Cambodian Island Retreat: Koh Ta Kiev, Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem

After a few days in Siem Reap, I was excited to be heading for the islands in southern Cambodia. 

When Sean and I decided to head for the islands from the mainland, we had no idea what to expect nor any particular direction in mind. Luckily, he asked around at our hostel, and found three other guys who recommended and wanted to join us to Koh Ta Kiev.  

Arriving in Koh Ta Kiev

We set out for the island on a snorkeling tour, and after diving for the afternoon we convinced the captain to simply drop us off and leave us on the island.  

After hiking with our packs through the jungle for a bit, we found a treehouse bungalow for rent for the night.  Initially the bungalow wouldn't comfortably fit all five of us, but then after hanging two hammocks to accommodate for everyone, our week in secluded paradise began.

Sean and I hiking through through the island to our Treehouse

We initially agreed that two nights in this island paradise would be nice, but two quickly became six.  

Our Treehouse Bungalow Home

All I can say for those days and nights, which were absolutely lacking in any normal amenities (though there was minimal electricity and water), is that I couldn't have been happier.  

From the huge bonfires that the boys built on the beach to trekking to the Absinthe distillery (I thought that was only made in the West), the week was perfect.  Each day was dotted with swimming, fishing, new friends, endless card games, live music, laughter, reading on the cozy balcony, and just relaxing.  

On Wednesday afternoon, we heard that there was going to be a Full Moon Party on Koh Rong Samloem, a nearby island, the following Sunday.  Knowing that we all wanted to head that way, but at a loss for how our "island life" levels of motivation would ever allow us to coordinate such a migration, we decided to discuss logistics over dinner.  

We didn't want to make any hasty decisions.  We needed time to reflect and think about our options.  Suddenly, there was too much going on.  We decided to take the night and think. 

Then we re-discussed our options the next day. 

And the next. 

On Friday, after a busy day of making sure all of the hammocks would sufficiently support afternoon naps, someone received horrifying news - we might have gotten the Full Moon Party day wrong.  All this talk of planning for nothing!  Was the party Saturday or Sunday?!  No one knew. 

Frantically, we gathered the troops for a quick meeting.  

"Seriously, we don't want to miss it!" someone solemnly started.  "We really should go check this Full Moon party out!"  This was met with passionate cries of affirmation from the group. 

Then it was decided for the fourth, and final, unanimous time: yes, let's go tomorrow.  

Now that our week's biggest challenge was settled, we once again retreated to the shaded hammocks to relax after the stressful afternoon.  

Then on Saturday, we, along with two island additions to our travel family, mustered all of our strength, donned our backpacks, and headed back through the jungle to catch a boat to Sihanoukville.  From there, we got another boat to Koh Rong, where we arrived early Saturday evening.  

To say we were proud of our accomplishments was an understatement!  After we arrived, we set off down the beach to find a place to stay, and then began to celebrate our relocation.  

The Full Moon Party, which turned out to be on Sunday night, was extremely fun!  With our group and other travelers we met, we danced and partied the night away.  Before we knew it, the sun had risen and it was time to return to Koh Rong and finally rest.  

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You're Never Alone When Traveling Solo

I have backpacked alone before.  My first experience was a few days in Prague, Czech Republic and then in Kiev, Ukraine back in 2011, but I was only "on my own" for a few days before meeting up with friends.   I also studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina "alone", but with university classes and a host family I do not consider that leap of faith very extreme.

This March was my first "solo" trip that I had planned, or at least roughly sketched out during a break between classes one balmy afternoon in Chiang Mai last February.  Armed with the knowledge from an amazing new friend in Chiang Mai who had spent time in Cambodia, as well as the quick tips offered by a professor who had visited previously, I decided the month of my 26th birthday would be spent in Cambodia.  This would be my first trip "alone".

My Cambodian Map for the Journey

As I stared at my black and white print out of the country from the university library, I grabbed a pen and started writing Temple names, useful phrases, currency exchange rates and circling the major cities that I hoped to visit.

Ta Phrom Temple in Siem Reap

Although that one sheet of paper gave me the confidence necessary to leave my new Chiang Mai University family at the end of the month, I found that I didn't rely on it while traveling.  I again relied on the suggestions from new friends, bunk mates, and locals to make my itineraries, which usually changed as the day went on - always for the best.

Night Out at Angkor What? in Siem Reap

Whether it be on the side of the road while our bus driver decided to stop for a smoke break, or at a new hostel Happy Hour, I have met so many travelers that I cant say that I've been alone at any point yet.  

Fresh Crocodile at our First Cambodian BBQ

Traveling with little more than my backpack and open mind has allowed me to visit places that are definitely off the beaten track.

By taking small leaps of faith and being comfortable to explore new cities "alone" I have bumped into more like-minded travelers than I had ever expected.

Now - about 21 days, 8 boat rides, one attempted half marathon, 7 bus rides, one fake border, 3 islands, one Full Moon Party, at least 10 tuk tuks, a crocodile BBQ, 5 motorbike rides, 4 hostels, one treehouse, many new friends, and countless amazing memories later I can confidently say that those recommendations and tips, along with the advice and tidbits from fellow travelers has been spot on - Cambodia has been great!

Sunset in Paradise in Koh Ta Kiev

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Siem Reap: Angkor Wat & Bayon

One of the main tourist attractions in Cambodia, and throughout the entire region, is the Temple of Angkor Wat.  From the national beer, Angkor, to the flag with the temples as it's emblem, the temples are the national pride and joy, and for good reason: they are magnificent!

Angkor Wat Temple before Sunrise

The temples are considered one of the man made wonders of the modern world, and bear the scars that share both the glorious and, more recently, tragic national history of Cambodia. 

I think Cambodia wanted to make amends with me from my less-than-thrilling initial bus experience because when I came downstairs at 5:00 AM to leave for the temples, I was thrilled to see that another hostel goer was heading to the temples.  Mary, a fellow American traveling solo, was also planning to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat so we decided to share a tuk tuk and the day together.  

Heading out of town, we started chatting and couldn't have gotten along better!  Mary had traveled throughout, and fallen in love with, South America (one of my all time favorite regions for those who aren't aware), and had great travel suggestions for me in South East Asia.  

We enjoyed the sunrise over Angkor Wat, exploring the expansive Buddhist and Hindu temples of the compounds, and endlessly chatting about life and traveling. Another highlight was touring the off limit areas with a local who helped us climb to the top of the Ta Prohm temple, which was used in the filming of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.  We were enjoying our photo shoot when he suddenly hissed at us to jump down because the guards were coming. Turns out not even Angelina was allowed to be in that part...at least we had taken a few great pictures and seen the incredible views! 

After a few hours of exploring, we were ready to return to the hostel, but Cambodia had another surprise for us: a crocodile BBQ with our tuk tuk driver and a few locals from Siem Reap.

When he asked if we wanted any crocodile as we were leaving the temples, we initially thought he was either insane or having some very serious translation issues, but after playing a quick game of charades we realized he was inviting us to his friend's home for a feast.  One quick glance at our radiant smiles from the invitation, and he knew we were all in.  

We stopped to purchase lemongrass, coconuts, steamed rice and sweets so as not to arrive empty handed, and then we headed across town unsure of what we would find. 

Mary and I both were ecstatic that we were going to have the opportunity to experience the local culture and get to see a proper Cambodian home and BBQ.  

It was such a fun afternoon!  We enjoyed the delicious crocodile and local Angkor and Black Panther (continually reminding me of Anchorman) beers with the neighbors who came and went as they heard about the festivities.  We had a great time playing with the little ones, and they enjoyed taking hundreds of selfies and pictures of one another with our cameras and iPhones. 

All too soon, our afternoon came to an end and we said our goodbyes, hoping that the entirety of my time in Cambodia would be sprinkled with authentic experiences like this one. 

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Welcome to Cambodia

After deciding that Cambodia would be my first adventure within the region, I packed my backpack and jumped on a bus to begin my adventure. 

Initially, I had intended to travel throughout Cambodia and Vietnam during March, but as the days progressed I realized that it was an absurd idea, especially since I intended to savor my time on the road. 

I took a bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, then another bus from there to Poipet (see below), which is a small town on the border of Thailand and Cambodia.  The bus ride was quite animated and, for those of you who have traveled on a bus in South East Asia, witnessed a range of emotions from this traveling ginger.  Between the absurd number of passengers getting on and off, the irrational and all-too-frequent smoke breaks taken by the driver, the blaring Bollywood-esque film, the nonexistent air flow, and the (obviously expected) breakdown of the bus, I was not feeling very confident about my upcoming travels.  

The 28-hour adventure was speckled with moments of self doubt, but I decided to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation instead of calling it quits after one day.  Before long, I had become friends with a Brit and two American passengers who also found themselves in similar mental states of delirious entertainment at the constant cultural confusion and general disorganization of the situation.   

After a few more hours of chatting with my compadres, we arrived at the border in Poipet.  After an interesting immigration experience involving a fake border, a marital proposition and paying the visa fee, as well as the expected bribe to the officers, I was finally in Cambodia! 

After my overwhelming experience there, I decided to see what other travelers thought of it.  Now usually I am not the biggest Lonely Planet fan, but I felt inclined to share their description of the place as "the armpit of Cambodia, notorious for its squalor, scams and sleaze" because it described my experience exactly.  If you're interested, I also found a pretty accurate YouTube video of the border crossing.  Although it's a few years old, it shows an accurate picture of what I saw, which was quite a mix of "old world" and "new world" Cambodia.

When I arrived in Siem Reap on Saturday evening, I was beyond thrilled to enjoy a cold beer at the hostel bar before heading for bed. Thank God and Buddha I made it in one piece!

Preah Promreath Pagoda in Siem Reap, Cambodia

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