KOH RONG - my paradise on earth

Koh Rong deserves its own post: this place has got a special space in my heart and will stay there for ever. I arrived in Koh Rong at the beginning of January and spent on this island an entire month. In Koh Rong I understood the beauty of stopping by the same place for long time while traveling. Actually, this is the only way one has to get to know people, the place and the dynamics that go on in a country and get a real taste of how life in a different, and in this case, developing country would really be.

Plus, in my modest opinion, Koh Rong is one of the last unexploited paradises on earth and it should be visited before other interests will transform this island into just another ordinary island...

But why is Koh Rong so special? Well, first of all, in Koh Rong there are no roads, nor cars, nor scooters, nothing except people, sand, sea and jungle. For the moment, the entire island develops on the main beach where the pier is and boats arrive from the mainland. At the present, there are constructions pretty much everywhere and soon enough also other parts of the island will be full of bungalows, guesthouses and restaurants, but thankfully no roads yet. In one month, I saw already so many changes, new bars, restaurants and accomodations popping up like mushrooms and at a speed that nowadays only SEA is able to sustain. One thing I will always remember about Koh Rong is walking bare feet for the entire time: all you can walk on is sand and you have to take off your shoes when entering restaurants and bars anyways. After the first pair of flip flops got lost, I decided not to use them at all.

The only occasions I was using flip flops or shoes were when I decided to do some trekking into the jungle or go to more remote beaches far away from the main ones. In Koh Rong there are 28 beaches and 4 villages. Obviously, I didn't get to see them all, as the places are quite far from each other and the majority of the island can't be reached by walking. I saw 5 beaches and 2 villages. I was living in the main village where most of the locals live, and here I was taking care of some kids every now and then and got to know few local families who, by the end of my stay, invited me into their houses to eat with them and share some time in their company. This was a big conquer, as Cambodians are quite shy and introvert, and it's very rare that "travelers" get the honour of being invited into their private spaces. For me, things like this represented the best moments, first of all because I could feel their pleasure in having me there with them, and second because I could see how people live, sleeping on hammocks or directly on the wooden floor of their modest houses, made only of wooden planks. And still, they are so happy, living in a place where the sun always shines, in front of the sea, eating fresh fish pretty much everyday and having quite a lot of free time to relax and do whatever counts to them. I asked them if they were really happy as they looked and their answer was absolutely YES. If there is one thing I have realized during this trip, is that we don't need much to be happy. Actually, less is more. Except hot water :o) If I have to mention one thing I really missed in Koh Rong, this would be indeed hot water. On the island is pretty much impossible to get it and in the evening, when the sun goes down, it can be quite painful having to shower with cold water. Also, electricity is not always there. They cut it off between 11am and 1pm and between 2am and 8am. So, if you come home from a party during the night, you need to make sure to have a torch with you, always. Most of the clubs where parties are held have generators that allow the party to go on all night long, but when you come back there are absolutely no lights nor in the jungle (of course) nor in the village nor in the guesthouses, so having a light with you can be a life saver. Koh Rong is also becoming a party destination, there are things to do pretty much every night and for this reason you should be very careful where to book your accommodation, as the music can be pretty loud. In Koh Rong I learnt how to fish (actually, I discovered I am pretty lucky with fishing as since the first times I always caught lots of big fishes) and grill my fresh fish directly on the beach, I did some trekking which involved going down big rocks with a rope, where you needed to be very focused on where to put your feet and how to move. I also learnt that I enjoy trekking in difficult paths quite a lot, while I always thought it was not really my thing. The things you learn about yourself while traveling are countless like the things that make you stronger and, in a way, a different person from the one that left home not so long before.

In Koh Rong I was confronted with water buffaloes who walk freely on the island, slept in a wooden house where the roof just protected from the rain but didn't really close the house itself, making all kinds of animals getting freely in and out of it, swam among the plankton, which was one of the most amazing experiences ever! The more I swam during the night, the more the water was green and fluorescent, full of these little creatures that swam together with me!

The most beautiful thing about Koh Rong though, are the people I met there, who became my family away from home. I was living in a 4 room house where 3 rooms were occupied by Italians: a girl who immediately became a sister to me, a guy with a neat and straight forward mentality and me, Gaia! We made of that wooden house a real home and of us a real family. I love you guys!

I totally recommend to anyone to go to Koh Rong and experience paradise.

Things to do in Koh Rong:

- trekking to Long Beach (45 mins to 1 hour)

- trekking to Daum Skeuw village (all day)

- walk or take a boat to Sok San village from Long Beach

- fishing

- swimming with plankton

- spend some time with locals in Koh Tuich village (where I lived)

- walk from the Tree House Bungalows to the Pura Vida Bungalows exploring 2 amazing beaches

- drink lots of mango/banana shakes

- buy local cookies

- take a slow boat to Koh Rong Samloem (next door island) and spend a day there. This island is very quiet, there are only few bungalows so, if you like this kind of scene, you might wanna spend a couple of days there

- enjoy Koh Rong to the fullest!

Where to stay:

- Dina guesthouse (Koh Tuich village)

- Tyty guesthouse (Koh Tuich village)

- A Village Project (Police beach)

Where to party:

- Police Beach

- Sky Bar

IMPORTANT:

In Koh Rong there are no ATMs, so take some cash with you if you want to avoid paying extra commissions to get cash advance or having to go back to the mainland. I wish I had known this before :o)