Be Careful What You Wish For..............



Our beach hut is the building on the right of the photo

 Around 6:30 am we were awakened by the usual noises: roosters crowing, Cambodians talking loudly, and horns honking. At 7:00 am we heard what at first sounded like a morning call to prayer, but it droned on for too long and we came to think it was something related to the Tet holiday. By 7:30 am music was blaring from the same speaker and someone started firing off fire crackers.

G- These people are going to be the death of me. Who lights fire crackers at 7:30 in the damn morning?!?

P- Cambodians.

G- If the NFL played an exhibition game in Cambodia, I think the game would start at 7:00 am.

P- Why not?  Everyone has been awake since 5:00 am. Ugh!!!!

G- Asia is not the place for a night person like me.  Whah!!

P- No whining!  We're about to find the beach we've been looking for.

By 7:50 am we were in the lobby drinking coffee and awaiting our tuk-tuk driver. At 8:15, he still hadn't arrived.  15 minutes turned into 30, then 45, then 1 hour.

P- I can't believe that guy didn't show up.

G- There must  be an explanation.  He knew we were a sure bet for payment to drive us back to Mien Mien.

P- He said he'd be here at 8:00 am.

G- I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it's something.

 At 9:00 am we hired a new tuk-tuk and instructed him to take us to Mien Mien. We left our stuff at Sunday Hotel and told the clerk that we'd be back before noon (check out time is noon at all Asian hotels) to collect our stuff or let him know that we'd be staying another night.

The rock road seemed even more unpleasant at 9:00 am, but it was totally worth the trip when we arrived at Mien Mien and were told that one of the beach huts was now available. Yay!! We did a little happy jig and got back into the tuk-tuk for the ride back to Sunday Hotel to pay, and collect our stuff.

G- (to the manager) The tuk-tuk driver who brought us here yesterday was supposed to come get us when you called, but he never showed up.

Manager - I not call him.

G- Well that explains it.  (to Phyllis) She didn't call the tuk-tuk driver.  That's why he didn't come get us.

P- Well you'd think he'd come tell us that she hadn't called him.

We  held onto our bags as we bounced back to the beach, thrilled that this would be the last time we'd drive on rock road until we left the beach.  It was only 10:30 when we arrived back at Mien Mien, so we sat under one of palm thatched 'cabanas', and ate breakfast, while the current occupant of our room readied himself to leave. At exactly 12:00 his time was up and 2 girls “helped” him carry his bags to another palm thatched 'cabana'.  Basically, they threw him out of the room because his bags were clearly not packed.


We entered our room expectantly, only to learn just how primitive our new beach hut, that we were so thankful to have, really was. The floor was concrete and something less than a half assed job of cleaning had been performed. The hut contained 2 queen size beds, each with a mosquito net that looked like it had not been cleaned since it had been hung, over a decade ago.  Sunlight streamed in through the holes and the worn areas of thatching in the walls. It did have electricity and a fan  The bathroom resembled something one would find in a train station, but there was indoor plumbing and a western toilet. The shower drain was a hole cut into the wall, at floor level, next to the toilet. The mirror above the sink had long since fallen off, and the walls were lined with a thick plastic. I immediately named it the botulism bathroom because of the diseases that no doubt lurked in every corner.  The bathroom was revolting!!

G- This place is incredibly disgusting! I can't believe we're paying more for this place ($17.00/night) , than any nice place we've stayed  since Bangkok.

P- Yes it is, but look at that view and listen to the waves crashing onto the beach.

G- Exactly right! Let's put on our suits and hit the beach!!!

We told the Mien Mien manager that we were going to stay for 3 days.