Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Sihanoukville - Cambodia
Sihanoukville is the main tourist costal town in Cambodia and boasts 6 beaches - although some of them are now privately owned and not open to the public. Money will buy you anything in Cambodia! When we arrive we go with the tuk tuk driver who gave us the best price, and allow him to take us to a guest house he recommends - it's cheap and near the beach but without hot water and air con. So he take us somewhere else up the road which seems quite good so we stay here! It's 1 min walk across the road to the beach. So on our first full day we bargain with our tuk tuk driver from the day before to take us on a trip around the own and surrounding area (4 hours for GBP6). He takes us to all of the beaches (and past the ones we can't access), to the fishing village and the port, up the mountain to the monastery, past the brewery (which they are very proud of) and in to the downtown area to the supermarket. But on the road between beaches we get a bit more than we bargained for as we come across monkeys on the side of the road! They have some little ones and babies with them too and it is really nice to just see them in their natural habitat - especially the babies, they are so cute!
The second day was a bit like deja-vu; we got up super early to go on a trip we have booked to the National Park, but at 8 o'clock when we are due to depart we are told that the trip isn't happening because we were the only ones who booked! So, in order to risk the same disappointment the next day, we again grab Mr. Meng the tuk-tuk driver and he takes us instead! When we get there we hire a tour guide for a walk through the jungle to a waterfall. On the walk there the tour guide, who has tourrettes syndrome, stops suddenly and shows us a small snake he has seen on a branch by where we were walking - it takes a while for us to spot it as he tells us it's blue - but actually it was bright green! We pass by slowly and quietly and the tour guide holds his hands together in a praying motion and says "thank you" to the snake! We ask if this (small) snake is dangerous and he says that if we get bitten and not to hospitak in 1 hour we will die!! We walk much more carefully after that. - A later discussion wih Mr Meng reveals that it was probably a green cobra, poisonous but not deadly after all. The waterfall is nice so we have a dip and walk back. We then go to one of the secluded beaches in the NP which is beautiful; green sea and soft golden sand lined with palm trees - we have a swim and walk then it's back to the guest house.
The next couple of days sees quite a lot of rain fall but we do go for a nice walk along the beach in between the storms, wearing our rain jackets, and walking through the warm water which is high up the beach lapping the beach bars! Whilkst there is a bit of sunshin too we try to have a nice quiet beer on the beach but get hassled in to having our legs plucked by the children on the beach - they use a piece of cotton and a strange technique which I have only seen in S E Asia! This is one of those things that you do for the experience; do not be fooled in to thinking this is pampering or a good idea of any description. It hurts after a while and is a slow process!!
If you go to Cambodia and want to chill out; this is the place to do it. The sea is lovely and the beachers aren't bad either - like most touristy beaches in S E Asia there will inevitably be litter and beggars and beach sellers, but you can also buy a draught beer for 35 pence and a "happy shake" or "happy pizza" for a couple of quid - and apparently it's good stuff too (so we heard)!
- comments