Bamboo Island

I'm terrible at keeping secrets. Ok, that's not entirely true. Before you get your panties in a knot, let me explain. I'm good at keeping other people's secrets, I just suck at keeping my own, especially when I'm so excited about it. By far, my favorite time in Cambodia was my trip to Bamboo Island (Koh Ru). I guess it's fitting that two of my favorite people were the ones who suggested it to me…THANKS, JOE and STEVEN!!! I hate to tell you about this place for fear that it will become touristy, but here I go. The boat ride to the island is about an hour direct and costs $10 roundtrip including bbq lunch and snorkeling stops. Snorkeling was alright, some cool coral reefs to see but the water was quite dirty and the visibility low so not the best. Arrived at Bamboo island around 11am and my boat group gathered for relaxing on the beach before returning in a few hours. I was one of only two others who stayed on the island and experienced the true beauty of the place. After a delicious lunch of grilled barracuda, I ventured off to my side of the island.

There is absolutely no way I could capture the essence of the place with words but I will do my best. The island has literally NOTHING on it. There are only two restaurants on the entire island. One on the side where the tourists come for a few hours, and one on the other side, where we stayed. Both of these places are bamboo tiki style and are run by the only people who live on the island. Other than the sleeping bungalows for us, there's nothing more here!

To get to the other side of the island, it was a 10 minute walk through a jungle path. I didn't see a single being while walking there and was hoping I had taken the right path (the only path I saw) but, luckily, I had. My reservation was for a $3 dorm bed, but upon seeing the beauty of the island, I decided I wanted the FULL tranquil experience of a private bungalow. So, I splurged. It was $15-20 for a private bungalow and it was worth it! Luckily, I made friends with two German girls, May and Meike, and we split it. Our bungalow was the second to last one away from the restaurant (there are only 15 on the whole place) so we were about as private as you could get. It was very basic living---Wooden structure, no glass in the windows, a door that didn't properly close, and shared, camping style bathrooms with the rest of the island. Nonetheless, it was paradise (especially with the hammock on the porch)!

With no infrastructure on the island, no boats, no jetskis, etc. the only noise was the crashing of the waves. I've never heard them so loud and it was amazing to wake up to, fall asleep to, and relax to all day. I enjoyed it so much, I only listened to my ipod for about 20 minutes during my whole stay. The only other noise you could hear on the place was the odd squeaky sand when you walked. We giggled every time we walked, listening to the squeaks. It never got old.

So we've covered sounds. Now onto sights. Again, it's impossible to capture the magnificence of the island with words. You can look at my photos and see for yourself-- White sand, clear, WARM water, coconut trees, and nothing more-- pure bliss. At night, the stars were bright and the algae glowed in the water. Night swimming (not an REI reference) was amazing as the algae only glows when you move. Yup, just like the movie, "The Beach"--Pretty cool stuff!

There was only electricity on the island from 6 pm- bar closing so fruit shakes were an evening treat instead of breakfast. At dinner, everyone charged their electronics on the one power strip at the restaurant. There was one USB internet stick for the island to share. Being here was like being at adult summer camp for lazy people. The most activity anyone got was playing volleyball or soccer. The most action I saw was walking back and forth form my beach to the restaurant to eat (food was delicious but took forever) and narrowly missing death by a falling coconut as I walked back to my bungalow one night. Other than that, my days were filled with eating, reading, eating, reading, eating, hanging out, and sleeping…perfect! I read 2.5 books in 3 days! I really enjoyed meeting new people (and running into Johnny, Hywell, and Peter there). Nights were spent listening to the islands good taste in music, watching friends play drinking card games, sucking at trivia nights, and if you're a dork like me, washing your clothes in the ocean (I loved it!)

Again, much like "The Beach," there was an unspoken sense that we were all a part of something special and that we should keep it secret and appreciate it as long as we could because we didn't know how long something like this would last. Unlike the movie, the journey to the mainland is less than an hour away so people go back and forth in a day when they need to be productive or pay off their rab on the island (yup, they're that nice and trusting to let you pay when on the mainland with an ATM).

Unfortunately for me, my paradise only lasted a few days. I did fall victim to the islands mantra "One More Day" but it was still too short. The mood on the return boat was somber as no one wanted to leave but was lightened when Johnny realized he left his wallet and camera on the island. He had to swim out to meet Steffano (who had gone to get them) in the water and swim back with his hand up out of the water. Made for a good laugh.

Back on the mainland, we met my Dutchies for a final meal before we all parted ways. Jay, May, and Meike and I set off for Phnom Pehn and had an uneventful bus ride… for once (wasn't sure those existed in Asia until that). I had to re-train myself to wear clothes and shoes since I had lived barefoot and in a bikini for my time on the island.