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Published: October 15th 2013
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Looking towards the busy beach from our cove bar Disclaimer:pictures here aren't indicative of Sihanoukville. We never got out of Serendipity to the luxurious, pristine, uncrowded beaches.
On Wednesday we were supposed to leave Siem Reap about 8pm, take an all night sleeper bus to Sihanoukville and be there first thing Thursday morning. It sounded like a great plan. It gave us more time in Siem Reap and saved us a nights' hotel. As we were boarding the bus in Siem Reap the driver refers us to the ticket counter. So we walk to the ticket counter and hand them our tickets and they tell us to wait for a minute as they see what the issue is. After about ten minutes they come back and tell us the bus was overbooked and they can't put us on another one until morning. They said our hostel (where we bought the tickets) hadn't confirmed them with the bus company. I told them the following morning was unacceptable. Since it would take 12 hours to get to Sihanoukville it would leave us with only one day down there which would be pointless. I said if they couldn't get us on a bus that night to just refund the tickets. As I'm
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Rocks around cove bar talking to the people at the ticket counter Bryan notices our original bus is about leave, with his luggage on it! So in a flash he quickly runs out and gets them to stop and unload his bags. After a bit they find us a spot on a bus leaving at midnight, which while slightly inconvenient was totally fine.
Bryan and I spent the next 2 or 3 hours wandering through the night market, buying knock-off watches, and grabbing drinks and late night snacks at a little bar in the market. As promised at midnight we were on our night bus ready to roll. The bus was old and dirty and smelled sorta funky but we were just glad to be moving. We could still be in Sihanoukville by midday. After a bumpy ride and a few pit stops we were in Phnom Penh, more or less the half way mark. Fast asleep, I woke to hear terrible Cambodian music blaring over the speakers and noticed everyone was off the bus. I clambered out of my bunk and asked the driver what was going on and he said we had to switch buses. Okay fine, I wish he would've
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Looking towards the busy beach from our cove bar told us. Where would we be if I didn't wake up? Went to the ticket counter to see where we needed to go and THEY told me our next bus was overbooked as well! They said it'd be noon this time before our next bus was ready. I knew Cambodian buses could leave something to be desired and everyone I talked to was very polite and friendly so I did my best just to brush it off. We spent the next five hours wandering aimlessly, grabbing breakfast and lunch, checking out the national museum, and trying in vain to find a western bathroom. Finally though, we were on our last leg to Sihanoukville, but running almost an entire day behind.
The last ride was very cramped and crowded but otherwise it was fine. We got into Sihanoukville around 7pm or so and began looking for a cheap place to crash. We were right off Serendipity beach which is the main touristy bar scene area. First place we checked was booked but then we wandered into a place called Moh Ha Chai guesthouse. An expat was working at the front bar and told us he had twin bed AC rooms
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Random dirt alley with dive shops, souvenirs, tours, bars, etc for $13. We checked them out and they were a little rough around the edges but would do. Spent the rest of Thursday night chatting with travelers at the bar, watching some scuba divers slam beer through a snorkel, and wandering down to the beach. I was blown away: a small Dutch girl drank two beers through her snorkel, a glass of water, and two shots of who-knows-what in about 2 minutes, then proceeded to enjoy her salad.
The next day we had breakfast down on the beach, spent the morning getting to know the area, splashing a bit, bought bus tickets back to Phnom Penh for Saturday, and looked for places close by that weren't a party scene. As time was extremely limited we didn't really get off Serendipity Beach which was too bad. It's not really a relaxing beach. It's much more of a party beach. We did find a quiet little spot tucked into a little cove surrounded by trees which had a great little bar perched out over some rocks. We spent quite a bit of time there having a few drinks and eating. Bryan discovered his legs were covered in little bug bites that
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Random dirt alley with dive shops, souvenirs, tours, bars, etc we assumed were bed bugs from the night bus the day before. Luckily I never saw any bites on me. That night we finished up at our hostel bar again but called it a pretty early night.
Saturday morning was spent lounging on the beach before catching our minibus back Phnom Penh. The bus coming to Sihanoukville took roughly 6.5 hours from Phnom Penh. The mini bus back to Phnom Penh took about 4. Our driver was flying and we only stopped once but it beat sitting on a bus half the day. Saturday night we ended our Cambodia journey at the same place it started. We were able to get the same room at the same hostel of our very first night a week earlier, 88 Backpackers Hostel, and the receptionist even remembered us.
Now it's back to school for a couple weeks before a group of us heads to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a weekend.
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Margaret Elley
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Siem Reap to Sihanoukville
We have enjoyed your blogs from your Cambodia trip, Ben...probably a whole lot more than you and Bryan your bus riding adventure!! Of course, that adventure will simply add more interest to the stories you have to tell!! Your pics of the temples are wonderful...so beautiful and ornate. We are happy you are able to take these trips around that part of the world, learning about and seeing as much as is possible while you are there. We look forward to your next blog. Sending lots of love and hugs your way!! Grandma and Hughes