SUN IS IN THE SKY OH WHY OH WHY WOULD I WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE??

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First of all sorry we are a little behind with our entries we are currently in Thailand and have spent some days travelling. The internet is very expensive here, I am doing my best to get you all up to speed asap!!!!!

As we decided to travel to Sihanoukville last minute we figured we'd just get there and find accomodation. Not done this much before but so many people do it and have no problem and often get cheaper prices. So we left Phnom Penh at 8.30am the trip was relaxing and it was good to see more of the countryside and villages. Tim had found a free booklet on Sihanoukville at the Irish bar just before we left. We gave that a good study on the way there and decided from the list of beach descriptions to stay at Otres beach. Sihanoukville has around 4 beaches serendipity being the busiest and most touristy. We however were looking for peace and tranquility and Otres seemed the best option. After haggling with a Tuk Tuk driver over the cost of getting to said beach (motorbikes were so much cheaper but I still dont trust them) we set off. We had picked out a guest house that was advertised in the booklet but when we got there it was full. Further down the road we found another place which had bamboo huts on stilts above the bar area. It was $10 a night and seemed clean enough. We accepted the room and took our first proper look at the beach from our balcony. It was glorious - not a person in sight and sand as white as chalk. The sea was calm and after a quick change we discovered it was also very warm!!!!!!!!!!

Later we sat having a drink at the bar there was another couple and a young girl also staying in the huts. We discovered via eaves dropping that the young girl was quite ill with a bad stomach. It seemed she had eaten there the night before. The owner showed up and asked if she was better to which she said no and then to our surprise the couple pulled him to one side to complain that money had gone missing from their room. After discussion we decided to keep an eye on our belongings and not leave any cash around. We had a very sensible early night which was disturbed by the fact that the walls were just plywood between the huts. You could hear people moving around and talking - not the most private but okay. The area has no electricity supply which isnt a problem until you need the toilet in the middle of the night. You cant find the bloody torch because you didnt think to get it out before you went to bed and your stumbling over everything cursing and probably keeping your neighbours awake as much as they are you!!!

The following morning we got up around 7am and took a walk along the beach in both directions. We found some really nice beach huts but the guys were still renovating them which was a shame. Then we found some really posh ones and decided they were a bit OTT for our requirements (full patio windows etc..). Finally we came across a very quiet stretch of the beach and enquired about a room which although was not a bamboo hut it was literally on the beach. The room was no more than we were paying and it had the added benefit of bricked walls between rooms!!!! We told the young girl we would be back and went and checked out of the beach huts we had been in. No-one was about and the young girl there was asleep in the hammock (they all do this we soon learn't). Tim had to wake her up to pay the bill - we could have just left I dont think anyone would have even noticed!!!!! Our new place was great there was no-one else staying there and we had the full stretch of beach to ourselves everyday. The sand was so fine it was like walking on talcum powder. The area is still very natural too with trees and grassy areas right on the beach.

On our third day we needed to go into the town as we had ran out of suntan cream and had to e-mail home. The guy from our place offered us two motos and as there were no tuk tuks to speak of this far down the beach we accepted. We both dont like using them, you dont get a crash helmet all the time (we certainly didnt here) and the roads are not great so skidding is quite normal. The guys were really good though and took it easy especially when we had to encounter a rather large bumby hill along the way. Little squeals of panic from me all the way up and down much to my drivers amusement. I closed my eyes in the end!!!!!

Serendipity beach was the closest and with it being the most touristy we figured heading there was our best option. It was around 10 minutes away from where we were by moto. Our guys dropped us off at the beach area and we decided to have a quick look to compare with ours. It was awful, row upon row of sunbeds so close together you would be able to read the next persons book! The beach was full of people and 'burger bars' it was way too busy for our liking and the sand was full of rubbish and cigarette butts. We decided to get our shopping and e-mail stuff done and go back to our place rather sharpish. Hence the fact that everyone got an e-mail saying we would not be in touch for a while!!!! When we got back to our beach we sat rather smug that we had chosen well. That evening our moto driver went off to the fish market for us promising a true traditional khmer meal that night. The family were very friendly. There was a young lady who spoke okay english and older lady who was referred to as grandmother but in fact she wasnt. Grandmother was with a guy called Hat and they had a young daughter together. Then you had the moto driver who said his uncle owned the place. It was in fact awfully confusing and we gave up trying to understand in the end.

We got ready for dinner having had a few beers watching the sunset. When we came out there was a local family eating. The young boy had got a football and gestured to Tim to play so they went and played a bit of footy with me joining in every now and then (and scoring an own goal - doh!!!). They left about 30 minutes later with the boy promising to come back the next day for more!!! We had a few more beers and then they set out a straw mat on the floor with a charcoal BBQ in the centre. There was a large steel bowl full of smallish silver fish. They told us they were local to the area. The other members of the family had drifted off in politeness but there was so much fish we invited them to join us. Strangely the meal consisted of masses of these fish being bbq'd over the next couple of hours. They showed us how to cook one side eat that and then put the other side back on to cook. For the first 30 minutes I was busy painting the ladies nails and doing their hair so poor Tim was subjected to about 4 fish before I had even tried one. I'm not great when they still have eyes etc... They were quite nice but we realised that this was a traditional meal. The dont eat it with salad or rice. They just have the fish and a chilli sauce. We had a really good evening with them. Mr Hat couldnt speak english but he kept showing us tricks with a piece of string. The young girl and grandmother were very pleased with their red hands and toes. I ended up parting with some of my makeup that I had brought with me but didnt really need along with extra bobbles and hairslides. Grandmother kept kissing me on the cheek which started to get a little disconcerting but funny all the same. It was very late when we got to bed and very late when we got out of it the next day!!!!

In all our travel we have never stayed at any beach anywhere as peaceful as otres. The most people you saw in a day if you didnt move off your sunbed was about 5. Because there was no electricity only generators at night the stars looked fantastic and we often just lay on the sunbeds looking at them. The Cambodians are very friendly and helpful but they are also quite lazy. Very often we would get up to buy some water and they would all be asleep in the hammocks. At first it is quiant and amusing after a few days it does get annoying!! We were the only people staying here for the first 4 days and then we were joined by a french and english guy who we shared a few beers and travel stories with. They were intending to rent one side of the restaurant from the family to open a bar. It sounded idyllic but we knew it would not be straight forward for them. The Khmer people are not exactly self motivated individuals which is okay until you are in business with them. By the time we were leaving they had signed a 3 year rental contract and had ordered furniture etc. The goverment can come along at any time in Cambodia and re-claim land if they wish. Brave guys we thought.....

Otres will not stay a quiet little haven forever. Cambodia is being discovered by more than just the back packing scene who have been here for some years. Sihanoukville is in the process of building their own airport, at the moment people fly into Phnom Penh and travel by bus. The Otres area is due to get electricity next year along with a plush new road to make the tourists more comfortable. Give it 3 years and it probably wont be as quiet and serene as it currently is. We were definately lucky to have experienced it.

We left Sihanoukville on the 4th of February to travel back to Phnom Phen. The plan was to then get the boat up the Mekong river to Siem Riep to discover Angkor Wat..............

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Photos

on the beach at night
zero light pollution!!!!

The main road to Serendipity beach
this ran at the back of our hut but was never busy

Comments

[Amanda]

I read your blog about Otres Beach in Cambodia. I am heading to Cambodia in Dec to volunteer and plan to head to Otres beach at the end. Do you remember the name of the place you stayed at? Thanks