Speedboat to the promised (is)land

After my early crashing, 3 am doesn't seem to be too early to get up.

Tree, curtain, and hammock

The booming and annoying young music from Serendipity is still going. It's almost inaudible inside my room but on my deck outside it disrupts my trains of thought.  The music will still be going on by 5:15 am, when I walk down for an exploratory beach visit. One bar staff is already sweeping the premises, but they don't look ready for business yet.

The music dies at 6 am.  The sudden silence is eerie.  So this crowd stays up until sunrise and then sleeps all day?   Odd, but then I don't really care. I'm leaving for Koh Rong today.  Hints in Julian's e-mails have me in trepidation that peace and tranquility have diminished there as well, but at least I will have a very swimmable ocean right in front of my beach hut.  That makes up for a lot of things ;-)

I get a fabulous HOT and STRONG Americano at the bar.  The woman serving it is visibly happy when I give her 2 thumbs up after she inquires how it is.

6:45 
The silence is SO NICE.  THIS is why I came here.   All the idiots are asleep and one can finally hear again the gentle lapping of the wavelets against the rocks in the water.

The serene peace and quiet are overwhelming.  The light breaking through the clouds only adds to the feeling.

  Let there be light !

This baby came galloping for pets when I called it ;-)

At 8 am the sun hits me and the sink laundry on my terrace.  While this is fabulous for the laundry drying efforts, I realize that I am far from acclimatized because I start SWEATING, LOL. On the other hand, my back is barely giving me issues again and neither are the other joints that were still aching a week ago.

8:30
Time to do the shopping.  I can't find moisturizer but at least I should be fully supplied with a hat, cigarettes, wine for 2 days, mosquito repellent, and instant coffee. I'm going to an island after all. Better safe than sorry !

9:15
What happened to my WiFi????
Oh, power failure again ;-)
When I ask the French proprietress whether she will turn on the generator again, she replies that it is too early because she might wake her guests. LOL.  Am I the ONLY one rising and setting with the sun?????

10:10
I'm outfitted with a Buva Sea neck hanger and a pink Sok San sticker.   I've been informed that the ferry will only take me to Coconut Beach and that the rest of the journey will take place by CAR!   

?!?  Looks like I'm getting an island tour for free, LOL.   An ADVENTURE !

Serendipity Pier is busy.  Speedboats coming and going....

At 11:10 I am on one of those....

New Chinese Casino & Hotel.   HIDEOUS 

The crossing takes half an hour and we are travelling with the wind, and consequently with the waves.   The first stop is Koh Touch.   The party town on Koh Rong.  I've read bad things about it but this is the first time I've laid eyes on it.   

Where are you supposed to swim????

Most of the passengers leave the boat and we get a few new ones boarding, indubitably headeding back to Sihanoukville.

Next stop Coconut Beach.

After 2 minutes of this part of the journey (in parallel to the wave crests and troughs), the guy behind me puts on his life vest.   There is no need for that, me thinks, but I hold on to the seat back in front of me to prevent one of the crashes into a wave trough causing my teeth to connect with said seat back. 

It's ROUGH sailing ;-)

Coconut Beach.  Time for me, a Mother-and-two-daughter Swedish family, and a few locals to get off the boat.

The Swedish teenager is pulling a large roller suitcase behind her and I can't resist to put on a smug smile and  ask her about 20 meters before we hit the sand: "Is that a ROLLER suitcase?"
But even I don't yet know HOW UNSUITABLE that suitcase REALLY is.   We are now following the driver, who before the sandy spot shouldered the bloody suitcase.

Where is the car?   Right behind the resort?


NOPE, we have to traverse an extended mud flat

Is the car at the end of this?

NOPE, we have to climb up THAT HILL !

I don't know how the small-framed Cambodian managed to carry that bloody suitcase all this way, because I'm already wheezing.  But then I just carried 4 bottles of wine up that hill in addition to the rest of the luggage.

The 'road' is not exactly in the shape that I expected. Rocks, water-eroded gashes, and flooded sections alternate with nice driveable sections like the one below.  Average speed? About 25 km/h.

The driver finally stops at the end of the wide main road close to the French resort, a 4 minute walk from my beach hut. 

Strangely enough, I feel motivated for tipping the driver, even though the drive is included in the ferry ride.  The owners of the suitcases don't seem to feel any similar compulsion ;-(

I hear Julian's voice when I enter the 'reception area' and my call of "Mr Cooper !" is rewarded by a big grin on his unshaven face accompanied by a big hug.   Instantly I am subjected to a beer and a brief 'what's new session'.   

While Julian puts the finishing touches on the hut to be occupied by the Swedish family, I move into my hut and take a few pictures.

Home, sweet home for the week ;-)

After I swim and a change my clothes, we get into more details of what happened during the last 9 months.   I switch to the wine I brought with me.

After 5 hours of drinking and finishing my bottle of wine, I'm exhausted.

I hit the mattress at 7 pm, for a minute I mentally curse the British Teenagers making a ruckus right next door, and am out cold after that.