Cambodia revisited

Chinese New Year in HK is superficially very pretty.  Last year there were lots of adorable tigers, but this year's bunnies are even sweeter.  The lobby of the Landmark building always has the most tasteful festive displays, but aside from the decorations, CNY is a good time to escape the February cold and damp, especially since we "weathered" the parade and fireworks here last year (blog 18/02/10).  As the saying goes: "been there, done that".

This year we joined the crowds fleeing the city, and headed to the Sokha Beach Resort in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.  (Sihanoukville is named after King Norodom Sihanouk, the Father of Cambodia, who is still alive and not-so-well, living in China or North Korea)  Although this resort has recently been featured in a high-end spa magazine (the one you pick up in airport lounges), it is not as busy or well-known as the resorts in Borneo, Thailand, or the Philippines.
One of the reasons it isn't very popular (yet) is because it is rather difficult to get to.  We flew to Phnom Penh, and were met by our driver who (miraculously?) drove the 200 km to Sihanoukville in three hours!  Local buses take up to six hours to cover the distance.  Cambodia National Highway 4 leads directly to Sihanoukville, but it passes through village after village.  We amused ourselves listing all the different kinds of transport along the way:  motos with whole families, primitive carts pulled by animals, minivans overflowing with people (reminding us of the Volkswagens in the circus), tuk tuks, and lots of random, emaciated cows who always have the right of way (can hardly wait to visit India!).  There's a kind of monotony to the poverty that never changes, never ends.  Most of the houses and shops flanking the road are built on stilts - to offer protection during the rainy season.  There is no running water, and there are open ditches filled with debris.  It's a numbingly sad place.  However, on our return drive to PP early on Monday morning, it was heartening to see all the children heading to school.  Education is still the key to Cambodia moving forward.  Unfortunately for Jeff, I immediately got into my "let's reorganize this country" frame of mind during the drive!  e.g. How about setting aside one mandatory day each month (or even year?) to rake up the mounds of garbage everywhere!  But I digress from the vacation ...

We had a very restful time at the resort - not our usual kind of run-around-see-everything trip.  We ventured off the beautiful grounds only a few times.  The first was to visit the local market - emphasis on "local".  Not for tourists.  The market reminded us why we love Cambodia - smiling people everywhere, willing to have their pictures taken.  Saffron-robed monks walk through the streets, stopping to say a prayer at each shop, and to receive some charity in return.

While we were in the supermarket, we noticed quite a few Europeans and Aussies shopping for groceries.  We realized that Sihanoukville is a very cheap winter destination - there are numerous guest houses near the public beaches that charge very little for long-term stays.  Certainly a more economical alternative to the Cote d'Azur or the Maldives!  Although there are traffic lights at major intersections, young people in uniform stand on the side of the road with flags, making sure that cars actually stop when the light is red.

Thought you all might enjoy these photos of the local gas station.  When we were in Siem Reap last April, the oil was stored in whiskey bottles.  This time, Pepsi bottles were the containers of choice.  Good way to recycle!



One morning, I ended up providing comic relief to a large group of middle-class Cambodians who were relaxing on the beach near the kayak rental hut.  Jeff convinced me that it was safe to take out a two-seater, even though the waves were very high (by my definition, not his, but I'm the one writing this blog!).  As our kayak bobbed around in the waves, I tried to climb in gracefully.  Alas, I ended up tumbling over the edge and flopping unglamorously into my seat!  Lots of laughter on the shore.  It was all worth it - we paddled (Jeff paddled, I relaxed) to a primitive fishing village, where the fishermen asked us if we wanted to buy some cooked fish.  Unfortunately, we hadn't brought any money with us, so we declined.  My disembarkation from the kayak was also clumsy - more laughter from the locals.  Oh well, you can't take my anywhere.

In our last blog about Cambodia, I mentioned how good the food is.  On this trip, we kept up our streak of never having a bad Cambodian meal.  We avoided the buffet restaurants at the resort (I do prefer being served dinner, especially in pricey restaurants), and ate at the tapas bar two of the four nights we were there.

The other two nights, we ate at Chez Claude.  Claude is a French-Vietnamese expat, who moved to Sihanoukville in 1992 to set up a scuba diving school, bed&breakfast, and restaurant.  A crazy tractor-driven cable car takes you up the short, steep hill to the main lodge.  There are fusball machines on the first floor; the restaurant is on the second floor.  What a surprise and delight to eat real French food in the far-off Cambodia!  The lodge reminded me of Rabiner's in Ste. Agathe - rustic and comfortable.

Our meals were delicious (mmm steak-frites, fondue, creme brulee), accompanied by good French wine.  Claude was happy to tell us his story (tout en francais), and he was so pleased that we returned for a second visit, that our pre-dinner drinks were on the house.  We even discovered a Canadian connection - his brother lives in Sept-Iles!





Our quiet vacation in Cambodia was just what we needed!  We came back rested and ready to tackle our next adventure - showing all our visitors around HK.  We are looking forward to hosting Arlene and John, Rhonda, Gerry and Laura, Diane and Shelly, Doug, Bill and Bill, and Bonnie and Stephen in the next few weeks.