So after the depressing times of Phnom Penh and the exhausting times of Siem Reap we needed a holiday. A 4 hour bus trip took us to Sihanoukville with the promise of white sand beaches and seafood BBQs of legendary status. When our bus rolled up in the station a throng of around 30 tuk-tuk drivers and moto riders surrounded the doors. After a sweaty journey and with us in the mood to chill it was one of the most unwelcome sites ever but our guesthouse had ordered someone to pick us up and in the mass of shouting swines one sign could be seen saying 'Welcome Tom Wood'. it sounds stupid typing it but it was one of the best moments of our trip so far! Our hotel was also loads better than the last one we had left and virtual luxury. Dumped our bags and headed to the beach. The beach we got to looked brilliant and we did enjoy it but after a while the constant harrasment from sellers and beggers started to get on our t***, a typical conversation went like this:

" You want bracelet?" 'No thanks' "But why not?" ' Beause I've already got one' "But you buy for friends" 'No thanks' "But Why Not?" 'Because they dont like them' " But I do cheap for you" ' No thanks' "But why not?" ' Because I dont need them' "OH, I come back later then" 'Sigh'

We probably had this conversation once every 3 minutes about either bracelets, lobster, squid or fruit and it killed the promise the beach had offered us. We did meet an older couple who told us about a beach called Otres beach so we headed there with both of us on the back of a moto the next day. The paradise we had lost was found again. White sands, clear blue waters and practically no one on the beach but still a selection of beach huts and bars to sup from. We decided to stay in a hut literally 2 paces from the sand which cost us $15 per night and got ourselves a cheap bottle of Bombay Sapphire as i felt the need to get a bit pissy. We managed to polish the bottle off that night with some help from a german couple who sort of invited themselves to drink our gin but they were alright and before we went to bed we all went for a skinny dip. The water was still warm and was filled with tiny little jellyfish that lit up when you moved so we had a stars above and below that night, truly magical.

We spent 5 days here and on the last day went back to our original hotel to get Vietnam Visas and travel sorted. We hired a little 100cc moto for us to ride about for the day. I was the driver and was chuffed how well I handled the hog considering i haven't been in charge of a vehicle for about 10 years though I did almost ramp it into a parked Tuk-Tuk before I'd even left the hotel car park... skills. We just spent the day cruising about the town, visiting all the different beaches and we both agreed it was one of the best days we had had just because we had the freedom to do what we wanted without the hassle and cost of continuous moto drivers and tuk-tuk men. We also saw some monkeys and one shouted at me for beeping my horn at him.

We got a bus to Kampot which was fairly unremarkable apart from the ribs I had for dinner which were incredible and about the size of one of my dad's fists (massive).

From Kampot we got a 'taxi' to the Vietnamese border. I say 'taxi' because this guy was a complete nutter. His car was a real piece of s*** and probably cost less than the $20 we paid him. Kate was nervous and i was acting like it was no problem for her sake but I was bricking it. I didn't tell Kate at the time but I was witnessing a man driving at roughly 40mph (I couldn't tell as his speedo wasnt working) down a dirt track, constantly indicating left, honking his horn, never slowing down unless a 3 ton truck was 2 feet from his bumper and all this while simutaneously texting off 2 phones. At least he didnt have any seat belts for us.

With soggy trousers and wild eyes we crossed into Vietnam...