438 replies to this topic

[dixon cox]

Did the chicken behave well on the bus ? They can be bad travelers .

I didn't see or hear of any chickens once we were underway, so they were better passengers than those seated behind us.

As occurs in Thailand too, those bus drivers race along and other road users are best advised to get out of the way. At least with regular tooting of the horn they know it's coming. We overtook countless other vehicles enroute, but it was the fiddle-fucking about at stops and regular picking-up and dropping-off other Khmer passengers which began to grate in the end.

After having travelled with other bus companies, I chose not to use Paramount again. There are always other choices, but they all drive like they're in a race.

[jayarr]

so do you not exchange money? everything is in $

[dixon cox]

so do you not exchange money? everything is in $

I exchanged money beforehand because I do not come from a country which uses US$.

Riel and the US$ are both accepted and used throughout Cambodia and work well together as a dual currency, you will likely receive Riel as small change when spending dollars.

The rate of 4,000r to $1 is commonly accepted everywhere, regardless of the current bank rate unless you go to a money changer or a bank. Generally in your pocket will be a mixture of both US$ and Riel.

$50 and $100 bills are as good as useless, unless you're paying rent or a hotel bill and even then make sure they're in very good condition. No coins, it's all paper money.

The available denominations of Riel are:

100r = $0.025
500r = $0.125
1,000r = $0.25
2,000r = $0.50
5,000r = $1.25
10,000r = $2.50
20,000r = $5.00

I think there's a 50k bill too, but I never saw one, 20k is quite rare too.

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[petesie]

Well put together and informative report this DC with some excellent accompanying pics...

Looking forward to this being a regular read for months to come...

[dixon cox]

The first full day in Sihanoukville naturally took us in the direction of the beach, on the Gulf of Thailand.

Much of the Cambodia I saw seemed to be under some phase of construction and Snooky was no exception. Serendipity Beach Road, from the top of the hill leading down to the boat dock, was almost all under construction, including the road.

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[dixon cox]

Serendipity and Ochheuteal Beaches seem to be the mecca for all visitors to Sihanoukville, especially the backpacker types. Plenty of bars lined the edge of the beach with seating inside or out on the sand. Fortunately the music being played from some of them (not all) was not excessive or too much or a distraction.

Regarding food, they didn't seem to mind if you didn't order all it from their establishment, even though you were using their tables and chairs or loungers, so long as you ordered something it was no problem.

The whole area wasn't overly busy (end of April) and we enjoyed a pleasant meal of several courses on the beach, supplied by the owners of our table and several passing food sellers.

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[dixon cox]

With full bellies it was time to sit back, relax and enjoy.

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[Nick Bullseye]

Wonderful photos, DC. Thanks for sharing.

I stay 5 days to one week every year in Phnom Penh, but have an intensive program, giving exams for Cambodian candidates for our tech. university. I should take some more time to travel around, if not for other reasons, then going to Sihanoukville for scuba diving. If only my colleagues were more adventurous...

[dixon cox]

I should take some more time to travel around, if not for other reasons, then going to Sihanoukville for scuba diving.

Thank you Bully

Sihanoukville is an easy and pleasant getaway for a few days from Phnom Penh and a nice way to relax after your busy Uni schedule, well worth the easy 4-hour bus journey.

Although I did not participate, I did notice a number of scuba-diving shops around.

[dixon cox]

After only two nights at the Beach Road Hotel it was time to move onwards and outwards. The thumping bass sound from the neighbouring nightclub, Utopia, could be heard outside our room door and by the swimming pool until the early hours, but fortunately only barely inside the room itself, it continued until around 4am.

Utopia also has cheap backpacker-style accommodation, but how anyone could sleep right alongside that racket is beyond me.

On checking-out from the Beach Road Hotel there was a little bit of a kerfuffle as the original price quoted of $20 had now risen to $25 per night. I took a bunch of photos of the internals and the staff and said I'd be happy to write about their price adjustment on the internet, so after a 15 minute discussion they relented and returned to original $20, a total $40 for the two days. Although it was all over a difference of only $10, it is the principle that's at stake and the fact that not all barang roll over and pay. All in all, the Beach Road Hotel was a decent place which I would recommend to anybody, the noise next door isn't their fault.

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[dixon cox]

Daytimes were very pleasant and on this day (26th April, 2011) we took a long leisurely walk right down the full length of Ochheuteal Beach from Serendipity, over the Queen's Hill outcrop at the end to the even quieter Otres Beach. Perhaps a 10km round trip in total. Very quiet and secluded, a tropical delight with little passing foot-traffic or the sound of vehicles.

Not an uncommon vision in Cambodia is the sight of unfinished buildings left standing idle and abandoned. This building was especially creepy walking past it in the dark on the unlit beach on our return.

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[dixon cox]

Once up on Queen's Hill we took a look at their cabins. They had excellent views but poor accommodation, but nevermind. We decided to stay here for a few days as the room we would be staying in tonight at Makara was not very nice.

A pleasant few hours were spent at Otres beach and we pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves, just one other quiet couple. A local eatery ensured we were fed with snacks and watered with banana and mango shakes.
... The mango shakes were exceptional

Relaxing, swimming and taking life easy was the order for the next few hours, before heading back the same way we came. The sun was setting and the walk back was soon in pitch black once back over Queen's Hill. Just the glistening of the waves under the moonlight and the shimmering lights of Serendipity to guide us.

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