Dec 14-20 2022 |
Departed Kampot for 3 hour ride to Sihanoukville, expecting a freeway between Cambodia's 2 main port cities. But it was largely a gravel road, with massive dust clouds. Not exactly fun.
On arrival, from a distance Sihanoukville looked like a big city, not the same sleepy seaside village I visited 15 years ago (I actually managed to locate where I stayed then, it is now an abandoned strip of former bungalows, 500m from the sea behind a road running on reclaimed land). It's was a shock to see all this, to say the least. Driven by Chinese development, much of it shady in nature, Sihanoukville is a case study in development gone awry. Today, it looks like a cross between Shenzhen and Macau in about 2003. It's a boom town that went bust overnight with Covid and when the money dried up, and now about 50% of buildings are skeletons abandoned in construction or have been left to rot. There are hundreds of casinos. It's not uncommon to see Chinese characters exclusively on buildings or advertisements. Apparently, rival Chinese and Russian gangsters have frequent battles, often in public. Ironically, Sihanoukville is a major point on China's Belt and Road development initiative. And, in other poor optics, the city is named after Cambodia's Sihanouk royal family. One can only hope the place somehow rights itself in future. On the bright side, it has great infrastructure and is fronted by decent beach along most of the city.
After 1 night, and some decent Chinese food, I left my bike parked in the hotel lobby and headed to Koh Rong, Cambodia's most famous island. No surprise, Koh Rong has some of the same attributes as Sihanoukville, there has been a boom/bust cycle, and Covid drastically impacted the place. But it does have nice beaches, a decent vibe, and lot's of potential. I stayed in a couple of old-school bungalow resorts, both of which have done a great job in retaining the forest they are built in. I planned on staying 2 nights on Koh Rong, and then getting back to Sihanoukville to ensure I had a good internet connection for the World Cup final. But overnight, a massive storm hit, with no ferry departures planned any time soon. Next day, I managed to get the first ferry out, which turned into a hair-raising journey on an overloaded boat in rough seas. It could have easily been a disaster, another of many on this route over the years (this was the same storm that sank a Thai navy ship). On a brighter note at Koh Rong, I re-connected with Kristie, an old friend from Singapore, who is now working at a resort on the island (and is part of the mighty Philippine diaspora).
Ride: 100 km | 2 hrs
Stay: Inova Guesthouse | $25 | 4/5 (Sihanoukville) / Sweet Jungle | $25 | 4/5 (Koh Rong)
Sihanoukville
Koh Rong
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