We took a bus down to Sihanoukville on the southern coast. Boasting a first-rate slot as the nation’s most fantastic beach area, we arrived in the pouring rain to a town with trash-filled streets. We avoided the mob of taxi offers as usual and determined to walk to our guest house. On the way, we found a small restaurant called Holy Cow, where we enjoyed some comfort food on warm couches. It was getting dark, so we headed to our guest house, passing by a massive golden lion statue in the center of a roundabout. Our first try for a room struck out, so we stayed a few doors down at a mellow hangout, called Mick & Craigs. After a shower, we played pool and ordered drinks.
The next day, we walked towards the shore. We didn’t have much time, so we got an early start and bought bread and jam at a convenience store to save on breakfast. Down at the waterline, workers slaved away building up a boat port. We were swarmed by girls selling bracelets and sunglasses and women giving pedicures, for only $2! But, our feet had a longer way to travel, so we denied their pleas. Some of them got quite friendly and offered that we could sit at a restaurant’s beach chairs without buying anything. They showed us how they “wax” women’s legs – with a piece of floss, worked on your hair. As the string twists, it pulls hair with it. My legs weren’t bad, considering I had recently shaved after a very long stint of neglect (hey, it’s backpacking!), but they still wanted to show how their method was better than anything else, and that the results would last up to three weeks (for the record, it lasted about one).
We met an unfortunate shoe salesman who hit us at our point of irritation with the constant requests to buy things, even as you try to relax. He responded to our blunt denial to his product by telling us that we shouldn’t come to Cambodia if we don’t want to be bothered. We’ve met so many amiable people; it was a shame to run into an attitude like that.
The sky was very cloudy and it dribbled a bit, so we got very little sun, but we were glad to see a bit more of the country. We left that afternoon after a quick meal in a local restaurant, and headed back to Phnom Penh. That night in Phnom Penh, we hit the night market where we scored a local noodle dish that we like, Lat Char. The place was brimming with noise and people, so we didn’t stay long. I did buy an ornament for our tree – a mini version of their woven fishing tools.
The next morning, we took off for Kratie (pronounced Krachay) where we would view the endangered Irrawady Dolphins. We stayed that evening in a very nice $5 hotel and got a nice dinner at a place where we managed to book a boat and tuk tuk for our touring pleasure. We were picked up the next morning and met a young French couple who would ride with us, out to the boat docks a half hour north, where the dolphins stay. We got in a little motor boat and set out for the center. No one else was out that morning (not much else is in the area, so it’s not nearly as touristy as some places), and after a minute we were able to see the dolphins surface. For an hour, we just sat quietly, waiting for them to come up. You could track where they’d resurface after a bit, and we got some of our time on film (thanks, Derek!) because pictures were useless with such little notice and very little idea of location. It was a very incredible thing, seeing these creatures living in their natural habitat, with no one else around, and with only 100 left in the world (75 live in this area, the other 25 or so near the delta). When the other boats started coming out, we headed back, and grabbed ourselves a hand-carved wooden souvenir of the dolphins before heading to a hill (it’s not worth mentioning – the views were mostly hidden by tree growth, and we saw more temples, a very common thing at this point, unless they’re unreasonably spectacular, which they weren’t).
Then, onward to Siem Riep, where we would conclude our trip. I was looking forward to not moving around for a few days, as we were on a bus every day for a week. But, no one can say we didn’t use our time well, and we certainly saw more of Cambodia than most visitors.
No comments:
Post a Comment