After somehow falling asleep to the sounds of techno and eating only a packet of chips and one packet of choco-pies, we woke up to the sudden realization that breakfast needed to wait until after we made the 2km walk to go and get money. Thankfully, the ATM on Otres Beach 2 was working, unlike the one where we were staying on Otres 1.
We really debated for quite some time on where we wanted to go in Cambodia. We have only 9 days here before we fly out to India. Where to go? After careful consideration, we decided that we needed more beach time. Despite many opportunities for beach time, we somehow always ended up either being rushed through beach time by something we couldn't move (visa extensions, flights, etc) or we had to make an economic choice on where we wanted to spend our money, usually involving spending elsewhere. Apparently, we are not meant to have great beach time!
It is low season in Cambodia, and here, in Sihanoukville, it is also monsoon. Not sure if that is the case all over Cambodia right now, but we certainly aren't getting the fun in the sun we had dreamed about! It has stormed at least 24 hours of the 3 days that we've been here. At least we had a little bit of relaxation on the beach, in the sun, even if we didn't get in the water.
We had heard a lot of 'bad' reviews about Otres 1. Some people had said the beaches on the islands are much better. We really enjoyed this beach. We changed hotels from our party hotel to the more relaxed one next door. We also had the opportunity to stay only in beach shacks, which, other than the party night, let us fall asleep listening to the sounds of the numerous waves crashing on the sand.
Yes, there are a lot of locals trying to sell you various wares on the beach; however, they don't nag you too much about it. It's also so windy here that you could really kite surf if you wanted to give it a go. We felt practically like we were kite surfing just trying to sit on the beach chair!
Cambodia feels different than it's neighboring countries, that's for sure. However, it's hard to get an accurate read on 'real' Cambodia, as we have only arrived to a tourist destination that is filled primarily with foreigners during this time of the year.
For one, Cambodians quote everything in and accept USD. Even their ATMs given you the choice to get money in USD or in Cambodian Riel. Who does that? You can't just go and adopt somebody's else's currency. Asia isn't the EU (at least not yet, it's not like it).
Unfortunately, due to our location, everything is expensive compared to what we know it should cost. Plus, it's in USD, which thanks to the declining Australian dollar, doesn't buy us nearly as much. We also know that, due to our location, we're also not getting really authentic local food. In that way, we can't wait to get over to Siem Reap. So nothing interesting to report in terms of food.
We take the day bus up to Siem Reap tomorrow and, although we enjoyed the beach, we can't wait to see real Cambodia.
We really debated for quite some time on where we wanted to go in Cambodia. We have only 9 days here before we fly out to India. Where to go? After careful consideration, we decided that we needed more beach time. Despite many opportunities for beach time, we somehow always ended up either being rushed through beach time by something we couldn't move (visa extensions, flights, etc) or we had to make an economic choice on where we wanted to spend our money, usually involving spending elsewhere. Apparently, we are not meant to have great beach time!
It is low season in Cambodia, and here, in Sihanoukville, it is also monsoon. Not sure if that is the case all over Cambodia right now, but we certainly aren't getting the fun in the sun we had dreamed about! It has stormed at least 24 hours of the 3 days that we've been here. At least we had a little bit of relaxation on the beach, in the sun, even if we didn't get in the water.
We had heard a lot of 'bad' reviews about Otres 1. Some people had said the beaches on the islands are much better. We really enjoyed this beach. We changed hotels from our party hotel to the more relaxed one next door. We also had the opportunity to stay only in beach shacks, which, other than the party night, let us fall asleep listening to the sounds of the numerous waves crashing on the sand.
Yes, there are a lot of locals trying to sell you various wares on the beach; however, they don't nag you too much about it. It's also so windy here that you could really kite surf if you wanted to give it a go. We felt practically like we were kite surfing just trying to sit on the beach chair!
Cambodia feels different than it's neighboring countries, that's for sure. However, it's hard to get an accurate read on 'real' Cambodia, as we have only arrived to a tourist destination that is filled primarily with foreigners during this time of the year.
For one, Cambodians quote everything in and accept USD. Even their ATMs given you the choice to get money in USD or in Cambodian Riel. Who does that? You can't just go and adopt somebody's else's currency. Asia isn't the EU (at least not yet, it's not like it).
Unfortunately, due to our location, everything is expensive compared to what we know it should cost. Plus, it's in USD, which thanks to the declining Australian dollar, doesn't buy us nearly as much. We also know that, due to our location, we're also not getting really authentic local food. In that way, we can't wait to get over to Siem Reap. So nothing interesting to report in terms of food.
We take the day bus up to Siem Reap tomorrow and, although we enjoyed the beach, we can't wait to see real Cambodia.
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