Yet another domestic start today – taking in the laundry – I dropped off 2kgs (quite a lot) for the princely sum of 80p (when I collected it tonight, it was really good). And then a tuk tuk downtown, almost causing a fight as two tuk tuk drivers argued over the right to take my 2US$, business must really be slow. Sihanoukville is actually quite sprawling, and there are three distinct areas, with the famous Golden Lions Traffic Circle at the centre – all areas seem to radiate from here. This is a huge roundabout, continuously busy with bikes and tuk tuks, in the centre of which are a huge pair of (looking as if they are mating…..) Golden Lions – bizarre, I still haven’t found any info on why they are there why they chose such a peculiar centrepiece! The areas are one near the main beaches where I am staying, which is a great location, Victory Beach and the port, another, smaller tourist area and Downtown where the market area is. I had gone to Downtown in search of a wifi card, as the hotel still doesn’t have any, and found one at the Caltex Petrol Station. It looked a bit old, and I just hoped it wasn’t yet another fake, but no, it works fine. The market is just stalls on the side of a few roads (the original market area was destroyed recently, and the new one is still being constructed). It was same, same and not much different, just like the logo on the t shirts you see a lot of. Bad fake handbags and watches together with fruit, veg, flyblown meat and a few cheap clothes stalls. I was still in search of some conditioner, so at the “toiletry stall” I tried to explain that I wanted hair conditioner – try doing that in hand signals when you have no Khmer to someone who speaks absolutely no English, it’s quite good fun and from here on in I think I may be quite an expert at charades, and it made both me and the girl at the stall laugh a lot! But eventually a bottle of dusty Pantene conditioner was unearthed and I bought it gladly. I then walked back to the hotel, a distance of about 2.5kms. At night, the town is really pretty, lots of coloured lights on the trees, lots of life, a bit noisy, but buzzing, and you don’t notice the vacant lots where building is underway or about to begin. Walking through in the cold light of day in the morning, it really has the look of the morning after the night before – which is probably how a large proportion of its visitors feel most days. There was no one about, and it was very hot and humid, and you see the issue they seem to have with rubbish. I know at home we are protesting at the thought of two weekly rubbish collections, but here, I don’t think they have any. It’s everywhere and if they really want to get on the tourist map, something they need to address. Arriving back at the hotel, my lunch and beach mate Josh appeared, he was waiting to “hang out” again – still at a loose end as his mate is still so busy managing the hotel. So we walk down the dusty rubbish and concrete block strewn hill to Serendipity Beach – what a great name. A little quieter today as it’s Monday but not much. You get no peace, people offering manicures, pedicures, waxing, massage, bracelets, sarongs, food, fruit, but all done in a non pushy way, with charming Cambodian smiles. We stop at a different restaurant today, and were asked by the waitress if we were Mum and son – she looked a little confused when we said just friends! But I am quite enjoying the bemused glances as Mum and “toyboy” walk down the beach, I discover it’s good for my ego! I risk a bowl of noodles, and as they say in California, just hang out lounging on the sunbeds provided. Tonight I eat in the hotel – it’s really a nice place and there is a real mix of ages, nationalities and people, a comfortable place to be as I sit here writing this blog on my terrace a few feet from the pool in the warm night air.
