Sihanoukville

Cambodia shares some of the same coastline as Thailand, so in some ways it is surprising there is so little in the way of beach resorts here. Over the last ten years or so, what has developed is concentrated around Sihanoukville, a city of 200,000, about a two hour drive from Kep. Nobody we know has ever been, so we’re not sure what to expect, only that there is nary a Sheraton or Hyatt to be found.

We’re staying in an area called Otres, five miles or so south of the city along a string of sandy beaches that run on as far as the eye can see. It is supposedly a little more quite and less developed than the beaches further north which seems to fit well with what we are looking for. What we’re looking a little bit less for, however, is rutted dirt roads with garbage piled on either side roasting nicely in the hot sun.

The way things are set up here is that all along the water are shacks serving food and drink. They also rent basic (and I mean basic) bungalows to backpackers and millennials for $8-$10 a night. On the right, are all the bungalows made out of materials other than thatch and that have luxuries like private bathrooms. To the surprise of no one, we are on the right (a couple hundred yards past this junk pile).

After dropping our bags off, we’re off to the beach, settling into the comfortable, likely sweat infused, chairs at a place called Vanney’s. Chicken fried rice and a cold beer soon follow meaning we’re pretty much set until sundown, listening to the waves roll in, moving only every few hours to get a quick dip to cool off.

If there is one strike against Otres beach, it is the constant stream of vendors selling pedicures, sunglasses, day tours, and foot massages. They’re not as pushy as some places we have been, but the interruptions get tiring fairly quickly (if I’m wearing a pair of sunglasses, odds are that I’m not in the market).

As luck would have it, the Internet at our hotel is once again pathetic. The huts along the beach all have free wi-fi for customers though, so we’re headed back down garbage street to find a spot where we can get some food and catch up with everything back home. Dinner for two, with drinks, your feet in the sand, and waves lapping the shore about 4 feet away runs $12. The struggles are real.