In
this constantly shrinking world, there is an ongoing, almost panicked search amongst hardcore backpackers to discover,
and hopefully keep to themselves, the newest, undeveloped, inexpensive, unknown, off-the-beaten-trail hot spot to which
they can disappear in heavenly bliss. Prague, Goa, Phi Phi, and countless other quaint, undiscovered locales all
had their moment in the sun, their brief rise to hip backpacker paradise and hippy nirvana before the rest of the world
caught on and arrived in en masse. With cries of “there goes the neighborhood,” such places quickly
fall from grace and the search continues anew.
Alexander Lobrano of the International Herald Tribune thinks he has learned about the next great place:
Sihanoukville, Cambodia. This isolated beach town south of Phnom Penh, has everything one desires for an escape;
good food, spectacular beaches, and decent accommodations. And not many people know about it.
Of course, once a new, hip destination makes it to the travel section of the International Herald Tribune,
I have to question just how hip and cool it really is. Lobrano’s account, however, still makes the place
sound extraordinarily appealing, but he warns that things will soon change. A four star hotel has already been built, and renovations at the local airport are
underway. Lobrano, however, estimates we (i.e., cool backpackers) still have a few years to enjoy Sihanoukville
before direct flights from around the world turn it into just another Cancun. In the meantime, it still belongs
to the hippies.