Sihanoukville, Cambodia

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Sihanoukville, is a small city in Cambodia, it is considered to be a tourist town. However, I believe it's definitely geared towards a particular niche of people. There are restaurants, casinos and beaches- some beautiful, others not so good. While I do enjoy going to the beach occasionally, there is sadly little else for me to do here. That probably has something to do with the fact that I prefer walkable cities, with lots to do and see. Nevertheless, I know that a lot of people visit Sihanoukville and find it to be a great city. So much so, that many decide to retire here. There are expats who have been living here for many years and plan on continuing to live here. For me, I believe the draw must be the relatively cheap cost of living and those few beaches that are...attractive. Admittedly, the locals are friendly enough and I do enjoy meeting them. Of course most don't speak English, but its always nice when they try to have a conversation with you.

Cambodia is a relatively underdeveloped country and therefore, the standards are below what we would expect in Europe or even in as close a country as Malaysia. Nevertheless, there are definitely advantages to visiting Sihanoukville and Cambodia. There are boat rides to nearby Islands, some pretty decent hotels, a couple of nice beaches and if you enjoy fresh fruits- you can find them here in abundance and very reasonably priced. My favorite fruits would have to be mangoes and the coconut. Seriously, I could have those fruits for breakfast, lunch and dinner- everyday. Also, if you do decide to visit Sihanoukville you could take trips to other towns and cities. Most are relatively easily accessible from Sihanoukville- Kep, Kampot, Siem Reap and the capital city, Phnom Penh. I have had the pleasure of visiting all four and I must admit, my favorite is Phnom Penh, I guess I'm just a big city girl. It was a five hour bus ride from Sihanoukville and not the best public transportation service here in Cambodia, but definitely not the worst I've experienced. You can also travel from Cambodia to other SE Asian countries at a fairly decent price. So far, I have visited Vietnam (by bus), Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Singapore and Thailand. Happy travels!

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