Pushing the envelope .... Sihanoukville to Koh Rong !!!

Yes, the episodes of Survivor (I am proud NOT to ever having seen a single one ;-) that aired in the spring season of this year were all filmed on Koh Rong.  And NO, there is no internet access.  That is one of the reasons why I decided to visit there.  Call it an experiment in dependency management ;-)


Any other reason for visiting there?  

Try this one:

'nough said? 

I thought so !

Since there is NO internet, the post up to here was written while I was still sitting in my FCC suite in Phnom Penh on the evening of November 13th and on the morning of the 15th.

5:30 am. I've used the gas cooker I got from Mark to make coffee. There IS electricity in the bungalows, why don't they just use an electric kettle?  Gas to give the rustic feeling?  Actually, one of their dinner options has something to do with table 'bbq', so that's what these things are for originally.

Today is the day.  I'm going to be dropped off on a deserted island.  LOL, yes I can do melodrama well ;-).  No it's not deserted, but I just read yesterday that the electricity that will be available there will be generated by the owner's solar panels.  JUST MY KIND OF PLACE. !

Not even crowing yet !  Or is it a girl?

5:40 am. During my first smoke break I see a fat and dripping wet wallet lying right in the middle of the courtyard.  
5:45 am. I've found a way around the bar to get to the beach.  Just in time.  The reflection of the Super Moon coming over the waves is serene.   


















A dog followed me from the road with a wagging tail. At first I want it to get out of my shot, but then I think 'oh why not?'.  His tail wags even more rapidly after I thank him for the posing and tell him he's going to be famous, LOL.

6:30 am  I called Grandma and delve into the ocean. I go a second time with the camera because the sky's reflection seen when one's eyes are just inches above the water are 'different'. LOL   The water is noticeably warmer than the outside air. Since the air temperature is somewhere between 25 and 27 Celsius, what does that say about the water?

So, was it worth it wading with a camera ? LOL

I think so ;-)

Finally get to wear my Cambodian pants !
And I will finally figure out how to wear them 'bulge-free' a few days later ;-)

7:30 am. Breakfast time.  I wish there was a no-shirt-no-service policy here.  Having a 20 year old perfectly tanned and very well-shaped woman in a tiny bikini walk by not further than 50 cm from your elbow is a bit distracting, to say the least. Also a bit odd, somehow.

 9:30 am. Check out and the owner has called me a Tuk-Tuk. Out here on Otres Beach one sees the strange fancy tuk-tuks. Not the cart pulled by a motorbike, but a cabin installed on the loading area of a small pick-up truck.  

9:50 am.  The first snag in this tourist paradise.  The ferry company says they can't bring me to my deserted beach but only to the popular spot on the island. 

This is Cambodia. NOT.

 Reason?   I'm the only one going to that beach (oh YESSSSSSS ).  I might have to take a taxi boat around the island.  Half an hour later, I'm still the only customer but showing them an e-mail from the hut owner changes their mind, they must have a deal with him.  So I will be the ONLY ONE being dropped off at that endlessly long pier I have seen in pictures. Why is the pier so long?   Because the crystal-clear water remains very shallow over the brilliant white sand for a long distance.

Stop day-dreaming.  I'm still on the main-land in Sihanoukville !  Time to walk on that pier.

Oh look!  An island !

11 am. The ferry is supposed to leave now.   OK, ferry is the wrong word for these speed boats from hell.

Even the engines on this 'slow' boat provide a healthy kick in the spine when the boat gets going

11:25 am. They just put me on another boat.  I point at the sticker on my shirt and they nod. Ah well, if it's not the right boat I get a free cruise out of it.

Yes, they're all younger than me

I have a soft spot for cheap dye jobs, LOL  On the return trip his hair will be black again

jeunesse doree fruits

12 pm we are nearing a jetty.  I check my GPS. Wrong island.  Only 4 people stay behind.  

I'm finishing this post on a dreary dark cold rainy day in Vancouver in December. Can you IMAGINE how much these images would hurt, IF I wasn't going BACK there in less than 2 weeks ?

NOT my crowd !

Another jetty.  2 people are left.

 Same Island. Another jetty. I'm the only one left of the original passengers but 5 tanned people board the boat.  And then the fun begins.  

 12:30 High-speed to Koh Rong.  

That's what 7 km of pristine beach look like from a distance

 12:50 I'm the only passenger getting off at Suk Son village and I hear people mumbling about the beach. And boy is it ever a beach. There is no road here, just a narrow cast-concrete path with speed bumps for the maybe 5 scooters on this part of the island. 

A 'fancy' place along the way

Another 'fancy' place. I wonder where I'm going to stay ?