Sihanoukville by Bus

I had a pick up from my hotel in Phnom Penh at 0800 yesterday for the bus ride down to the coast town of Sihanoukville. Once we got out of the city the countryside became so scenic. We passed through mountains and valleys full of parrots, palms and bananas all the way to the coast. My personal stereotype of mountains was formed in the Smokies so I have to adjust my thinking whenever there are palms, parrots and coconuts instead of evergreens and bears.

I had booked my hotel online so when arrived in Sihanoukville I did not have to deal with all the touts promoting this or that guest house. My room is basic, no AC, no TV, no fridge. What I have is a bed, mosquito net and bath with cold water. I was a little apprehensive about my comfort last night but I slept extraordinarily well.

The beach here is the best so far on this trip. The water is clear (not crystalline but not bad) and warm. Here you don't have to worry about sharks because of the warmth but sometimes crocodiles show up. What a trade off!

I ate dinner last night at one of the many beach side bar/cafes sitting at a low table with a small candle, my feet in the sand and the waves less than 5 feet away. I ordered the seafood platter which was prawns, squid and barracuda (never thought of eating barracuda before) grilled right in front of me. Delicious! Gin and tonics were $1 so I had to take advantage of that price and drank 3. My bill totaled $6.

One of the things I enjoy about travel is getting to know other travelers. When you unexpectedly run into one another further down the road it is fun to swap stories, experiences, recommendations, etc. One memorable conversation I had with an Aussie was about American politics. His opinion was that American policy has such a far reaching effect that everyone everywhere should be able to vote in our elections. A law in Australia imposes a fine if you do not vote. Hmmm!

I will add some photos to this page later.