Ying and Yang

Our bus from Koh Kong to Sihanoukville started more like a rollercoaster through the wild, as the smaller roads for the first 2 hours were full of potholes but the scenery was incredible. The countryside is very green as Cambodia can apparently be very wet - and the huge deltas are testament to that. We eventually hit the bigger highways and reach Sihanoukville where as usual we're accosted by the Tuk-Tuk, or as they're apparently called here remork, drivers. A short Tuk-Tuk ride later and we're at our hotel.

We get talking to a Norwegian guy called Rune as we cool off in the pool. He proceeded to give Fiz some advice about what to do in Cambodia and then strangely proceeded to tell her about the girl he had 'booked' and subsequently got bored of, in Phnom Penh!

This was an apt start to the rest of our night - we got to see a small glimpse of both the very friendly and not so positive side of this otherwise beautiful country and what tourism seems to be doing to it.

On walking down 'Serendipity beach' we settled for a BBQ, recommended by the aforementioned Norwegian. The local beer is cheap and the service and banter friendly, the setting right on the beach, spot on.

We'd read in a few places though, including the local tourist map, that we shouldn't buy from the children selling bracelets as it leaves them susceptible to abuse, for which there are charities trying to stop this from happening. But it's not just kids as young as 5 with sales patters, Cambodia still has unexploded mines off the beaten track and mine victims roam the beach begging as well.

Yesterday we got up early to get our Vietnamese visas, which were issued in 10 minutes - if you are ever going to Vietnam via Cambodia, come to the embassy at Sihanoukville if you want them quickly! Much less stressful than entering Cambodia - there wasn't a weapon or sliding widow in sight!

In the afternoon we got another Tuk Tuk, this time to Otres beach, South East of where we're staying. Another beautiful endless beach, once touched by developers who were apparently then forcibly removed, which now has a splattering of single storey shacks and large huts, boasting happy hours and cheap digs for the night. One such place is Mushroom point - a very cleverly built 'hotel' where the thatched bungalows and buildings are all, well, mushroom shaped. We had some lunch there and after stopping shortly on the beach again, learning a new bar game (bottle walking) along the way, we headed back, and were left thinking how much longer that beautiful beach can stay as it is.

Evening was spent with dinner at a restaurant called Monkey Republic. We found out that the English owners are actively supporting some of the local charities trying to improve the area.

Today we head to the capital Phnom Penh.

Dad (Peter), there's the obligatory beer photo attached, just to keep up appearances!