soon; Poulo Wai Hotel, 16 stories building to accommodate the increasing number of groups of European and Vietnamese tourists. Sorry to say that the traffic in that segment of St 174 is horrendous the amount of big buses bringing these groups combines with the Khmers low driving skill creates an alarming condition for the jaywalkers. Quick update on St 172, the complete overhaul of the building where the notorious Flamingo’s Hotel (pic 10a.b)was is now completed, the opening is imminent, and last week I watched trucks delivering hotel furniture’s. There is no name yet but it will be a Serviced Apartment facility, the establishment looks really modish. I will try to get further information related to the renting conditions. Cheers

Here the latest gossip, it looks like the new train carriages will be in by Sep 2018, meanwhile the old equipment will have to hold till the arrival of the new rolling stocks. Pic (a) is the last info published this morning Jul 18,2018 in the Khmer Times. cheers

I pass by the train station two to three times a week so if anything serious happen I will let you know. cheers

Well I do not know your arrival time but I hope it will be in the day time because there is no train shuttle after 19.00, because there is no 24 hrs service like it was advertised in the newspapers. cheers

On June 29th I did a dry run on the Airport Train Shuttle linking the PNH Train Station to the Airport Terminal what follow is my version of the ride and the rail service. I took a hike to the old Train Station on Blvd Monivong that was inaugurated in 1932 with train service to Battambang most of the time the station was only used for goods transport mainly oil-tanks train. The station was closed to the public for several years until it was restored and formally reopened in Oct 2010. According to the media grist the now active rail line to the airport is position to run every 20 to 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, and will be free until the end of July 2018. Royal Railways says it plans to receive three new trains from Mexico in June, 2018 (there is no evidence of that yet) trains that will have 2,400 horsepower engines and cruising speeds of 80 km per hour. The new trains will be outfitted with Wi-Fi, TVs and video intercom system. There are no barriers or security so anyone may enter the station hallway and walk freely to the platforms. As I enter the station I noticed a large information desk, where I inquired about the departure time of the next airport shuttle I was told the next one will be at 12.00 it was 11.10 am so I have to wait fifty minutes, I walk around and gathering information’s the waiting room was almost empty that morning only a group of students and a few destitute Khmer women with their baseborn probably living in the airport vicinity and taking advantage of the free ride. A self checking counter was installed for the outbound air passengers can check-in their luggage at the station. Also there is neither cart nor porter available to bring bags to the platform; one has to climb up in to the train so if you’re loaded like a donkey you will have to lift your bags up from the ground currently there is no all-purpose baggage car available. It was already 12.10 at the station Tissot clock and no train in sight; it was time to go back to the info desk in order to get the latest, the clerk apologized for the delay and said that the train will be there in fifteen minutes. It was 12.33 when I finally heard the distinct sounds of the flanges squealing of the train coming into the station. In a flash the waiting room was clear everybody rushing to the platform, something peculiar two locomotives were pulling one single railcar, hastily train personnel wearing orange safety vest got busy decoupling the first engine that quickly move out of the way. Then a team of three mechanics carrying a tools box climbs on the bridge of the second engine (Bde-410) old and very small, meanwhile I chat with the supervisor he told me that the engine stalled two miles from the station that is the reason why the train was pulled by two locomotives, so now the repair team is trying to fix the problem while travelers remains on the platform, it was 13.20 when the old engine Bde-410 comes to life again, all aboard we are leaving the station the time is now 13.40.The carriage is an aged slender gauge train that was renovated, very clean with good A/C units and no toilet, I noticed that two of the engineers who repaired the engine were aboard with their tools box. The train speed was low no more than 10 to 12 km/h; the panorama is just like going through shabby town, children playing in front of their homes only a meter away from the train. It was 14.20 when the train reached the airport train station, the train stop only for 10 minutes before going back to PNH station. I get off and go inside the waiting lounge to get the schedule of the next train the young lad told me that next one will be departing at 15.30. I walked around the building to get familiar with the installation and it was time for my late lunch, I went inside the airport terminal departure lounge to eat something at the Blue Pumpkin stall I was sat there for forty minutes and then move to the arrivals section where the Airport Train Shuttle ticket counter is located just next to the KK Star Bus Shuttle. It was about time for me to go back the Train Shuttle Lounge which is very close like 50 meters away. Now the time is 15.20 and the lounge was a bit busy I went back to the info desk to verify the timetable this time the same lad was all alone and not so sure about the departure time he told me to wait for a few minutes he will get back to me, I went to the toilet and I saw him running in the parking lot in the direction of the airport offices. Now the time is 15.35 and there is no train at the platform or employee in the waiting lounge, then on a motorcycle coming from the air terminal I recognized the two youngsters that I talked to earlier they walk in the lounge like nothing happen, the time now is 15.50, went back to the desk to ask him what happen, the older boy told me that the train had a malfunction and there is no information available at this time. I returned to the air terminal to KK Star bus shuttle to check the schedule and fare; it was well posted in from off the office, one way ticket $5.00 with a frequent schedule to PNH. Back to the train lounge again the situation didn’t not change, passengers are still waiting for the train. I made a swift decision I exited the airport and went to local bus stop for line number 3 located across the airport fence at the same level that the train station, the waiting time was short a few minutes only before I boarded the bus, it cost 1600. Riels, it took 20 minutes I get off the bus at the Central Market stop, my jaunt to the airport was over. Conclusion: The current Airport Train Shuttle is a genuine crapshoot a fanfare embellished by the newspapers and politicians, it will take at least half a year before that train shuttle service will be fully efficient. The arrival date of the new trains from Mexico promised for the month of June it’s not available yet and it will take time and skill to fine-tune these new gears and makes them compatible with the outdated rails network. It was mentioned that these new powerful engines cruising speed of 80 km per hour; I don’t believe that such velocity can be attained using the present outdated rails system. The transport minister also called on travelers to be vigilant on part of Russian Boulevard where the train crosses that is the 1.6 km added segment to access the airport, on the day of my trip I observed that despite that the crossing gate was activated numerous vehicle such as tuc tuc, motorcycles and other illicit means of transportation simply ignored that warning and drove through till the last moment when the train is coming, here in Cambodia stopping is just like a cardinal sin, the motorists have no discipline nor respect for laws and rules anything goes. Anyway for me the excursion was informative and fun, I will do it again in a month or two. This service should not be considered seriously to go to the airport till the end of the year.