Day 51: Kampot - Sihanoukville - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

February 24, 2018

Day 51: Kampot - Sihanoukville

Routing: #3, 4

I am sitting here at the Italian restaurant of the Don Bosco Hotel School on the eastern outskirts of Sihanoukville, looking back at an extremely challenging afternoon. This is referring to the ride down Hway 4, the ongoing process of the complete handover of Sihanoukville to the mass tourism industry and the so far unknown difficulties in finding a room.

And the day started so well on Hway 3 out of Kampot! It is quite a busy road with plenty of trucks but there is a continuous wide shoulder and you get visually entertained almost all the way up to VealRenh/Prey Nob at the intersection with Hway 4. And that´s where it started going wrong. I will not make a big fuss out of it as I should have known better after two previous visits with clear indications it was going to become what it is nowadays. I am really only spending some sentences on it to bring one message across: Avoid Sihanoukville, at least for the next few years while the town is one huge development and construction site, preparing to become the Costa Brava of Cambodia.

Back to the most dangerous section of sealed road in Cambodia I know: Hway4 between Prey Nob and Sihanoukville. Actually the first few km and the bit from S`ville Aiport towards the city do have a shoulder but the 30 km inbetween.... Mamma Mia! Extremely dense commercial traffic who do not care about you in the very slightest. Just the opposite, extremely aggressive. There is a wide "shoulder" on both sides of the asphalt but it is that loose, sandy red gravel. Almost impossible to ride on it. And when you come to the airport as said above a real shoulder is back but you will be confronted with two steep climbs that did kill me in the scorching heat. When I thought I had it all behind me getting to the top of the second one, I turned left for the most southern of their beaches called Otres. And that´s when I really started regretting I didn´t go straight through towards the Thai border. From here on the whole area is one huge development and construction site with the related work traffic and dust.

I am already tired about recalling all that but I have to bring the day to an end: From Otres Beach on I basically visited any guesthouse along the four beaches and later on in town as well. At least 25 I have been to over 4 hours at 36 degrees C: Full, full, full..... In the end it started getting dark and I did consult booking.com, ending up in the Don Bosco Hotel School paying ridiculous 30 US$ for a mediocre single room. At least it is a huge, quiet compound and the Italian food in their training restaurant wasn´t bad either. See how I proceed from here on....

Hway 3, busy with trucks but not too bad due to the shoulder

One more for my favourite series "Men at work". It was already 35 degrees C outside plus the heat of the forge. What a tough life but they were very cheerful guys, obviously proud of....

Mine! I had to get one - you always want to take home some sort of lasting "souvenir" from a holiday, don´t you? This one will please me for many years to come

Back in the shadeless heat of Hway 3 I thought I could do with some cold water. A cold coconut or an iced coffee would be even nicer. Or some refreshing sour mango.

Otres Beach. I don´t know whether the shade is a result of clouds or dust

On the way to Occheuteal Beach. Every second street in Sihanoukville looks like that at the moment and if I would have turned 180 degrees on any of the four beaches this is what you would get to see

Sokha Beach with the first of the new massive casino hotels in the background to be finished soon

Today's ride: 121 km (75 miles)
Total: 4,061 km (2,522 miles)

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jan houtermansWhen I had my morning coffee today I was thinking about you going to Sihanoukville and I did not envy you. Seems that realty outmatched the worst expectations and Sihanoukville is becoming exactly the disgusting tourist destination like to be feared.
Move on to Thailand soon, there are just minor changes and the beaches like Laem Sing and the quiet roads will be as tranquil as you remembered ( not like the along the Mekong in Isaan) . No more disappointments.

Enjoy cycling, anyway.

Jan
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6 years ago

Andrew FatseasSihanoukville was kind of crappy in the old days, but at least it was quiet and crappy...
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6 years ago

Frank RoettgenTo Andrew FatseasAndrew, believe me you wouldn´t believe it! This place looks like they are trying to copy Surfers Paradise within the next two years.
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6 years ago

Andrew FatseasTo Frank RoettgenOh no! The horror.
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6 years ago