Sun, Sand, and Salty Seas in Kampong Som
I took Friday off via a text message to Ath saying I wouldn’t come in the next day. Early Friday morning I took the bus to the popular seaside town of Kompong Som at a cost of $5 and several hours sweating on the supposedly air conditioned bus. Here I was to meet up with Stephanie, Dave, and Meggy; all med students from Australia doing a cultural elective. We would all have been on the same bus, but I bought my ticket late and by that time that bus was full.
Bus tickets can be bought from the bus depot, the respective bus companies’ store fronts, or from the many outdoor stands along the riverfront. It was from one of these stands that I finally got my ticket. Not remembering the word for bus or ticket, I asked for it in English, trying to get on the same bus as the Aussies. After finding out that that one was full I started to speak in Khmer and the gal, said “hey, you’re Khmer! Speak Khmer and I can get you the locals ticket price.” This turned out to be a $2 discount.
Arriving in Kompong Som early that afternoon I met up with the Aussies who had booked me a room when they arrived an hour earlier. They had booked the last three rooms they could find in the area and mine was right on the beach for $15 a day and was run by an Aussie. Actually most of the bars and beachfront guesthouses here on Serendipity Beach are run by westerners.
This turned out to be quite a great weekend. Drinks were really cheap at $1.50 during Happy Hour, which lasts up till 10. Then it went up to $2.50 to $3. We rented a jet ski for $30 for thirty minutes on Friday and $50 for an hour on Saturday. We got yelled at a couple of times for going too crazy on the jet ski after Dave tossed both of us off three or four times in the first three minutes. They actually sent a fast boat to yell at us.
The water is spectacular, pleasantly warm and salty, and very calm. The entire beach is lined with lounge chairs and umbrellas and bars and restaurants. It was not too crowded though and most of the people there were tourists. This means that they were constantly harassed by beggars and vendors. Dave complained to me that I wasn’t getting hassled anywhere near as much as they, and this was very true. A few would ask me, but most just kept on going and none lingered. They were very persistent with the other tourists though, annoying even me.
Friday night we took a tuk tuk around to find dinner. After a few minutes of driving around, we decided to go to Chez Claude, a restaurant on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere overlooking the sea. We drive into this gated compound and end up facing a tractor coming the othe way on the narrow road. Getting off I notice that the tractor is pulling a steel cable and I exclaim “is this the elevator?!” Yes it was. The tractor pulled a little trolley up a steep incline on railroad tracks to the restaurant. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, the shear amount of energy required to utilize this contraption.
After dinner we went back to the beach and wandered from bar to bar until getting to one playing drum and bass with a drunk, dreadlocked man twirling balls of fire on the beach. The mowhawked western staff gave us free shots and we drank ourselves silly. They also exhibited some strong body odor, which is silly considering the wonderful water just a few meters away.
On Saturday afternoon Dave and I tried to rent a moto and I talked the lady down to $5 for two hours. Unfortunately she wouldn’t rent to us after finding out that we only had copies of our passports on us (mine is safely stored at uncle Chheang’s.) So we went back to the beach and drank. By the time we met back up with the girls I was pretty tired, staying awake and lively only when up and moving.
We wondered from bar to bar and finally hired a tuk tuk to get us to “Blue Storm” a Khmer dance club with the most gigantic disco ball I’ve ever seen. It stuck down from the ceiling to about a foot over my head. I tried to take a picture, but was quickly informed about a no pictures policy. Meggy and I were actually having a good time and I was fully awake, but Dave and Steph wanted to leave, so we left. Back at the beach we had a shot of Jagger and I called it quits since there was no longer any dancing.
Overall I’ve come to really like this seaside town. The beaches are nice and only somewhat developed. There are other beached there much less developed than Serendipity. The drinks are cheap and it’s not crowded. The list of available activities are short, but if you like sun, sand, and serene waters, definitely spend a weekend here if you’re in the country.
January 6th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
sounds like you found paradise!