Sihanoukville

naked boy frolicking

Sihanoukville is one of the most popular beach areas in Cambodia not only for foreigners, but for Camboians as well. It has nice streches of white sand beaches, though much of the areas we went to had trash. Being here made me relized how truly spoiled I have been by Thai beaches. Granted we were in the party/backpacker area, we ventured to a more “chill beach” which was also taken u entirely y restaurants and lounge chairs. Though this is usually a downside for the budget traveler, we quickly learned that you could stay in a chair for free as long as you ordered something from the bar or restaurant. So day one on Ostres Beach, Kate and I ordered a few $1 Angkor beers and enjoyed our extremely comfortable lounge-chair-beds at the wonderful and appropriately named Happiness Bar. Along with the relaxed vibe and comrortable chairs, we were pleased that women trying to sell us fruit, bracelets, sunglasses, and massages was at a minimum compared to neighboring Serendipity Beach, which is party and backpacker central.

The beauty of Serendipity Beach is that most people show up and find accommodation, so you are rarely competing with reservations. Though we were turned down from the first two hostels we came upon, we ended up in a more hotel-like situation a 3 minute walk to the beach and the food options without all the noise for only $8 each a night. Good stuff. Serendipity area also has a plethora of food options, as well as many cheap food options right on the beach. One night I got the special BBq fish, for $3. Not only was it delicious, but I was able to hear the waves crashing feet away from me. The one drawback; Multitudes of children selling you thigs and mime victims begging for money. It’s really sad that this country is so oor that children are so easily exploited. And boy, is it hard to say no to them, especially since they are so good at English and can really strike up a conversation. As hard as it was to say no to them, I had to because I knew hat they were either being kept up late or skipping school by exploitative adults. I did see a woman buy a pineapple from a girl, and I closely watched so that I now know how to peel a pineapple:

1. Take off the rough, spiny shell with a sharp knife
2.  Underneath, there will still be the roots of the spines. They form in a diagonal  pattern, so angle your knife in and at a diagonal on each side of the roots. You will then be able to pull out the roots. Do this all the way around
3. holding the pineapple upright, cut it into fourths. Inside is the hard rib, angle your knife in on each side of the rib to pull it out.
4. cut the remaining sweet, soft pineapple and enjoy!

My country my beer! Best beer slogan ever

Though we enjoyed going to Ostres Beach, we were glad to stay in the Serendipity area because of the wide food selection and easy access to the party scene. We also discovered that if we ever wanted a beach bum gig for a bit, Sihanoukville is the place. Many of the bars have help wanted signs for native English speakers. Food, accommodation, and drinks included. All you need to do is sacrifice your liver and party every night. The one bar we went to was called the Dolphin Shack, which had a huge, friendly, fun crowd. They also offer a booze cruise that they claim is going to be in the next edition of Lonely Planet. We did not go on it, so I can’t vouch for how amazing it is, but I can envision it to be extremely fun with such great staff.

We never made it out to any of the islands, which are also supposed to be really nice with bungalow accommodation (though limited), so staying on Serendipity for a night to make those reservations is suggested.

If you are coming through Cambodia and then on to Vietnam, I would HIGHLY recommend getting your Vietnamese visa at the consulate in Sihanoukville. It took literally 15 minutes, while getting your visa at an embassy can take 2 days. Only thing to keep in mind: they are closed from 12-2 every day for lunch break.

we were asked to posed with the 3 older children...and then they
handed me the baby

Overall feelings of Sihanoukville: good backpacker party scene. Great break from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. If you wanna just chill on a nice beach with a few low-key bars, stay on Ostres Beach. If you don’t mind venturing off to another beach (or jus want to be on a trash-ridden beach) but want to party at night, stay on Serendipity. But if you want great, clean beaches, save it for Thailand. Though I did like the Serendipity party scene better than Koh Phangnan.