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Published: September 10th 2008
Sihanoukville Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, 2008
We met Danny and Rose on our Mekong Delta Adventure and Danny recommended Sihanoukville and its beaches and so we went! Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s main beach resort and seaport. For $5. per ticket, we travelled the 4 hour trip by bus from Phnom Penh. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were swarmed by tuk tuk drivers, taxi drivers, xe om (motor bike taxi) drivers and guest house offers! Gasp! And it was very hot and we were very tired and sweaty! We chose a nice taxi driver and wisked away into his car and he drove us around to three guest houses. We chose The Monkey Republic, a very popular backpacker place and the main bar for the town we discovered! And we did wonder if we should perhaps have chosen a quieter place as we listened to the booming bass of hip hop after midnight. But it was fun and not far from the Serendipity and Ochheuteal Beaches-white sands and the very warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. We found out from Logan that he was in Siuhanoukville on his trip about 5 years ago! Logan we expect
there have been more restaurants and bars and hotels built since then. It seems to be growing non stop here!
We spent out first afternoon basking on the beach and also coping with the swarms of little children who sit on our chairs and try to sell us bracelets and books and postcards -and ladies selling massages and pedicure and manicure -on it goes! Before I know it a smiley lady is sitting on my chair and stroking my leg and discovering a few hair bristles; she starts threading my hairs and puling them out by the roots! I give in and on she goes assuring me I will not have to shave my legs for 2 or 3 months! This is a new experience for me - interesting! And the children are so very beautiful and so very smart and speak good English -but we heed the advice of the “ChildSafe Traveler Tips” which we find on display in many places here. They recommend that we “think twice before buying anything from children on the streets, beaches, or at temples and refrain from giving money from begging children or parents with infants. It keeps them on the street
and places them at risk. …Instead find and support services that help these children have a better future”. There are some good NGOs working with families to improve lives. ChildSafe is also working to fight child prostitution and trafficking. “According to UNICEF, 30 to 35 percent of all sex workers in the Mekong sub-region are between 12 and 17 years of age”. !!
We spent a full day snorkelling with a Dive Shop group. Turned out the waters were better for divers than snorkellers but we did see some good corals and fishes off the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samlem and it was wonderful to be out on the water. Only a 4/4/3 on the Al scale (coral/fish/water clarity).
We also had a lovely relaxed day on Otres Beach -much quieter. A tuk tuk ride away over red dirt roads; the red dirt looks just like PEI. Many less tourists and many fewer vendors here. Peace!
During our few days here Christoph and I also got a gastrointestinal bug -not sure what from -so we decided this laid back time was also good for healing.
We learned here that all the islands off
this coast have been sold to foreign investors -and as we travel the roads we see bare dry fields where once there were lush rain forests. We learn too that major logging has happened here and the woods have been sold off to foreigners. More tragedy for this beautiful country.
Back to Phnom Penh and the Okay Guesthouse on September 3rd and to Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor on September 4th!
More - always! - to come!
😊 Al and Robin
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the golden lions welcome us to Sihanoukville
