Catching a ride
We had a lie in in our tents, which was in the bungalow, which was on the beach. The pair of us gathered our gear together and made our way to the main hostel. Thankfully no high water to pass this time. We downed our breakfasts, and then walked towards the dock where we’d catch the boat to Koh Rong Samloem. This was the smaller sister island. I’ve heard it’s much quieter and more beautiful than this island. As it was searing hot and we were suited and booted, we waited in the shade next to a small mini mart. The stuff in there in expectedly expensive compared to the mainland, so we didn’t buy anything.
Once the time had hit around noon, a boat had arrived and they were ushering people on board. We made our way to the boat, and got on with our gear. Once everyone was on, we sat back and relaxed on the boat that would take us to Koh Rong Samloem. Or so we thought. It turns out that this boat actually drops us off at the main beach, and we had to get off and wait there for our actual boat to Koh Rong Samloem. So Mat and I got off and went to find a seat to wait on. Whilst searching, we actually saw Mischa waiting for her boat. We waited with Mischa for some time, just talking as we normally do. Once her boat arrived for the mainland, we said our final goodbyes (for real this time). We then waited for our own boat to come.
Heading south
After some time had passed, our passenger boat had finally arrived to whisk us away to Koh Rong Samloem. It probably an hour or just over to get to the other island. Some of us got pretty wet on the way there, and some were feeling ill, because it was very turbulent. We eventually rocked up to the main beach in Koh Rong Samloem, and disembarked from the boat. The tide was kind of high, and the beach end of the pier was under water. Mat and I had our hiking shoes on, but we made a leap of faith. We just about made it to land with dry feet…just.
We walked down the beachfront and found a place to eat whilst we recuperated. After we had eaten, we tried to find the trail that would lead us to our beach, Sunset Beach. Our beach was on the other side of the island. I had tried looking at other blog posts which apparently gave duff info. I looked on google maps and found a path, so we began walking along it. That was until we saw a sign that said no access to Sunset Beach, only Lazy Beach. After having walked up and down the beach with all our gear, we finally asked someone and they pointed us in the right direction. Once we got close, we asked someone else who pointed us to the correct trail. We were finally on our way to our hostel.
Tip!
The road to Lazy Beach is a lot easier to find than Sunset Beach. Turn left from the dock and a few minutes of walk, you will see a wide open concrete path, just follow this or ask a local. For Sunset Beach, you must turn right from the dock, and there’s a subtle signpost next to a dive shop which indicates the trail to Sunset Beach and some of the hostels. Again, ask someone near the dive shop or Orchid Resort, and they’ll point you around the corner. See below for the diagram for a better picture.
Jungle run
The trail began with a walk through the jungle. There were very loud cicadas, which we were convinced was a drone flying above us at first. It’s worth noting that cicadas are noisy as hell, and also bat shit crazy (as you’ll find out later). After perhaps 10 minutes or so in the jungle, there’s an intersection where it opens up a bit, but you have to stick to the right. The correct path doesn’t look appetising however, as it consists of a small mountain of rocks that you must traverse. Our big backpacks made this even more of a challenge than it already is. This would be the world’s best cardio and leg exercise routine if you had to do it daily.
Eventually we got to the top of the hill, but we still had to go back down the same rocky terrain before we reached the beach. It was a tough one, but when we saw sand, we rejoiced. Our hostel was at the other end of the beach, but we didn’t mind because this beach was so beautiful. It’s on the western side of the island, so we get to see the beautiful sunset right as it hides behind the horizon. Our hostel was called Huba-Huba. It consists of the main bar and social area (all open plan), and a few bungalows, with a large dorm area (with private rooms) through some trees. The dorm surprised me as it was basically a large balcony with beds and bedside fans, there’s no wall in front of the beds just trees and sunlight.
Taking a dip
It was still very hot, so I took this opportunity to go for a nice and cool swim, the sea was right in front of our hostel, perfect. The water was crystal clear; you don’t see ocean like this in the UK! It’s a far cry from the muddy waters of Skegness haha. After having a dip and feeling refreshed, a liberty Mat couldn’t enjoy because of his tattoo, I got out and dried off in the Sun’s warm embrace. As I dried off on the beach, the Sun was setting, so we had to take this opportunity to watch it. It seemed that during sunset, the whole of the beach stops what they’re doing, and enjoys this spectacle in all of its glory.
Struggling for internet
Once the sunset had passed, I got dressed, and the pair of us headed down the beach to a café which apparently had Wi-Fi. There’s no 4G data signal on this side of the island, and 4G is temperamental on the other side at the best of times. This is because it’s facing the mainland, whereas our side was not facing anything. That place was closed, so we tried the restaurant next door. It was late, and the place was borderline closed, so not much food was available. However, we had a couple of large pizzas which were pretty delicious. We got speaking to the waiter who was Portuguese, but had lived in Grantham (in Nottinghamshire) and London for over 10 years. He’d come here whilst travelling, and has been working here ever since.
After having a good chat with him, we headed back to our beds and turned in for the night. We made sure our mosquito nets were fully covering us. It’s also important to note that there’s little to no electricity after a certain time, perhaps 9pm or 10pm, so it’s pitch black. Also, when I went to the toilet block, I disturbed some large cicadas and they went absolutely nuts. It felt like I was trying to dodge bullets in a war zone, they pack a punch when they hit you (by accident).
