Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Gitcher motor runnin'!

On our last day in Sihanoukville, we decided to rent a motoscooter and check out the nearby National Park and some of the surrounding beaches. It's possible to do a tour that includes all these activities, and our last couple tours had actually been pretty good - but we were still ready for some independence.

So we rented a scooter and took off (don't worry Dad - unlike almost everyone else, we always wore helmets! I prefer to enjoy my vacation without brain damage, thank you very much.)


We had a SWEET moto scooter and Tom got to wear the most X-TREME helmet. It was SICK!


On the way to the park we passed some water buffalo.


We thought the buffalo were super cool, but they weren't nearly as interested in us.


We soon found the entrance to the park.


The park ranger was very uptight.


Once inside the park we stumbled across yet another gorgeous beach.


We veered off the paved road and followed a dirt road along the water, through a grove of palm trees.


We were very happy to be doing some exploring on our own! With a moto as a means of transport, the world was truly our oyster!


As we were driving along I noticed movement in one of the trees. Turns out it was a guy climbing one of the trees - with no rope, no harness, no tools. Nothing but his bare hands. Scary and amazing! He seemed perfectly comfortable (as with all photos, click to enlarge).


We cruised past an oceanfront fishing village.


More shots of the fishing village.


Eventually we came to a bridge. Although we were feeling very independent and X-TREME , we decided that crossing this bridge on a scooter was a little too X-TREME for us.


So we got off, stretched our legs, and then headed back into town.


But you know what they say - it's not a real adventure until something goes wrong! Ten minutes from our guesthouse, we got a flat tire. Luckily it was fairly easy to find a roadside shop, and this guy took care of us right away.

- Jessi

Sihanoukville - Christmas in Cambodia

Although Cambodia is a Buddhist country, most of the backpackers traveling through the country are not, and so Christmas Eve is actually a pretty big deal in Sihanoukville. By "big deal," I mean that all the beach-front bars have special Christmas Eve dinners, and people in Santa hats shoot off fireworks over the ocean. Hardly typical, but definitely fun.

We met Nashib and Maria at an all-you-can-eat buffet which was absolutely packed. No surprise there - you've got a beach full of backpackers trying to live on $20/day, and for $5 they can eat til they're stuffed? Let's just say all-you-can-eat buffets are a rarity, and that's because no restaurant would be able to stay in business if they offered them nightly.

We watched another gorgeous sunset, and then feasted on a Christmas Eve dinner of Khmer curries and rice, with Angkor beer to wash it all down.


Christmas in Cambodia - not bad!


Tom, myself, Maria, and Nashib


During dinner a fire-twirler put on a show right at the water's edge. Very cool.

After dinner we decided to head over to the Snake House restaurant, which was exactly what it sounds like. A restaurant and bar filled with snakes and other reptiles. We'd been told it was not to be missed.

It was very difficult to take pictures of the creatures because they were all in glass cages, but believe us when we tell you that there were some crazy critters there. Huge boa constrictors, cobras, and even a croccodile.


In the center of every table was a snake enclosed in a glass cage.

By far our most exotic Christmas yet!

- Jessi