After a long and good nights sleep we were up naturally at the crack of dawn. The sun was out and only with a few scattered clouds. With the weather looking to be on our side we made the decision to get out of nookville (as its nicknamed) and jump onboard the 8am boat to Koh Rong Island.
2.5hours later we docked at the tiny peer on Koh Rong Island.
Koh translates to 'Island', and I can only guess Rong translates to 'Awesome'!! Turquoise waters and miles of white sand beaches, with only a handful of accommodations to choose from. The island is quite large, similar in size to Hong Kong in fact. The island is pure jungle except a few beach huts dotted just off shore, and a small village (by small I mean 10 huts whereby only a several locals live).
No roads, not even a dirt track. That means not scooters and no Tuk-Tuk's!! Off the pier and we attended a informative talk about Koh Rong while eating lunch and having a beer. The new beer today was called Klang costing $1 a can.
Coco Bungalows fitted the bill for a bed: a short climb to a straw hut, with a private bathroom, a deck with a hammock and a sea view to die for. An affordable $12 a night!!! (See picture).
After checking in, and depositing some well needed laundry, we headed for the beach.
Bath-water warm sea, soft white sand, and the sun is shining. At least it did for a while. As it did yesterday, midday bought the rain. Today it only lasted 20 minutes though. Once the rain passed the afternoon sun beamed down and it was super hot! We took a stroll to the end of the beach, we swam and also sorted out some plans for tomorrow.
Once the sun had dropped we hiked back up the hill to our hut for a much needed cold shower and some hammock time for Siobh to finish her 2nd book of the trip (of which she tells me both were VERY good, if anyone needs any good reading recommendations? 'Lost in the Jungle' by Yossi Ghinsburg and 'A Million Little Pieces' by James Frey).
Our dinning experience for the evening was enjoyed sat on some low-rise relaxing lazy-boy chairs, toes in the sand, and the ocean inches from our feet. Veggie curry, fried rice, a fresh baguette, and an ice cold beer!
With Siobh feeling a little unwell (definitely a case of sunstroke), we headed home before the beer pong championships started.
In bed and it's hot, sticky, the insects are loud, and its dark! The island has no power at night; it runs on a generator during the day and is turned off in the evenings. That means no fan, let alone air-con!
Our one night island visit has just been extended, for at least for one more night.
I think we may have found paradise spot #3.
Stay tuned...!