January 30/26 we took a VET Airbus (luxury bus) from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville - nicer than our airlines - seat back TV with movies & wifi, comfy seats with leg rests & an attendant onboard handing out snacks. A 3.5 hour journey, $19 each.
From the bus station to the ferry pier was an easy Tuk Tuk ride with a bit of a wait for our ferry to the island of Koh Rong Sanloem, then a 1 hour speedboat ride to M’Pai Bay on the north of the island.
Not sure why we picked this area, partly because it has a village of 300 people, partly because we could get a bungalow right on beachfront for an acceptable price. We stayed at Beach House Cambodia for 7 nights in our own 2 story (more like a loft) bungalow 75 metres from the ocean, cost $667 CAD (expensive for us). Rustic, bohemian vibe, facilities aging with not a lot of upkeep but in a lovely spot on the beach, 100 metres from the pier & the centre of town.
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View from our room |
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| Our terrace |
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| Stairs go up to a loft with a mattress |
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| Our place |
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| The overpriced bar |
We started each day with coffee on the beach, followed by exercises & walk or run thru town.
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| Dive/snorkel areas |
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| Several concrete streets in town, then just rocky & big hills |
The island has several beach areas with hotels, all serviced by generator power which goes out briefly 3-4 times per day, all supplies have to be brought in by boat, only 2 small villages on the island - we are in the smaller one. We loved the local feel - many small restaurants to choose from (& several bigger places owned by foreigners & serving more Western food), we only ate at local ones. Barefoot kids & dogs running around, playing in the ocean at low tide, everyone friendly & happy to have you there. Wooden boats coming & going at all hours, fishermen, supply boats, tours going out & tours stopping here for a look at local life. No cars, only motorbikes & “tractor carts” & some small trucks working on roads & the future power line.
The weather has been delightful, sunny most of every day, temperatures of 27-31C, humid, light breezes.
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| School uniforms |
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| Tractor “thing” |
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| Supply boat |
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| Unloading the supply boat, comes 3x/ week |
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| Locals restaurants on the beach |
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| Restaurants |
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| Massive $2 smoothies, served in Nescafé jars |
We discovered an amazing snorkeling spot that’s a 10 minute walk away, accessible by walking in over the rocks. Full snorkel gear rental $2 US for 24 hours & I was set! I tried to do videos on my phone but they didn’t turn out very well, but it was a wonderful experience - 20-30+ kinds of colorful fish, in large schools, I was in heaven!
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| Entrance to snorkeling area |
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Still shot from video, parrot fish
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The beach here isn’t very long but a 10 minute walk takes you to a long stretch of beach, nice for a stroll.
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| Our beach |
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| Our beach & some storm clouds that blew away |
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| Robin did some raking in front of our hotel |
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| Relaxing in a beach chair at our hotel |
We went out on a boat trip for the afternoon & evening - 8 of us & our trusty captain. First snorkeling, then fishing (Robin caught 7, me 0), then to Sunset Beach & a BBQ on the boat - all our fish, chicken with rice & veggies with watermelon to finish, & beer. Perfect!
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| One of Robin’s fish, they were all small |
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| BBQ on the boat |
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| A few of the fish everyone caught |
We were out in the boat for sunset, then slowly headed back, stopping to see the bioluminescent plankton - it glowed blue & “sparkled with white dots” when disturbed. They even showed up a white “lights” on your hand when it came out of the water. Only my video worked.
We have gotten into the rhythm of the island, enjoying the slowness of it, the friendly people who live here & the delicious food!
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| Myna bird |
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| Robin in our doorway |
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| Hermit crab |
We are leaving the island tomorrow & then flying to Siem Reap, Still Living the Dream!
Pretty lux bus, enjoyed the read and pictures
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