Throughout the night, I was awakened by the wild animals in the jungle. Howling, barking, clicking, chirping. At one point, the noises seemed so close, I popped up from my bed to check if there was an animal in our room.
Around six o'clock, I quietly climbed over Brooke and out of the mosquito net.
Once I reached the sand at the end of the bar downstairs, I slipped off my flip flops and left them behind. Two little puppies followed me down the secluded beach, taking a morning stroll with me. The sun was still rising and sparkled over the turquoise water below. The sea was still and smooth as glass. Not one wave crashed onto the shore. I walked along the beach until I reached a path that led to tree houses in the jungle. I passed each individual bungalow tucked away in the trees and found a whole new stretch of beach to explore. Even at six o'clock in the morning, the water was a warm as a spa. I walked along the shore until it came to a dead end with huge rocks and then looped back around.
Once I returned to the hostel, my flip flops were no where to be found. I looked toward each direction, down the abandoned beach and wondered who would steal cheap sandals. Those were the only pair I had brought to the beach. While, I wouldn't need them on the island- I had no clue what I would do for my trip back to the city.
I climbed the steep staircase back up to our bungalow and woke up Brooke for breakfast. We changed into our swim suits and packed a beach bag of magazines, sunscreen and water. Heading out for the day, we wore only our suits and walked barefoot along the beach looking for the perfect breakfast spot. I was loving island life and was looking forward to doing nothing all today but sun bathing.
We came across a bungalow a few doors down overlooking the sea, so took a seat facing the water on the bamboo chairs. I told Brooke that someone stole my flip flops while I was on a walk this morning and she frowned. The server came over to take our order and we both ordered omelettes and coffee. Propped up, overlooking the sea and sipping on our coffee, I was having a wonderful weekend. Brooke felt like a long lost friend to me. I absolutely adored her and felt so lucky to find someone as fun and kind as her. There was never a dull moment with Brooke and she was always so excited about her food, our room or our plans. We chatted about her upcoming trip to Vietnam and I talked about Chris. I'm sure I was starting to bore her with how much I talked about my boyfriend, but I was missing him terribly and didn't have access to call him very often. On top of the wifi issue, there was the fourteen hour time difference as well.
We paid our bill, and tallied up our remaining cash for the weekend. I had twenty-two dollars and Brooke had thirty-four. We learned there were no ATM's on the island and they do not accept credit cards. So here I was shoeless and about to be penny-less.
Just before heading out to the sun, my eyes caught Silvia and Lily with their backpacks. I waved to them to come join us. They walked up and told us they had just a little while before boarding the boat. They both had to teach tomorrow so were taking the morning ferry home. We told them about our money situation and they both instantly started digging through their purse, "Here take twenty!" Lily handed a bill to Brooke. Silvia handed me twenty-five dollars, "You can pay me back when you return to Phnom Penh! I don't need it, I have plenty." I thanked Silvia. Lily and Silvia were so nice to be our personal ATM machines, I don't know that I would have made it without a little extra cash. Brooke filled Lily in on my shoes and Lily then bent down and removed her shoes. "Here, you can take mine!" I refused and told her I would figure it out and she shook her head, "I have another pair of shoes in my bag, I don't need flip flops anymore. Take mine, really." I couldn't believe how sweet these girls were, taking care of us. I thanked them again, hugged them and then they head to the boat.
Brooke and I strolled down the shore to find a place to park for the day. We stumbled across two wooden lawn chairs and laid across them while Brooke passed me a Cosmo Magazine. After reading a few paragraphs of unfamiliar phrases and then reading a sentence containing, "Mum and Dad," I placed the magazine down. "Brooke? Is this an Australian Cosmo?" "Of course," she replied. I flipped the cover over and read Australian Cosmopolitan across the front. I had no idea they had different Cosmo's.
Brooke and I read to each other different funny articles or fun facts. We talked about work and love as we went in and out of the sea to cool down from the hot sun.
We took a break for lunch and then found our way back to our spot for another few hours until another massage. Brooke had yet to have one in the island and I was due for another one.
Relaxed and tan, we headed back to the hostel for a nap. I walked up the the bartender and asked if it was common for people to steal sandals on the beach. She smiled and shook her head no while explaining, "Puppies- it was the puppies that stole your flip flops. They love them. Never leave your flip flops on the sand, that's their playground!"
I returned to Brooke and told her I forgave the thief. She raised an eyebrow and I told her it was the little puppies that stole my sandals and I couldn't be mad at them. I told her I was going up for a nap and she stayed down at the bar with Tom.
When I woke up, the sun was just setting and I quickly threw on some clothes and headed down to cash in my drink tickets. A boat parked on our beach was loading with people in our hostel. I asked where they were going and they said to see the plankton. I walked up to the guide and asked if they had room for one more. She did a head count and nodded yes. I asked how much and she inched closer to me and whispered, "Don't worry about it, hop on," with a quick wink. I tip toed through the shallow water and climbed the ladder into the boat.
We took off into the sea and the sky was painted a hot, purple pink. Passengers from all countries on the night cruise, Italians, French, Germans and British. An Italian girl next to me talked to me about her exchange program in Alabama when she was a teenager. We talked a long time until I realized I couldn't even see her face anymore. It grew so dark after the sunset that you couldn't see the person next to you out on the sea.
We arrived to our first stop and the guide let us know in order to see the famous phosphorescent plankton, you will need to jump in the water. Every one slowly jumped into the night and I had to stay behind. I wasn't wearing a suit. I heard the excitement from everyone in the water and I peered over the edge and couldn't see what they were seeing. "It's not visible to the eye unless you're in the water!" the guide shouted. "I don't have on a swim suit," I explained. "It's dark! No one will see you, you must come in!" Others encouraged me to jump in the water and witness the glowing plankton but I declined. I didn't want to strip down to my panties.
Once everyone climbed back onboard and the host did another head count, the boat took off again. The Italian asked where I would be heading next and I told her I was flying to Vietnam tomorrow. She asked if I got my Visa and I replied "No, I'm not working in Vietnam." In a concerned voice she told me,"Any one who enters Vietnam must have a Visa. It takes one week to get." I gasped, "Are you sure? I've never had to get a visa for a different country. Only a work visa for Cambodia." Another guy in the dark spoke up in his British accent he explained, "Vietnam is the only country that requires a Visa to enter. You can't get in without it. You can pay more and put a rush on one at the Embassy in Phnom Penh but it takes a few days."
I sunk down in my seat. How was I going to get to Vietnam? The Italian girl went on and on about the requirement and I decided to worry about it later. Maybe I would fly back to the States or go to a different county. There was nothing I could do about it now.
"We arrived to one more stop! Jump in and see the best plankton on the island!" the guide shouted. At this point, I didn't care. My dreams of going to Vietnam were possibly shattered so decided to take the plunge. I slipped off my clothes in the dark and jumped into the dark sea. Waving my arms through the water, bright lights followed my arm like a magical wand. It was the most fascinating sight to see. As I kicked my feet below, bright colored lights moved in conjunction with my legs. I didn't even understand how it worked but it was so amazing. I swam around for a while, watching every stroke light up, until the guide shouted for us to return. I climbed up the ladder and back onto the boat.
Once we returned back to the shore, I marched up to the bar and put in another order of that delicious barracuda. Brooke wandered back from another bar with Tom. She asked how the plankton tour was and I put my head down and struggled out the word,"Boring." She hit my arm, "It was not!" My smile broke through, "Alright! Alright! It was amazing! I've never seen anything like it. I just didn't want you to feel like you missed out!" She shook her head, "I'm so mad at myself I didn't go with you. How much was it?" I put my head down and murmured, "Free." She gasped, "It was free!?" I shrieked again, "I'm sorry! You should come back and absolutely go next time!"
After I filled up one last time on island food, I climbed the stairs one last time for bed. Another night of howling animals, wild crickets and rustling in the jungle below. I was going to miss this paradise. It was back to reality for me tomorrow. Sython was taking me in the last part of the project when I returned. I knew what that meant, a packed corolla and odd Khmer food.