Koh Rong (Sanloem) - Island Life

After pretty busy three weeks in Cambodia (Battambang, Angkor Wat, jungle trekking, dolphin watching, genocide memorial), it was finally time to slow things down and enjoy some island life.

The islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem are a perfect location for it - apparently Cambodia's answer to Thailand's beautiful beaches.

I visited Koh Rong first as it has the (in)famous Nestival on Saturdays - basically a big beach party that starts with drinking games at 3pm and runs until deep into the night. It was good fun, but probably not really my scene in terms of the music. After Nestival I spent a few days lazing on the beach and soaking up the sun before it was time to change islands to Koh Rong Sanloem, which is much more chilled out.

And that is what I did. Waking up, going to a makeshift gym (weights are actual stones), reading, doing some life admin, sun lounging and tanning was on the agenda. Beach BBQs at night, where you can choose the fish, crab or prawn that you want BBQ'd also added a nice touch.

On the last day of the island, it was time to get a bit more 'active' and I signed up for a boat trip that included snorkeling in the clear water, fishing (we caught five small fish), watching the sunset and having a small BBQ on the boat.

However, the highlight was jumping into the water when it was dark (bit scary to be honest), turning off the ship's lights and swimming with glowing planktons in the water. When moving, the planktons start glowing and it genuinely felt like Christmas under water, while, when looking up, you had a clear view of the stars. It felt really magical and was a perfect end to my week on the two islands.Read more