Saturday, April 4
The port of Sihanoukville is the only major port for Cambodia, and is about 2 hours from Phonm Penh the capital, so we decided to stay around the local area and check it out. The ship had organised shuttle buses to take us to the central market in the town centre which was about 10 minutes away. Leaving the bus we were besieged with tuk-tuk drivers all wanting to take us on a tour around the city, and one in particular latched onto us and started following us around the market. Eventually he got the message we weren't going anywhere for a while so he left us alone.
The market was fascinating, full of all the stalls and businesses you would expect, and with some extra ones thrown in! The jewellery stalls had manufacturing jewellers next to them, and there were tailoring services near the clothes stalls. We also saw hairdressers cutting, washing and colouring hair, florists, incense and mini shrine sellers, as well as food sellers of all sorts of fresh, dried, smoked and cooked goods which were very colourful and smelly! The best were the roving purveyors of fine food, either balanced on trays on their heads or balanced in baskets carried on poles on their shoulders. We weren't sure how the meat and seafood didn't go off in the heat and humidity without refrigeration, so we decided not to try any.
There are some fabulous beaches around this part of the Cambodian coast, and they are obviously very popular with backpackers judging by the foreigners we saw walking around. Accommodation was advertised at US$4 a night for a bunk bed and food is very cheap too - even in a better hotel breakfast was only US$4. It was interesting how the US dollar is taken widely here, so you didn't even have to change money as long as you had the mighty US dollar.
The port of Sihanoukville is the only major port for Cambodia, and is about 2 hours from Phonm Penh the capital, so we decided to stay around the local area and check it out. The ship had organised shuttle buses to take us to the central market in the town centre which was about 10 minutes away. Leaving the bus we were besieged with tuk-tuk drivers all wanting to take us on a tour around the city, and one in particular latched onto us and started following us around the market. Eventually he got the message we weren't going anywhere for a while so he left us alone.
The market was fascinating, full of all the stalls and businesses you would expect, and with some extra ones thrown in! The jewellery stalls had manufacturing jewellers next to them, and there were tailoring services near the clothes stalls. We also saw hairdressers cutting, washing and colouring hair, florists, incense and mini shrine sellers, as well as food sellers of all sorts of fresh, dried, smoked and cooked goods which were very colourful and smelly! The best were the roving purveyors of fine food, either balanced on trays on their heads or balanced in baskets carried on poles on their shoulders. We weren't sure how the meat and seafood didn't go off in the heat and humidity without refrigeration, so we decided not to try any.
Mobile donut seller
"Fresh" seafood
Mini shrines and incense for sale
After an hour or so in the market we wandered along a couple of the main streets, observing life in the city for the typical Cambodian, and we were very thankful we were born in Australia. Despite the poor conditions we observed, the people were clean, looked happy and were friendly, especially the children. Some school kids we saw (even though it was a Saturday) looked neat and clean in their uniforms with little blue bow ties.
Outside a primary school
It was then time to bargain with a tuk-tuk driver to see more of the town, and as we were doing this a couple of Aussie ladies from the ship asked if they could join us. We of course said yes, and after negotiating a rate to see the major highlights of beaches and temples we set off in his tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is a motorbike (old and small capacity) towing a "covered wagon" with 2 seats facing each other, with lots of open space so the visibility is very good. However, on some of the hills with 4 of us on board I think I could have run just as fast, but it was a fun way to see the sights.There are some fabulous beaches around this part of the Cambodian coast, and they are obviously very popular with backpackers judging by the foreigners we saw walking around. Accommodation was advertised at US$4 a night for a bunk bed and food is very cheap too - even in a better hotel breakfast was only US$4. It was interesting how the US dollar is taken widely here, so you didn't even have to change money as long as you had the mighty US dollar.
At Ocheuteal beach
Noelle at Sokha beach
After a couple of stops at various beaches our driver took us up the hill to see the main temple called Wat Krom or Intra Ngean Pagoda which gave a great view over the ocean. Along the way we saw monkeys playing on the side of the road and swinging in the trees overhead. The baby ones clinging to their mums were very cute. At the temple we were hounded by a little boy who stayed with me while a little girl pestered Noelle. Just before we left we bought a key ring from each of them, which hopefully made their day.
Hey hey we're the monkeys ...
Noelle at Wat Krom
Next stop was Wat Leu or upper wat which overlooked the town from the top of the hill. We asked about the coloured streamers on mounds around the tombstones, and were told it was for Chinese New Year - not that it cheered up the people in the graves, however it did add to the mess lying around most of the city!
View of Sihanoukville from Wat Leu
Wat Leu
This Wat had a number of buildings on the complex, some of which housed monks, while another was an orphanage for kids whose parents had died from the HIV virus. The complex was very colourful, although a bit messy, and around the perimeter were some basic looking houses for the locals.
Noelle with our driver and tuk-tuk at Wat Leu
We asked our driver to drop us off at the first beach area where there were a lot of cafés advertising free wi-fi, so we enjoyed a couple of refreshing Angkor beers while we tried to communicate with the outside world. Unfortunately we couldn't update the blog, but hopefully we can catch up at the next stop after another day at sea. Our driver waited for us and returned us to the market where we caught the shuttle back to the ship. It was an interesting day, and there is a lot of development going on, so I'm sure Cambodia and it's beaches will increasingly become a more popular tourist destination in the future.
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