All alone at Koh Yor

The deserted beach at Koh Yor, a few kms out of Koh Kong

All alone at Koh Yor beach, near Koh Kong

I've always loved beaches and the sound of the sea, especially locations where you find yourself virtually alone as Tim and I did on our recent trip to Koh Kong. A few kilometres over the main bridge out of Koh Kong town and then head south to Paklang commune and fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the deserted Koh Yor beach. Just how I like it. The wind was up, there was a slight drizzle in the air and the beach didn't look its best but it was devoid of people and the sound of the ocean, and the occasional seagull, was music to my ears. It's a long, narrow, secluded, white sandy beach with a couple of small seafood shacks including the family-run Crab Shack, though the recent rain had meant the locals would stay away until the weekend. And if I was a collector of sea-shells I would've had a field day, as the heavier seas had washed up literally thousands of shells of all shapes and sizes onto the beach, many of them I'd never seen before. The track behind the beach was waterlogged so the locals were using the beach as their pathway and a couple of families passed by on their way home. We didn't stop long, maybe half an hour, before we continued our exploration of Koh Kong and its surrounding area.

A secluded, narrow strip of sandy beach at Koh Yor

There was a hint of rain on the wind as we enjoyed the solitude at Koh YorAt the far end of the secluded and empty beach was the wooded headland

A couple of families walked by on bicycles as we rested in a hammock

Back thru the door

The view through my window at Rainbow Lodge at 6am this morning as the sun peered over the hills and across the river

Just through the door at 2pm, five hours on the Virak-Buntham bus (paid $8 instead of the usual $11 that barang pay) and the end of my short but sweet Koh Kong adventure. We (that's me and my brother Tim) left Oasis Resort on Monday morning and headed out to the village of Tatai and a one-night stop at the eco-friendly Rainbow Lodge. It was pissing down with rain so we got very wet as we paid a whistle-stop visit to the new 4Rivers Floating Eco-Lodges on the bend of the Kep River, before arriving at Rainbow. After lunch, and bedecked by brilliant sunshine, we went canoeing to the Tatai waterfalls and had an early(-ish, 11pm) night amidst the bird-calls of the surrounding forest. Quick word on the hospitality and food at Rainbow - excellent. A very enjoyable five days in the Koh Kong region, with more pictures and lengthier reports to follow.

The adorable Srey Roath and me at the fishing village of Koh Kapik. We were walking through the village, she grabbed my hand and next minute, we were eating food at her mother's stall.

The children at Koh Kapik were great fun and this game of It's A Knockout in the pouring rain was a real joy

The rain stopped for a minute allowing this photo at the Oasis Resort in Koh Kong. LtoR: me, Jason (proprietor of Oasis and all-round nice-guy) and Tim.Catch of the day at the Muslim fishing village a couple of kilometres from Koh Kong town

Visions of hell on the rocks at Wat Neang Khop, just over the bridge at Koh Kong

On rough seas

A near two-hour boat ride from the mangrove swamps at Peam Krasaop to a fishing village on stilts at Koh Kapik, through pretty rough seas, and interaction with villagers for a couple more hours before we braved the elements again to return, was the definite highlight of our trip to Koh Kong so far. On reflection, with some waves bigger than the boat, it wasn't the best time of year and conditions to make the trip, but I'm so glad we did, and made it back safely. Odom, our boat skipper, did us proud and Saren and her family, especially her daughter Srey Roath, kept us entertained and fed whilst we sheltered from the driving rain at Koh Kapik. On the way back we even spotted a couple of Irrawaddy dolphins at the mouth of the estuary and some white-bellied sea eagles as we returned to the mangrove forests at Boeng Kayak, the location of a 1km mangrove walkway, that we'd walked before our boat trip. We started the day a little after eight am and by 4pm we were at Sunny Beach restaurant back in Koh Kong enjoying some ban chow pork and salad pancakes, as the rain continued to pelt down.

Border runnings

Just back to Oasis for an afternoon swim after a meat pie and chips at Fat Sam's in Koh Kong town. We were up this morning early doors to take a look at the Thai-Cambodian border at Cham Yeam with Jason from Oasis. I needed to get the low-down on the border crossing for business purposes and after Jason paved the way, we crossed over to the Thai side, wandered down to the small boat jetty, walked back over no-man's land and then had a look at the Koh Kong International heli-pad. After we were done, we carried on by moto with Lucky, who took us to a couple of pagodas and the Koh Yor beach on the way back into town. I'd heard a few bad words about Koh Kong before I arrived but everyone has gone out of their way to be friendly and accommodating, especially Jason and Sam. The weather has been overcast so far today but the pool looks inviting so I'll give it a whirl.
Had an hour in the pool and it was warm even with the rain falling. The weather got worse, the mountains were cloud-bound but Jason has a few stories to tell and with his pool-table, large dvd collection, high-speed internet access and drinks on tap, there's enough to wile away a few hours. Think I'll have red snapper for dinner.

In Koh Kong

We made it to Koh Kong, even though the Rith Mony bus left half an hour early this morning from Damkor market, broke down on the top of the Pich Nil Pass and it rained throughout. The road has already deteriorated quite badly in places so the driver sped up and slowed down constantly as pot-holes appeared in the rainswept windscreen. The road needs attention. We're staying in the Oasis Resort just outside of town where Jason, the owner, is a mine of information and a real nice guy. Its a pretty nice place, quiet bungalows with a pool and at a good price too. We took a moto - my driver was called Lucky - around town to get a feel for the place, which was interrupted by a couple of quick showers, so we called into Bob's Place for a chicken breast in breadcrumbs - very tasty. There were quite a few foreigners wandering around town too. This is just a quick update, more details and photos to follow once I get back to Phnom Penh.

Coming up...

My liver is getting prepared for a bashing as my brother Tim will be flying over from dear old Blighty in the middle of next week for one of his regular visits and brotherly-bonding sessions. We normally get out and about and this trip will be no different. His visit at the end of March saw us take in Kratie, Preah Vihear and Banteay Chhmar amongst other highlights, as well as that 11-hour arse-numbing moto ride from Stung Treng to Tbeng Meanchey. I'm not sure my rear end has fully recovered from that experience. This trip will be a two center affair, split by my birthday celebrations back here in Phnom Penh. 1st up will be a trip to Koh Kong, my first, to suss out a few things to do with my day job at Hanuman. Not sure that October is the best time to be visiting Koh Kong but we shall see. Then its back to the city to celebrate my 5oth, yes you did read that right, my 50th birthday. Yes yes, I know I don't look older than say 35 but its my half century on 15 October and I'd better get used to it. After a day or two to recover, we are heading for Thailand, but rather than do what everyone else does and high-tail it for the beaches, we'll be going in the opposite direction to the Isaan region in the northeast specifically to hunt down the Khmer Angkorean temples at Phimai, Phnom Rung and so on. It's been on my wish-list for a long time and I'm finally getting around to doing it, with a 1-night stop-over in Bangkok on the return journey. To say I'm looking forward to it, is a massive understatement.

Floating tented villas

Just met with Valentin Pawlik, the man behind the new 4 Rivers Floating Eco-Lodge that he's building in the lee of the Cardamom Mountains, on the Tatai River, 20kms from Koh Kong city, on the southwest coast of Cambodia. Its a unique and futuristic accommodation development for Cambodia and should be open in November. 18 luxury safari-tented villas will be on floating platforms alongwith a floating swimming pool and restaurant, on the bend of the river, three kilometres from Tatai village. Away from it all and surrounded by nature will be the theme. It's also just fifty kms from Chi Phat and the Wildlife Alliance eco-tourism project there so worth considering combining a trip to the natural attractions at Chi Phat with a stopover at 4 Rivers once it's up and running. Construction is underway, the platforms will be pieced together soon and the tents are due to arrive next month. The local populace at Tatai village will be building and manning the resort. Visit their website here.