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Published: February 2nd 2011
We just spent four days in paradise. Just have a look at the pics!
Sihanoukville is only about 230 km from Phnom Penh, but to get there by bus takes about five hours. We left Phnom Penh early on Wednesday morning and got to Sihanoukville after noon. After checking into our hostel, having lunch and organising our trip to Koh Rong, an island about two hours off the Cambodian shore, we finally went for a swim on Serendipidy Beach, one of the many beaches in and around Sihanoukville, where we also had dinner.
The next day, we left for Koh Rong, where we had booked a little bungalow. We had a relaxing afternoon there, did some swimming and walked around, then had dinner in one of the restaurants there with a beautiful view of the ocean.
The next day was pretty exciting because we had decided to take a scuba diving discovery course. We were in a group with two girls from Spain, and we had a very nice and patient instructor, Javi, also from Spain (but the course was in English, luckily). At first, we did some theory, and then we did our first exercises in the
Mizzi & Katha
... at sunset at Serendipity Beach. Somehow we managed to be on the pic, pretty amazing, huh?shallow water. The equipment is pretty heavy, and walking into the water backwards with your fins on is a true challenge, I can tell you. Breathing from the regulator felt extremely strange in the beginning, and at first I thought I could not do it. But then I got used to it, and we did some exercises, like what you do when your mask fills with water.
After the morning exercises, Mizzi and I both thought that this was not our kind of stuff. But after lunch, we went into deeper water and were able to do a little dive of about half an hour, down to about six metres. I really enjoyed it, even though the sight is not amazing where we were. Mizzi had trouble equalizing the pressure in her ears, so she had to stay at the surface, unfortunately.
After the afternoon's experience, I decided that I wanted to enroll for a three day course for a scuba diving endorsement. So we started with theory that very evening and continued it the next morning. Mizzi spent a relaxing day on the island, exploring its beautiful beaches, reading, and swimming. There were also other travelers to
Mick and Craig's
Our hostel in Sihanoukville. talk to. I spent the afternoon with exercises in the shallow water. After finishing them, we went into deeper water and did one more dive with exercises there. The course was really intense, we had started at 8 a.m., and I got back to our bungalow at 7.30 p.m. Wow!
The next morning, I was not well, I had caught a cold and could not stop coughing and sniffing, so I decided to just finish the theory and passed the theoretical exam. But I did not feel fit enough to do the remaining two dives that I would have needed for the endorsement. However, I can do them in any dive centre, so I was not frustrated or anyting. Mizzi and I spent a lazy day, just reading and sleeping and walking around the island.
The next day, Monday, we left the island. The boat was supposed to leave at 10.30, but it did not leave until 12 because the sea was very rough. Even at 12, it was a journey that made quite a few tourists seasick. But Mizzi and I were alright. We spent the rest of the day organising our trip for the next day,
Getting on the boat to the island
... is not to easy because you have to walk across this plank with our luggage. A challenge! doing some laundry, and getting all my papers for the diving course (the dive school's office is in Sihanoukville, not on the island). In the evening, we had a very tasty Italian dinner (we needed something else than Asian food...), and early the next morning, we caught a bus to Bangkok. But this is another story that I will tell you next time.
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Jennie
non-member comment
The Ultimate Tourist
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