Sihanoukville is located only 185km south-west of Phnom Penh, but it still took over five hours by bus to reach. Just over half way we passed through the Cardamom Mountain range, shrouded in low cloud and rain mist and the weather markedly changed from hot and dry to cooler and moist.  Now it felt like the rainy season! Having not had a chance to book any accommodation, we had a taxi stop at a few options while I ran in and checked them out.   We decided on the Makara II Bungalows, a low style guesthouse in a U shape around the all-important pool. Being low season we negotiated a rate of $25 per night for our five night stay – not bad for being only a minute walk from Ochheuteal Beach. It also had a nice little restaurant with meals available at any time of the day.

The southwest facing beaches of Serendipity, Ochheuteal and Otres get quieter and cleaner the further away from the township you go. The long narrow strip of beach is shadowed by a continuous line of beach huts, chairs and umbrellas with bars and restaurants offering cheap drinks especially during ‘happy hour’ 4-9pm. Roving hawkers cruised the beach selling everything from freshly cooked squid on a stick to pedicures, sunglasses and fireworks. I was treated (?) to some hair removal whilst sitting on a  beach chair by ‘Annie’ who used the ancient ‘threading’ technique. A fine thread of cotton is held between her teeth and the other end in her left hand while she ‘twists’ the cotton pulling out the hairs (yee-ow!).  At least I don’t have to shave my legs for a while!

The beach was surprisingly nice with fine white sand, warm clear water and just the right amount of surf movement for it still to be safe but fun for the girls who enjoyed the body surfing.  Coming from North Queensland, it’s hard to imagine the sea could be so perfect for swimming without having something in the water ready to bite, sting, or eat you.  It is just as popular a destination for Cambodians, especially on the weekends, and we were easily in the minority as ‘western’ tourists, unlike the more well-known Thai beach destinations – so definitely more my kind of place.  However it looks like it is in for some major development with a fair bit of foreign investment and a number of large hotels being built so I don’t think it will remain like this for too much longer.

But… it could have been even better! The beachfront bars appear to operate with little or no regulation, the stormwater and some kitchen waste water flowed onto the beach unchecked, and locals have no problem with dropping their used take-away containers or plastic bags as soon as they have finished with them.  What is essentially a little paradise is being spoiled by the locals themselves. As in many Asian nations, the residents seem to regard the ocean as the ‘great garbage remover’.  During a day trip to some of the nearby islands we spotted several floating styrofoam containers bobbing around.

We spent our days doing schoolwork in the mornings followed by swims in the pool and afternoons swimming at the beach, finishing with a beer or two at the ‘bar’, while the girls continued playing in the sand and water.

Yes it’s a hard life…!