Sihanoukville is the holiday destination for all Cambodians. It is on the Southern Coast with a couple of islands situated a couple of hours boat ride away. I heard of travellers who end up spending weeks in Sihanoukville - of course, that is in the dry season. Sihanoukville comprises of a town (20 min walk away from the beach) and three different beach areas spread over quite a distance. The Russians have taken over one, the second beach, known as Serendipity is where most people go and is the most crowded and dirtiest and full of hawkers whilst the third beach is a good 20 minute drive away from town. This beach is called Otres Beach and it is where I headed. Lots of travelers had recommended this place as a quiet little oasis. It was teaming it down when I arrived. The mud road was underwater, so I ran into a hostel that was highly praised on the old t'internet called Wish You Were Here. Very quickly I wished I was anywhere but here. Its the worst hostel I have stayed in so far. The beds felt damp, whilst the towel was most definitely damp. The mosquito net had huge holes in it - an owl could have got through let alone a mossie. Out of 4 fans only 1 worked, so it was ridiculously hot, but by far the worse thing was the location of the run down grubby toilet block. To get to the bathroom you had to go down a large wooden staircase (that was outside) and cross a path full of uneven cobbles. There was no light and the stairs and cobbles were extremely slippery when wet. Trying to get to the bathroom at night was a death trap. I left, first thing next morning.
There is nothing at Otres, only sand, accommodation and beach bars / restaurants. The most popular accommodation is the bamboo bungalows that line the beach front. These are expensive, especially in the high season but because of the rain I managed to find a bungalow on the beach complete with ensuite bathroom for only $10 a night. I had to pay $5 for the dorm - other hostels in the area charge $9 for a dorm bed. I was elated, my own private bungalow. I stayed for another 4 nights. 2 days were washed out but the other 2 days were real scorchers.On rainy days I read and watched dvds and on the sunny days I splashed around in the waves and sunbathed. When night fell and the sky was clear, I lay on the beach listening to the crashing waves and watching the night sky. the stars were so bright and you could make out the milky way. The cocktails I was drinking were good too!
I left when the next band of rain came in, but I only went as far as the town centre. There is a Vietnamese Consulate in town where you can get your Vietnam Visa. I was going to get the Visa in Phnom Penh until I found out that they bus your passports to Sihanoukville, because the staff here can process the visa alot quicker than the consulate in Phnom Penh. As the guest house I was going to spend the night in had shut up shop in the last week, I treated myself to a room in a proper hotel. The Small Hotel charged me $15 for a room with air0con, fridge, tv / dvd and hair-dryer. I even got a bureau desk. I had to go to the local market to buy some water so I could put it in the fridge! I was very excited with all this luxury but the biggest joy was the shower. It was hot water. I can't remember the time I last had hot water! I walked to the consulate the following morning, filled out a form, handed over $60 (I will stay as long as possible in Vietnam - just to get my monies worth)
I travelled back to Kampot that night as it is closer to the border. I am crossing over to Vietnam at the Ha Tien border - this has only been opened to Westeners for a couple of years now but it will save me the hassle of having to back track all the way to Phnom Penh. I spent my last evening in Cambodia back at the Magic Sponge hostel, where William the owner tried to improve my film knowledge by having me watch Dr Strangelove. He gave me lots of popcorn too!
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