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the promise of a great sunset in Otres Beach, Silhanouk Ville, Cambodia |
Back in my
first visit in Cambodia, I did not bother check out Silhanoukville as I heard
that it’s been very touristy. Then again, since I’m doing Cambodia on a second
entry, and been hearing a lot about Otres beach, I decided to drive to this
coastal town anyway.
Apparently,
Silhanoukville isn’t so bad considering how cheap it is. It is very good for
those times when you’d just like to lay over without spending so much; Kampot, as I thought, was the cheapest city for backpacking in
Indochina, but after this visit, I’ll have to replace that thinking with
Silhanoukville.
In
Occheteal beach, you can stay in Utopia for $1, and 20 meters in front, take
meals for $1 each too. The town is also alive with all the shops, restaurants,
and the seaside bars for hard parties. You can not expect so much though with
its beach, as it has been the old public destination.
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$1 for burger and another $1 for fries; may be ordered separately |
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$1 dorm in Utopia in Silhanoukville, cambodia |
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beachfront in Silhanoukville, cambodia |
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kids playing in the beach of Silhanoukville, cambodia |
If you want
a better beach, and don’t mind spending a little bit more, consider Otres
Beach. Tuktuk from Occheteal beach to Otres 1 is $4 up, or $2 for a motorbike. If
you don’t have so much baggage anyway, you may walk through the beach for about
45mins to 1 hour. Accomodations in Otres 1 beach are from $5 per room (such as
Sunshine Café) to $3 a dorm which goes to $2 on low season (Done Right Guesthouse).
For food,
the beachside restaurants will serve plates from $3 up, but there are 2
roadside local restaurants where you can get a plate for $2.25 and coffee for
$0.50.
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Otres Beach, Silhanoukville, cambodia |
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Otres Beach, Silhanoukville, cambodia |
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seaside vendors in Otres Beach, Silhanoukville, cambodia |
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Otres 1 beach in Silhanoukville, cambodia |
On the
farther end of the island is Otres 2, which is more quiet, and with the limited
options, tend to be even more expensive.
Then, there
are also accomodations in the Village, about 2-3kms from Otres 1. There are
restaurants here too (and a grocery) that are cheap, but again, if you want to
stay right next to the beach, it will be a walk away. The is a grocery/restaurant shops that also sell all sorts of liquor from the cheapest to the most expensive imported brands.
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village store in otres, Silhanoukville, cambodia |
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menu in the village in otres 1, silhanoukville, cambodia ; click to zoom |
From Otres,
you can take tours to Ko Ta Kiev island (along with 2 other snorkeling sites)
for $12. You may opt to do overnight in the island; Inform your agency to leave
you in the island on day 1, and pick you thru their tour to the island the
following day (or the day you prefer to leave).
In the island, you may choose to camp ($2 camping fee plus tent rental
$5; or you may just ask to sleep in one of their hammocks or bring your own
tent). Food in the island is expensive though. Around $4 up for a plate.
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arriving in Koh Ta Kiev, Silhanoukville, Cambodia |
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Koh Ta Kiev, Silhanoukville, Cambodia |
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Koh Ta Kiev, Silhanoukville, Cambodia |
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trekk to fishing village in Koh Ta Kiev, Silhanoukville, Cambodia |
There are
also trips to Koh Rong, and land trips to Kampot, kep, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh,
or even Thailand and Vietnam. You may contact Simon, one nice guy who walks the
beach daily to sell tours; for questions
0975 538 243.
Laundry
services are $1/kilo.
And, of course.. the best thing to do in this part of indochina is.. to RELAX!
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