Sun, Sea, Sand, and Sihanoukville

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Hi everyone. It's been a while since my last entry. Somehow i got completely caught up in doing absolutely nothing! Am writing this from Kampot but have just spent 6 days - twice the anticipated stay - yet again - at cambodia's premier beach town, Sihanoukville.

I'll start, as usual with getting there...

GETTING THERE

Our courtesy tuktuk didn't turn up so the 2 of us climbed on the back of a moto (driver & scooter) and legged it to the bus depot and of course it left late so there were no problems with missing it. We took GST bus service and I think that Capitol Buses are better. The bus was a bit cramped and hot as hell, the decrepid air con barely stirred the air. I had the seat directly behind the driver and could only watch with envy - somehow his vent worked while none of the passengers' did, it worked so well it messed his hair. Jealous. We sat in the heat, sticking to the seat for about 4 hours and stopping only for a snack break which I spent in a toilet with a slightly upset tummy. It smelt so bad! The old lady with no teeth that takes your money to use this abomination laughed at me when I finally emerged and pointed to the money box. She was indicating that i should pay more since I was in there so long. I didn't know if she was joking or not but I felt obliged to put a couple hundred extra riel in the bucket just in case.

We continued on and then climbed out into an onslaught of moto drivers when we arrived in Sihinoukville. When this happens (which is pretty much anytime you get off public transport somewhere) this is what you do:

We grabbed our bags and calmly shrugged them off and walked til we found a bar (which turned out to be Aussie) and sat, had a beer, got our bearings and decided where we wanted to go. There were 2 moto's that had tailed us and they sat at a descreet distance til we made our move. Since they waited patiently and respected our quiet private contemplation they more than deserved our business and we got them to take us to Ochheuteal Beach.


SIHANOUKVILLE & THE BEACHES

The downtown area is ugly, smelly, urban sprawl but get out of there and get to the beach areas and its bliss. It hasn't hit its peak yet as a tourist destination and doesn't have that feel to it like thailands beaches do. Of course there are westerners but not in huge numbers. The people are extra friendly here and many kymers holiday here. Oh, and no palm trees on the beach which seems weird. They have pine trees instead. There is FREE accomodation too - more on that later!

I think we chose the best beach to stay near. For those of you heading this way I"ll let you know that Sihanoukville is very spread out so you need to catch a moto everywhere (and they will usually try and rip you off) or if you want to see around the island a lot then hiring a moto and taking yourself is a good way to go. We just wanted to mostly bludge on the beach so we rarely needed a moto, since we stayed near the beach at Ochheuteal. This beach is a nice long stretch of white sand with a whole bunch of restuarant/bar beach shacks that have deck chairs and sunbeds under beach umbrella's with little low tables to rest your beverage on. The shacks are simple wood, bamboo structures, mostly with no walls, sand floors and grass roofs. Every sunset here is breathtaking! And the people are nice. It was great on the weekend as this section of beach is where all the kymer come for their weekends away (the ones that aren't too poor of course) so at that time there are many more kymer than westerners, which I like. Oh, and it is THE BEST place in Cambodia for fresh seafood. There are also ladies patroling the beach selling cheap, cooked lobster seasoned with lime and pepper - yum! However...

The only drawbacks:

1. Too many Vendors and beggars. And then there's more vendors and beggars.
2. Rubbish. Tonnes of it, and even that seems like an understatement. You find a lot of rubbish all over Cambodia but on the beach it seems more noticeable and seems to spoil it more as well. The water is not very clear either but apparently thats due to a lot of freshwater runoff that flows from nearby rivers, rather than massive pollution.



VENDORS AND BEGGARS

I have to say I pride myself on being a kind and patient person but I've had it with this side of it all. 6 days of an unrelenting barrage "you buy..." ensured that I was getting well and truly to the end of my tether. You smile and say "No, thanks" but they often stay and won't take no for an answer. Continuing to say "no" and "no thanks" and smiling becomes a lesson in futility. I'm learning to say no with a firmer voice (still with a smile) but then if they don't just move on I ignore them completely til they go.

What you really feel like doing is shrieking " NO!! No I don't want any fucking bracelets. If I wanted one I'd come get one. I don't want postcards, tissues or necklaces either. No fruit, no spring rolls, no BBQ squid. No manicure, no pedicure, no de-hairing of any part of my body. And I don't want any lobster either!" (never thought I'd say that about lobster)

But I don't say that of course, I just tune them out and I no longer feel too bad about it. However, one solution is to walk past the shacks and you'll come to empty beach where you won't get hassled. Takes about 30minutes to walk it. However it is nice to lounge on the deck chairs and have someone bring you cocktails... guess its the price you pay...

Back to the beaches. I hear Otres beach is nice and secluded, while Sokha beach only has a vey upmarket resort where rooms are $US100 and a can of coke will set you back $3. Victory Beach and the hill there is touted by guide books as the main backpacker area but I thought it was a bit of a hole. The beach wasn't as nice and the angle proved to deliver a less magical sunset (though pretty none the less) although I can recommend the Bungalow Village Open Air Cinema (also seemed like it'd be a nice spot to stay if you want to be at Victory). It has a 5x4mt outdoor movie screen and is set in a beautiful tropical garden. There's a triple level decking with cushions and low tables and you can drink and eat there for a reasonable price if you wish. They usually show a concert first (eg: Robbie Williams the night we were there) at 6:30pm and then the movie at 8pm. You can go to one or both and it costs a buck either way. We saw 'Brokeback Mountain'. Heath Ledger, Gay Cowboys, it was great! I really did enjoy the movie and can see why its nominated for so many awards.


KYMER BEACH PARTY

This was great! After dinner and a few too many cocktails at Khin's Shack (more on this fantastic place later) we wandered back to our guesthouse along the beach and came across about 40 kymers dancing a sort of congo line. We couldn't help but pause to watch, were noticed and promptly pulled in. Not long after I was pulled in I was pulled out again, this time to the centre of the circle where there was a table and pushed up there to dance on it. I tried to protest but it didn't work - it didn't help either that Jim was saying " oh, go on honey!" so I did, they all cheered, then when the music finished they gave us a drink each, chanted "KISS! KISS! KISS!" (very strange that bit) and when we did everyone cheered more and drank. We sat and spoke as best we could with them til the party ended abruptly when the music system broke. I had a bit of a hangover the next day.



ISLAND & SNORKEL TRIP

Not great but I enjoyed it for what it was - a chance to lay on a beach where NOBODY will bother you. Were meant to see 3 islands but only went to 2 and didn't do the fishing they said we'd do (i didn't care about that I don't like fishing). You travel about an hour to go to Bamboo Island which is tiny and there is nothing to do there except lay on the beach or sit in the bar. There are about half a dozen bungalows there and 1 resturant/bar and its all pretty overpriced but nice if you want that sort of thing. There aren't any walks or snorkelling here either. Lunch on the tour was good though - barracuda steak and salad. Then you go to another island to snorkel in very murky water with lots of dead looking coral and a few fish. There were tonnes of sea urchins (pin cushions of the sea) and a french guy, who seemed a bit of a dick, somehow trod on one. Looked pretty painful and i tried to explain the proper first aid and how to reduce the pain when he got to shore (having been a scuba instructor i have a good idea). He was very arrogant and said something very derogitory sounding to his friend in french and started laughing at me and told me I was wrong and didn't know what I was talking about. So much for helping, if someone had to stand on it I'm kinda glad it was him! Then we went back to the mainland. That was our island adventure.



KHIN'S SHACK & FREE ACCOMODATION

Saved the best til last! The highlight of our stay and the reason we overstayed in Sihanoukville was the wonderful hospitality, amazing cuisine & great frienships we struck up at KHIN'S SHACK. As the name would indicate it is a shack (on the beach) and it is owned by Khin. Khin is a 24yr old kymer who worked her ass off and told us how she used to work 20hrs a day and cried everyday until she could save enough to rent the shack. Now she owns it and it is a credit to her. To be a 24yr old woman and owner and manager of your own restuarant is no mean feat in Cambodia - or elsewhere for that matter.

When her 11yr old nephew stopped us on the beach on our first night and asked if we'd like to come in we could not say no (he was so cute and polite) and fell inlove with the people there immediately as well as with the food (the Amok Fish and tom yam shrimp were the best either of us have ever tasted and each night we ate there people sitting at the next table would enquire as to what it was we were eating, order it too and be super pleased as well).

We went there everyday and on one occassion got there in the morning and didn't leave til late at night - the 3 happy shakes may have had something to do with that.... We noticed the same people also coming back day after day and the repeat business is a great sign, considering the number of options available on the beach there. Khin also has FREE accomodation!

Now FREE accomodation is something the Lonely Planet doesn't tell you about but there are several restuarant bars on Ocheuteal Beach that offer it. There is no real catch except that you are expected to eat or drink something - but not every meal - there. This is fair enough and if you like the people, the place and the food you'll want to do that anyway. the free accomodation is the only place you can get right on the beach, the guesthouses are one street back. We stayed at GST Guesthouse the first few nights. The rooms were clean and everything but the people were not friendly at all here. Mealy Chenda are the same, once they have your money they stop caring so when there was a room come up at Khin's we moved there. It felt like the most authentic part of our stay.

I can't comment on the other places but staying at Khin's was the best thing about being in Sihanoukville. It is a great family - her parents, cousin Lida, niece and nephew and (I think) sister and brother in law. There are 3 girls Sreyon, her sister Shrimom and friend Tuen aged 18, 12 & 12 respectively that unofficially help out and hang out there but who's main job is selling fruit and bracelets on the beach. They prodded us in a good natured way to buy their fruit and when I felt like fruit salad I took turns at theirs. God help me if I'd bought someone elses!!! One day Tuen was down in the mouth as she hadn't sold anything all day. She never asked me to buy her bracelets but I decided to anyway and make her day a little brighter. Plus I didn't have one. The girls were lovely (very touchy feely which is surprising at first but its completely innocent) and it was sad to say goodbye when "please stay another day" finally failed to coax us on day 6. The girls, including Khin and Lida were so sweet and with wicked senses of humour and good english. Sokna (the 11yr old nephew) was very cheeky and i had lots of fun playing games with him. Sokna and his 9yr old cousin entertain each night there with fire twirling and are 2 of the best I've seen, especially for their age.

The room we stayed in is one of 4 available and is very simple and basic. It is part of the shack with bark walls, grass roofs the best mosquito net I've seen on my travels, it had a good fan and small double bed with a thin mattress and I'd recommend wrapping the pillows in a t-shirt as they don't have removeable/ washable covers otherwise very clean and tidy. The 2 toilets are outside are the beloved squatsand have walls but no roof as does the shower (very nice under the stars) which is kymer style, that is, a big drum of water with a scoop that you poor over yourself. You soap up and then rinse off. It works well and is very refreshing, the water is cool, not freezing cold and is welcomed after a hot, sandy, salty day at the beach. Just back from the bar area is the 'living room' where the TV is locked in a cupboard and brought out at night for the family to watch the latest cambodian show or music clips. after everyone has left the bar the family turn in to their hammocks and bamboo beds outside. I felt guilty at first to be inside but they all seem genuinely happy with this arrangement.

If you stay there, tell Khin and everyone that Leigh and Jim say "hi". And make sure you do the right thing and spent a fair amount at the shack.

Next entry will be about Kampot and Bokor hill station and won't be so long. Til next time!

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Photos

Sokna
11yr old Sokna wowing the locals with his fire twirling at Khin's Shack provides great entertainment. So does playing rock, paper, scissors and different cambodian clapping games with him also!

Me and locals at Khin's Shack
(From the left)Srimom, Shreyon, Sokna, Me, Lida and little Rati in the front

jim on moto
This moto drivers patience paid off. Us on the way to Ocheuteal Beach.

Sunset
I like sunsets, long walks on the beach, I'm 29, my star sign is gemini... :o)

Open air cinema
This place at Victory Beach was great. Bootlegged movies (I'd imagine)but very good quality.

Fruit vendor
One of many, many, many, many vendors at the beach.

Beach Vendor Pajamas
The latest in fashion! The ladies wear matching pajama top and bottom at all times of day and at all kinds of places.

Manicure
Ok, so I did get a manicure on the beach. First one ever and it only cost $US3.

Cows
Four legged garbage munchers. Anyone care for a beef steak?

Me and Sreyon
At Khin's Shack

Restuarant sign on the beach
A twist on the usual "same, same but different phrase" found throughout Asia.

Lobster
Ok, I did get some lobsters on the beach. they are served with lime and pepper - yummo!

Pool Shark
this kid made a deal with Jim: If he wins Jim's to pay $1.50 for a necklace, if Jim wins he only pays a dollar. Jim won by a narrow margin, bought the little guy a fanta and got the necklace. Everyone was happy...

Whiskey
Only 30 bucks - what a bargain. Sadly it wouldn\'t fit in the backpack...

TV
Watching Cambodian TV at Khin's Shack with Sokna.

Comments

[Claire]

Yum, I was I was playing on the beach! Exams make me sun-melty!