Koh Rong – Monkey Island

Half way through our time in Sihanoukville the four of us decided to take a trip to Koh Rong, an island just off the coast of SV. You can reach it via a 2 hour boat ride, and despite the extra expense of accommodation and higher prices of food on the island, it’s completely worth it.

We stayed in a resort called Monkey Island, which is the sister of Monkey Republic and just as fun.

There is not much I can really say about this place, I think the pictures of the idyllic beaches describe the paradise that is Koh Rong far better than I could depict.

The view from a restaurant on the island:

me looking ginger:

snorkel fun in the sea:

the frog and roast beef:

yes me lizard:

passed out on the beach:

my view most of the time in Koh Rong:

boat houses:

the guys playing volley ball:

All four of us stayed in a modest little hut right on the beach, which was cramped and boiling hot most of the time, but hanging out in the hammocks on our porch while drinking a cold beer and listening to the waves lap the shore made up for it.

The view from our balcony:

Our evenings were spent in one of the few bars on the island, playing chicken eyes (of course) and chatting with the other backpackers that were enjoying the same paradise as us.

Uno:

My Frog nomming a fishie:

Cosmo:

a spot of chicken eyes me lion:

the guys cracking up, probably something to do with chicken eyes:

ring of fire ruins lives:

party frog:

roast beef and frog ❤ :

Come 11pm all the electricity on the island was shut off, as it ran purely on generators. With this and the modest nature of the cold water communal showers, plus our little hut it made you feel like you were in an episode of ‘Lost’. Upon the lights being shut down we tended to spend the rest of the night smoking, drinking and chatting on the beach, laying on blankets and basking in the moonlight. It was special.

n.b – this blog features images by the photographer Steven Branscombe 🙂

Don Det and 4,000 Islands

Don Det, what a beautiful place. On the boarder between Laos and Cambodia it’s the perfect stop over to chill at after Laos, and before the chaos of Cambodia. This is the second time I have visited these islands in the Mekong, and will no doubt not be the last.

The main activities on Don Det are as follows:

1. Rent a bike to explore the scenery. Although Don Det is small, to tour it on foot in the heat of the sun would be a bad decision. Plus, it got me to grips with how to ride a bike again after a few years. Amusing for my little French cyclist.
2. Rafting and kayaking in the river (which Emma and I did the first time round) extremely fun, especially upon capsizing after hitting a tree.
3. Relaxing in a hammock. This is the main activity in which we immersed ourselves. Everyone needs a hammock in their life.

On the first night we decided to delve into a spot of Don Det nightlife (if you can call it that) and so we tried to find where the other backpackers were drinking – in low season, this was not that easy. Instead we chatted with some highly drunk, extremely high locals. Nice, but intense. After bucket number 1 we left the bar, indulged in a spot of hammock time, and then bed.

On the second day after breakfast we began exploring the island by bicycle. After the first couple of hours I got the hang of it and we were on our way.

We managed to explore almost all the sites on the island, including south east Asia’s biggest waterfall (in terms of the volume of water, which in wet season is A LOT.)

We also found a little ‘beach’ just by the waterfall where we shared a beer with the locals and chatted about travel and culture. Very fulfilling.

After an excellent lunch overlooking the river, we continued our little bike tour around the island to try and find the second waterfall. Somehow we managed to get lost (of course)

and soon enough we were in the middle of rice paddies and farmland with mean looking water buffalo eyeballing us.

On the approach to yet more fields we stop to rest and drink some water by a little farmhouse. I notice in the corner of my eye that one of the scrawny looking chickens outside has something in its beak; a mouse. A half dead mouse. Fascinated by this carnivorous chicken I alert Adeline to this newly discovered phenomenon. We both stood staring at it run around and peck at it for quite a while.

Having noticed that darkness is closing in, and we are still lost we move off homeward bound. I get a little tap on my leg and hear a tiny little voice say “pen, pen!”

“Pen” is the universal term that begging children say to mean “do you have anything at all to give me?” but it actually refers to giving kids pens and paper for writing and schoolwork.

The only thing I had on my person that I could give to her was the elastic band for my hair. She seemed extremely pleased with this, and in return also gave me a “pen”; the half dead mouse. This she presented to me like a proud cat accosting it’s owner at 5am. She placed the mouse in my hand and trying my best not to be impolite I gratefully accepted it. And then laughed a lot. At least it wasn’t dangerous or poisonous.

After offering her the mouse back ‘to feed the chicken’ she took it and then placed it in my handbag where it ran around a lot until I could fish it out (or take a photo). Sadly this little escapade was documented in ‘mind camera’ form only. Open your eyes and ‘click’. Otherwise I would have posted an image.

Later that night we had some additional hammock time and prepared ourselves to enter a new country on the following day.

We were crossing the boarder into Cambodia! Exciting!!