| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 104km |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Terrain | Flat then hilly at the end |
| Blog | 24th Feb - Bokor and the beach |
| Gallery | Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville |
The journey
Go out of town over the bridge, past the turning to Bokor park. There was a good dirt road out of town for the first 30km then a very wide road with a variety of surfaces. It was being re-gravelled and the road was at various stages of completion. Despite the surface, we made surprisingly good time. There was a light to moderate easterly tailwind then later a south-easterly. Several small villages with snack and drink stalls along the road until the junction with route 4 then more places to eat. There was very little traffic until route 4, then steady traffic with some buses and heavy trucks. Route 4 has a good surface with occasional bumps from repaired cracks but there's no sealed hard shoulder - just dirt which can be quite a drop from the seal. The only hill worth mentioning is 12km before Sihanoukville: it's a 4km ascent followed by a steepish descent into Sihanoukville.Sihanoukville is fairly seedy and tacky despite the fact that it's quite undeveloped still. The town centre and other beaches are cycling (not walking) distance apart. Victory beach is the quietest - there was less litter and the water was less choppy than Serendipity.
The buses to Phnom Penh run at 7.15, 8.15, 12.30 and 13.30. It cost $3.50 per person and we were quoted $2 per bike but never charged. 4hr journey; air-con of sorts. Had to take the front wheel off to fit the bikes in the luggage compartment under the bus. We were dropped off at Central Market in Phnom Penh. There were many container lorries on route 4 and no hard shoulder, so it would be a dangerous road to ride.
The room
Blue FrogWeather Station Hill, just off the strip on Victory Hill
Sihanoukville
www.bluefroghotel.com
Email: ola@bluefroghotel.com
Tel: 034 396 386
Mobile: 012 838 004
Mobile: 012 432 799
$12 (not $8 as we were first told) for a double room with air-con, bathroom with hot water, TV with movies and DVD player.
Free DVD library. Bar and restaurant upstairs. Nicely converted old house. Peaceful compared to other guesthouses in the area.