I can recall countless moments during this trip when I prayed for respite from the suffocating heat and humidity of southeast Asia: during a midday move from one guesthouse to another in 100-degree Chiang Mai; in muggy Phayao where my skin felt like a sticky fly trap upon which bugs landed and got stuck; lying in my hammock in hot Don Khone and relishing the breeze from each side-to-side swing; desperately seeking out 7-11 locations in Bangkok to catch a few blissful blasts of aircon; eating baguette sandwiches under insulating blue tarps in Luang Prabang; trekking through the ancient ruins of Angkor, both marveling and melting at the same time. Again and again, I wished for a cooling off of some sort – wind, rain, a breeze, something, anything to cut through the hot, heavy air. And so, when Chris and I dared to spend a week on islands famous for turquoise blue waters and blindingly white sandy beaches, it shouldn’t have surprised me that the weather gods tee-heed from above and bestowed upon us the full force of monsoon season.
The beautiful Saracen Bay on Koh Rong Samloem.
Beach dogs marching to shelter as a rain storm swept in.
We spent a week on the stormy southern islands of Cambodia, ferrying from the port city of Sihanoukville to the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, then back to soggy Sihanoukville. Our time on the islands, although not the idyllic beach experience we envisioned, was tranquil and fun. We couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Each morning greeted us with overcast skies, dark clouds and sheets of rain hammering down from all directions. We ventured out optimistically wearing swimsuits underneath our rain jackets, hoping for the slightest bit of sun. At night, we were treated to insane lightning shows against pitch black skies; we fell asleep to the sound of rain pounding our palm-leaf thatched roof only to be startled awake by booming claps of thunder or clucking chickens finding shelter under our bungalow.
Smile guesthouse.
Despite stormy weather, we found a lot to entertain us on the island. We strolled along Serendipity Beach in Sihanoukville (Chris got stopped by Thai media to provide some thoughts on why he liked vacationing in Cambodia). We trekked cross-island through muddy trails on both Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem to explore barren white sand and yellow sand beaches. We ate beach BBQ every night feasting on barracuda, salad, potatoes and Klang beer (every restaurant served some variation of this mix). We played 10,000 (dice) and chess dozens of times as we waited out torrential showers. We walked along the beach and ducked into restaurants for coffee or 50-cent beers when the rain fell too hard. We played with the many beach dogs and puppies populating the island. When the rain stopped one night, we waded into the warm water and people-watched from our swimming spot. On our muddy hike to Lazy Beach, we saw jungle wildlife: monkeys, hornbill birds and even a fast-slithering cobra. (Yikes!)
My man looking like the rockstar that he is and getting interviewed by Thai media on Serendipity Beach.
Crawfish snacks on Serendipity Beach. Vendors peddle food and goods up and down the beach.
The one sunset we saw during our time on Koh Rong. This was from our first day after we arrived on the speed ferry.
We met some folks celebrating the launch of a new store for Artisan Angkor. They invited us to join their beach dance party, which we did for a bit. BTW, dancing on sand in the rain is a great workout!
Hiking across Koh Rong to get to Long Beach. We climbed up to the top of the island and then faced a steep descent down to the other side. Here’s one of the harder climbs down. Glad we didn’t attempt this with our packs on!
Long Beach, a 7 km stretch of beautiful, white sandy beach on Koh Rong. Worth the harrowing trek to see this untouched, yet to be developed beach.
Beach was speckled with these blue sea anenomes.
Found the yellow sand beach on Koh Rong.
Waiting out the rain at our guesthouse in Koh Rong Samloem.
Swimming to Lazy Beach on Koh Rong Samloem.
Lazy Beach
Final Beach BBQ: Baracuda, potatoes, salad, garlic bread and a draft beer, all for $3. Best deal so far!
Our time on the islands was not what we had expected or hoped for, but it was memorable all the same. At the very least, we put our Seattle rain jackets to good use!
Click below for more pics of food, dogs and stormy beaches for your browsing pleasure:
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