Robin and Andrea- 05/03/2004: Life's a Beach

Life's a Beach : 3 May 2004

We've spent the last few days relaxing on the beach in Cambodia. Except for the severe lightning storms, and the one time that lightning hit the roof of the place we were eating dinner, things have been pretty quiet.
The weather is pretty interesting here. We're at the start of the wet season, and, at least down here, it seems to be a series of extremely violent but short-lived storms blowing through. Most of the time it's just hot and a little muggy. Good for sitting on the beach or out by the pool our brand new hotel has. Then a storm will blow by. If it actually hits us, we duck for cover for a while, but most of the time, they just blow by and we get to watch the show from our lounge chairs.
The hotel is literally brand new. It opened on April 8, and we got a super deal on it. The only this is that we're sort of like the beta-testers of the place. So far we've had to fix the plumbing once and the TV twice, and even though there are probably 4 staff people for each paying guest, service is a bit, well, spotty. They're very friendly, they just don't seem to have experience at dealing with what people want. Of course, the language barrier is a bit bigger here, too.
But all of that just adds to the experience. It's been great fun, and we even decided to stay an additional day. Coming up, we're going to take a boat back to the Thai border. Our plans may be changing a bit in the next month, because of some work stuff I am going to try to deal with, and Cambodia just isn't the place to get that done. But we'll keep you all posted!
Sorry for no pictures in this entry. We do have some, and even some cool shots that almost catch some of the lightning, but haven't gone through to organize them yet. Next time, I promise!

Replies: 6 comments

I love following along with your journey in the middle of living mine-- It makes me think of all the places I still have to visit! Cambodia looks amazing. You take great pics!
stay safe...
Posted by katherine stanfill @ 05/04/2004 03:36 AM PST

What resort are you staying in? i will be there in June, 2004. Please advise.
Posted by MONY @ 05/05/2004 05:04 PM PST

I so envy you! I think that I will ask my brother about techniques the US military uses to get the Iraqis to things they don't want, so I can get Patrick to go! Enjoy!
Posted by Chris @ 05/06/2004 09:54 PM PST

Cambodia's only real beach resort town is Sihanoukville, and the only "resort" as most of us would think of it, is the brand new one we stayed in, the Sokha Hotel. It's actually a very nice place, but the prices are pretty high now that their "beta" period seems to be over! There are plenty of other places around, though, including some nice looking hotels, though most of them are not actualy directly on the beach. There are also some cheap guesthouses that may only set you back $15 per night with A/C, and less if you go with a fan. The Rough Guide to Cambodia lists just about everything that there is.
Of course, as long as Cambodia doesn't revert to a state of civil war, everything may change in the coming years as people see what a nice place it is, and more tourist infrastructure gets built. In the mean time, there's no airport, and the boat is full of cockroaches, so be prepared for a bit of an adventure just getting there...
Posted by Robin Scher @ 05/07/2004 01:46 AM PST

Your bungalow in koh chang looks so nice ,i wish i could be there !
Maybe you could speak to the owner and get a good deal for me ?
Posted by dangerboy @ 05/25/2004 08:27 PM PST

Dangerboy? You sound scarey. We will speak to the owner, he's a bit kooky being a Pommie and all but I'm sure he will cut you a good deal, he did for us! Thanks Dangerboy!!
Posted by andrea @ 05/31/2004 12:03 AM PST