Sihanoukville, Boxing Day- NYE

[hwinpp]

My sister and nephew came down for 12 days just before Christmas and after the festivities were over we drove down to Sihanoukville. We'd booked from Boxing Day to 30th but decided to stay on an extra night because it turned out to be much nicer than expected.

We splurged a little and decided to stay at the Independence Hotel. It's a bit isolated, some things need fixing (wifi, cable TV not working reliably) but altogether value for money.

Here are some of the pics we took during the trip.

My nephew after the 4 hour drive down from Phnom Penh



The stairs down to the beach and beach side restaurant



The beach







The restaurant



On the trip back to PP we stopped at the worship place on the pass. There used to be lots of phalli in the shrine but somebody has banished them away from the road and into the valley shrine. So now you can splash some holy water onto the car windscreen, get some refreshments and then carry on.





Some of the shrines





Already on the phone and still 2 hours to Phnom Penh

[Deleted]

Ah, the Independence Hotel! That's the one that was abandoned but which they finally renovated? I have photos of the ruins somewhere.

I think that Sihanoukville is much maligned, but it isn't really unpleasant, and of course it is perhaps the most convenient seaside town to reach from Phnom Penh.

[hwinpp]

I raly enjoyed it Jack. So did the others.

Khmers don't like it there much, they think it's cursed because of some KR massacre on the beach. But the king congratulated them with a very fancy document they exhibit after they reopened about 3 years ago.

The beach is quite good, in fact all the beaches aren't as bad as they're reputed to be.

[bixaorellana]

My goodness gracious! I'm not even a beach person, but that place is gorgeous. It looks like paradise.

I think the nephew is going to grow up to be almost as handsome as the uncle. The shot of the grounds behind him ain't bad, either.

I liked your juxtaposition of photos. First you announce the phalli were moved away from the road, then you show a roadside stand of bananas. ;D

HW, are all the smaller, free-standing shrines put there by individuals or groups? How do they remain upright? They seem so top-heavy. Do you know the reason for that particular shrine?

I look at the last two photos and try to imagine war being waged in that terrain.

Thanks for this trip, HW -- really enjoyable and interesting, as always!

[bazfaz]

Mrs Faz and I were in Snooky about 7 years ago. We enjoyed it, had a nice $10 hut on the beach. There were little beachside restaurants we would go to for dinner. Usually we were the only diners. We always ordered the fried fish with frites. It took for ever to arrive and we think they probably cycled in to town to buy the supplies to feed us.

[Deleted]

Another splendid thread to lure me there HW. Just beautiful. I would like to know more about the shrines as well. Thanks for this HW. I am a beach person and I know I would love it there.

[hwinpp]

The shrines are put there by devotees. Those small needle shaped ones are actually spirit houses and not strictly Buddhist, the Khmers have a very motley mixture of beliefs and superstitions.

I think the story is about a faithful wife whose husband is a fisherman. Of course he drowns at sea. The wife decides to stay where she is (on that pass) and raise the children against all odds. Don't know how the phalli come into the picture ;D

The beach there (at the Independence) is indeed nice. But don't forget it's a private beach and gets cleaned every day. I would not normally stay in a place like that but my sister and my girlfriend persuaded me to splurge, so I did.

Prices in Snooky haven't changed that much since you were last here, Baz. It's still possible to get a room with air con, fridge, hot water and cable TV for 10- 15USD. And those beach side places are also still here. That huge meal I posted on the 'After Dinner' branch cost 32USD, there were 5 of us!

[imec]

Looks like a great place HW - and just the kind of eye candy that warms me up a bit in out January deep freeze - thanks!

[bixaorellana]

Jan 5, 2010 5:47:47 GMT hwinpp said:

The shrines are put there by devotees. Those small needle shaped ones are actually spirit houses and not strictly Buddhist, the Khmers have a very motley mixture of beliefs and superstitions.

So interesting! I guess in a culture that old, there is an accumulation of spiritual beliefs.

HW, I have been meaning to say how much I appreciate that you always keep track of questions asked on your threads, and that you always attempt to answer completely. You even go out and do extra investigation. It really makes your already fascinating and informative threads even more interesting.