Sihanoukville

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For a pleasant change the bus journey South to Sihanoukville was straightforward and uneventful. We were slightly peterbed to discover, however, that Sihanoukville doesn't have and tuk-tuks, and that travel is only by motorbike (or "moto" at the locals call them). This wouldn't normally be a problem, however it's not quite so comfortable when you include a rucksack and take into account the locals driving!

We headed to the West beach of the headland which is the main traveller area (i.e. where the cheap accommodation is). For the first night we stayed in a bungalow not far from the beach, but decided to relocate due to the number of insects freely entering through the many holes in the walls and an uneffective mosquitto net. After settling into a better place further up the hill we had a day on the beach. Although only a thin beach and coverred with bars and cafes in the form of wooden huts, the beach was fairly pleasant and the shade from the cafe's umbrellas was worth the cost of the drinks we had to buy there. The sea was perfect for swimming as it was clear, not rocky and the water was boiling hot - almost like taking a bath.

Later that day we took a trip into the main town to try to swap some books and get some food. The town centre is pretty uninspiring and we walked from one side to the other in next to no time. Unfortunately the book selection left a lot to be desired but some good food (which we later found to be rare in Sihanoukville) made the trip into town worthwhile.

That evening saw the arrival of the rain. And what rain it was. It would have been reasonably impressive to watch the torential downpour and listen to the thunder had we not booked a daytrip to the nearby National Park the following day. Despite our optimism that such heavy rain couldn't last all day our trip was postponed until the following day. We spent the remainder of the day reading under cover as there is really very little to do in Sihanoukville once the beach, the nearby islands, and the National Park are ruled out. We resorted to making the most of the cheap beer and watching Wallace and Gromit in one of the bars, so it wasn't all that bad!

The following morning came and the rain still hadn't stopped. Our trip was cancelled again so we got a refund and made a snap decision to head back to Phnom Penh before the roads became impassable. Although the weather no doubt clouded my judgement of the place, I left Sihanoukville underwhelmed - the beaches weren't anything special and there wasn't much in the way of decent food or much to do or see once they were ruled out.

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