Cambodia or Vietnam? Or both ??

[Tricky_Trev]

What resort is that?

Just been searching for ages to try to find it for you but I can’t find it. I know it was to the right side of Saracen Bay as you get off the boat, and have checked every resort and none of the pictures are the same.

One thing I have noticed is the vast increase in resorts since I was there. 5 years ago, where I stayed was the only place with beach bungalows literally on the sand - you can see on my pictures, the beach is almost deserted. There felt like no more than 50 tourists on the entire island! But a search now shows loads of places and some look even nicer than what I stayed in.

My guess is they are catering for more upmarket customers and everyone has followed suit. I reckon the huts I stayed in no longer exist and have been upgraded.

 

[aka blue jambo]

Just been searching for ages to try to find it for you but I can’t find it. I know it was to the right side of Saracen Bay as you get off the boat, and have checked every resort and none of the pictures are the same.

One thing I have noticed is the vast increase in resorts since I was there. 5 years ago, where I stayed was the only place with beach bungalows literally on the sand - you can see on my pictures, the beach is almost deserted. There felt like no more than 50 tourists on the entire island! But a search now shows loads of places and most look even nicer than what I stayed in.

My guess is they are catering for more upmarket customers and everyone has followed suit. I reckon the huts I stayed in no longer exist and have been upgraded.

I completely get that but beach still looks amazing

 

[Bilboblue]

Did everything overland a good few years back and loved it. Sihanoukville (beach resort) in the south of Cambodia was really nice before but looking at recent photos and news about it, seems to be overrun by the Chinese, with huge amounts of building going on a, and/or completed, it's changed a lot.

If you visit Cambodia, in Phnom Penh you have Tuol Sleng (S21) and Choueng Ek (Killing Fields) to visit, to do with the Khmer Rouge rule between 75-79, it's just vile how they ruined a thoroughly decent country. Then more in the north are the tons of temples in the Siem Reap area, obviously Angkor Wat is the biggest and most famous, but others like Ta Phrom are in my opinion, even more beautiful and spectacular.

We then went through Vietnam, visiting and staying in Saigon (American War Museum to visit, very interesting), Nha Trang (really enjoyed here, very long beach and not too busy), Qui Nhon, pleasant enough, Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue, traditional, nice Vietnamese cities, then did an overnight train to Hanoi, can go to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum here, just don't go when the body is away for cleaning, as we found to our costs! You can also visit Halong Bay from there, can't advise on there as we ran out of time and didn't go, but it looks amazing.

 

[Maccblue]

Went to Samui last November (2018) we loved it (stayed in Bophut) but yeah there was tonnes of rubbish washing up on the beach (our hotel cleaned the beach directly in front so it was ok), we wondered whether it was from all the beach parties from Koh Phangnan because its directly facing and when we went to Chaweng the beach was a lot cleaner but the area a lot shitter.

Was Portugal shut ?

 

[aka blue jambo]

Did everything overland a good few years back and loved it. Sihanoukville (beach resort) in the south of Cambodia was really nice before but looking at recent photos and news about it, seems to be overrun by the Chinese, with huge amounts of building going on a, and/or completed, it's changed a lot.

If you visit Cambodia, in Phnom Penh you have Tuol Sleng (S21) and Choueng Ek (Killing Fields) to visit, to do with the Khmer Rouge rule between 75-79, it's just vile how they ruined a thoroughly decent country. Then more in the north are the tons of temples in the Siem Reap area, obviously Angkor Wat is the biggest and most famous, but others like Ta Phrom are in my opinion, even more beautiful and spectacular.

We then went through Vietnam, visiting and staying in Saigon (American War Museum to visit, very interesting), Nha Trang (really enjoyed here, very long beach and not too busy), Qui Nhon, pleasant enough, Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue, traditional, nice Vietnamese cities, then did an overnight train to Hanoi, can go to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum here, just don't go when the body is away for cleaning, as we found to our costs! You can also visit Halong Bay from there, can't advise on there as we ran out of time and didn't go, but it looks amazing.

Thanks pal

 

[ell]

Was Portugal shut ?

Limited myself to just the 7 trips that year.

 

[aka blue jambo]

Did everything overland a good few years back and loved it. Sihanoukville (beach resort) in the south of Cambodia was really nice before but looking at recent photos and news about it, seems to be overrun by the Chinese, with huge amounts of building going on a, and/or completed, it's changed a lot.

If you visit Cambodia, in Phnom Penh you have Tuol Sleng (S21) and Choueng Ek (Killing Fields) to visit, to do with the Khmer Rouge rule between 75-79, it's just vile how they ruined a thoroughly decent country. Then more in the north are the tons of temples in the Siem Reap area, obviously Angkor Wat is the biggest and most famous, but others like Ta Phrom are in my opinion, even more beautiful and spectacular.

We then went through Vietnam, visiting and staying in Saigon (American War Museum to visit, very interesting), Nha Trang (really enjoyed here, very long beach and not too busy), Qui Nhon, pleasant enough, Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue, traditional, nice Vietnamese cities, then did an overnight train to Hanoi, can go to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum here, just don't go when the body is away for cleaning, as we found to our costs! You can also visit Halong Bay from there, can't advise on there as we ran out of time and didn't go, but it looks amazing.

How were the border crossings?

 

[Bilboblue]

How were the border crossings?

No problems, the usual beggars.
On the Cambodia/Vietnam border, you get guys trying to pick up your luggage to carry to the bus area, then try and demand $10 for doing it, it was about 150 yards! Gave him a dollar and told him where to go, I told him 5 or 6 times to put my stuff down before we even started.

The Thailand/Cambodia border was plain sailing.

I forgot, we stayed a night at a place called Koh Kong just inside Cambodia, on our way through. God that was grim, don't do it.

We found some digs for the night, dumped our stuff and headed out for food and a few beers. Had some grub at a roadside stall, whereupon rats the size of small cats were running around. After we finished eating, the lady running the stall offered her two adult daughters to us as dessert for $5 each! As anyone would do, we made our excuses and left (think the brides-to-be on East is East!).

Then we headed off to find a bar for a few beers, eventually coming across a likely looking establishment with a couple of tables and chairs, so sat down and waited to be served, nobody was in sight. About 5 minutes later a guy walked in and jumped back, looking shocked he had customers, despite the language barrier, ordered two large beers and sat chatting, enjoying the rest. Then a bat flew in and spent the next 10 minutes flying round and round the room, getting lower until it tired so much, it flopped on the floor and was promptly seized by another fkn great rat and carted off! We sat and had another couple of beers before heading off back to our room.

On the way back past where we had previously eaten, the lady asked us if we knew the guy that had served us the beers. We both thought it was a weird question and replied in the negative to which she said: "Oh ok, so why you go his house and sit for so long?" Turns out we had wandered into some poor unsuspecting Khmer guy's actual home, no wonder he looked at us strange when we asked for some beers! Still, we left him a decent tip and the beers were only a dollar each!

 

[Blue Mist]

Have we decided who to bomb yet ?

 

[kippax4ever]

Excellent thread this,
No GG Joke thank fk..