Sihanoukville :-(

We've been in Sihanoukville for about 24 hours and I wish we were leaving earlier!  It started off badly when our shuttle driver from the airport refused to drive us all the way to our hotel.  At the airport we didn't realize you had to exit the airport parking lot to find Tuk Tuk drivers so we paid to ride a shuttle that dropped off 4 other couples. He kicked us out about 2 blocks from our hotel and started taking out our bags despite our protests and there wasn't really much we could do. 

So there was that then we checked into our hotel and tried to use the wifi and it wasn't working. Someone came to our room to try to fix it but that didn't get anywhere. Apparently we were the ONE ROOM in the whole hotel where the wifi was sketchy.  We asked for a different room and apparently they were fully booked. We tried to ask for a refund (we paid at check in) and that wasn't getting us anywhere.  We became a bit more firm in our desire for a refund and then mysteriously they found another room where the wifi worked. 

After that it was about 5-6pm and the sun was setting. We went down to the beach where there's a boardwalk and there are restaurants that have chairs on the beach. We ordered pizza and beer.  The beer came quickly then after about and hour the pizza finally arrived and it was basically inedible. 

I liked the atmosphere of the beach at night. There were people selling fireworks so every now and then someone would set off fireworks. With the loud music and ample beer it seemed like a chill party atmosphere. 

Next we went to an Indian place we read about in the guidebook. Again we waited at least an hour and 15 minutes for our food. When it came it tasted good but we were super tired by then so we ate and went back to the hotel. 

In the morning we walked around for a bit trying to find a place for breakfast and I guess it had rained overnight.  The beach and the streets were FILTHY and smelled like sewage. I'm trying to think of a way to say this without sounding snotty but it was just gross. Siem Reap was a bit dirty but this is next level.  

We eventually settled on a place by our hotel where it took about 20 minutes to get a cup of coffee. Of course we just have different cultural expectations but it's just hard to get used to going to a place and having to order an hour before you want to eat.  For lunch we went to a new vegan restaurant here and had the same experience though the food was significantly better.  

I don't know I guess we are just really surprised by how different things are here. In Siem Reap the service was quick and food was delicious. Here it's the complete opposite.  I was looking forward to a chill beach weekend but the weather has been bad and the food is bad and takes a long time. Maybe I'm just whining.  

Another spoiler has been that many places we've been there have been old white dudes with very young attractive Cambodian women who I can only assume are prostitutes.  Assuming what I think is going on in these relationships is actually going on it's just sad to be confronted with it everywhere.  

One fun thing has happened though. We took a scooter back from the vegan restaurant and got caught in a downpour. We waited it out under an awning and then our driver took us the rest of the way in a light rain. That was pretty exciting and fun. 

Tomorrow we booked a boat cruise to some islands in the bay and hopefully the weather will be good for snorkeling. We leave Monday morning for an eco lodge in Koh Kong which I'm really looking forward to. 

Long story short, I'm not sure I can recommend Sihanoukville to you!