Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville is a resort town on the southern coast of Cambodia and exists because of its beach, its harbour and possibly, its location to several small islands.

It was dark when the bus pulled over at the side of the road in front of a parking lot full of tuk tuk drivers. As we descended the stairs, they rushed forward asking us which hotel we were staying at. One fellow smelled like alcohol and seemed to be in charge of the group. We told him we were at Sokha Beach and he said ‘10 dollars.’ Ian laughed and replied with an offer of 5 dollars and the man said no. So I held up three fingers and said, three dollars, and he said – okay - and pointed to a driver.  Ian and I shrugged and made our way in the direction he had pointed.

We walked over to the driver and said “Sokha Beach 3 dollars?” with which he replied: ‘oh it’s very far, how about 4 dollars?’ We agreed and off we went.

The driver was right; it was a bit of a distance but still under 10 minutes. We left town, went down a quiet road towards the water then turned to the entranceway of the resort. It reminded us of Caribbean resorts – a massive gate over the drive and a large open reception area. The only thing missing was a water fountain. Check in was smooth and we were shown to our room.

As it was so late we just ordered room service – which isn’t like Canada where the prices are jacked. Everything was reasonably priced and came on a large bamboo tray.

The breakfast buffet the next day was amazing. The croissants and fresh fruit were delicious and I had my fill of pomelo; a citrus fruit that looks like peeled grapefruit but not as tart. There was a pho and egg station, and plenty of bacon, mushrooms, potatoes, pastries, yogurt and cereals. We declared this to be the best breakfast on our trip thus far. After our breakfast, we put on our suits and went swimming. The pool was massive and the beach gorgeous with white sand – and so quiet. No blaring music or noisy guests.

We took a tuk tuk into town and had lunch at Mick and Craig’s – probably the cheapest place we have ever eaten with meals starting at 2.50 and beer anywhere from 75 cents for a draft to 3 dollars for a bottle. The Reef Resort was close so we checked to see if we could get a room after our 3 night stay at Sokha but they were booked up. The Dive Shop was next where we received information about their dives. Beach Road turned down to Serendipity Beach so we strolled along the road but unfortunately, it was torn up due to construction.  The road was crammed with guesthouses, dive shops, restaurants, and small shops. At the end of the road were the beach and a pier: to the west were large rocks and to the east, a narrow strip of sand completely covered with sun beds, people, umbrellas, and shops with a narrow walkway separating the beach from the shops.

We started down the walkway but it wasn’t long before we were hit with offers of getting my hair done or getting a massage or would I like to buy some fruit? The place was crowded and seedy and I was so glad we had spent the extra money for Sokha Beach!

Diving with the Dive Shop

 Breakfast, lunch, two dives and all the equipment was 65 dollars each. Breakfast was donuts and fruit so we got up early and ate at our resort. We arranged for a tuk tuk to pick us up at 6:45am because we had to be at the Dive Shop for 7am. On route, our driver ran out of gas so we got out to walk the rest of the way. Ian handed the driver a couple of dollars and at first, he refused but then ended up taking it.

In a few minutes we arrived at the Dive Shop and I was immediately put off because no one was overly friendly. Typically we’ve had great luck with dive companies making us feel super welcome like friends not clients. In their defence, they work long hours and sleep either above the shop or at their other location on the island of Koh Rong so it doesn’t seem like they get a lot of down time; but still, you should feel comfortable with the people you’re diving with...

 As we ascended the few steps to the desk, I noticed folks sitting on couches with rucksacks. They were getting a boat ride to Koh Rong which has basic accommodations – no a/c, no fans, no electricity. Diving is off the island which is a good 2 hours from Sihanoukville, so some people choose to stay on the island and go from there rather than getting up for 7am. Eventually we piled into a tuk tuk for the harbour about a 10 minute bumpy dusty ride away.  Our companions were a couple from New Zealand and the fellow was in training to become a Dive Master. He was also a snowboard instructor and had worked in Calgary.

The Dive Shop’s boat didn’t have an upstairs and the sitting area in the front was shaded but the seats were so high my feet couldn’t touch the floor. The bathroom was at the back with a squat toilet and no paper. Nice. About halfway to Koh Rong, I made my way to the back where the staff were sitting and sat across from Rachel, one of the instructors. Rachel was from England and probably about 23 – 24 years old. She had just spent 7 months off Africa working as an instructor there and had only been in Cambodia for about a month.

We docked on the island and disembarked. At the dive centre, we met our instructor Jeremy who got us suited up. We decided to try me on 6 kg weights but Jeremy would take 1kg with him and would put it in my pocket if I needed it. We loaded back on the boat having met Cat from England, who would be diving with us. She had done about 25 dives but said she didn’t feel at all an expert.

It didn’t take long to get to the dive site, First Tree.  Entry into the water was stride off the back of the boat – which meant having to walk with your BC jacket and tank down some stairs where you would then put on your fins. Let me tell you – walking down stairs isn’t easy with all that equipment on, neither is trying to put on your fins! The tank is heavy with its 220 bars of air and throws you off balance.

When we were ready, Ian and I did our buddy checks and jumped in. Everything went smoothly – my mask fogged up early on and I had to let water in to clear away the fog – but other than that, things were okay. Jeremy added the extra kilo at one point because he thought I was having trouble with my buoyancy but I was actually okay.

The depth was about 12 metres with visibility about 6m and water temperature around 28 to 29 degrees. Unfortunately Jeremy didn’t wear a computer so we didn’t get accurate readings. The dive wasn’t the best – we really didn’t see a lot of fish. Jeremy pointed to something beneath coral but I couldn’t see a thing – later he said it was a stingray. We did see a massive grouper about half the size of me that was completely stationary allowing us a good look. About 57 minutes, the dive was over and up we went. The boat picked us up and we climbed the ladder with tanks on.

Lunch was served hot on the island – rice and a simple curry with potatoes and carrots. After resting for about an hour, we headed out again, this time to the west side of Small Island. Jeremy was diving with another group so Shea was our new Dive Master (he also didn’t wear a computer). He wasn’t as outgoing as Jeremy but certainly competent. I decided to dive with 6 kg but Shea took extra weight just in case.

In we went for about 60 minutes with an average depth of about 7 metres. Not overly deep but it meant a longer dive. Visibility still wasn’t that great but we did see some neat coral - reddish mushroom coral and cushion stars and more fish than on our first dive. There were hundreds of tiny fish that could have been fusiliers or dart fish, Ian and I weren’t sure. My buoyancy was the best it had ever been using 6 kg – I had no problem staying down and never once had to add air to my jacket. It was great. Of course we weren’t very deep so it will be interesting to see what happens when we go lower.

After the dive, we headed back to Koh Rong, dropped off the equipment and headed for home. Ian sat on the back of the boat but it was too hot for me so I sat in the middle with a German couple. They had just returned from Vietnam so I picked their brains for information. The best piece of advice they gave me was to go into the country knowing that you would likely be taken advantage of. Every single day they bought simple groceries they would be told a higher price than the total was and be given back the wrong change – one had to be most careful in that country.

The sun was setting behind the boat leaving a beautiful red sky and Ian had the best seat. We pulled up to the dock in the dark and loaded onto the tuk tuk. We said our goodbyes and headed to Mick and Craig’s for dinner.

They had a BBQ special for 5 dollars so Ian and I decided to give it a try. I told the server I’d have the chicken and he explained that oh no, you get steak, ribs AND chicken for 5 dollars. I told him I didn’t eat beef so I would stick with the chicken so I ended up with 3 chicken kebabs, a baked potato, pasta salad, coleslaw and garlic bread – all for 5 dollars. I couldn’t finish it.

Our remaining days at Sokha were spent at the beach and pool. At one point, we walked around the property and discovered two more buildings with rooms surrounding a huge pool that were sitting empty, and a large lake with individual villas rising out of the water on stilts. Through the large glass windows we could see beautiful free standing tubs – all sitting empty. It was quite astonishing how large this place was – and how empty – but this made it a quiet peaceful place to stay.