Winter 2016 - 07 Cambodia - Sihanoukville

II. Cambodia

Chapter II. Sihanoukville

Day 17 The Quiet before the Storm

It takes us 5hrs to reach Sihanoukville by bus.

At one point, the driver stops and says that we’ve arrived, but we’re in the middle of nowhere and it doesn’t look at all like a bus station.

One guy tells us that it’s a scam and that there are overpriced taxis waiting for us once we get off the bus.

So, we don’t move at all and sure enough, we drive to the real bus station.

From here, it’s only a short tuk tuk ride to our hostel - a hostel with a rock theme and live music.

My kind of place.

But I do hope that their music is better than their food...

Sihanoukville is a beach town.

We chose to come here for a few days to have a short break in the middle of our trip.

Our idea is to stay in Sihanoukville a couple of days and go on the small island of Koh Rong for one day.

To get away from it all.

But after reflexion, we agree that the sooner we get to the island, the better.

We find a ferry company with internet access along the road and use Skype to contact different hostels in Koh Rong to see if they have rooms available.

Most of them don’t answer, and when they do, the communication breaks almost instantly. , Hearing our conversations, one tourist, who was waiting in the office, tells us that he just came back from another island called Koh Rong Samloem.

There’s a great place to stay on the island (Mad Monkey hostel) and the office we’re in can book directly for us. So, no need to try to call them.

It sounds too good to be true. But he shows us some photos and the reviews online are positive. Let’s do it!

We book for two nights on the island, including a return trip with the speed ferry.

And 1h before the sun goes down, we finally have time to go to the beach of this beach town‌

The ocean is so peaceful right now. It’s really relaxing.

But when you get to the beach at 5pm, don’t expect the sun to wait for you much longer.

For dinner, we go for some street BBQ recommended by a couple we met on the beach.

I try the barracuda. What a feast!

When we get back to our hostel, the band is playing and the music is better than the food.

We get a couple of beers, have a chat with the lead singer and go to bed.

As always, we gotta get up early tomorrrow‌

Day 18 Island in the Sun

I woke up at 3am. There’s water dripping on my head and a huge noise outside.

It’s raining hard and the ceiling is leaking. Fortunately, it only lasts for 20min - but that’s not a good omen.

In the morning, it’s overcast and windy. I feel like it’s going to be just like Cat Ba with no sun at all until we leave…

We get to the pier around 9am and take the speed ferry to Koh Rong.

The boat ride takes 1h.

It’s windy but there are only a few waves.

Once on the pier of Koh Rong, we jump to a much smaller boat with other travellers, to get to Koh Rong Samloem a bit further away.

The guys who man the boat barely speak any English and don’t really pay attention to our bags.

They just leave them on the front of the boat.

Quickly, I grab ours and pull them in the center to make sure they don’t get wet.

I was right. As soon as we start to move, waves start crashing on the boat and all the other bags get soaked.

We now arrive to Koh Rong Samloem. There’s also a pier here, but we keep going.

The boat brings us to the other side of the island, near a small beach. No pier, or bridge, or whatever this time.

The boat stops about 20meters away from the shore. I guess the tide is too low to get any closer.

But it means that we have to carry our bags ourselves in the water.

I had a hunch last night and I already have my swimming suit on.

Still, carrying all the heavy bags knee deep in the water is no easy task. And I gotta make sure I don’t trip.

I get that it’s a laidback backpackers hangout, but someone could have warned us at least.

It’s the third time today (starting from 3am) that I have to make sure the bags don’t get wet.

Can I take a break already ?

We have to walk a bit more to get to the reception.

I think I’m on the right path‌

When we get to the reception, it’s not checking time yet.

We still have 1h to wait before we can move in.

We’re sleeping in a four-bed bungalow.

At noon, it’s still cloudy, with lots of waves.

But unexpectedly, it clears up around 2pm.

It’s finally time to do nothing.

This hammock won’t swing itself…

In the afternoon, we go for a swim.

The water is warm but quite muddy. You can’t see much.It doesn’t take long before I cut my hand on a sharp rock…

Nothing serious. Just another annoyance.

Later, I decide to take a look around the area and ask for a map of this island. They don’t have one.

I know that there’s another beach close by - since I’ve seen its pier.

To get there, you can take the boat (only a couple of times a day) or follow the path that leads inside the island for 1hour.

I don’t mind walking and choose to follow the path.

Except that, to follow the path, I should first manage to find it. There’s no sign, not even an arrow. Nothing.

We try a couple of different paths.

They all lead to the jungle, but we’d have to share them with itchy plants and cobwebs.

And we wouldn’t have a clue where to go next.

Eventually, asking the locals for direction, we find the right way to go.

However, after all these trials and errors, there’s barely 1h of sunlight left. And I do not want to get lost in the jungle at nightime.

At least not on my first day…

We’ll try again tomorrow. Maybe. Or we’ll take the boat and be done with it.

We get some dinner and play cards with other backpackers.

Some are Danish, others German. And even a couple from Chile. But all of them can speak English.

When travelling, English and a deck of cards are the perfect ice breaker combination to meet new people.

Day 19 The Warrior’s Rest

If there’s one day during our entire trip when we did absolutely nothing, it’s today.

Time to just chill out and recharge the batteries.

I get some healthy muesli for breakfast.

A large Ceasar salad and a couple of beers to finish the day.

I’m glad I got some rest today because tomorrow won’t be that fun…

Day 20 The Young Man and the Sea

We were supposed to stay longer in Sihanoukville, but reading the Lonely Planet and listening to Quinn’s opinion about it, I think that we should try to get to Kampot instead.

According to the guide, it’s a ‘charming riverside town’, with ‘a relaxed atmosphere’. With a bit of luck, it might be our Cambodian Hoi An. We need to book a hotel right away though, because Chinese New Year is in a couple of days and everything will be closed or full.

But for this, we need Wi-fi and, in Mad Monkey, there’s none.

To get online, we need to go to the other beach, on the opposite side of the island.

We’ll take the boat to not waste time walking in the jungle.

But first things first. We need to book a speed ferry back to Sihanoukville.

Because they want you to do it 24hrs before. Not one day, 24hrs exactly.

So, to book the ferry for tomorrow at 8am, I have to get up today before 8am to make sure they get it right.

Now that this is done, we have to wait till 11.15am for our boat to arrive and bring us to the other side of the island.

We get to the other side of the island. The boat stops at the pier and leaves us.

We get to the first restaurant at the end of the pier. They have Wi Fi. We manage to book a hotel in Kampot.

Perfect. Now, we can enjoy the rest of the day.

A Korean woman at the beach.

This beach is much bigger than the one we’re staying at. There are more people too.

But if we came here, it’s because we want to snorkel (the staff at Mad Monkey told me they don’t rent snorkelling gear).

So, here we are. Looking to rent goggles and a tube.

We find a place that rents them…

For $5 each per day (same price even if we only have a couple of hours left before the last boat leaves the beach) and $25 deposit.

Oh, sure they have lockers. It’s only $2. ‘We’re a small company’, the guy says. And that’s supposed to excuse those outrageous prices?

I went snorkelling in Thailand for much cheaper than that – but it was three years ago, maybe prices have gone up over there too.

The guy tells us that the best place for snorkelling is back to the pier.

‘Just make sure you don’t step on one of those poisonous black urchins’.

I’ve seen some before in Thailand. They tend to be away from the shore, though.

A few meters deep at least.And when you see one, your first reaction is not to touch it…

This time, I was walking in really shallow water, far from the pier, trying to see if my goggles fit.

I looked down at my feet and there it was. What are the odds?

I can’t believe it was so close to the beach. On its own. With nothing else around but sand.

And I almost stepped on it…

I don’t have much luck with my snorkelling gear either. Water keeps filling my tube. I come back to the guy to change it.

Now, the water fills my goggles when it’s loose and hurts my head when its too tight. I give up. I only have one hour left. I just swim around.

Quinn swims quite far away, but when she comes back, she tells me that she couldn’t see anything either anyway.

We’re supposed to leave at 4pm, but someone told me that sometimes the ferry has to wait for the supply boat. So, I wasn’t in a hurry.

Except that when we got back to the pier, our boat was too far away to get on. And now, the supply boat stands between us and the ferry.

We’ll just wait patiently until they’re done. I’m sure that our boat will get closer to the pontoon to pick us up.

Nope, it won’t.

We have to get on it by ourselves,by walking across the supply boat first, and then, by stepping over the railing and jumping on the ferry.

We get back to our side of the island. I feel like I have sunburns all over – ironic, since we’ve just bought a new sunblock.

I take a shower in the cabin. The shower drain is clogged.

I have to unclog it myself, otherwise the water would run under the door and our bags would get wet.

After all this, I’m getting a quick dinner and getting on the beach, on my own, while everyone else is drinking elsewhere, for some peace and quiet.

Five minutes later, a boat gets to the shore. The light pointed right in my face.

They’re discharging all the supplies right in front of me.

That’s enough for one day. I get in bed and read for a while instead.

Day 21 (part 1) Helios and Poseidon

This morning, I woke up pretty early because of some sudden change in the air. I’m not sure what it is but I can feel it.

Anyway, since I’m up, I’ll enjoy the sunrise before everyone else awakes.

And it’s a good opportunity to take some – more or less – artistic photos.

And during all this time, I was on my own.

Well, almost.

Our boat leaves at 8.40am. We can’t miss this one, or else we’re going to miss the bus in Sihanoukville.

The kitchen opens at 8am. I just have time for a quick breakfast.

I see someone bringing back snorkelling gear to the reception. I’m angry, they told me that they didn’t have any equipment last time I asked.

‘No, I told you we don’t do snorkelling tours’ the guy replies.

I can’t believe it. If they had been fair, they would have told us about the gear and we wouldn’t have paid a high price for them yesterday.

Suddenly, the wind rises and gets stronger by the minute. All the papers and tabs on the walls fly away.

It’s going to be a fun ride to get back to Sihanoukville...

When the small boat arrives, I’m the first one on the beach – with all the bags - ready to jump on board.

But the boy who mans the boat doesn’t seem to care. So, I ask him what time he leaves.

He doesn’t speak English, but I know he understands. He points at his watch and says ‘12’.

12?? We’re supposed to be leaving now…

I run back to the reception – with all the bags. The staff confirms that the boat is leaving right now.

Now, I have to run once more to the pier - with all the bags - to realize that, yes, they’re about to leave.

Everybody is now packing their bags and going as well.

Brillant…

They’re pulling hard on the anchor, the engine sputters.

I can tell that they were not expecting such a strong wind today.

I put the bags in the middle of the boat, under my bench, and cover them with the life jackets onboard to prevent them from getting too wet.

We get to the other side of the island and wait for the speed ferry.

They use two ropes to attach the boat to the pontoon, but the waves keep pushing it away.

To get off the boat, we have to take good strides to reach the pontoon without falling in the water.

30min later, the speed ferry arrives. The waves are even stronger now.

Fortunately, I manage to find us some seats in the middle of the boat, so that we don’t get drenched like the unfortunate passengers on the side rows.

The ride is awful. Strong waves keep crashing in, the floor is flooded, and we’re getting pushed back and forth in our seats.

One girl got seasick. I don’t feel too well myself. But, it’s gonna be all right: on a speed ferry, it only takes 1h to reach Sihanoukville.

One hour later exactly, we reach another pier. I can’t wait to get off.

Except that this is not Sihanoukville. We’ve made a detour to pick up other people on the way.

Now, we’re still in the middle of the ocean, and I have no idea how long it’s gonna take to get to our destination.

Even more people are getting sick. One man a few seats from me throws up in his hands.

The crew is giving sick bags left and right. Quinn and I both get one. We’re definitely not feeling well at all.

I used the bag mainly for oxygen and thanks to a strong focus on my breathing, I managed not to throw up. But that was a close one.

One of the worst boat rides of my life. It takes us another hour to reach Sihanoukville, and surprisingly, the ocean is not as turbulent there.

We have only 1 hour left to get to the office and confirm our tickets before the bus arrives.

We could take a tuk tuk, but I need to feel the ground under my feet.

Even if I have to carry all the bags, walking back a steep climb to get to the main road, I’m gonna walk.

At least, it’s not a long walk from the pier to the bus office.

We leave the bags in lockers and look for a place to sit and have lunch.

I didn’t expect us to be hungry after the boat, but we are.

The emotion, I guess.

There’s a famous restaurant next door.

I get squid filled with melted cheese. It’s average.

But the pepper sauce itself is quite tasty

The pepper comes from the province of Kampot, where is produced some of the world’s finest pepper.

Coincidence or not, Kampot is our next destination…