Weds 29th November
I left the guesthouse and headed down to the bus station in Phnom Penh. I had bought a ticket to Sihanoukville - Cambodia's sea-side town so that I could go and chill out for a few days.
It was a four hour bus ride and on the 20 minute stop I sat and chatted with a guy called Rafa from Spain, Laura from Australia and another girl, Iben from Denmark. Once we arrived in Sihanoukville the four of us were looking equally undecided about where to go first so we decided to stick together. As normal it was once of those times where you get harassed by drivers wanting to know where you're going and what you're doing. This attention makes you feel rather inadequate when you don't know those details yourself!
Motorbike taxis are the main form of public transport in Sihanoukville. My driver took my main back and put it between his legs so that it rested on the diagonally vertical bit between handles and pedals. I climbed on the back with my small backpack on and we took off. I knew which beach I wanted to head for (there are four beaches here) so we just asked the drivers to show us around the guesthouses there.
The guesthouse was ok, and I ended up sharing a room with Rafa and the girls shared one themselves. That was odd since it had looked like Rafa and Iben were travelling together but she seemed keen to make sure Rafa went with me and not her!
That evening we got our first glimpse of the beach life. Our beach has two names, the original name is Occheteul Beach but the liveliest end of it is now known as Serendipity Beach. The lively end is full of beach front restaurants and bars. As it was evening they were lit up nicely and up and down the beach there were people playing with those flaming balls that swing on ropes around your head and legs. We spent the evening drinking and chatting and taking in the relaxing area. It was good to be in a nice little group again after two or three days of going alone in Phnom Penh.
Thursday 30th November
We switched guesthouse to one nearby with TVs in the room and bar/restaurant facilities. (Called the GST Guesthouse and owned by the same bus company that had brought us to Sihanoukville). The night before I suggested we spend the day beach-hopping to see the other beaches - I hoped they'd all be as good as Serendipity. Rafa and I rented motorbikes and took the girls in the direction of Otres beach in a South West direction. We stopped at what later turned out to be the farthest end of Occheteul Beach. This place was really exciting because it just had one bar/restaurant shack and it was totally deserted. We swam in the sea and had it all to ourselves - it was perfect. The owners of the bar were nice and attended to our every need. Laura had a massage and I got some stray under-arm hairs plucked out as I lay sunbathing. I didn't ask by the way - the woman saw me fiddling with them and offered!
Rafa was tucking in to his beer and smoking joints. This was a worry for Laura who had arrived on the back of Rafa's bike. While I was in the water with the girls we discussed how to address the issue with Rafa who was oblivious to the concern he was causing. Iben had actually only known Rafa for two days previously and had mentioned that he liked to drink a lot and was very forgetful and docile. Great I thought, this is my room-mate for the next few days!
We had only driven a short way and not arrived at the beach we had meant to (Otres Beach) so Laura went with Rafa against her better judgement to the next beach and Iben and I followed. That beach was ok but we had spent so much time at the first place we didn't stay for long.
That evening I watched the film "The Johnny Cash Story" at a bar on the beach with the girls - Rafa had disappeared somewhere. The bar had a laptop computer and a projector screen and charged $1 per person to watch the movie. It was a good film spoilt a bit by all the beach beggars and beach sellers interrupting you as you watch!
Friday 1st December
I got up at 6.30am to go and find a venue to watch the cricket! It was the second test in the Ashes series and I was determined to find a bar to "live" at for the next five days. I got dropped off at a popular premiership-football-showing place called the Corner Bar by a moto driver only to find it closed. That was my best bet for the cricket so I started trudging around looking in bars for clues on the cricket! I stopped at a few high class hotels on Victory beach and asked at reception if they had a tv room. At one hotel I pretended to be a prospective guest looking for a room! I decided that if I found it on screen I would find a way for them to let me watch! The guy took me upstairs and into a room and I checked all 99 channels searching in vain for the cricket. No joy - very disappointing as I had seen it in Phnom Penh! Should I go back there to see it?
I gave up and headed back to the guesthouse. Iben and Laura were just having breakfast so I joined them and we went back to the quiet beach we'd found before this time on foot and without Rafa. I still had the motorbike rented from the day before. I handed it back in and got my passport back. As we walked to the beach I found Rafa - he was busy talking to a bar owner about something - it turned out he had his motorbike stolen the previous night! The paper we had signed on renting the bikes said we were responsible for any damage or theft to the bike. I felt relief at having only just got my passport back in return for my bike - I didn't want to get dragged into this problem and being his room mate that was a possibility.
That night I spoke again with Rafa, the guesthouse wanted $800 since the bike had been stolen. Ouch. Rafa doesn't have any credit cards or online banking or anything like that. He was in a tight spot but I felt that it was his carelessness that he didn't properly secure the bike and also that he only dealt in cash! I decided to refuse any help financially if it was asked.
I ate dinner with Iben and Laura - they were going back to Phnom Penh tomorrow morning so it would be the last I saw of them.
Saturday 2nd December
I got up bright and early again and tried some other beaches in order to watch some cricket. I got some encouragement as and English bar owner told me to try the "Fisherman's Den" in town. He'd seen some advertisement in a supermarket that they were showing the ashes! Great! I paid yet another dollar to a moto driver and he parked me outside. It was a roof-top bar and I ran up the three flights of stairs two at a time. Result! Five blokes all sat at a bar watching the TV above it. I found a gap and got comfortable. It was only 9am and there were already a few beers being drunk. My fellow viewers all turned out to be Aussies with the exception of one Brit Charlie, and his girlfriend, Kirstie. It was a fun day watching the England total grow, talking with the Aussies about the declaration and when it would come.
I got back to the guesthouse around 4pm having drunk steadily since about 11am. I got some sleep and ended up having dinner on my own in the attached restaurant. Back in the room I watched Arsenal giving Tottenham a thumping 3-0. Beer, Cricket, Football, it felt like a normal Saturday back home. Oh, except for the empty beaches and 35 degree heat!
Sunday 3rd December
Rafa and I are still sharing a room but it's clearly only out of convenience. My early mornings and early nights are the opposite to his late ones and we only stop to discuss the motorbike saga. Apparently he is getting his parents to electronically transfer some money to the Western Union bank in town. It looks like he will pay the fine. It all sounds dodgy and I have my suspicions that the guesthouse are renting these bikes out in full knowledge they will be stolen. A German couple I met here have suffered the same way, and an Aussie I met at the pub is also aware of rooms being burgled at the guesthouse.
The third day of cricket was good as we started taking wickets. Giles dropped Ponting which looks decidedly costly. The game is starting to look like a draw. The owner of the pub, an ex-pat Kiwi called Brian, was back from a fishing trip and was telling stories all day and keeping us entertained.
I met up with Rafa in the afternoon by chance on the beach and we shared a few beers and had a good laugh. He seems to have cheered up after coming to terms with the bike getting stolen. It's at the end of his trip and I think he's going to have a bit of debt to worry about when he gets back home to Bilbao.
Monday 4th December
I had way too much to drink yesterday (one big session at the pub and another with Rafa) and didn't get out of bed until midday. I skipped going to the pub to see the cricket and lounged around the beach and the guesthouse.
Tuesday 5th December
Went back to the pub to see the final day of the test. The realisation was that it would be a draw with the chance the Aussies could win if we batted dreadfully. Naturally, we batted dreadfully and the Aussies won! The Oz boys in the bar could have been harder on us so I was grateful they weren't. I had enjoyed the last few days here. It's easy to say I could watch cricket while I was home so what am I doing watching it here in Cambodia. So I think I could respond by saying "yes, but I can't watch that much cricket at home"! Work always gets in the way of a good test match so bring on tests 3,4 and 5!
Rafa had mentioned leaving for Bangkok today so I wasn't surprised to see he had cleared out of the room and gone. I bought my ticket back to Phnom Penh and ate alone (again) and got my final night's sleep in Sihanoukville.
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