mon day 136

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Having booked for an 08.30 bus ride south to sihanoukville I was pleased to not have such an early start. Then to be told that I need to be ready for 07.30 as they sometimes pick up an hour beforehand - which meant setting my alarm for 06.45 ( so much for not having an early start!) And sure enough, just as I was about to tuck into my muesli there they were! So doing the usual driving round the city filling the bus up we were then taken to the bus station to get on our prospective buses. About 20 minutes later when that bus was full we headed off to the coast. Chatting on the way to 3 ladies from New York on holiday for two weeks ( one Cambodia - one Laos!) and a couple of girls from Bristol travelling for 4 months it was a pleasant journey. I got dropped off first at my hostel - as the others were going to the port to the go to the islands - it was like walking into an 18-30's nightmare! Where had I ended up - it was early pm and the place, along with the swimming pool were packed of well, teenagers - all drinking beer! Fine, if this is your thing but its not really my thing - so gritting my teeth and trying to enjoy the moment sure enough it didn't turn out as bad as first impressions led me to believe. Finding the dorm room I was kinda nervous as to what sort of state it would be in when I opened the door! Sure enough it was a state - a bit like a student house - food cartons and underwear everywhere! Oh well only here for 2 nights - things could always be worse. After having a shower I headed out to find the beach, which was only a 5 minute walk away. It was lovely to see the sea again after being inland for a month or two - and the beach was nicer than the beaches I saw on Bali. Lovely fluffy white sand with a short pier at one end - and lined with restaurants and bars, but not seeming too overcrowded. Walking the length of the beach and back again I stopped off for some dinner and a drink before sitting out on the pier watching the boats coming in from neighbouring islands, and boys fishing for dinner as the sun set. As the night started to draw in I headed back to the hostel and chilled out before heading to bed.

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