We are sitting on a beach in very comfortable chairs after having consumed a very nice Amok fish and Amok seafood. We have had 2 cocktails so far. Jacqui a Mojito and then a Pina Collada and me a Mai Tai and a Pina Collada. We have just ordered 2 more. Life is grand, life at the moment is very decdent and I am enjoying myself bathed in "bloody luxury" (spoken with a liverpudlian accent).
We are in Sihanoukville in the deep south of Cambodia and it is everything people say of it. Vulgar oppulence is a useful term. The centre of town seems to be on top of a hill and is a hodge podge of buildings selling and doing everything. The market is huge and seems to go on forever. We will be visiting it tomorrow. Not having a detailed map made our entrance to the place very confusing. Victory Hill where we were headed turned out to be a little sleazy so we haded for town centre. This was just too full on and hectic so we tried for the beaches. After getting lost and finding dead end streets we finally made it to a beach and a resteraunt/bar/juice place right on the beach. We had passed a little boutique hotel some 20m previous to the beach so after a fortifying mixed juice shake we booked in for a dose of unadulterated luxury. The place even has a pool! I tried it out, it was very pleasant. We are now back at the beachfront bar/resteraunt/juice bar/anything you bloody well want place. There are tourists, expats and locals in equal numbers. As the sun sets Jet Skis roar in like returning sea birds. Music, generally reggae blasts all around and the whole place has a very decadent feel with a beautiful sunset. The food is excellent, the cocktails cheap and life is very very good. I can understand the purists critisisms of the over the top nature of the place but right now it is just fine by me, just what the doctor ordered.
The ride from Koh Kong was mostly very easy and no problem. The last bit, on N4, the road between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville was unmitigated hell. Not because of the road but because of the traffic. I was forced off the road by a truck overtaking another truck coming in the opposite direction. If I hadn't gone for the dirt the bastard would have hit me! I spent a lot of time on that road giving people going in the opposite direction the finger. I am not looking forward to the return to Phnom Penh from Kep and Kampot. Main road traffic here is diabolical!
We are spending only 2 nights here in Sihanoukville. We go off to Kampot for cooking lessons and chilling space. Then it is to Kep for the crabs (eating ones that is) and then my planned sojurn to Rabbit Island and fishing for 5 days. I then take Jacqui and the bike back to Phnom Penh and down the Mekong I will go to Chau Duc in Vietnam. From there I will catch a bus to Ha Tien on the coast right on the Cambodian border. I will catch a ferry to Phu Quock Island and hire a little bike there for a few days. I fly from there on the 5th to Saigon and then the next day I fly home. The end of this glorious trip. I have to say I'm ambivalent about going home. In one way I am looking forward to getting home and getting things done (I am not looking forward to going back to work!!) But on the other hand I have had such an amazing time that I would like it to just keep going. The people, the places, the sights, sounds and odd happenings have become the spice of my life. How could I stop that!
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