After a great start to Cambodia and loaded with plenty of information given to us by other travelers about how to obtain a Vietnam visa, we decided to save a bit of money on accomodation and take an overnight bus to Sihanoukville, a small beach city on the southern coast of Cambodia. The bus was great, it came equipped with layback bed/chairs, a toilet and a super fast driver! It took about 9 hours all up, with a couple of stops along the way, one of which was in the capital Phnom Penh. The trip was pretty hassle free apart from one fellow using Lauren’s arm to steady himself at midnight and the occasional swooshing of flashlights by a few people who looked like they were trying to contact the rest of their travel party by code…
Arriving at the desolate bus stop in Sihanoukville meant sharing a tuk tuk to town with a couple of fellow travelers, which turned into the usual ‘negotiate a price and get taken to the tuk tuk mans restaurant instead of town’ but we managed to arrive nearby and wander up to Serendipity beach area, where lots of guesthouses are situated. So, after finding a cheap hotel, which came equipped with soiled towels, 4 large signs in our room stating that staff are not responsible for anything that goes missing and a dodgy door lock, we grabbed some hire bikes and headed for the Vietnam consulate. The visa turned out to be very easy to get in Sihanoukville and it only took about 10 minutes for everything to be processed, which we were very happy about because we weren’t that keen on the place. The beach was pretty quiet apart from the many offers by young kids and women who were selling bracelets, sunglasses, massages, etc and party boat organisers offering cheap booze. The beach and surrounding area had a pretty sleazy feel to it, especially when you saw the older foreign men holding hands with very young Cambodian girls. It might have been nice on one of the quieter beaches or nearby islands but we felt that one day to get our visa was enough before we hopped on a mini bus to Kampot.
Kampot is a great little town about 3 hours drive from Sihanoukville. The township is split by the Kampot river and is renown for its salt and pepper production. The sleepiness of the place, the many little restaurants, guesthouses and bike hire places make it a nice spot to relax or do some more exploring too and although there are plenty of tourists around on their way to either Kep and the Vietnam border or Phnom Penh, it still has a very local feel to it. The vast salt fields are just out of town and were great to visit on the pushbike in the morning before the heat kicked in.
The locals seem to be very proud of their town and especially the Kampot river, with many public bins around and cleanup days happening to try and reduce the amount of rubbish, which often ends up in the river. One of the cleanup days was happening while we visited and we watched on as more than 200 students marched by, some with t-shirts and banners stating ‘I love Kampot river’.
Tips
– If you aren’t into partying, stay at one of the quieter beaches or one of the islands at Sihanoukville
– If you are mainly going to Sihanoukville to get your Vietnam visa consider taking an overnight bus to Sihanoukville, getting the tuk tuk to drop you at the consulate and then jumping on a mini bus to Kampot for some relaxation.
– Watch your valuables in Sihanoukville, especially when walking on the roadside, in the cheaper guesthouses and hotels
– Don’t buy from the beach kids, it keeps them out of school and vulnerable to abuse. Instead, visit the not for profit shop, M’Lop Tapang on serendipity beach road that supports parents to keep their children at school.
The Adventures of Lames McFuzzy 