Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

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Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

No more hippies. No more pancakes.
This must be the road from Otres that was being repaired in June : post343695.html?hilit=otres%20road%20closed#p343695

Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail
By James Massola
August 10, 2019 — 10.00pm

Sihanoukville: It's Friday morning in Sihanoukville, one of Cambodia's largest cities, and the rain is bucketing down.

We're stuck on the main road from Otres beach, home to the hotels and wooden bungalows once popular with western tourists - which one by one are being sold, torn down, and replaced by towering, Chinese-built high-rise resorts - and I'm anxiously checking my watch every few minutes.

First, because we haven't moved for 40 minutes as one side of the road has been so damaged by heavy traffic and flooding rains that it is now impassible. My flight isn't until 1.30pm but, knowing the condition of the roads, I'd set out at 9am, allowing myself four and a half hours to drive the 20 kilometres to the airport.

Second, my tuk-tuk has a big hole in the floor and petrol fumes are pouring into the cabin. Although there are no windows in the cab, I'm starting to feel ill.

But there is nothing to do but wait. One by one, dozens of cement mixers, dump trucks, earth movers as well as the occasional Toyota ute, Porsche, Rolls Royce and tuk-tuk, drive past slowly from the other direction.

Eventually, there is a break in the traffic and we inch forward, dodging potholes that are a foot deep and a metre wide.

The drive to the airport ends up taking two and a bit hours but I make my flight on time.

Sihanoukville was once a sought-after destination for backpackers on the so-called Banana Pancake Trail - the name is derived from the cheap, delicious and commonplace breakfast served up in hostels through out south-east Asia.
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AnaPol
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by AnaPol »

"Sihanoukville was once a sought-after destination for backpackers on the so-called Banana Pancake Trail"
Sorry, that is not true
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by rozzieoz »

AnaPol wrote:
"Sihanoukville was once a sought-after destination for backpackers on the so-called Banana Pancake Trail"
Sorry, that is not true
Which part isn’t true?
The place used to be filled with backpackers.
Once you've read the dictionary, every other book is just a remix.
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by Duncan »

AnaPol wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:36 am
"Sihanoukville was once a sought-after destination for backpackers on the so-called Banana Pancake Trail"
Sorry, that is not true
So sorry you missed out on the good backpacker years in Sihanoukville.
Cambodia,,,, Don't fall in love with her.
Like the spoilt child she is, she will not be happy till she destroys herself from within and breaks your heart.
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by AnaPol »

Duncan wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:46 am
AnaPol wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:36 am
"Sihanoukville was once a sought-after destination for backpackers on the so-called Banana Pancake Trail"
Sorry, that is not true
So sorry you missed out on the good backpacker years in Sihanoukville.
Banana pancake trail was nearly over by the mid 80's
were there backpackers in Cambodia than?
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by crob »

in 2017 I spent 3 nights in Sihanoukville as a stopover gong to n from ko rong and hated it(was staying close to that round about with the lion, so might be my bad) ... is there less depressing areas of Sihanoukville and it was just my own fault for where i stayed, cause I wouldn't mind visiting ko rong again, but I have very little interest in having to stop in Sihanoukville, as it sounds like its only gotten worse.
Last edited by crob on Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by Clemen »

From the article
"I can confidently say this: of all the dozens of cities, towns and villages I have travelled to in south-east Asia on the Banana Pancake trail, Sihanoukville is the single most unpleasant place I have ever had the misfortune of visiting.

The best thing about it was leaving it."

He should have just read the "more Chinese takeover" thread
up to you...
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by SternAAlbifrons »

AnaPol wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:48 am
Duncan wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:46 am
AnaPol wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:36 am
"Sihanoukville was once a sought-after destination for backpackers on the so-called Banana Pancake Trail"
Sorry, that is not true
So sorry you missed out on the good backpacker years in Sihanoukville.
Banana pancake trail was nearly over by the mid 80's
were there backpackers in Cambodia than?
I think you are talking about the Hippie Trail. Very different.

Sure we ate the occasional banana pancake in those daze, but finding a good one was not the main quest as it is today.
And we did not, and never would, eat them in backpacker hostels while watching re-runs of Friends on TV. The last time i stayed at lakeside, 10 years ago, that is all they ever did.
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Re: Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail

Post by Dog »

A dozen years or so ago Sihanoukville was relatively pleasant. Otres, Ream. Before Snake Island got a bridge and before the Russian mafia bought Victory Beach and stuck a stupid plane where there used to be a buffalo wallow.
It was most definitely on the banana pancake trail until 4 or so years ago which was when I last went down and popped over to Koh Rong.
Past few years in PP have been mental for Chinese influx and construction projects as we know. Fuck knows his poor old sleepy Sihanoukville will be in a couple of years with the current casinos and other Shite.
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