Day 40

Phnom Penh > Koh Rong

After waking up, we packed and checked out before walking towards the travel office where our bus was leaving from. On the way we stopped at a small bakery for a little breakfast. When we arrived and checked in, the bus office was directly next to a shop which was much better than the one in Siem Reap. I got a drink and a decent size loaf of banana bread for surprisingly cheap. We boarded the bus and I happened to be sitting front and centre next to our driver. As we drove I chomped on my banana bread and became ready to wake our driver up as he kept looking like he was about to drift off. Luckily, he kept using his phone to keep himself occupied. I've officially decided I don't like buses in Cambodia.

When we arrived in Sihanoukville we had to get down to the pier to get to Koh Rong. A very enthusiastic taxi driver was right on it when I got off the bus and was telling us 30,000 Riel to get to the pier, claiming a very hilly journey. Trying to get him to slow down and not wander off with Alfie's backpack I quickly checked the prices on Grab where a TukTuk was only 7,400. It didn't take long for him to agree to that price, so we go round the corner to see his falling apart car with more cracks than windscreen. For some reason he gets all 3 of us in the back than letting me sit in the front but it is what it is. He takes us to an ATM on the pier, as there were no ATMs on the island and Alfie and Daisy needed money. He happily waits around so I take the opportunity to ask him what happened to his windscreen and he said that he parked under a coconut tree and gravity did the rest.

We arrive for the boat at the perfect time and paid $25 for a return. After waiting a little we boarded the boat and took the relatively short journey over, where I let Duolingo pass my time. We hop off the boat and go to our hostel which was directly off the pier - completely different to where the pin on Booking.com was. Oh well. We check in and luckily they cancelled our accidental double booking free of charge. Alfie and Daisy were in a private room but I was in a dorm. These were more basic than the dorms I had been in before, with no curtains and a grimy bathroom but there was only a few of us there and a couple hostel cats roaming about - one of then in Alfie and Daisy's room.

We grab some water and lunch on the beach - finding some not too overpriced fried noodles. Koh Rong was semi famous for its glowing plankton but needed very little light pollution so we set our sights on Long Beach so we could catch the sunset and then hopefully catch the glowing plankton. There were 2 ways there - along the road which went in a big loop around the coast or a mystery path that went directly there. Feeling adventurous we headed towards the path on Google Maps hoping for the best. It started off okay until we were trekking uphill into the jungle with almost no sign of a path. We got a bit further up and found a bit more of a clearly defined path that headed in the right direction. This was definitely an adventure. Trekking through overgrown jungle following the feint beaten path, it was hot and I was doing this foolishly in sliders - not expecting to need my trail shoes. We must have spent about an hour walking through, where I kept thinking about all the possible bugs that could end up all over my exposed legs and arms.

We get to our first sign of tourism, where we see a sign that says "Welcome to the Stone" which sat in 2 halves nailed to a tree on top of a stone. We could also now see the opposite coast and hear music faintly in the distance. After weighing up the different routes, we scrambled our way down this rock - finding the path once again. We had also spotted a few millipedes chilling which were funny but also a little freaky. After kicking a stone (which really hurts in sliders) we finally join the road and make our way onto the beach.

The sand was insane - super white and fine that it literally crunches beneath your feet like snow. There was not many people on the beach but we still headed down to an emptier spot. We swam around for a while - refreshing to wash the sweat away and chilled as we watched the sun start to set and light up the sky. Chilling in a hammock I started to believe we might actually be in for a sunset for once as the sea shone amber. And as quickly as that, it fell behind a layer of haze / cloud (I don't really know) and it was gone. We wander a bit further down the beach to some deck chairs that were definitely not meant for us but the people in this nice private resort but we commandeered them anyways. In and out of the water we chilled till the sun set for real and it was dark. Unfortunately, with the moon and the resort there was probably still too much light. Fortunately though I finally got a response to my Jonathan Conville Alpine Course application, which was successful! But now I have the headache of getting there a week before I planned to solo.

Giving up on our chance to see the glowing plankton tonight, we decided to head back - this time along the mostly flat and concreted road with street lamps along the way. Turns out I didn't need my headtorch after all. We eventually got back and went back for some dinner and a fruit smoothie. It wasn't long then till we went to bed. A quick side note, the water from the sink and toilet was yellow?! Disgusting!Read more