Username Taken wrote:Looks nice and pleasant, Samouth. BUT, the road looks like it's starting to crack on both sides of the road (first 2 pics). The 'fill' on the sides of the road is washing away. Before too long it will be just a single lane.

Yes, the road was cracked in some part, however it doesn't really disturb the driving. I still found it so easy to ride. I am kinda superseded that they kept most of big tree. Maybe because they are Taiwanese which is different from mainlander.

one_dolla wrote:Directions would have useful

It is located in the outskirt of Sihanoukville, on national road number 4 toward Phnom Penhh. It is about 15 drive from Sihanoukville city and then to the beach it might take another 30 minutes. It pretty much depends on how fast you drive.

Sailorman wrote:Is this road before or after the Ream river bridge? Just after Ream? Parts paved/parts unpaved or all paved?

Yes if you come from Sihanoukville city, it is before Tek Sab bridge. When you see the airport, you have to turn left toward Ream beach then before you pass the airport entrance, you have to turn right on the new paved road and it will lead you to the island and the beach. I am sure you will like driving there.

Barang_doa_slae wrote:

Sailorman wrote:Is this road before or after the Ream river bridge? Just after Ream? Parts paved/parts unpaved or all paved?

You must be talking about "teuk sap" bridge wich is located about 10km after the airport on the national 4.
The road on pictures starts at "smek dai" which is the village opposite the airport

I guess you were talking about Smach Deng village, actually the village opposite the airport is not Smach deng village. It is Thmor Thom village. Smach deng village is the one close to Teuk sap bridge. So there are three different villages around that area. Smach Deng, Ream and Thmor Thom village.

Since I live close in Sihanoukville I and a friend decided to visit Ream Park. I had been there a year and a half ago and got Amebic Dysentery from the Golden/Silver Gulf Resort beach restaurant which is at the end of the road and run by a big/corrupt Chinese company.

We paid the $1.00 entrance fee at the edge of the park and drove in on the wide dirt road. We proceeded to try and find the Silver Island Resort mentioned before here. We finally found the small dirt road leading down to the "Resort." The resort was a closed down shack, a sign and a dock/walkway leading out to an island. About the time we parked a guy showed up on a motorbike and demanded $4.00 each to use the public beach. We told him that we had already paid the park entrance fee and the beach is the property of the Cambodian people and open to the public.. At this time he got very nasty and threatening. He said "You no pay, I call the police." I asked him if he needed to use my phone? Well, that didn't settle well so he got more nasty and acted like he was phoning someone. Since he may have had more hoodlum backup we decided to leave, with him still wanting $4.00 a person. What a scam this place is and we didn't get a chance to look at the public beach and public island. It should be noted that the Chinese company with the "concession" has blocked off the roads to all the public beachs (almost, more later.)

We drove to the end of the road where the Chinese owned beach restaurant is that I got Amebic Dysentery from a year of so ago. The Chinese eco-resort was empty, but there were back-hoes and dumptrucks digging up the park on roads around it. It isn't much of a resort, but supposedly the Chinese have big plans for it. The plans so far look like just logging as much timber as they can get away with and slash-burning the park/jungle. I guess when you buy the powers that be para-military guard unit uniforms, guns, motorbikes and a flow of $$$$, you can rape a national park with no one stopping you. What a shame! BTW/ This rape of a national park is sponsored by the government of main-land China.

There is one little known beach and so far semi-open entrance to a beach in Ream Park. To my knowledge this is the only semi-open access to a public beach in Ream Park.

When you get to the fork in the road where if you go straight you end up at the Navy base, take a left. Drive down and you will have the oil tank farm on your right. Keep driving on the dirt road and you will end up at a bridge. Park there and walk across the bridge. There is a sign that's says only two wheel and tuk-tuk vehicles and private road/private property. Its a public beach and can't be private property. There is a wonderful lagoon where the river enters the sea. Unfortunately the navy has been doing slash and burn on the hillside opposite the beach which looks kind of ugly. Its a nice long quiet/deserted beach, but with the usual junk/garbage that floated from fishing boats.

Hey Sailorman, sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience with the place i mentioned above. Yes it is kinda sad that Cambodians have to pay to visit places that they belong to. However there is nothing we can do for the moment. It all depends on our government. Our government leased it to them so it is up to them to decide how they want to run and do with it.

BTW, your second post, Preak Chak is a really good area. It is quite and really unspoiled. However, it is quite dirty as you mentioned those rubbishes were from the fishing boats. Recently there is a hostel at the end of the beach. They have quite a few nice bungalows, dorm rooms and bars. You should go to visit again. It is quite a good place for city getaway.

Putting aside the morality of developing inside a national park, the chinese didn't as Sailorman says "block" the roads to the public beaches but are building them from scratch. It is quite common everywhere in the world to restrict public access to roads with work in progress.
I know all the beaches from prek chas to the river mouth having walked them several times before any development happened. In many places there are wet areas right behind them and there were seldom walking trails reaching from within the park 10 years ago, easiest way was walking along the coast.

Anyway cheer up Sailorman, at least your day in Ream sounded way more adventurous and like cambodia used to be not so long ago than your last train trip report

On the contrary, the Chinese have blocked almost all access to the beach.(unless you pay.) The one beach with access I mentioned has two big signs saying that its private property. (put up by the Chinese company over a year ago.) They have illegally built a pier to an island and blocked the use of the beach at the same site. The "Roads" they are building are destroying the eco-system and I wonder where they are selling the timber they have cut? Do the people of Cambodia really need double wide roads all over a virgin eco-system? The Chinese have further plans to rape Ream and its a shame that the Cambodian system is so corrupt to allow this. Years ago the King of Thailand stopped the rape of what forests that were left by saying that if you wanted to cut down an old growth tree you had to ask permission from him and they outlawed chainsaws. Its a shame the King here won't do that. I remember when there was no "major" roads into Ream and it was better for it. Everyone knows who stuffed money in their pockets to allow the "Rape of Ream."

Samouth wrote:Hey Sailorman, sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience with the place i mentioned above. Yes it is kinda sad that Cambodians have to pay to visit places that they belong to. However there is nothing we can do for the moment.


It all depends on our government. Our government leased it to them so it is up to them to decide how they want to run and do with it.

BTW, your second post, Preak Chak is a really good area. It is quite and really unspoiled. However, it is quite dirty as you mentioned those rubbishes were from the fishing boats. Recently there is a hostel at the end of the beach. They have quite a few nice bungalows, dorm rooms and bars. You should go to visit again. It is quite a good place for city getaway.

Samouth,, just a bit of info to help you understand what the government is ''legally '' allowed to do with your country , under the 2001 Land Law of Cambodia.