SIX days at the beach!!! Yay! 

It's hard to have a blog about this really; we did very little and everyone was extremely chilled out. Possibly a little too chilled out. Actually, any more chilled and they'd just stop moving all together. And, it's contagious. However, the blog must go on, so here goes...

A review of all things beach:

1. Blame Canada's Fat Boy Nachos
Otres Beach is the smallest, quietest and furthest out-of-town beach in Sihanoukville. A small (yet growing) number of beach huts -- offering food and drink, and private beach bungalows -- line the shore. During the afternoons we took up residence at a quiet bar (so quite, one morning there was a chalk-board sign up: Lonely Barmaid in need of customers, apply within) run by a Canadian. They had possibly the world's BEST nachos! These were freshly fried nachos! No packet nachos here. I am ever a creature of habit, so we went back for the nachos twice more :)

2. Gin & Tonics WITH LIME
None of this Lemon malarkey. They are made with slices of Lime, as they should be. Yum. Actually Lime is quite a big thing out here. David had a fresh lime juice, which almost blew my head off. It really was straight up lime juice with ice. So FRESH!

3. Leg wax on the beach
Actually it wasn't a wax, it was leg 'threading'; like they do with eyebrows in the UK. But yes it was on the beach, while I sat drinking cocktails and reading my book, on my sun lounger. A little weird having my legs done right next to my husband, but it seems to be the done and expected thing on this beech. The local ladies who stroll up and down the beach offering their services were very keen. I got told explicitly that I had very hairy legs and needed their help. ...so I could have legs as 'smooth as a babies bottom'. It was very effective, I will give them that.

...But beware. Give in to one and you get swamped by the masses. I think I had about 5 ladies offering me this, that and the other. So new lesson learned: do not engage friendly locals in conversation, do not make eye contact, hide behind book and do not acknowledge anyone. It seems rude and harsh but it is the ONLY way you get a rest on the beach. And Otres is the quiet beach.

4. Wish You Were Here
That's where we stayed, and I would recommend it to anyone planning on a trip to the beach. It was set slightly back from the sea — it was nice to actually hide from the sea breeze after a full day on the beach — and, as well as dorm rooms, has five wooden bungalows (with fans) in its tropical garden. Yes the bathrooms are shared, and the showers didn't always drain as well as they should have done, but the shower block was really elegantly designed, yet still rustically-in-keeping with the rest of the guest house. The bar area is very relaxed with big wicker loungers, hanging chairs and plenty of high chairs line the polished wooden bar. And its resident pets — two dogs and a cat — are very loving. The only dogs I have been brave enough to pet since we got here (the rest are a bit to wild looking). I was pretty much in heaven. So much nicer, and much more what I was expecting from travelling than the more sterile air-conditioned hostel rooms we've been experiencing.

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!