California 2 Guesthouse:
Good place to spend rainy season. Chill by the river, down cheap vodkas, pray for scooter douches to crash into each other, and watch storms blow past. Someone directly across the river seems to have pissed off the gods since angry bolts of lightening seem to slam into that particular area all the time. Good show. Lightening that stretches from cloud to ground is pretty fucking cool - as long as they don't strike anywhere near you. But it's not all about the weather:
- The FlyingFinn - Cool dude with a new name. The Finn Who Couldn't Fly - A week before heading back to the land of reindeer, cell phones, and kick-ass vodka, he falls HARD and smashes in the back of his head. Traded a couple pints of blood for a nasty bump and stitches. Fast forward one week - he's back on the town. History repeats. In the name of symmetry, he does his face. Reports: a broken nose, more stitches, and more lost blood. Somehow he made his AM flight and did the 20+ hrs (?) back to Helsinki - both ends of his head bashed in. Everyone wishing for a speedy recovery. We must all remember - No snow here to cushion your fall. Everyone digging the 120 proof ass-pocket bottles of Finnish hooch he dispensed before leaving. 60% alcohol in a plastic bottle. Cool.
- Complaints about the Pavillion Hotel. Never even seen the place but the 411: Loves gays. Hates kids. Won't allow mixed-race couples - even married ones have been asked to leave. A hotel too big for its butt plug? Well, on behalf of the masses:
FUCK YOU PAVILLION HOTEL (I spit on you 10 thousand times...)
- Long-time Ozzpat vying with DonBong to see who can have the longest hair and lose the most cell phones. Well....GAME ON my friend. (But I may be in over my head here....)
- Vientiane. More money, better working conditions, a great relocation package....but the bars close around 11. No deal.
Moved again. Moved out of NGO-land to the middle of nowhere. Somehow it didn't work out. Thankfully, she's back and in stumbling range of Walkabout. Looking to develop a late night scene. The new place: Cute staff ($5 bar fines), long bar-top, pool table... Plans for A/C, dart board, and a new sound system. Looking to get some freelance traffic in there as well. Smoke friendly, honest drinks, and My Lien. She's pretty darn cool and deserves to do well.
Bar 104:
Fish tanks bore me. I'm not married, don't buy girls CRVs, or have an EU stipend, so what the fuck else am I going to do on Street 104. And besides - the owners know what works. Stocked with lookers, good tunes, nice line of single malts, and even absinthe and proper rolling papers ($1). I think they even sell phone cards but can't recall (...I was kind of fucked-up last time I was in there.)
Do It All Bar:
The heart of Africa comes to a shop house near 63 and Sihanouk. Or did it? Seems to be closed more often than it's open. Opening night: best part was watching the neighborhoo
d Khmersgawk in dismay while 30+ brothers chilled out in an open, unfurnished shop house, dancing, shooting the shit, and getting wasted on cans of beer straight from a cooler.
The place closed. A week later - reopened with a proper enclosed glass front, some nice bar lighting on the inside and a Khmer parking attendant out front. I checked the scene - more people chilling outside than actually in the bar. Dudes seemed content to buy cheaper cans of beer from the mini-mart across the street and slam them out front than actually go inside and buy a drink. Not a formula that works for the neighbors. Been closed this past week. I have a feeling the 'hood will be coming up with "zoning" conflicts 'til then end of their lease:
Municipal Code AF.2007 Sub Sect C:
No African bar shall be allowed to operate within 100 ft of any school, temple, hospital, brothel, stolen phone fence, or video-crack center...
I commiserate. Heroine smuggling blood diamond dealers need a place to call their own, but it's universal, man. You Can't Fight City Hall.
So then, until I can remember the other shit that's happened...Stay Strong
No comments:
Post a Comment