After my 2 weeks on Koh Rong Sanloem island, I decided to stay about 1 week in Sihanoukville by Otres Beach. Sihanoukville is the coastal town, now city, that saw major development from Chinese investors.
When I first arrived on December 14th, and was passing through to catch the ferry... I was amazed at how many tall buildings there were. I did read from Lonely Planet how this used be a backpacker's paradise with inexpensive local beach huts that lined the beaches, but now have been demolished and removed. I did find this interesting article about the construction boom and now construction stall that occurred / is occurring in Sihanoukville → https://futuresoutheastasia.com/sihanoukville-construction-update-2022/
Since I have been here for a week, I have noticed several abandoned buildings, and lots of signs in Chinese (*Even though I can't read Chinese, I can recognize the characters when I see it.) It is devastating to see how a place & people are exploited for another's greed and gain.
I didn't stay in the main city area of Sihanoukville. I stayed as far south next to Otres Beach as I could within reason... When I walked along the beach path there are some hotels and abandoned buildings across the street. Folks drive their carts or park their carts selling foods, drinks, clothes & beach toys. The beach was super packed by Cambodians for the January 1st New Year weekend. It was a delight to witness everyone on the beach with their hammocks and mats... It was not a delight to see all the garbage and plastic on the beach and on the ground. When I was on the island I asked my hotel host what folks do with the garbage on Koh Rong Sanloem, and they said they burn it all. No recycling any of the plastic or cans!! They just burn it... but when I was walking along Otres Beach I saw two children collecting cans... maybe here on the mainland they can exchange the cans for money?
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| Otres Beach |
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| Sunset at Otres Beach |
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| Phsar Leu Market in Sihanoukville |
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