The next day Ro and I headed down south to the beach village of Otres 1 whilst Sarah and Dan made their way separately to Kep. Ro and I were staying at the aptly named ‘Mushroom Point’ just over the road from the beach. It was a hectic couple of days relaxing on the beach, drinking iced-coffees, swimming and doing a few yoga classes.

Otres 1 beach.

The bungalows at Mushroom Point on Otres 1.

The dorm room at Mushroom Point.

Ro left the next afternoon for the island of Koh Rong whilst I stayed another night to wait for Sarah to arrive. We’d booked four nights on a nearby island called Koh Ta Kiev at a place called ‘Ten103 Treehouse Bay’.

http://www.ten103cambodia.com/

The island and Ten103 was a 45 min boat ride away and had no running water, limited electricity, no WiFi and a fair number of bugs. We couldn’t wait to get there! We were met off the boat by some of the team who ran the place, a very fun and friendly bunch of people. Our accommodation, ‘Crab Shack’, was a bamboo thatched bungalow on stilts located right on the edge of the beach and the jungle. The only drawback to this idyllic and isolated location was that it was about a 4 minute walk from the main bar area and the loos. We however quickly got used to the little trek back and forth along the jungle tracks and our fear of encountering any snakes eased with each trip.

The way to Ten103 Treehouse Bay.

Crab Shack!

Crab Shack nestled between the beach and the jungle.

Crab Shack – Our beach side bungalow at Ten103.

Sunset from the beach just outside our bungalow.

The track from our bungalow to the main bar.

We spent the days lying on the beach, swimming, going for walks, getting lost on walks and snoozing on the deck. Evenings were spent chatting to other guests, eating great food and sinking a few beers. One night we went for a swim to see the phosphorous plankton – it was a magical experience, the water glowing and sparkling around me with every movement. On our final night we visited the local absinthe distillery on the island…our stumble through the jungle back to our bungalow was pretty amusing that night.

The view from the deck at Ten103.

The bar at Ten103.

Well stocked at Ten103.

Long Beach at Koh Ta Kiev.

The local fishing village.

Kids from the local fishing village.

Kids from the local fishing village.

The absinthe distillery on Koh Ta Kiev.

Preparing the absinthe.

…and relax.

After four nights however I have to say I was ready to head back to the mainland. I was a grimy mixture of insect repellent, sand and sun cream, all my clothes were damp and I didn’t have any clean knickers! Sarah had to get back to Phnom Penh to start her journey home while I had two further nights at the beach at Otres 2. We said our goodbyes and promised to meet up in London. Although we’d only known each other for a week, it seemed like we’d always known each other – we even once got mistaken for sisters. Although I’m a happy solo traveler, it’s wonderful to meet and spend time with others and I was thankful for the very fun times shared with Sarah, Ro, Dan and Amy.

Shanti Shanti on Otres 2. 

The view from my bungalow at Shanit Shanti.

The view from Shanti Shanti.

Written from: WYCA Colombo, back in town after a brief visit to Kandy for my birthday!

Classic colonial style at the YWCA in Colombo, Sri Lanka.