Music and dance in Sihanoukville, is like everywhere in Cambodia as many of the hill border tribes have each their own dance though the ethnic Cham community of Cambodia is no longer an active tradition of performing arts. In Sihanoukville, several Chinese community associations have the lion dance teams which perform during the lunar New Year and other Chinese festivals.

Like the rest of Cambodia, Sihanoukville residents have their own unique music and dance tradition, a production of art objects to propitiate the spirits and celebrate the many social milestones in the lives of members of the community.
Music instruments are crafted with great ingenuity from natural material such as stone, wood, gourd, bamboo, animal horn. They are always ready to accompany a wide range of solo and group songs and dances.

Most of the Cambodia’s hill tribes have their own dances, which originated largely as a celebration of everyday events and past times and in Sihanoukville, the nearby hill tribes, do perform this music and dances from time to time.

Many of these have been adapted for theatre presentations over 50 years. The best known ethnic minority dances are the skori (bamboo), dance of the stieng, the warrior dance of the kui, the buffalo sacrifice and hot (bamboo pipe), dances of the jarai, plus a range of dances by the pearic people which include the wild ox dance, the sen ploy, spirit possession dance and the peacock of the pear, the ritual and drum dances of the suoy and the port chor rung dance of the Samre.

Today, there are many modern nightclubs which provide western music and dance which have completely taken the old ethnic music and dance practices though they are still performed by the local natives while a tourist can still have fun to any kind of music in Sihanoukville.

Sihanoukville is located on the cost of Cambodia, half way between Thailand and Vietnam, on the bay of Thailand. It is both a town for foreign tourists and local people from all over Cambodia.

There is a lot of sight seeing because three sides of the town are bordered by tropical beaches, seafood, restaurants, bars, Buddhists temples, casinos which makes it a good place for foreign tourists.

Things to see and do in Sihanoukville

There a lot of activities to see and do which include,
Boating and fishing, due to the availability of many types of boats to rent, personal watercrafts, charter and group fishing and sailing boats, yachts and party boats, has made Sihanoukville a major place to visit in Cambodia to see and do all water sports.

Under water, due to a number of several foreign owned scuba and snorkeling companies found here, has made it the number one spot in Cambodia for all under water activity lovers and followers.

The availability of motor cycles and bicycles for rent everywhere, makes it east to go sight seeing anywhere in Sihanoukville as it is the best way to see the mountains, beaches, down town, bar hopping and you can get all the favorite destinations from “stray dog adventures”.

The place has so much to see and do, I will just outline the other major things to do and see, take a day to visit the waterfalls, visit the many homeless children’s camps or volunteer for a day to work in the camps, play miniature golf, visit ping pong shows, i- balling, take a walk at one of the many beautiful beaches or spend a day at the beach with white sand and blue water or even take a boat trip with family or friends.

With little in the way of shopping havens and very little history to be observed there are two main reasons for coming to Sihanoukville and this is of course the beaches and the Ream National Park. The beaches are nowhere near as crowded as nearby Thailand although there are local visitors at the weekend from Phnom Penn, however, during the week it is still possible to enjoy beach seclusion and island paradises.

Here is a list of a few you will enjoy.

Just a little to the south of the busy port with plenty of accommodation for the budget conscious is Victory Beach.

Known as ‘7-chann beach’ after the Independence Hotel lies the white sands of Independence Beach.

Sokha Beach Resort takes up most of Sokha Beach for it’s resident’s, however a small part is non residential.

By far the most popular beach is Ocheuteal because of it’s restaurants, bars and food stalls. The northern portion is known as Serendipity Beach with cheap guesthouses right on the sands.

If peace and quiet is your main priority travel southwards to Oters Beach which is pretty much untouched by development.

Bamboo Island can be reached for as little as $5 and offers beach hut accommodation in atotally unspoilt island getaway but take plenty of money as prices are higher than in Sihanoukville and there are no banks here.

The other attraction is Ream National Park just 30 minutes drive from Sihanoukville offering a chance to see all manner of beautiful birdlife.

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What could be nicer and more relaxing whilst in Sihanouckville than a massage? One hour costs as little as five dollars and indoor massages giving a little more privacy in a nice air-conditioned room start at about eight dollars. Expect the massage to last at least an hour. There are also many spas in the city which offer massages as well as many cosmetic treatments and baths. Asians have a very different attitude towards massage and are very experienced well trained and dedicated in this art form.

There are several types of massage on offer in Sihanouckville.

Hand massage is a great relief of stress concentrating on the shoulders neck and back using Swedish techniques where as reflexology is Chinese in origin. Concentrating on different reflex points in the foot using only pressure it releases tension in the whole body.

Khmer massage is a more traditional Asian approach where the muscles are massaged along with stretching of the limbs to produce a blissful feeling of well being without the use of oils.

Pressure can be applied to the muscles in different intensities with an oil massage and it provides release from stress as well as improving blood circulation and aches and pains which is why it is often used in treating injuries. This is intensified by adding herbs and aromatic spices to the oil. Similar to the advantages of inhaling burning oils in aromatherapy here the aromatic oils are massaged into the skin, joints and muscles again improving circulation relieving stress and improving skin tone.

Walking in Sihanouckville is relatively safe there is little street crime and pick pocketing is rare as in fact are most crimes towards tourists. At night caution should be applied as in any city anywhere unfortunately. There is more danger of being embarrassed or pestered than actual danger most of the problems being drunken beggars and prostitutes, however areas are avoidable and there are many scooter taxis which cost about a dollar and they’ll even take two passengers…with luggage!

Walking between beaches is difficult as they seem to be located just out of a comfortable walking distance and with the heat it’s probably best to get a scooter taxi or if there are a few of you take a taxi which is very rarely more than $5 and the vast majority of Cambodian cab drivers are honest both with routes and fares.

The islands themselves around the city can be very interesting places to visit and explore on foot and many companies offer eco boat and trekking trips around them with English speaking guides and itineraries which include visits to Cambodian Island beauty spots as well as planned visits to families where you can meet, eat with and enjoy the local inhabitants as well as provide them with a little extra income.

Ream National park is well worth visiting it is too far to walk here being a 30 minute drive depending on traffic but many companies provides transportation and guided tours. Depending on how knowledgeable your guide is (quality does tend to vary) they can point out the different species of bird life here in this superb sanctuary which is home to many endangered species.

With little in the way of shopping havens and very little history to be observed there are two main reasons for coming to Sihanoukville and this is of course the beaches and the Ream National Park. The beaches are nowhere near as crowded as nearby Thailand although there are local visitors at the weekend from Phnom Penn, however, during the week it is still possible to enjoy beach seclusion and island paradises.

Here is a list of a few you will enjoy.

Just a little to the south of the busy port with plenty of accommodation for the budget conscious is Victory Beach.

Known as ‘7-chann beach’ after the Independence Hotel lies the white sands of Independence Beach.

Sokha Beach Resort takes up most of Sokha Beach for it’s resident’s, however a small part is non residential.

By far the most popular beach is Ocheuteal because of it’s restaurants, bars and food stalls. The northern portion is known as Serendipity Beach with cheap guesthouses right on the sands.

If peace and quiet is your main priority travel southwards to Oters Beach which is pretty much untouched by development.

Bamboo Island can be reached for as little as $5 and offers beach hut accomadation in atotally unspoilt island getaway but take plenty of money as prices are higher than in Sihanoukville and there are no banks here.

The other attraction is Ream National Park just 30 minutes drive from Sihanoukville offering a chance to see all manner of beautiful birdlife.

Water sports are popular and unsurprisingly well catered for in Sihanoukville.The many Cambodian islands offer a chance to see breath taking unspoilt coral and assorted marine life and all within easy reach as all the dive boats leave from this port town.
Sihanoukville has two PADI Dive Centres, a SSI Dive Centre and qualified instructors and quides working at the towns smaller dive shops.Many places not only offering equipment but also instruction which is well worth taking the time over to learn the basics managing the breathing apparatus and becoming fluent in the buddy system method of underwater communication. Making your dives safer and more enjoyable.

14 miles off shore is the main diving area of Koh Rung Group this is a little deeper than the shallower dives at Koh Tang Group which is 8 miles nearer to the shore. Both offer excellent aqua experiences ,however the best dives are undoubtedly the overnight trips located further out 35 miles from shore at Koh Tang Group., Here large pelagic can be observed regularly and visibility is twice what it is at the nearer to shore destinations.

A two dive day trip costs US$59-70, with overnight trips costing an all inclusive US$185-195.

For the less adventurous or budget conscious snorkeling is still an enjoyable and relaxing experience and gives you a chance to see the marine life and coral. No training is needed but you should be a strong swimmer and supervise children carefully. As with scuba diving visibility improves the further out go and the best tours are offered by travel agents rather than the tours offered by restaurants. For as little as $15 dollars you can enjoy a light breakfast, two dive sites and a delicious three hour lunch at Bamboo Island.

As you can imagine with a small destination such as this, where most people are going to get away from noise and rush, the nightlife is limited, however, the bars here are excellent value. Few are offering more than a quiet drink but with lovely beaches and a starry night maybe you might enjoy and even relish the lack of entertainment.

There are dance bars, some with Euro style D.J.’s for those with a hankering for something livelier. The beach establishments are on permanent happy hour and it is possible to buy esoteric cocktails for as little as two dollars. The local beer is draft Anchor which is served with ice, now to the beer expert this might sound like sacrilege, however, this is something you get used to quickly as it makes the beer more cold and refreshing.

Here is a list of the best places.

Captain Morgan, to be found in the Golden Lions Plaza. An attractive bar with helpful staff serving very good food and snacks. It’s open to the wee small hours too.

Monkey Republic is situated very near to Serendipity Beach. For 75c you can enjoy the happy hour Draft beer. They have large parties every Thursday. They have an excellent pool table and play great dance music played by UK Dj’s.

Star Bar is behind the Shell gas station in the downtown area. A place where you can enjoy a lovely frosty cold Anchor draft beer (happy hour 50c, rest of the day 75c) or western food served by friendly waitresses. They also have an excellent pool table and this is a very popular rendezvous on Wednesday night when they have a great barbeque for a couple of bucks.

Cambodia’s capital city can be challenging for even the seasoned traveler having a very harsh climate and a higher level of crime than other Asian destinations.
That said there is much to see and do here and excellent places to browse amongst its French Colonial streets and ancient temples.

The Royal Temple and Silver Pagoda are a must see as is The Museum of Cambodia containing much Cambodian art, history and culture. Getting around is probably best by bus, car taxi or foot, but as many victims will testify motor cycles can be treacherous in the city’s dangerous traffic.

The temples are nice and include:
Wat Phom which is situated on a hill in a tiny park near Sisowath Quay on St. 94. Although more important nowadays as an historical rather than visual experience the situation in pleasant greenery is lovely and you can always watch the monkeys or take an elephant ride.

Wat Botum is near the Royal Palace and understandably has royal favor. During the 1930’s it was home to Pol Pot then described as a ‘lovely child’.

Not for the faint of heart, but of historical significance, are The Killing Fields. In what was once a Chinese cemetery The Kymer Rouge executed thousands of intellectuals. A documentary film of the carnage is screened daily and you can observe the remains, skulls and mass graves. To get there you can take tuk-tuk which will wait for you whilst you visit this somber and emotional place.

Phnom Penh would be nobody’s first choice for a family holiday. Unfortunately even adults have to have their wits about them with treacherous traffic, robberies and bag snatching higher than in other Asian destinations. The climate and general health standards could be harsh for even the seasoned traveler and much of the sightseeing is related to recent warfare. Notably there are no toyshops in the capital and kid friendly or exclusive activities are hard if not impossible to find.

However, for the adaptable family who find themselves here there are always things to do and see and places to go. The absolute must sees are The Royal Palace and The Silver Pagoda which for the less fidgety child would provide hours of supervised entertainment.

The National Museum with its French colonial style may also be of interest to some families and contains many fine examples of Cambodian art and culture. With a little forward planning games can be played ‘spotting the exhibit’ or things that begin with….certain letters of the alphabet can provide amusement and enlightenment for the youngster.

The internet is now freely available in Phnom Penh and although sometimes a little slower than your kids may be used to can be a valuable resource in what can be a trying and challenging travel experience.

Raffles Hotel Le Royal has a kid friendly pool and other child friendly entertainments.

The local paper is The Phnom Penh Post which has an excellent listings section for local films, festivals and other entertainments.