Sihanoukville

We are approaching the rainy season in Southeast Asia and we have already had a couple magnificent examples of it. This morning is one example. The rain is coming straight down with only a little breeze from the ocean. The road in front of us is a newly formed river. Unfortunately this river is incredibly polluted with all sorts of plastic and styrofoam containers. Lighting and thunder flash and rumble as if it is an overseer shouting for the rain to work harder.

I woke up because our power was out. The fan in our room had stopped working and the temperature in our room had risen to stifling. Fortunately for us the rain has a cooling effect. We propped the door to our room open like a sail and it is effectively sending a steady rush of cool wind through our room. At the moment we are sitting at a table in a covered balcony on the third floor of our guest house. We moved guest houses yesterday because our first one was a rickety, old, and smelly place that lost power for a few minutes every fifteen minutes or so.

Sihanoukville is in southern Cambodia. It is famed for its miles of sandy beaches and proximity to an island where the movie "the beach" was filmed. Apparently locals and foreigners alike vacation here but hoards of people come in during the new year celebrations. I have grown tired of new year as everyone from bus companies to guest houses to taxi drivers uses it as a reason that we should pay more for their services. At one point I asked when this holiday was over because I was so tired of having this extra tax put on.

The town itself has a few different sections. Cambodia's largest (and maybe only) port is located here which encompasses much of the west side of town. There is a downtown located away from the beaches that stretches back into the hills with the roofs of large hotels and guesthouses speckled between the trees. The beaches are the main attraction to the town and you can find four or five of different ones within walking distance of each other. The town is very much geared towards tourists with hundreds of restaurants and guesthouses to choose from.

Our first impressions of this town were very negative. We had a lot of trouble finding a guesthouse because every one that we stopped by had raised there prices to be four or five times the amount advertised due to new year. We finally bartered one down from a ridiculous price to an unreasonable one and settled in. To go with this food prices were up from previous areas and the beach across from where we were staying had thousands of people at it; it was standing room only.

We have since found a couple spots that we feel more comfortable at and a nicer hostel for less money. This coupled with end of the new year celebrations marking the exodus of many people has helped us form a new opinion. We still don't really like it here but it will be a good place to live the beach life for a few days before we make our way back to Bangkok. There is still some exploring to do and we can rent a scooter for five dollars or less for a day.