Wednesday | December 3, 2014
We arrived in Cambodia this morning. The sail-in was nothing extraordinary – although any of the sail-ins are extraordinary compared to our lives six months ago.
We decided to take a ride into Sihanoukville to see what it is all about because most of our shipmates are heading to Phnom Penh or Angkor Wat and we want to see where we would be for the next five days. In a word, gross.
When we disembarked, we were pleased to notice that we were moored next to the Japanese Fisheries University training ship. It is always nice to see these large sailing vessels used as training platforms for upcoming merchant marines.
We took a bus into Sihanoukville, first stopping at Sokha Beach. The ship’s shuttle dropped us off at a beach resort. After a few minutes and a few pictures – we were off the shuttle just long enough for it to pull away and go into town without us.
We were undecided about whether to return straight to the ship or go into town. We made the wrong decision. We hired a taxi into Sihanoukville, just to walk around the outdoor markets and then catch the hotel shuttle, or another taxi back to the ship. Once we got to the market area, however, we looked around and decided that this place was dirtier than anything we had seen yet. We saw raw pork hanging in stalls next to heaps of garbage alongside the road.
The presence of a large army refueling truck near the food markets did nothing to comfort us.
As a result, we told the driver not to even stop and returned directly back to the ship. He was compliant and friendly, but not exactly Magellan when it came to directions! As a result, we had to get off on the pier and walk about a quarter of a mile to the ship. It was tantamount to, and dangerous as, walking along the Hudson River as it appeared in the 1970s. Fortunately, it was broad daylight and lovely weather.
Then, we were treated to a beautiful sunset right off our balcony.
At around 6 o’clock, we enjoyed a dance performance by a troupe of traditional Cambodian dancers who traveled from Phnom Penh to dance for us in the Plaza.
We shared a terrific bottle of wine with friends.
Then we took a walk into East where we sat at the sushi counter for a delightful Japanese smorgasbord of fresh fish. (Incidentally, the sushi chef is one of 14 original employees of The World still on board.)
Comments