Thursday, March 25, 2010

Recovering in Sihanoukville-Clean Part Two

We planned two full days in Sihanoukville. With travel days on either end, it was a pitty that the majority of the first day was spend in bed. Still moaning, but thank goodness that was about it. We headed to the beach around sunset where "The Transformation" took place. 
Pre-sunset: beach chairs and umbrellas lined the entire length of the white sand beach. Vendors carrying anything you could think of on their heads or shoulders were there to see if you perhaps wanted lobster, bracelets, a manicure, a pedicure, and massage, a smoke, a magazine, a book, noodles, a toy mouse, sunglasses, ... 

At sunset, the lawn chairs disappeared and the bars, clubs, and parties slowly crept down the beach. First one row of brightly colored been bag chairs appeared. Then a second and third and fourth...until there was a skinny strip of beach between the emerging, hip restaurants and the calm ocean. 
Bright, soothing colors took over the sky and water as night descended upon the tourist hot spot of Sihanoukville. 

And with darkness in any tourist destination came a little bit of craziness, showing off, and well, any sort of marketing to get people to stop, have a drink or two or three and spend some money. Fire twirllers, roman candles, loud music, bonfires on the beach, dinner cooked before you in sand-pit bbq's, candles on tables, comfy chairs and alcohol flowing made a surreal, entertaining night. 

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