Sunday, November 30, 2008
Another Linga Accolade
I was so happy to finally see the article written by Ed Peters that included Linga Bar. Ed interviewed me sometime ago and I recently asked him for a copy of the article. I was amazed to find out that the article was about Asia's Best Bars. We are included among some great bars in the region and it is so nice to get this amazing recognition. Even better, there is a picture of the bar with one staff member, Semah, making a cocktail while two others are mention by name: Bean and Krisna. They certainly deserve the recognition as they are the ones who do all of the work. Here is a copy of the article from Sphere Magazine:
Linga Party Celebrations
Since I did not write much the last month as I was busy preparing the staff for my absence, I missed the chance to write about two big parties we had at Linga Bar. The first party was Halloween which we have re-named Linga-ween. It is our biggest and most fun party of the year. The staff love it, the ex-pat community loves it and of course the tourist love it because they never expect to see Halloween in Cambodia. I love Halloween and we try our best to put on a good party every year. I buy our Halloween decorations in Thailand or the US and we have a lot a great decorations now that we have added more each year. This year being the first time we have had Linga-ween on a Friday, we wanted to make it even bigger so we setup and outdoor bar and added a big screen to project scary movies in the passage. Well, we were rewarded with an unbelievably fun night. A fantastic turn out and some great music. Even the huge rain storm that came could not stop the party because thankfully everyone had already arrived. The party went on until 3am and afterwards I took the staff out for some food. By the time I got home and to bed it was 6am and I had a cold, blisters on my feet but it was well worth it. Here are some pics from Linga-ween. A more complete set will be on the Linga Bar website as soon as our web designer can get to it. Next year will be a Saturday night Halloween, I can't wait!
The next party was for Linga's birthday. This year we celebrated our fourth anniversary on Saturday, 15 November. Like last year, we wanted to put on a show so I enlisted the help of Love Ramos and his friends Brewster and Vincent. They helped my staff to learn a dance routine and I picked six of the staff to perform. They really enjoyed it and I was happy to have them get a chance to make a show for our customers. We had a lip sync performance by "Apple" from Phnom Penh which was good. Last year we had three drag performers but this year I could only find Apple. She performed two songs and I was impressed with her elegant outfits. Even Brewster and Vincent performed. It was not a big night like Linga-ween but just a chance for us to thank our customers for their four years of support. Again, a few pics here and the rest on the website when we can get that done. Enjoy!
The next party was for Linga's birthday. This year we celebrated our fourth anniversary on Saturday, 15 November. Like last year, we wanted to put on a show so I enlisted the help of Love Ramos and his friends Brewster and Vincent. They helped my staff to learn a dance routine and I picked six of the staff to perform. They really enjoyed it and I was happy to have them get a chance to make a show for our customers. We had a lip sync performance by "Apple" from Phnom Penh which was good. Last year we had three drag performers but this year I could only find Apple. She performed two songs and I was impressed with her elegant outfits. Even Brewster and Vincent performed. It was not a big night like Linga-ween but just a chance for us to thank our customers for their four years of support. Again, a few pics here and the rest on the website when we can get that done. Enjoy!
CAMBODIA: Open for Business!
Last Saturday, 22 November, I left Siem Reap for a trip home to the US to enjoy the holidays with my family. I had three nights in Saigon before flying back. For me to be gone five weeks during high season was a big decision but I have been working quite closely with the staff to ensure they know exactly what to do and how best to take care of our guests. If I was not confident they could do it, I would not have made the trip. Then, just as I arrived back home in Indiana what happens? Thailand turns into chaos by shutting down the airports. I can not believe these protesters would do something as idiotic as this as the long term effects on the tourism industry ($16 Billion per year) there could be massive.
I have been in constant contact with my staff by email and phone calls to make sure our guests are taken care of during this time. After all, it is only a matter of finding transportation or re-routing around Bangkok to get here because Siem Reap and Angkor Wat are open for business as usual. The staff have done very well, even going to meet one guest at the Thai border that decided to come overland rather that cancel their trip. We have had guests that have had to stay longer than planned which worked out well. We have only had one cancellation so far which is good and have picked up some new bookings from people not wanting to be in Thailand.
The reason for this post is to look forward about the situation in Thailand and what it means for travelers to SE Asia. My personal opinion is that one can easily make a wonderful trip to this region and completely avoid Thailand in the short term until they resolve the issue. Siem Reap is easily accessed through Vietnam which has so much to offer in terms of interesting places to holiday whether it is the scenery, the culture, the beaches or the big cities like Hanoi or Saigon. In addition Siem Reap is easily accessed through Kuala Lumpur and Singapore both by full service airlines (Malaysia Airlines and Silk Air) as well as budget carriers (JetStar or Air Asia). Laos is also a great destination but a bit trickier to get in and out of when avoiding Thailand. There is so much more to see in the region other than Thailand that maybe this will give travelers a chance to find some new discoveries. If you want to know more or need help planning your visit, please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. No reason for Thailand's problems to affect us in Cambodia.
I have been in constant contact with my staff by email and phone calls to make sure our guests are taken care of during this time. After all, it is only a matter of finding transportation or re-routing around Bangkok to get here because Siem Reap and Angkor Wat are open for business as usual. The staff have done very well, even going to meet one guest at the Thai border that decided to come overland rather that cancel their trip. We have had guests that have had to stay longer than planned which worked out well. We have only had one cancellation so far which is good and have picked up some new bookings from people not wanting to be in Thailand.
The reason for this post is to look forward about the situation in Thailand and what it means for travelers to SE Asia. My personal opinion is that one can easily make a wonderful trip to this region and completely avoid Thailand in the short term until they resolve the issue. Siem Reap is easily accessed through Vietnam which has so much to offer in terms of interesting places to holiday whether it is the scenery, the culture, the beaches or the big cities like Hanoi or Saigon. In addition Siem Reap is easily accessed through Kuala Lumpur and Singapore both by full service airlines (Malaysia Airlines and Silk Air) as well as budget carriers (JetStar or Air Asia). Laos is also a great destination but a bit trickier to get in and out of when avoiding Thailand. There is so much more to see in the region other than Thailand that maybe this will give travelers a chance to find some new discoveries. If you want to know more or need help planning your visit, please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. No reason for Thailand's problems to affect us in Cambodia.
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