Sihanoukville & Otres 2: Our Start with Cambodia’s Beaches
The following is Katie’s post on our time in Sihanoukville and Otres 2 in Cambodia.
What We Did
Day 232 (March 16, 2017)
After a morning bus ride from Phnom Penh we got to the Cambodian Coast in Sihanoukville. We opted to stay a little out of the city at Otres Beach 2, having heard it was a bit lest touristy and more scenic. We definitely picked well. After finding our Airbnb we headed straight to the beach. It was beautiful. White soft sand, clear blue water, and almost no other people in sight. We enjoyed the water for the afternoon and posted up at a local beach bar. We enjoyed some beers and $1-dollar lobster tails there and watched the waves roll in. The rest of the day was spent the afternoon with some sun, relaxation and good food.
Day 233 (March 17, 2017)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!! Today we woke up early in true holiday fashion, put on all the green we could and enjoyed our breakfast with a bottle of Jameson and drinking games. After finishing off our bottle we headed to the beach. We continued to drink in the warm, clear water, yelling in celebration at passersby. Our yelling managed to recruit a few new friends to join us in our revelry. Unfortunately, our partying got away from us and we were passed out in our hostel by 1:00 pm! Guess we can’t party like we used to…. In the evening, we woke up enough for Nichi and Adam to grab pizza, which they were kind enough to bring back for Justin and I (I didn’t feel good enough to leave the room). We feasted on our spoils before passing out again for the night.
Day 234 (March 18, 2017)
Today we nursed our hangovers in the morning and then set off into town to be productive and plan our next few days. With a few stops we booked our boat to Koh Rong Samloem the next day, night bus to Siem Reap, got money and snacks for the island, and had stuffed our faces with KFC. Okay, so maybe we were still a bit hungover… After returning to our Airbnb, however, we had a rude awakening. We had a miscommunication with our host and although we thought we had another night of stay in our room, it was no longer available. So, we quickly packed up and scrambled out into the town to find a new place. We eventually found a new place to stay for the night, however, and slowly made our way there. Everyone was a little grumpy and hot from the move and the stress, so we enjoyed the rest of the day at the pool.
What We Learned
- If you are coming to Cambodia, make time to see the coast! Skip Sihanoukville and stay on Otres 2 Beach! The Otres Beaches (there are 3 of them) are less touristy, less crowded, and a bit cleaner. You won’t be hasseled by vendors and you can find a nice deserted spot to relax in peace.
- Miscommunications happen while travelling, as did between us and our hosts about our extra night. It helps to stay calm and just remember that 1) English is these people’s second language (and I don’t even have one those so they are already more impressive than me), and 2) there will always be somewhere else to stay with last minute availability. You can do it, so try not to stress too bad!
Memorable Moments
- Text from our friend Cdub to Adam : “Cambodia has $1 lobsters” (quote from Men in Black 2). Then, literally one minute later, a women comes by selling $1 lobsters! They were amazingly delicious.
- Drunkenly trying to climb up the swings out in the water on St. Patty’s Day. Both Justin and I fell off
Pictures
