Thursday 20th Dec... Off to the beach I went with no expectations whatsoever. In fact, I had heard varying reports of the South Coast beach town of Sihanoukville (hereafter to be known as Skv) and none of them was particularly glowing! Note to self.. lowering expectations is a sure way to be more easily impressed..and consequently happier!
The road trip in itself was an experience. I had the choice between a coach costing $6 taking 4hrs, or a minibus costing $8 taking 3hrs. Well that was a no-brainer..sign me up for 1 hour less anyday. Unfortunately..they lied about the time. Firstly, Shkv is 230kms from PP. That's exactly the same distance as Canberra is from Tathra, and on a good day I can do that trip without a break in 2 hrs 45mins.
Secondly, taking into consideration Phnom Pehn traffic, trucks (more about them later), cows on the road, a million motor cycles and every other vehicle known to man and some I've never seen before..we were never going to make it to the coast in 3 hrs. Not that the minibus didn't go fast. There were ocassions it went at least 100km/h, on the wrong side of the road approaching a bend or with a truck coming towards us and I have to admit I was glad of the rescue remedy in my bag~. The road is only 2 lanes all the way. The dirt shoulders littered with animals and people. Cows wander onto the road intermittently and I don't think I breathed properly the whole way down there.
There are some rules to driving here which obviously I was not familiar with. The most obvious is the blowing of the horns. Drivers here do it not in anger but in warning. I'm coming (on the wrong side of the road ) watch out! If there is way to be given..either the larger vehicle, the louder horn, or the one with the bigger balls has right of way! In short, it was like a hot, high speed game of "chicken" for 3 hrs and 45min.
So I was really happy to arrive in Skv..perhaps that painted it in a good light light from the first minute.
It's bigger than I expected. It was noticeably cooler, and when I checked in to my poolside room I soon realised I had a lot to be happy about,. Hot water shower (bloody good after 2 weeks of cold water) and outside my door..2 steps to the sun lounger and 2 more into the pool..happy days.
And so it was from this sunlounger that the next morning the scuba mountain came to Mohammed. I had of course planned to investigate diving possibilities while I was there but an instructor arrived at the pool with a couple of new students and allowed me a sneak peak into how good the equipment was , how good the instruction was (and possibly how good looking he was too:)
I inquired as to which dive shop he was from, had a quick chat and off I went to sign up for some scuba!
Ahhh..diving..I'll try not to go on and on and on. I love everything about it. The boat trip out to the island, because I love being on the water. The interesting adventurous people who are drawn to scuba. It was great to have some English speaking company for a change. And most of all being under the water. Flying along, in slow motion in a wonder world of beautiful reef and tropical fish. Where there is no past and no present ..just the wonderous moment you are in..just you and your breath and an exquisite world of the ocean. It's love.
After this fantastic day..I walked back to my hotel with a rather silly grin on my face, I was just so happy with life. After a shower and something to eat (grilled barracuda, coleslaw and rice 3$) I decided there was nothing I'd rather do on my next and last day in Skv than more diving..so I went back to the dive shop and signed up again .
Well the next day was even better..why? how? because I had a boat and dive instructor (yes the one from the pool) all to myself. Along with the joy of a trip on a boat plus two 1hour dives, lunch cooked for us on board, on top of all that I had the company of an intelligent, smart, good looking man who shares my passion for life and travel, skiing and diving and well..it was just the perfect day. That afternoon on the walk back to my hotel , my smile was even bigger . Probably looked as if I was high..and actually I was..the best kind of high..on life :)
The trip back to the city wasn't much different to the one down there. I tried everything. Yogic breathing.. my mantra for peace which is "gratitude/acceptance/trust"..but I still had to resort to the rescue remedy!
You'd think, as I did on Monday that wild horses wouldn't get me on that road again but I found out upon my return to the clinic that we are closed on Mon..public holiday and so that means that from 11am on Friday till 5pm Mon..I can do whatever I desire,and there just happens to be a 2day diving trip (living on board the boat) at the afore mentioned dive shop (Scuba nation to give it a plug) this weekend, and you know people do strange things for love. So I'm on the road to Shv tomorrow lunchtime. This time I'm taking a bigger bus and possibly 5mg of valium..that should do the trick ;)
So, my time here is drawing to a close. As predicted after the first long week which felt like time slowed down, these last few days have flown as I'm sure the next few will too, and even though I miss certain things about my home and lots of things about my gorgeous kids..it will be very sad to leave this place.
I was just thinking the other day that it is not only the adventure, joy, exhilaration, challenge and fulfillment of traveling that I love. It's not only that I love being in these places..what I really love is who I am when I'm here.
The challenge now , is to bring that person back home with me.
I'll finish with a quote from a book I have just finished called "Vagabonding"
We travel, initially to lose ourselves; and we travel next, to find ourselves
We travel to open our hearts and eyes, and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate.
We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed.
And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.
Pico Iyer - Why we travel
Amen..I'm in love.. with my life :)
Sihanoukville & Xmas
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Sihanoukville, Cambodia
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