Sihanoukville and the Islands

Sihanoukville 

The train station of Sihanoukville is near the port and one can see the port activities as it comes to the last stop. From there, it was a short Tuk Tuk ride to the hotel.

Located in Cambodia's southwestern coastal region, Sihanoukville is the country's largest port city, tourist destination and foreign trade hub. At one time it was a sleepy town frequented by western back packers. Beginning 2013, Chinese capital began to flow into Sihanoukville, driving a boom in gaming-related sectors and construction. Cambodia's lax financial policies and the legalization of its gaming industry attracted many Chinese investors. 

Sokha Beach in Sihanoukville

Today Sihanoukville is bursting with frenetic building activity with new buildings popping up at every corner. The city is almost a Chinese metropolis with boards and neon signs written in Mandarin everywhere. Hotels, casinos and KTVs sprout at every corner which are run, operated and patronized by the Chinese.

Walking through the city, I could see that the city is well designed with broad paved sidewalks along with a cycle track, underground electric cables and well defined roads all leading up to the Two Lions round about and culminating in the white sand beaches in the south . India can learn on how to build cities at this place and scale. The city is still trying to fix the garbage collection and street dogs can be seen rummaging through the garbage.

The city is peppered with mainly Chinese and Cambodian restaurants but there are also other cuisines including Indonesian, and Bangladeshi run Indian restaurants. I noticed many Indonesian immigrants and restaurants in the area I stayed in around Trimulia towers.

The dark side to Sihanoukville

City view from Wat Leu Pagoda area 

The influx of Chinese nationals has led to increased incidents of public disturbances and crimes among Chinese individuals. The city has a notorious reputation for criminal activity and reports of suspicious deaths, violence and scam rings continue to emerge. There is a human trafficking epidemic in which workers are forced to ensnare overseas victims in online fraud schemes. Operators of these scamming networks recruit unwitting workers from across Asia, often with the promise of well-paying tech jobs, and then force them to attempt to scam victims online while living in slave like conditions.

Thousands of people, mostly foreign nationals, had found themselves trapped in large compounds and forced to work after being kidnapped, sold, trafficked, or tricked into accepting jobs in Cambodia. These large compounds are so-called online investment zones which are under closed-off management, meaning they are sealed off from outsiders. Some of the zones are even guarded by military police, which makes it difficult for the local police to conduct any search or investigation inside

Koh Rong Islands

Speed Boat

There are two main Islands off Sihanoukville which are popular destinations, Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem. Koh Rong is the larger of the two islands covering around 80 Sq Kms. I chose to go to Koh Rong to slow down the pace of my travel for a few days. After that it would be back to Pnom Penh. There are a few speed boat companies that one can chose from and I decided to go with GTVC which is a fast speed boat and a reliable company. The departure pier is near the port. 

The speed boat from Sihanoukville took around 45 minutes and docked in at the Long set Pier from where the more secluded hotels and beaches could be accessed. The Koh Rong pier further south was where all the hostels and party set were. I checked in at Nice beach Bungalow which is in Coconut beach area towards the east of the Island. From here you can see the distant skyscrapers of Sihanoukville. Nice beach bungalow is run by a local family and Dina who is in charge is a sweet lady and it was a pleasure enjoying their hospitality over the next few days.

Exploring the Island

Sun Rise

The next day, there was an amazing sun rise above the distant skyscrapers from the beach, post which I hired a bike and went around to explore the island. A 20 kms concrete road ran around the North to the West and South of the Island (something India can learn from as this requires an initial investment but is low maintenance) and one could go all the way upto the Koh Rong pier in the south. The road from there to Long Set was however was broken, so one couldn't do a full circle. All along I could see signs of change as a big development plan along with an airport with Chinese investment was coming. This would change the Island from the quiet beach Paradise that it is today, that is the price of development.

At the extreme north, there is an estuary and mangroves and one can go Kayaking through the backwaters. Lily's riverhouse has a wonderful breakfast and Kayaks can be hired from there.

Long Beach Sunset

The best place to watch the sunset is from Long beach on the west side of the Island and Soksan Natura Beach Resort restaurant. This area is a cove, so there are no waves and ideal for swimming. I spent most of my time here during the days I was here, relaxing on the white sand beach and reading a book. The island is an undiscovered and unspoilt gem and I was fortunate to have spent time here before it inevitably changes beyond recognition in the next few years.

Soon, it was time to say goodbye to the island and get back to Phnom Penh from where I would be flying into Bangkok and traveling to Ayutthaya, the erstwhile capital of the Thai kingdom.