Back to the Beach in Koh Rong

Koh Rong was absolutely beautiful from the first moment it came into view. Not extremely developed for tourism, but with signs of looming development all across the island, I felt extremely lucky to be there when I was. Most of the other people there were either long time residents, mostly Cambodian with some Europeans and Australians, as well as backpackers similar to myself. The beaches were absolutely pristine and the sunsets were filled with pinks and oranges. On my first afternoon and evening I took a quick motorbike ride around the southern half of the island, ending up at a beautiful beach facing west for the sunset. My next day was quieter, mostly staying in the town near my hostel enjoying beers and beaches with other backpackers. About halfway through the day, the hostel owner unexpectedly invited us to join him and some of his friends in a celebration feast for his birthday. Smelling delicious meat and vegetables grilling, me and some others were quick to take him up on the offer. Everything we tried was delicious, but the highlight was easily a wonderful dipping sauce made from mostly (maybe entirely?) lime juice and black pepper. It went incredibly well with everything, especially the steak he had brought, and after all of the food head been eaten I found myself cleaning it up with my fingers. That evening a nearby hostel hosted a large party complete with burgers being grilled and games to play, so I ended up staying there late into the evening before coming back to my bed to get some well needed sleep. When I finally woke up, I met with a new friend named Ed and we shared a bike rental with the intention of exploring the northern side of the island. With a local recommendation and a hand drawn map in hand, we headed north looking for beaches and a waterfall. Though we ended up unable to find the waterfall, we wound up towards the far north of the island in a beautiful fishing town the felt entirely local oriented, as opposed to the tourist center near our hostels. Unfortunately, there was no way through heading further north, so we doubled back and continued our search. Eventually we found a winding dirt road complete with hand painted signs pointing us to one of our destinations, Lonely Beach. Helping the beach earn its name, this only land route to the beach was barely wide enough for the bike, involving river crossings and riding through sand. It was also almost 4km away from the main road, making for a hike just long enough away to keep us on the bike. Somehow we made it through to the beach, probably thanks to Ed hopping off of the bike for a particularly deep and muddy river, keeping us from getting stuck or sinking enough to flood the engine. The beach itself was absolutely worth the harrowing drive, with only two other people visible far away. We swam and chatted in the gorgeous blue ocean for a little over an hour, but eventually found ourselves getting tired and a little sunburned. Feeling content, we once again braved the ride back through the narrow forest path towards the main roads. On our way back we made a stop by another absolutely beautiful beach. Here we met an adorable black dog who accompanied us along the beach for a while, but after a little time here we were both tired enough to head back towards our hostels and the tourist center. The next day, having explored the island quite thoroughly and enjoyed some relaxing beach days, I felt ready to leave and booked my boat back to Sihanoukville, and a bus along the coast to the major city of Kampot.