Sihanoukville is a coastal village – a fishing port with beautiful beaches. It was named to honor King Sihanoukville. It is the only developed port in Cambodia.
About 13 million people live in Cambodia, with 200,000 of those in Sihanoukville. 95% of the people are Buddhist. The government is a constitutional monarchy and the main language is Khmer.
When we woke up and looked out our window, we were surprised to see hundreds and hundreds of little fishing boats all heading back into port. And this was about 6:30 a.m. There were usually two people in each boat – one driving and the other pulling in the nets. Their motors make a fairly loud noise, so when you hear that many all together, it gets your attention.
We took a tour today (with about 300 plus passengers) that showed us this city and its surrounding area. It was 95 degrees here today, so we were glad it was only a morning tour!
Our first stop was the Intra Ngean Pagoda – the city’s prominent religious site. The temple is the key structure, but it is surrounded by many other smaller shrines to Budhha.
Inside is a huge shrine to Buddha. The ceilings and walls are covered with ornate paintings.
Also, there is a huge burial area (all above ground). These people have great respect for the dead and honor them with all kinds of shrines. You can see these all along the roadside outside homes, businesses, etc.
Our next stop was one of the best beaches in this area – Ochheuteal Beach. It is in a cove and has a big, beautiful sandy beach and wonderful water.
It has many trees lining the beach so there is plenty of shade – plus all the thatched sitting areas.
For $5 I had a twenty minute foot and shoulder massage while I sipped the local beer (Angkol) under one of these thatched areas and watched the waves roll in. There was a nice, cool breeze, so it was a pleasant 45 minutes here.
Well, pleasant except for this! There is a reason not everyone should wear a Speedo at the beach. (Thankfully, this guy is not from our ship.) Trust me, the front and back view aren’t any better!
Next stop was the local marketplace. It was huge and had so many aisles with so many things for sale, it was overwhelming – and hot.
They had everything from fruits and veggies, to fresh and dried fish (they eat more dried than fresh here), to home goods, souvenirs, jewelry, etc. It was very colorful and crowded. It was an experience.
Our last stop was the fishing village, Tumnuk Rolok. This is where all the boats came this morning after their night of fishing. It too was an experience.
Rack for drying their fish in front with the piers leading to where all the fishing boats are docked.
It was a very poor area – and very dirty. Trash was just dumped into the water. But, for all the poverty, we saw lots of happy, laughing children who had leaned to say “hello” – which they repeated over and over!! We saw all the little fishing boats, the homes the fishermen live in, the recreation areas with their pool tables, the place where they repair boats, the area where the fish is processed and steamed,and the little stores in which they sell food and hardware items for their small village.
We were glad to experience this fishing port and glad to have had the guide we did. He gave us lots of information, not only about his country and city, but about his family. He has had a very hard life. He had four children and recently lost one in a motorcyle accident. His father was taken away from his village and murdered back in the time of Pol Pot, the radical Communist leader who took over Cambodia and had all “learned” people put to death. Our guide’s father was a professor.
In the very small glimpse of a town we saw today, we found the people to be friendly. However, at every stop (except the fishing village), we were harassed by children mainly, begging for money or trying to sell you something. We might have gone back to a beach in the afternoon except we didn’t want to have to deal with all the hassling. Also, the people in this area have no problem with litter. It is everywhere – by the roadside, in the streets, in the water. In some ways, it felt a bit like Mumbai.
After seeing the town, we gave up the idea of having an ethnic lunch there, so we came back to the ship. It was good to catch up on my Blog so I have my evening and tomorrow free. After one day at sea, we have a very long day in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). We have been told that it will take at least 1 1/2 hours from the port to get there (and same coming back) and that is without traffic – which there is always a huge amount! So, tonight and tomorrow we will rest up for the next adventure.
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