Koh Rong and Koh Ta Kiev, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Koh Rong, Cambodia

On our last day together Alex, Christina, and myself headed on a day trip to Koh Rong. The slow ferry is 2 hours and $5 each way. It leaves Sihanoukville at 9 AM. There is a speed boat ferry for $10 each way that takes about 40 minutes. We didn't do the necessary research on the island but we just wanted to go. Apparently, the place to see on Koh Rong is Long Beach. This is a massive, temporarily undeveloped section of beach that is a 40 minute hike through the jungle. This place is full of campers and partiers. From what I have heard, it is an amazing time. Also, from what I've heard is that there is construction beginning there, so the oasis won't last much longer. In addition to that, the campers and partiers have apparently left the beach a filthy mess of trash (which is a bummer). Maybe once it is developed, they will figure out how to properly dispose of trash. I noticed a lot of trash and construction on Koh Rong in general, which are two things that hamper any island buzz.

Our 2 hour ferry to Koh Rong

This guy was cooling off with a swim in his boxers. He's a little shy. 

Lang ho! Koh Rong, Cambodia

The island apparently has 40-something kilometers of beaches out of a 60-something kilometer total coastline. Beaches on Koh Rong are not hard to find. We took a left off the pier and walked for about 15 minutes until we found an amazing cove. We camped out here for a few hours and then took the 3 PM ferry home. I was tempted to stay the night and hike to Long Beach but I wanted to head back with the girls and see them off on their night bus to Siem Reap. 

A couple of days later, I decided to spend a night on Koh Ta Kiev. I heard it was like being on a deserted island if you stay at the Last Point. I booked a $5 dorm and the boat picked me up from Seagarden at 11:30 AM.

my bed at the Last Point in Koh Ta Kiev

The Last Point on Koh Ta Kiev Island, Cambodia 

My dorm on Koh Ta Kiev Island, Cambodia

This path leads to the other side of the island where there is an Absinth distillery. 

The brick oven pizza at the bar/restaurant was not even kidding, some of the best pizza I've ever had.  

Map of the island

Jack fruits! 

The Last Point is away from the tourist side of the island and it is completely peaceful. They have a shaded and magnificently designed bar/restaurant/common area with hammocks, music, cheap beer and amazing pizza. If you find yourself in Sihanoukville and you want a relaxing island experience on a budget, the Last Point is the place.

Our captains taking us from Koh Ta Kiev, back to Otres Beach. 

Hammocks!

If you have the money, I heard the best and most secluded beaches are to be found at Koh Rong Samleom. You can stay in boutique yet rustic bungalows or I hear you can camp as well if you can get yourself there. If you just want to party and don't mind roughing it, I think Long Beach on Koh Rong is koh right for you. Either way, do yourself a favor and schedule some time to get off the mainland. I wanted to spend more time on the islands, but I had heard great things about the river village Kampot so I wanted to spend a few days checking that out before heading to Siem Reap myself. 

Next stop, Kampot. 

Koh Chang

Koh Chang, Thailand

We arrived in Koh Chang after an hour slow ferry ride from the port near Trat. We negotiated a price with the pick-up trucks with benches in back (taxis). It was more expensive than we thought it would be. I think it was 150 baht each to get us all the way down to lonely beach. The roads on the island were pretty windy, steep and narrow.

Our beautiful vessel to Koh Chang

Um... whatchu got there?

This guy had his... rooster out in the open.

We arrived at lonely beach and walked up a steep hill away from the beach (and noise) to our rooms at Oasis Bungalows. This place was absolutely incredible. We approached a massive wooden structure that served as the restaurant, front desk, and hang out spot. There was a view of the ocean above the trees and plenty of thai pillow cushions to go around. They even had a treehouse attached that gave a much better view. We spent some time chilling up there and soaking it all in. Christina had an amazing deluxe bungalow with AC and Alex and I had a Jungle Bungalow that was only 450 baht and really nice as well. Our Jungle room was pretty rustic with a fan and outdoor bathroom. However, it was so well designed that it was perfect. It was built high up off the ground so no frogs, spiders or bugs disturbed us. I highly recommend Oasis and specifically the Jungle hut if you are on a budget. Koh Chang itself is also surely worth a visit to escape the heat of Bangkok.

The path to our Jungle bungalow

The treehouse at Oasis Bungalows, Koh Chang

View from the treehouse

Lonely Beach, Koh Chang

Monkeys on a wire

That day we headed to lonely beach. Alex set up the hammock and we spent the afternoon in and out of the water. It started to look like rain so we headed back. We had some delicious pad thai at the restaurant at the bottom of our hill, changed and went out to see the night scene.

There were two main streets running perpendicular to the beach that were full of bars with happy hours and live music. Some even offer free bbq if you buy a drink. We settled on a place with live reggae (of course). It started to rain which prematurely ended the outdoor live music. When it seemed to have stopped we decided to look around and see what else there was. As we walked past a chill looking Bob Marley themed bar it started to downpour again so we jumped in for cover. The place ended up being as relaxed and comfortable as it appeared and we were happy with the timing of the rain. When it cleared up, we headed back to our huts.

The next day we rented a motorbike and went to White Sand beach. This beach was a lot prettier and cleaner than lonely beach and we had a great day of it. Once we realized the sunset was going to be a dud, we headed home for dinner and an early night in preparation of our early trip to Cambodia the next day. 

Next stop Otres Beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.