Advertisement
Published: September 20th 2005
Young and happy
This little chap was more than pleased to smile for me!Amazing that I managed to get up in time to cross the border. It's not like it had been a late night, but getting organized for a 5am bus is never easy! And then, I somehow managed. I met up with Maria along the way, a girl I had first met on the beach in Ko Chang. She was planning on catching the same speedboat down to Sihanoukville, so a mini adventure was born.
Having organized my visa in Bankok, I was slightly annoyed when I had to go back to the border to get another stamp. Officials trying to get more money each step of the way. Regardless, we made it onto the boat-the last 2 people. Now, the guidebook doesn't really give us much of a synopsis of what a Cambodian speedboat is really like, so I'll do my best. It's a submarine. The fresh air was too irresistable, so we opted for sitting on the roof. A couple of chaps were all ready there, so we found a cauliflower to rest our heads on and closed our eyes. The journey was scheduled to take about 5 hours, so it was time to make up for having
The Cook
She was so concerned I eat every bite even though missing a few might do me more good! woken up so early. When the few raindrops started to pound on my forehead, it was best to make our way indoors. Oooooohhhh, air conditioning! And then when the door was closed behind me there was a huge suction of air-yep, it really is a submarine!!
Arriving in Sihanoukville was certainly not what I was expecting. This town is very very spread out, and where we docked looked like the middle of nowhere. The expected tuktuk transport was not there, so I approached the motorcycle ride to the hotel with extreme caution. No problems really as Maria was living in Cambodia and said this was the norm. Joe, the experienced traveller originally from London who we had met on the boat didn't seem to bat an eyelid, so just go with the new flow Fiona!! I soon discovered the drivers are all so so so slow, there really was nothing to be concerned about. Luckily Maria knew of a hotel along Serendipity Beach so we had a specific destination. This was soon followed by a chilled out afternoon eating, napping and exploring the beach. It really is hard to get out of this super relaxed beach mode that
I entered over a week ago!
The following day's adventure began by joining Joe on a motorbike to explore the other end of the beach. It turns out we probably could have walked it, but it was a nice breezy ride anyway. The beach had just a few people on it and the water was welcome. I was glad to not bump into a jellyfish the same size as the dead one on the beach. I know jellyfish are just big blobs of goo with a possible sting, but when they reach the size of a couple soccer balls-I'm going the other way!!
As I'm starting to meet more and more people along my travels, I'm more intrigued by the conversations that develop as they seem to be part of the travellers education. I have never followed world politics or history for that matter, but I am now drawn to listening to different views. Having lived in the world of coffee and work for too long, it's a comfort to learn of the rest of the world. It also makes the sights seen during the travels so much more valuble as I start to understand why
and how everything is the way it is. It's inspiring to meet people that are informed and passionate about so many different subjects. I'll keep listening for awhile, but have no doubts that I'll be speaking up at the dinner table a little more often from now on!
That night we had a chance to use the bike again to scour the lightless roads for a recomended fish restaurant. It was a relief to find and a pleasure to consume. We opted for a Korean cook your own dish accompanied by barracuda, prawns the size of a McDonalds cheeseburger and squid that didn't rubberize. It was a great meal and certainly nice to have a change from always ordering the cheapest item on the menu.
EARLY START! Well, I suppose 8am isn't really too bad considering my work alarm often used to ring at 4am. Breakfast was followed by clambering into a longtail boat that slowly made it's way to some of the islands just off the coast. We jumped in and started to scan the ocean floor for glimpses of colour and activity with our snorkelling gear. Such a shame that the gear was so
The lunch stop
Longtails docking on the beach crap, but managed to see what coral did remain alive in these areas. Lunch was a great spot with the beach and a bar-b-q. The final snorkel spot of the day turned out to be the biggest hit as there was coral as bright as all the Disney characters put together. It seemed that fate wanted us to stay in this spot as when we climbed back on board the propeller never turned again. It was entertaining to watch the captain try and flag down somebody for a tow! Just an hour late and we made it back to the beach, aaagghhh.
After a quick email in the afternoon, the final evening began with a moto ride into town. Met some others from the boat at a local nightclub. Local it was. It's fun to watch people get so involved in their kariokee, and Cambodians are certainly not an exception. The videos played actually rivalled those that I saw in Tanzania, although the songs here were carried off with much less repetitiveness. After bearing as much as we could, we made it back to the beach to enjoy a few buckets of booze. Unfortunetly for me, buckets are
not an exaggeration. As within Thailand, throwing a bottle of booze in with some ice, a mixer, and a straw is simply how it's done over here. I had a very brave start I think, but when I insisted on swimming that's when it was all over for me. Luckily I was put into the nearest bed where I snored and slobbered until my adventure back to the hotel the next morning. I'm not sure why I chose to swim/bob along the shoreline rather than walk straight along the beach, although the tiring effort was refreshing...until I realized I had passed my hotel all ready!!
How on earth I made it through the next day is beyond me. Well, it took me 2 days to recover to be honest. I'm not used to drinking like this, I swear!! Nonetheless, I managed to board a bus to Phnom Penh and find myself some cheap accomodation on the lake where I then spent the next 24 hours swinging in a hammock. Having another water, another snooze and yet another think about what I really should be doing. It was a bit confusing for me when I looked out onto the
Left Behind
These are the lunch time bungalows sadly left behind water and saw just that, water, only to look up 30 minutes later and see only plants. Huh? The floating beds of lillies start as islands but with the winds and rains that took over they soon looked like farmers fields. My poor brain finally figured it out. The chilled out day ended up being an exceptionally enjoyable one.
I managed to take in some of the sights the next day by jumping on a moto heading towards The Palace and the Silver Pagoda. As the showers had scared most people away (okay, they were a little heavier than 'showers'!) I had the place to myself. Walking around the Royal residence isn't as significant as actually living within such a plush world, but it certainly is an eye opener. There were nearly 10,000 diamonds within the golden body of the Buddha inside, just a little mesmerizing for a simple girl like me!! I don't yet know much of the Cambodian Royal family other than they are as respected as the Thai Royal family. The Thai king is the longest reigning monarch to date, but I am sure the Cambodian family has equal tales to tell. Next point of
research on my long list!!
That night I found a great Indian curry house near my hotel. Great way to re-activate the senses although they were soon dulled with the treats for dessert. No more late wild nights for me though as I have a 7am bus to Battambang to catch!!
Phnom Penh also gave me the chance to do a bit of people watching. Many ladies seem to wear outfits similar to my pjamas. And then they try and sell you a plate of deep fried spiders. 'Spiders' might not give you the right size impression, they're terantulas! Can you imagine biting off a leg and nibbling it as if it were beef jerkey? Yes, I most certainly declined!! It's often quite hard to walk by so many children asking for money, but I've learned to just start closing my eyes. I have a pocket full of small notes in riel for a few donations. I must always remember to keep the riel separate to the American dollar, which is the more predominant currency here.
I've certainly enjoyed my first week in Cambodia. I had been warned and read so much to avoid
scams and various dangerous situations, and quite simply I didn't see it. Perhaps I'm lucky, perhaps I'm wise. I had planned on doing more, but why rush? I can come back if I really want to!
Off to Battambang and Siem Reap (Angkor Wot) next. Hope all is well with everybody.
-Fiona
Advertisement
Tot: 0.059s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0304s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Charlotte
non-member comment
you lush =P
Haha...perhaps you should forgo the buckets of booze eh Fi? monkey =) You are off to Angkor Wot next and that is why im most jealous.. please you must must take lots of piccies there.. i have been inlove with that place ever since my friend Jules went there a few years ago. Was also wondering how the islands look after the tsunami of last year? Will you be volunteering any time to the reconstruction efforts? love you lots xx miss you.. take it easy ;-) xChar