Sihanoukville, Cambodia
I had to wait nearly an hour while the barber, monocle fixed to his eye and wearing a headlamp, with a tray of sharp tools at hand, performed some sort in inner ear surgery on the patient next to me. We were in the town of Kampot and I was waiting to have an elective beardectomy. When finished with the ear-job the barber/hair-doctor performed a dry straight-razor shave on me. And although the barber chair almost toppled over backwards, I managed to survive the relatively painless procedure with nary a nick.
Rabbit Island was to be our first real Robinson Crusoe experience. And while it was absolutely wonderful to see cats, chickens and dogs living in Utopian harmony, we soon came to realize that the Rabbit has lost its hop. The place turned out to be way over touristed with little else to offer. So we cut and run.
Our next stop was Saracen Bay on Koh Rong Samloem Island, off the coast of Sihanoukville. Saracen Bay has what appears to be a beautiful 3 - 4 kilometre beach. But then we see a guy walking 100 metres out from shore across the surface.
No one walks on water, not in the land of Buddha. It turned out to be an optical illusion; Saracen Bay/Beach is simply way too shallow. So we cut and run for a second time.
Now we're at Otres Beach, not far from Sihanoukville. The beach is filled with one restaurant after the other serving up fries, burgers and pizzas. The boppers love this kind of South/East Asian home away from home adventure as they wash down their burgers with cheap beer - cell-phones glued to the sides of their faces - and tell mom and dad or their friends back home how exotic it is here in Cambodia. Technology has made the world way too small, Elenka cries whenever she hears the bling of a handheld device. I simply respond that there's nowhere left to cut and run.
The editor just gave this piece a read, said that it's not all fries, burgers and pizzas, then called me a curmudgeon. Each night at Otres, Elenka and I do dine on BBQ seafood as the sun dips over the watery horizon. She also says that tomorrow she's taking me for deep-fried tarantulas and roasted crickets.
David Baril
2016-02-06
Great photos!
Mary Patterson
2016-02-06
Rabbit Island is certainly disappointing. However the food looks great. I hope you find your paradise. It is hard to escape the crowds. Happy travels....
Stephanie
2016-02-06
They were truly called barber surgeons in the middle ages....now I see why. Thanks for my vicarious travels.
Daniel Lundborg
2016-02-06
Maybe you should have come with us instead :-) We just came from Gili Gede where we stayed at Via Vacare and had the place all to ourselves for the four nights we were there. And best of all, no wifi.
That being said, the weather isn't really trustworthy here this time of the year so it's sometimes sun, sometimes rain.
Peter & Mandy
2016-02-06
Crispy crickets and teriyaki tarantula.
Perfect curmudgeon food:)
Margo
2016-02-06
Those crabs looked good mmm... Editor's can be tough!
Victoria Bandoski
2016-02-07
Hi you guys! Looks like a fabulous trip. Very jealous. My creative juices are just not flowing today... kind of stuck in a stagnant, shallow bog... Clever button in the "off" position. Must be the winter. Much rather be enjoying the tropical weather of Cambodia with you two!
Majka
2016-02-08
Nice to hear from you. Enjoy!