As posted by Helen:
From Phnom Phen we made our way south on a toll road to our first stop on the Cambodian coast - Sihanoukville. Once again we supported the Ibis Bus Co. and made the trip in a mini bus. The drive was not as nerve racking an experience as expected as the road was relatively quiet, maybe because it was early Sunday morning.
As we started out from the bus station in Phnom Phen we witnessed the strong presence of Canada's Manulife - a head office(?), and one or two tuk tuks flying a Canadian flag with Manulife advertising. The route took us past the airport (due for expansion) and too-many-to-count large garment manufacturing factories. There is much local news about the terrible working and living conditions of these workers, the majority being women. Many demonstations are now taking place in an effort to raise the minimum wage which is currently about $49/month. Perhaps I should consider not buying anything manufactured in Cambodia while the likes of big companies like WalMart exploit the workers.
Sihanoukville is a port city with a recent railroad link to Phnom Phen which purpose is to alleviate the truck traffic on the roads, and get goods to the country's population more cheaply. The city seemed to be buzzing with road and building construction which only added to the dust of the dry season. The city is home to a brewery and a casino, but I think the only reason to go to Sihanoukville is for the beaches.
We arrived at a small buildng which was the bus station where there were a number of tuk tuks waiting. We had read that there is a Mafia like situation re pricing, but Ingrid managed to get the trip to the hotel for $1 less! However, there was no negotiating to be had for our trips to the beaches - here they were very firm with their pricing much to Ingrid's dismay.
Our hotel was The Beach Club - we had a huge room with 3 beds. The nicest part of the hotel was its pool area with comfy lounge chairs which we tested the afternoon we arrived.
It was only 5 minutes away from one of the six beaches, but one which I found way too busy and somewhat dirty, and frequented by a younger, drinking crowed.
The nicest beach - Outres - was where we spent two days sitting under the shade of a thatch umbrella. The beach has some 4 kms. of soft white sand - it is just being developed with restaurants and thatch bungalows. We did manage to walk the beach as the tide was out during the day, but when the tide is in there would be no beach to walk.
As posted by Ingrid:
We are outside our Sihanoukville hotel waiting for our deluxe tourist minibus to take us to Kampot, 1.5 hours away. Thirty minutes late, an ancient van pulls up, so full of tourists and baggage the rear end nearly drags on the ground. No room. However, to our surprise a decent looking vehicle shows up shortly thereafter. Always suspicious, we make sure it is from the same tour company and climb on board. For the next hour, the driver shuttles us around town, either collecting money from market stalls or picking up locals from the industrial parts of town. My fears to get jumped in an isolated part of the port are laid to rest as the bus fills up - 2 locals to every free seat except ours. With the windows open, the locals laughing and shouting we finally drive to Kampot on a road that is deeply cratered and mostly under construction. Dust is clogging every pore. With my safety concerns over, I am resigned but Helen is getting more upset with every passing kilometer ("I don't need this sh...).........
After Sihanoukville, Kampot is a sleepy little town of 40,000 on the Kampong Bay River. Our hotel is right on the river front with it's wide promenade and has Illy coffee, New Zealand ice cream and Heineken beer. What else do we need?
One big attraction are the sunsets which we watched from the upstairs bar at the Rikitikitavi, where the Pina Coladas are to die for. No slouches, we scoured the country side for anything worth seeing and the next two days were under way to see the salt fields, some caves and a number of fishing villages. Cambodian, Vietnamese and Muslim communities appear to live together in harmony.
The unpaved roads are the colour of clay tennis courts and when your tuk-tuk driver gives you a face mask before he sets out, you know you are in for a special treat.
The first morning it is my turn to grouse, but Helen is in great spirits and calms me down ("Suck it up!").
The country side is beautiful and green where irrigation is possible, the sun is shining, the temperature a steady 34-36C and we are finally feeling well. We drive to durian plantations, see jack fruit, pomegranate and mango trees and dangle our feet in cool rapids - in other words, we are chilling.
Well, there was the little incident yesterday evening. We had booked a sunset cruise on the river, but when the longboat arrived, broken planks and 10cm of water filled the bottom. Most likely taken on by the strong swings from side to side which the two teenage operators did nothing to ameliorate. While I made some joking suggestion to the other passengers to start bailing, the boat went back to pick up some additional passengers and Helen was off as soon as the craft hit the quay. That was our five minute sunset cruise.......... Much better to watch it from the Rikitikitava.......see above.....
Now used to the local flow, we get up and to bed early. While other tourists don't eat dinner until 7:30PM, Helen and I often are the first ones at the trough. Portions are quite large, so one appetizer and one main meal is more than enough for us both. Tomorrow we are heading to Kep, an even more sleepy village thirty minutes down the road.............now so used to the country side, how will we manage once we get to Ho Chi Minh City, a.k.a. Saigon?
