Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville (also known as Kompong Som) is Cambodia's only port. It's currently being redeveloped as a tourist attraction, with a casino planned for Naga Island. At present Sihanoukville's chief attraction is the great snorkelling and diving that can be found around the nearby islands - some of the guesthouses in town can arrange a boat trip for you. The best of the beaches around the town is probably Ochatial Beach, although its worth riding a bike down to Independence Beach, where you can check out the allegedly-haunted Independence Hotel.

Sihanoukville has been avoided by tourists for many years because of the security situation. 245 kilometres from Phnom Penh, this small little-known resort offers beach holidays to suit everyone - particularly those who are weary of overcrowded, overbuilt and over-commercialised Asian resorts. There is every reason for tourists to go there now because the security situation has improved.

Only about 1,500 rooms of all standards are currently available to all tourists who need sea breezes after tiring days spent exploring the temples of Angkor. Although Cambodia's beaches are not as exotic as those of the Maldives or Sri Lanka, but the water is clean, the people are friendly, and mass tourism refreshingly present - souvenirs are available. Visitors can enjoy the nearby Kbal Chhay waterfalls, the Bokor Hills and the Ream National Park with its stretches of coast and mangrove forests. From Victory Beach, about three or four kilometers away, boats can be hired to picnic on uninhabited islands where there is excellent snorkeling. There is a ferry and bus connection to Trat in Thailand, and the local Express Bus takes around three and a half hours to reach Sihanoukville from Phnom Penh.

In Sihanoukville children greet you politely, and monks are happy to show you their temples. There is fruit and vegetables at the market, but no tourist souvenirs.

“We’re just a big village. Anyone can walk here at night without worrying,” says Moung Makary, a 28-year-old who feeds his family by driving a moped taxi and making use of his good English as a tourist guide. He charges between one and two dollars an hour for his services, and prefers greenbucks to the local currency, the riel. He advises good divers and surfers to bring their own equipment with them.

Favorite outing spots are the nearby Kbal Chhay waterfalls, the Bokor Hills and the Ream National Park with its stretches of coastland and mangrove forests.

Things get livelier in Sihanoukville at weekends, when city dwellers from the capital Phnom Penh come here to cool down. Then the hotels, the dozen discotheques and karaoke bars are all full. Popular with tourists are the Galaxy, the Nasa Night Club and the Golden Lion Monument by the roundabout with the gigantic statue of a golden lion, Sihanoukville’s emblem.

During the daytime, Sokha Beach is usually crowded. It is not particularly attractive or long, but it has a genuine Far Eastern feel to it. Big families with dogs and babies sit beneath giant sunshades, chunks of meat and fish sizzle away on barbecues, traders sell green coconut water, mangoes and seafood, raw, boiled and fried.

From Victory Beach about three or four kilometers away you can take a boat to nearby islands to snorkel, fish and picnic. The islands are uninhabited and have some good diving grounds.

Alternatively, for those who fancy island-hopping, a boat can be hired very cheaply.

In 1955 construction workers and engineers from France and Cambodia began clearing the jungle and building docks. During the Vietnam War, Sihanoukville was an important transit point for weapons used in fighting the USA. In May 1975 the Americans bombed the town after the Khmer Rouge seized the container ship SS Mayaguez.

Now there is a ferry and bus connection to Trat in Thailand. The GST Express Bus takes three and a half hours for the 245 kilometer journey from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. A ticket costs around two dollars and 50 cents, cheap for tourists but an enormous sum for local people. The good asphalt road runs mainly through flat countryside broken by the occasional hill, past paddy fields, banana plantations and trim wooden houses.

Bus tickets to Sihanoukville and information about the town can be obtained in the Capitol in Phnom Penh, a favorite meeting place for travellers on a tight budget. Fried rice with chicken costs around 75 cents, glass-noodle soup about fifty. The Chinese owners also operate tours of Phnom Penh and trips to Angkor Wat. The extensive temple complex is an hour’s flight or just over five hours by boat from Phnom Penh.

Angkor Wat, built in the first half of the twelfth century by King Suryaavarman II, like the ancient 11th-century town of Angkor Thoma, spreads across an area of many square kilometers. The stone Hindu-Buddhist temples and palaces and decorated with gods, dancers, snakes and innumerable sculptures.

Cambodia is no longer on the list of countries that western diplomats consider very dangerous for tourists. However, some advise against taking overland trips at night and urge their nationals to be specially careful in Phnom Penh, especially after sunset. Nowadays, even individual tourists are welcome. Visas can be obtained on arrival at Phnom Penh airport.