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.