"Phnom Penh after dark isn't a..." Cambodia Warnings Or Dangers Tip by BorderHopper

Phnom Penh after dark isn't a place you want to find yourself. My friend and I learned the hard way. It was our first evening in the capital and we decided to go out for some dinner and hit the bars. We hired two moto drivers from in front of the Capital Guesthouse. The two did not know eachother but were from among a group of 2 dozen moto drivers waiting around for customers. After a good dinner near the Tonle Sap we headed to all of the known bars like Martini's, Heart of Darkness, and finally Sharkey's. We treated our drivers well, buying them dinner and even a beer but that didn't stop one of them from planning a robbery. As we headed back to our lodging on two seperate scooters my friend and I became seperated. It turned out that this was a deliberate move on the part of one of the moto drivers. My driver was a good guy and upon much recolection we figured he was in no way a part of this scheme. I arrived safely back to the hotel and waited for my friend.....an hour passed and I was very worried so we went back out in search of him. We traced our route and even went back to Sharkey's in hope we'd find them there. I came back empty handed so I ponderd what to do next. As I waited on the curb in the dark with my moto driver I see my friend walking up the dark street towards me. He was very upset and had said that he had been robbed by his driver. the driver took him down another road and when my friend pointed him in the right direction he acted as if he took a wrong turn when in reality he was looking for a dark place to rob him. After ordering him offthe bike he stole $15 USD from him and left him stranded. Luckily it was only a few blocks from the hotel and he was not physically harmed.
Be very cautious when hiring a moto driver in Phnom Penh or in front of the Capital Guesthouse. Ask other travellers in the area if they could reccomend a specific driver. You can also get a feel for your driver by studying the way he approaches you. My driver spoke exellent english, dressed sharp, and was very polite...he seemed to be a pro and ended up teaching me alot about Khmer culture. the other driver was the exact opposite and wasn't very interested in anything but beer, drugs, and women.
Pictured below is a victim of the genocidal Khmer Rouge who like thousands of others died from a blow to the head. The KR liked to save their ammo so they used axes instead.