When I first arrived with Anna and Taylor, I was fighting a cold and feeling so beat up from all the traveling. I sat outside our little bungalow the first morning looking out at the ocean and could barely enjoy its beauty because I was so wrapped up in my head. I felt far removed and frustrated at my inability to let go of some things and just live in the moment. I said something to Taylor about it and she told me to run and jump in the ocean - when you're swimming in the sea, it's pretty hard to not feel present and alive. So I jumped in and made a pact with myself to just let go.
It was such a turning point in the trip. From there things just got better and better and the new friends, conversations, and experiences started pouring in. Yogi teachers, Australian party girls, non-profit adventurers, German boys, and some awesome local Cambodians who welcomed us with open arms, Angkor beers and always a joint (we found out later that Koh Rong is also dubbed "stoner island") - these new friends made Koh Rong into a place that felt like home. There was no better feeling than waking up in the morning to the sound of waves, walking barefoot to my favorite bar down the beach, Monkey Island, and stopping to chat with all these new friendly faces along the way. I savored those conversations and people, and despite the almost constant rain, I made the best of just living in the present - something easier said than done for me.
The rest of the week was filled with lounging on the beach, drinking at Monkey Island and Coco's, losing in a pretty epic beer pong tournament (a disgrace for us Americans - it came down to one cup in the semifinals), hanging out with our local Cambodian friends Linda, Stoner (aka Stona aka Boner aka Bunna - no one knows his real name), Pier, and Ti, and becoming a little family unit by sharing a bungalow with Claus and Sander from Germany, hiking and swimming to a remote part of the island and spending a day naked on the beach, gnocchi at a little Italian joint called La Mami, lots of red wine and booze buckets, a boat out to Koh Rong 2 (another island with maybe 3 tourists staying on it) with our guide Davy where he caught some squid and we immediately ate them for lunch, and some down time reading in a hammock. Apologies for the biggest run-on sentence ever.
So basically the week in Koh Rong was fantastic and I'm honestly thinking about skipping Australia at the end of the trip and going to work at a bar for a few weeks there instead. Some locals were telling us that a lot of the island has recently been bought up and theyre building resorts and an airport pretty soon. I know that kind of thing is bound to happen but it makes me sad that this little gem of a place will never be the same in a year or two. I guess all you can do is appreciate it for what it is at the moment.
Anna and I left yesterday on a pretty amusing ferry ride and spent 15 hours on busses from Sihanoukville to Ho Chi Minh City where we realized flying north to Hanoi was the only travel option (busses would take 2 days). So we'll fly into Hanoi tomorrow and check out Halong Bay and Sapa. Kind of bummed we don't have more time in Vietnam because of our flight to China but we're making the best if it!
Current ailments: Pink eye, a couple blisters, 3 giant bruises, a leg rash, sunburn and a lingering cold
Current mood: Happy regardless
Current book: Shantaram
A few photos...
Beautiful view from our bungalow
Anna on our boat trip - Davy got the squid from a passing fishing boat and we ate it for lunch
Beautiful rainy day on Koh Rong 2 - a more remote island
Our bungalow family minus Anna
The most beautiful place in the world
Amusing ferry ride with some new and old friends
The answer to what happens when you don't wear shoes for a week - cuts, bruises, and some new rash. All worth it.
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