Yesterday we watched the sun set from Dive Boat 1 while we chugged across the southern coast of Cambodia. We waved goodbye to Koh Rung, a peaceful island we had chanced upon to spend a few days.
We didn't go to Phnom Penh as expected, we went further to Sihanoukville, a beach town. We took an overnight bus that wasn't really an overnight bus, arriving at 1pm. Travel is pretty good in Cambodia, all things considered, but there's still an element of discomfort, delays, and miscommunication. On the mediocre paved roads, the bus shudders the entire time.
Sihanoukville is a nice enough place, the beach is lined with comfy chairs from different restaurants. Seeing, hearing, and swimming in the ocean is incredibly relaxing. The sunset is one of the best we've ever seen. Like most places out here, this seems like a very popular spot for backpackers to get hammered.
We arrived by bus, and then hired a tuk-tuk to take us into town to find a guesthouse. The first one we went to, on the water, looked busy. Went to check out the room: two rather large cockroaches on the ground. Cockroaches that would make a very big crunch. We found another place.
The next morning we go diving near Koh Rung, about 2 hours from the poor shanty town at the dock. The diving is shallow but stunning, we swim through fishies and gaze at coral. Barb says she's relieved that we have Western instructors and not Cambodian ones, and I agree.
Then we spend the next 24 hours on Koh Rung, staying at a wooden bungalow overlooking the sea. Imagine an hilly green island, too big to walk around in two days but small enough to hike to the opposite shore in an hour. Imagine a white sandy beach 8km long surrounded by a band of clear azure water, all completely empty. So ideal. Do we travel in search of some paradise destination? This just might be the closest place I've found. Right now there are maybe a few dozen bungalows centred around a small Cambodian village, so there isn't a lot of development. That said, our bungalows are new, and other visitors tell us that in a few years it'll be much busier and “just like any other island”. It's interesting to think that it's not just about where we travel, but when.
We didn't go to Phnom Penh as expected, we went further to Sihanoukville, a beach town. We took an overnight bus that wasn't really an overnight bus, arriving at 1pm. Travel is pretty good in Cambodia, all things considered, but there's still an element of discomfort, delays, and miscommunication. On the mediocre paved roads, the bus shudders the entire time.
Sihanoukville is a nice enough place, the beach is lined with comfy chairs from different restaurants. Seeing, hearing, and swimming in the ocean is incredibly relaxing. The sunset is one of the best we've ever seen. Like most places out here, this seems like a very popular spot for backpackers to get hammered.
We arrived by bus, and then hired a tuk-tuk to take us into town to find a guesthouse. The first one we went to, on the water, looked busy. Went to check out the room: two rather large cockroaches on the ground. Cockroaches that would make a very big crunch. We found another place.
The next morning we go diving near Koh Rung, about 2 hours from the poor shanty town at the dock. The diving is shallow but stunning, we swim through fishies and gaze at coral. Barb says she's relieved that we have Western instructors and not Cambodian ones, and I agree.
Then we spend the next 24 hours on Koh Rung, staying at a wooden bungalow overlooking the sea. Imagine an hilly green island, too big to walk around in two days but small enough to hike to the opposite shore in an hour. Imagine a white sandy beach 8km long surrounded by a band of clear azure water, all completely empty. So ideal. Do we travel in search of some paradise destination? This just might be the closest place I've found. Right now there are maybe a few dozen bungalows centred around a small Cambodian village, so there isn't a lot of development. That said, our bungalows are new, and other visitors tell us that in a few years it'll be much busier and “just like any other island”. It's interesting to think that it's not just about where we travel, but when.
OMG look at that water...i wish i was there:)
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