Leanne, Mary Liz & Myself left Battambang for Sihanoukville via Phnom Penh on a local Cambodian bus, on which we were the only non Cambodians. The best bit about the whole 7 hour journey was the Cambodian Karaoke Videos they put on, and some dodgy french slap stick comedy which absolutely everyone found hilarious...
We arrived in Phnom Penh and found a travel agent to try and book us on a bus to Sihanoukville right away. While the travel agent was trying to find out if he could fit us on anywhere, Leanne found a leaflet for PMT airlines, which was a big source of amusement for about half an hour. We were making up conversations like "How was your flight" - "Oh, it was ok. The staff were really angry though, and every time I asked for something the stewardess just burst into tears!"
Amusing stuff!
We missed the last bus to Sihanoukville, so we left the following morning instead.
We managed to get booked on a next to empty aircon mini bus, which only took 4 hours, and only cost $5! The only issue was it dropped us off at this swanky new casino about 5k's out of town. When we ordered a tuk tuk to come and get us, the driver presumed we were customers of the casino, and tried to overcharge us....in the end it cost us $10 to go 5k's, when we had just traveled over 240k's for $5...! However, it was kind of worth because the tuk tuk driver was hysterical...he kept laughing at everything, he accidently smacked Mary Liz on the head while reaching for his hat, and when we were going down the terrible road to our guesthouse, he kept screaming and saying "ouch!" every time the tuk tuk hit a bump. Highly amusing stuff!
We checked into our guesthouse, which was called Coasters Beach Bungalow's, and only cost $7 a night each for a room to share. It was right on the beach as well, which was fantastic.
After we checked in, we decided to go and get some food on the beach. While walking along we came across this girl selling tickets to the full moon party on an island about 1 hours journey from the mainland. We decided to give it a go.
At 9pm, everyone crowded on the beach to jump on one of the 6 boats leaving for the island. What we failed to realise is that the boats don't come to close to the sand, so we had to walk to the boat, through water, absolutely saturating ourselves. Once we arrived at the island, we had to jump back in the water again, this time up to our waists!
The party was actually quite good. There were lots of people there and the drinks weren't overpriced, which you kind of expect at these things... At about 3am, I fell asleep in a chair for about 20 minutes....
Coming back to the mainland was interesting experience. Around 50 drunk people trying to pile into one boat that kept swaying from side to side. Clearly, a perfectly safe thing to do! We arrived back at the mainland at around 5.30am...then slept all day and spent the afternoon on the beach.
That almost sums up how we spent everyday in the end. The beaches were so pretty and the weather was so good that it was hard to do otherwise. We did go out to Bamboo Island for one day which was quite nice, it was just a quiet island about 50 minutes from the mainland where you can go snorkeling.
That night we went out for dinner at one of the seafood BBQs on the beach front. The food was fantastic. Once we had had enough, a young beggar boy came over asking us if he could have our food. We said yes, and he sat there for 5 minutes just smashing down absolutely everything left on our plates. I have never seen anything like it. It was as if he didn't breathe for 5 minutes, just ate. The three of us just sat there in astonishment the whole time. Once he had finished, he stood up, bowed and his best English said "Thank you", then walked off. It was the most amazing yet heartbreaking thing I have ever seen. And he isn't the only one, there would be at least 20 - 30 kids who don't sell things and just want to eat and drink water.
One thing that can either make or break your trip to Sihanoukville, is the children and adults selling things on the beach.
At first, the kids are quite sweet. Asking you where your from, how old you are, how long are you staying etc etc. Then before you know it you are surrounded by about6 or 7 of them, all trying to sell you the exact same thing. When you agree to buy they want you to buy more, if you refuse to buy they just sit there asking why until you do. One of there little tricks is they ask you what your favorite colors are, and they make you a "friendship" bracelet for free. However, that is pretty much then your contract to buy from them, and if you don't, or you try and refuse the bracelet...look out! At one point the three us had had quite enough of the kids hanging around us, so I tried, quite politely, to get them to go away. The response I received from one girl was "You can't talk to me, I'm Cambodian, this is my country" and I replied saying "yes I know, I love your country, but can you please just leave us alone?" She then replied with "Go back to Australia!!!" and stormed off!!!!!!!!!!
Now, I can handle being abused by a 10 year old kid, but its when the adults start having a go that I started to reach the end of my teather!
On our last day there, a lady came over asking me if I wanted to get my legs threaded. Having no idea what she was talking about, she proceeded to show me. What it is, is a new way to shave your legs with a peice of thread. Very very painful. The lady then asked me if I wanted it done, to which I replied no. She then said "Maybe later?" to again I replied "No thankyou". She then said "I'l come back later maybe you get it done then?" so I just kind of nooded and said goodbye. When she came back about 3 hours later I said to her "Look I'm sorry, but I really don't want it done". Well, that was is. She looks at me and says "Are you crazy?" to which Leanne replied "Yes she is, we are going to put her in an institution when she gets home!" and we both fell about laughing. The threading lady didn't like this, and started hurling abuse at me left right and center, calling me "stupid crazy bitch lady" etc etc!! Unfortunately, I do find most things amusing, so I couldn't help but laugh at her which just seem to make it worse. Plus Leanna and Mary Liz were laughing as well. Eventually she stormed off...but still walked past about half an hour later hurling more abuse at me....!!
Again, only in Cambodia!
One thing thats a bit scary about the kids is the way they just jump all over you. I mean, most of them are quite sweet if you buy something off of them or give them a drink or something. However they are just all over you. Touching your hair, your legs, your arms. They have no inhibitions and don't appear to be aware of would could happen if they came across the wrong person. The thought of someone taking advantage of these kids makes me sick to my stomach. There are signs everywhere about the importance of reporting Child abusers in Sihanoukville, so it obviously does happen. But I guess with no education for some or most of these kids, its hard for them to know the difference between whats right and wrong. Like I said, the thought makes me feel physically ill.
We ended up spending 5 full days in Sihanoukville. My original plan was to only spend 2 or 3, so I will now have to do a bit of a race up the coast of Vietnam to make my flight from Hanoi to Vientiane in Laos on the 8th of April. But thats ok, I probably had the funniest & most enjoyable week of my trip so far with Mary Liz and Leanne, and will probably continue to laugh about some of stuff we found amusing over the next couple of months!
I said goodbye to both of them in Phnom Penh on Thursday, and headed back to Vietnam.....
We managed to get booked on a next to empty aircon mini bus, which only took 4 hours, and only cost $5! The only issue was it dropped us off at this swanky new casino about 5k's out of town. When we ordered a tuk tuk to come and get us, the driver presumed we were customers of the casino, and tried to overcharge us....in the end it cost us $10 to go 5k's, when we had just traveled over 240k's for $5...! However, it was kind of worth because the tuk tuk driver was hysterical...he kept laughing at everything, he accidently smacked Mary Liz on the head while reaching for his hat, and when we were going down the terrible road to our guesthouse, he kept screaming and saying "ouch!" every time the tuk tuk hit a bump. Highly amusing stuff!
We checked into our guesthouse, which was called Coasters Beach Bungalow's, and only cost $7 a night each for a room to share. It was right on the beach as well, which was fantastic.
After we checked in, we decided to go and get some food on the beach. While walking along we came across this girl selling tickets to the full moon party on an island about 1 hours journey from the mainland. We decided to give it a go.
At 9pm, everyone crowded on the beach to jump on one of the 6 boats leaving for the island. What we failed to realise is that the boats don't come to close to the sand, so we had to walk to the boat, through water, absolutely saturating ourselves. Once we arrived at the island, we had to jump back in the water again, this time up to our waists!
The party was actually quite good. There were lots of people there and the drinks weren't overpriced, which you kind of expect at these things... At about 3am, I fell asleep in a chair for about 20 minutes....
Coming back to the mainland was interesting experience. Around 50 drunk people trying to pile into one boat that kept swaying from side to side. Clearly, a perfectly safe thing to do! We arrived back at the mainland at around 5.30am...then slept all day and spent the afternoon on the beach.
That almost sums up how we spent everyday in the end. The beaches were so pretty and the weather was so good that it was hard to do otherwise. We did go out to Bamboo Island for one day which was quite nice, it was just a quiet island about 50 minutes from the mainland where you can go snorkeling.
That night we went out for dinner at one of the seafood BBQs on the beach front. The food was fantastic. Once we had had enough, a young beggar boy came over asking us if he could have our food. We said yes, and he sat there for 5 minutes just smashing down absolutely everything left on our plates. I have never seen anything like it. It was as if he didn't breathe for 5 minutes, just ate. The three of us just sat there in astonishment the whole time. Once he had finished, he stood up, bowed and his best English said "Thank you", then walked off. It was the most amazing yet heartbreaking thing I have ever seen. And he isn't the only one, there would be at least 20 - 30 kids who don't sell things and just want to eat and drink water.
One thing that can either make or break your trip to Sihanoukville, is the children and adults selling things on the beach.
At first, the kids are quite sweet. Asking you where your from, how old you are, how long are you staying etc etc. Then before you know it you are surrounded by about6 or 7 of them, all trying to sell you the exact same thing. When you agree to buy they want you to buy more, if you refuse to buy they just sit there asking why until you do. One of there little tricks is they ask you what your favorite colors are, and they make you a "friendship" bracelet for free. However, that is pretty much then your contract to buy from them, and if you don't, or you try and refuse the bracelet...look out! At one point the three us had had quite enough of the kids hanging around us, so I tried, quite politely, to get them to go away. The response I received from one girl was "You can't talk to me, I'm Cambodian, this is my country" and I replied saying "yes I know, I love your country, but can you please just leave us alone?" She then replied with "Go back to Australia!!!" and stormed off!!!!!!!!!!
Now, I can handle being abused by a 10 year old kid, but its when the adults start having a go that I started to reach the end of my teather!
On our last day there, a lady came over asking me if I wanted to get my legs threaded. Having no idea what she was talking about, she proceeded to show me. What it is, is a new way to shave your legs with a peice of thread. Very very painful. The lady then asked me if I wanted it done, to which I replied no. She then said "Maybe later?" to again I replied "No thankyou". She then said "I'l come back later maybe you get it done then?" so I just kind of nooded and said goodbye. When she came back about 3 hours later I said to her "Look I'm sorry, but I really don't want it done". Well, that was is. She looks at me and says "Are you crazy?" to which Leanne replied "Yes she is, we are going to put her in an institution when she gets home!" and we both fell about laughing. The threading lady didn't like this, and started hurling abuse at me left right and center, calling me "stupid crazy bitch lady" etc etc!! Unfortunately, I do find most things amusing, so I couldn't help but laugh at her which just seem to make it worse. Plus Leanna and Mary Liz were laughing as well. Eventually she stormed off...but still walked past about half an hour later hurling more abuse at me....!!
Again, only in Cambodia!
One thing thats a bit scary about the kids is the way they just jump all over you. I mean, most of them are quite sweet if you buy something off of them or give them a drink or something. However they are just all over you. Touching your hair, your legs, your arms. They have no inhibitions and don't appear to be aware of would could happen if they came across the wrong person. The thought of someone taking advantage of these kids makes me sick to my stomach. There are signs everywhere about the importance of reporting Child abusers in Sihanoukville, so it obviously does happen. But I guess with no education for some or most of these kids, its hard for them to know the difference between whats right and wrong. Like I said, the thought makes me feel physically ill.
We ended up spending 5 full days in Sihanoukville. My original plan was to only spend 2 or 3, so I will now have to do a bit of a race up the coast of Vietnam to make my flight from Hanoi to Vientiane in Laos on the 8th of April. But thats ok, I probably had the funniest & most enjoyable week of my trip so far with Mary Liz and Leanne, and will probably continue to laugh about some of stuff we found amusing over the next couple of months!
I said goodbye to both of them in Phnom Penh on Thursday, and headed back to Vietnam.....
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