Early morning trek
We had an early start today; we were moving to a hostel on the main beach. This was so when our boat was due tomorrow, we wouldn’t have a huge trek. Nor would we have to rush, but instead we could continue chilling on Koh Rong Samloem, right up until the last moment. We had a basic breakfast this morning, and soon after started our way to the main beach. It was already hot as hell, despite being early in the day. This of course is not helped by being suited and booted with large backpacks on.
To be honest, even with backpacks on, it was easier returning to the main beach, than it was getting here. It was, however, still a chore, one that I won’t miss soon! Whilst we were walking in the jungle, a huge lizard was in the path. Mat and I, being unsure how dangerous this way, approached cautiously, and were saved by a passing old dude. He was a foreigner and said it was a water dragon, perfectly harmless. So we watched it scuttle into the foliage and continued on our merry way.
Checking prices
Once we had reached civilisation once more, we checked into our hostel of choice. The cheapest we could find was called Easy Glamp, right next to the pier that would harbour our boat. From the beach, it was a small walk into the trees/foliage, but there are walkways and paths. It’s quite a nice and secluded area, not your typical paradise beach bungalows. It was more rustic and cosy. Perfect for chilling on Samloem. To get a boat ticket, we just went to the pier and booked our tickets directly there. Easy enough.
We also had to find tickets for buses from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh. There were several places that could provide us with this service, but we wanted to get the cheapest price around. So the pair of us walked the length of the beach, searching high and low. Once we had reached the far end of the beach, we rewarded ourselves with a nice meal at a restaurant. After seeing the prices at every shop we saw, we booked our tickets with the ferry company at the pier. These were cheapest, so it was a deal clincher for us. Despite thinking we’d have a day of chilling on Samloem, it turned out to be the contrary so far! However, we were kind of exhausted at this point, so we took this opportunity to relax at the hostel!
Seeking unexplored terrain
After some time had passed, we decided to explore the last part of the beach we had not been to. The tide was starting to come in, so we still had a good amount of beach to walk on, and creatures to gaze at. It was a nice and refreshing walk, through the cool ocean waves, as dusk was approaching. There was so much sea life here, from sea cucumbers, sea slugs, crabs, fish, and hermit crabs.
Once we had reached the end of the line, we stopped to visually explore a rock pool that was next to us. It was fascinating to see how many creatures, and how many different creatures, there were in such a small space. We both watched as a horde of small creatures descended upon a smaller creature that had fallen in battle. There were plenty of royal rumbles in this rock pool. I think it’s so important that you take the time to just slow down your life to explore and admire the little things in life. Otherwise you’ll be missing so much cool stuff!
We headed back towards the hostel and had some food at another hostel, whilst swatting mosquitoes. It was dark by the time we’d finished, so we headed back to the hostel for an early night.
