Sihanoukville

We've been in Sihanoukville for two days now and I had so much fun! S-ville is a sleepy fishing village that has had a recent explosion in tourism. Guest houses and restaurants are popping upon top of eachother as locals clamor to take advantage of the new tourism market.

This past weekend was Cambodia's annual Water Festival, a national holiday that celebrates the reversal of the water flow on Lake Tonle Sap. All well-to-do Cambodian's flock to the coast for three days, which just happened to be the same weekend we were there. The beaches were absolutely packed--not with westerners, but with Cambodians. It was a pleasant surprise to see locals celebrating and enjoying themselves, taking a break from their everyday lives to spend time with their families.

We spent today exploring the islands off of Cambodia's coast. We snorkelled, hiked, and swam the day away--it was perfect. The snorkelling here isn't great by any standards, as the visibility is quite low, but being one with schools of fish is always exhilerating! Most of the day was spent on Bamboo island, which was stunning. The crystal clear waters lapped up to powder like sand. There were very few people, no children trying to sell us things, and no women offering panicures, pedicures, or massages. My favorite part of the day was diving off the side of our boat into the warm, turquoise-blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand. I could have done that forever!