I’ve been here for almost 3 weeks and it’s easy to see why so many foreigners have decided to extend their stays or just stay put for good.
A lil’ background info: Sihanoukville, situated on the South Coast of Cambodia, was relatively undeveloped under the French rule (hence no French colonial architecture) and became a port city only in the 1950s. I shall save you the historical details but just know that the last battle of the Vietnam War took place here (it’s quite close to the Vietnam border) and not Vietnam when Khmer Rouge forces seized an American container ship. Off the mainland, there’re also several islands (some quite untouched) which are quite popular with tourists.
Present day S’ville has become a beach town popular with backpackers and well-to-do Cambodians. In the past 20 days I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that this place seems to have been infiltrated by so many barangs (khmer for foreigner) the ratio of barangs to locals seems to be 50-50. Most establishments are even owned by barangs. Currently S’ville is dotted with guesthouses, beach bungalows, internet cafes, beach bars, international restaurants, a 5-star hotel and a few more are being built. Which to me is a sad thing as everything here is catered towards the tourist and this place could lose its charm real soon. S’ville would no doubt be a very different place in a few years. It might turn into a 2nd Pattaya for all we know; a Caucasian guy having a local working girl as arm accessory is a common sight here. Also, good news for people looking for “special herbs” - this place is almost weed heaven; it’s easy to get your hands on a joint or get a “special” pizza. I’ve seen establishments openly writing “marijuana” on their signs.
But those things aside, the pace here is superbly relaxing. If you wanna get a tan while sipping a cocktail on one of the several beaches, you can take your pick from the countless beach bars lined along them. Downtown is where you can find the main wet market, supermarkets and banks. If you’re a sleaze bag or just purely wanna stay on the hill, Victory hill is the answer.
I’m in a superb location as it’s quite quiet overlooking an undeveloped patch of land but it’s 200m away from the Serendipity beach, which is the most popular (hence overcrowded) beach, and it’s also close enough to many good restaurants/pubs. What’s interesting is the road leading to the beach (and where CCPP is located on) is probably the only rocky unpaved road tourists will trudge on here in S’ville.
