The Cambodian Coast

 

After the go, go pace of hitting so many tourist spots and the larger cities, we were ready for some downtime. From Phnom Penh, we headed to the town of Kampot. This place was recommended by several other backpackers we had met and served as a nice waypoint on our way out to the islands. We originally had three nights booked, but ended up adding on another two. This isn't a spot with any particularly notable tourist stops, but we found some mini-adventures nonetheless. 

We took out a motorbike to visit the pepper plantation and the nearby Kep Crab Market, where we learned that you can eat green peppercorns off the plant. And also that they are delicious. After several attempts at trying to explain to leave out the fish sauce and a shaky understanding that he got what I was saying via google translate, I YOLO'ed and tried the Crab with Kampot Pepper sauce. 

Another outing included Bokor Mountain and National Park, which utilized Johnny's amazing moped skills to get us up the mountain on a very curvy road. He was passing like a local in no time. I clung to the back in a sort of terrified awe at his abilities. At the top of the mountain, there is an interesting history. It's eery to walk around these abandoned mansions and old palaces from the 1920s to 1950s that allude to the European resort community it was before. The resort fell into ruins when the Khmer Rouge took control, and the abandoned palaces would later serve as a holdout for the political group as late as the 1990s. We did see a lot of construction and development looking to restore it to its formal glory of the French Colonial resort days. 

Unfortunately, disaster struck on our last day in Kampot. It started with some tummy rumbles from me early in the morning but quickly devolved into us tagging each other out to gain access to the toilet. Here is where I should also note that, in an attempt to save money, we had changed locations when we decided to add on additional days in Kampot, from our comfortable, AC, hotel room, to a dingy private room in a hostel with no AC or hot shower. Needless to say, it was a lot of lounging about in front of the fan that final day. 

After Kampot, we took a train and a ferry to get to the first of our two island destinations, Koh Rong Sanloem. There are two main islands to visit, one substantially less developed than the other, which we opted for first. There are two main areas to stay on the island, both only accessible by boat as there are no real roads on the island. We couldn't decide between the two, so split our time between both. We first headed to M'Pai Bay, the "backpacker" destination, and let me tell you, a backpack is 100% necessary to get up the rocky, eroded, uphill climb that took us to our hostel. 

Snorkel spot in M'Pai Bay on Koh Rong Sanloem, Cambodia

My first impression was the heat, but that was soon forgotten when we saw the view from The Cliff. However, it was then quickly remembered as soon as we sat in our non-A/C cabin-type room, complete with a life-saving fan and a mouse friend (that first we tried to do battle with, but then resolved to live with peacefully after a draw). Apparently, they also wanted to ensure that only those with the most balance and agility made it to the room, as you had to climb what I lovely referred to as the "death stairs" to access the private dorms. We were expecting the heat and the bugs of the first night to be the norm during our stay, however, a strong windstorm came through that night and, although it did some damage to the shoreline businesses, lingered with winds throughout the next couple of days that brought relief from the temperature and beach bugs. 

After a few relaxing days of snorkeling and enjoying the view, the highlight being a night snorkel to see the bioluminescent plankton, we boarded a boat to head to Saracen Bay Beach. We fortunately made the water journey and what would be the only calm day, as the windstorm picked up again that night, creating a storm surge that dominated the beach, which happens to also be how you get around in Saracen Bay. There was no point in even donning footwear to go out for dinner as you had to walk in the surf to get from one business to the next. 

From Saracen Bay, there are several small hikes you can do, including a lighthouse with island views and one of the nicest beaches I've ever seen (and I've seen some beaches in my time). Lazy beach was featured in National Geographic in 2020 as one of the 21 best beaches in the world, and I think only covid and the lack of traveling the past few years have saved this little gem. We saw big machinery and development all over the island, leading me to think that we'll be some of the last backpackers to see this little island in its current charm. 

Our last stop in Cambodia would be just a short boat ride to Koh Rong Island, the "big brother" to the quieter Koh Rong Sanloem. Similar to the previous island, we decided to split our stay between two different locations, first Koh Touch where most of the hustle and bustle are, then a long, sweaty walk down the beach and through a water crossing with our luggage (all in the name of saving $15 on a taxi boat) to Long Set Beach, also known as 4K beach. Our days here were spent looking at the water from the shorefront restaurants and bars and some relaxing beach time before biding adieu to Cambodia to return to Northern Thailand. 

View from on top of the lighthouse, a hike from Saracen Bay on Koh Rong Sanloem