Koh Rong Sanloem is a beautiful island off the coast of Cambodia. We spent 9 days there relaxing, sweating, and soaking in the Khmer New Year.
We stayed with a kooky Australian guy who cooked vegetable stews for us, taught us how to make peanut butter with a mortar and pestle and even made a chocolate sweet potato cake in a cast iron pot on the fire pit. It was technically a hostel but we felt more like we were couchsurfing.
One day in Kampot we rented a kayak and went through “the Green Cathedral”. It was very beautiful, but unfortunately the litter problem was much more evident here than elsewhere we have seen in this city. We were hoping to swim because it was soo hot out, but the water looked kind of gross. I did go in at one point and that was not the most enjoyable swim.. instead we went for a leisurely two hour float, drinking beer and eating bananas and mangoes (Dans favourite!!). The sunset back at the lodge we rented the kayak was from was amazing, and it was cool to see all of the fishermen head out at 5:30pm.
One day in Kampot we rented a kayak and went through “the Green Cathedral”. It was very beautiful, but unfortunately the litter problem was much more evident here than elsewhere we have seen in this city. We were hoping to swim because it was soo hot out, but the water looked kind of gross. I did go in at one point and that was not the most enjoyable swim.. instead we went for a leisurely two hour float, drinking beer and eating bananas and mangoes (Dans favourite!!). The sunset back at the lodge we rented the kayak was from was amazing, and it was cool to see all of the fishermen head out at 5:30pm.
Kampot! Where we have been happily “stuck” for over a week now. Kampot is a happy mix of locals, expats and tourists. It is set along the river, offering a nice breeze and beautiful sunsets and sunrises. It’s a small town with a nice relaxing atmosphere and some amazing foreign food options. After devouring the cheap street eats in Vietnam, Cambodian street fair does not compare, and springing for a some tastes of home is such a nice change after 4 months being away.
We have also enjoyed yoga classes, a sunset boat cruise to look at fireflies, and a motorbike ride up to Bokor mountain. The mountain is meant to be the highlight of the area, but the ride left my butt sore and my head dizzy! Dan loved exploring French ruins from the 20s and 60s but I just wanted to get back to the river and good food.
The first day in Kep we sat on the the man made beach, the main tourist attraction of the odd town. Both of us were hot, sweaty and burned so the next day we decided to sweat more but at least not burn on a jungle trek through the national park. It was beautiful, but odd in the same way as the town itself that restaurants, trails, hotels and cafes were awkwardly somewhere between opened, closed and refurbished. The famed cafe in the park we wanted to go to was closed. Empty, in fact. We couldnt tell if it was dead season, or expats had just left their enterprises. The park was beautiful but almost eery because of this, and led us to getting a bit lost. We stumbled upon what we thought was an abandoned 5* resort, even exploring an old room. Then we found people offering us cold cokes from the bar! Maybe they are trying to make a comeback? It seemed like it would have been beautiful 2 or 3 years ago but had fallen into disuse.
Our goal was to do a loop but the trail we tried to connect to was cleared, but blocked by branches and barbed wire a bit past the trail head. Odd!! On the way back Dan decided to be Dr. Dolittle and we had four dogs escorting us on the way back. They kind of made me nervous but they loved Dan, it was hilarious. People were passing us asking if they were ours. The real bonus was I wasn’t nervous for snakes, and the dogs interacted with wild monkeys up in the trees. I wouldn’t have heard or seen them if we didnt have our gang of dogs with us.
Our last day in Vietnam was spent trying to leave. What is on a map a 30 minute journey took us almost 4 hours. “Just wait” was the phrase of the day. The Vietnamese border computers were down for 6 hours, our bus was terrible, it was not a good day.
Luckily our couchsurfing hosts picked us up and we were greeted at their house by the cutest puppies!! Our hosts were Ukrainian missionaries. Dan and I were a bit apprehensive as to how the surfing experience would be but they were nothing but kind and generous, and not too pushy with their mission.
We arrived at Nam Du island with no plans. After slogging down a strange road we saw some Viatnamese Canadians we recognized from the ferry over (you have to show your passport when you board). We booked a room at the same hotel and quickly went on a boat cruise with them. Nam Du was lovely in some ways but again too much garbage. It is an island very popular with Viatnamese people and almost no foreigners. We thought this would be a great thing but it made our time on the island a bit difficult. The Viatnamese people seem to just come for one night, take tons of staged photos in planned outfits, and then leave. It made the island have a very different vibe then I was expecting. Still, we had a good time motoring around and eating delicious seafood. Again we were invited to drink and eat with some people staying at our waterfront hotel, a very memorable night and amazing food.
Rach Gia is the main port town to get to Nam Du island, our next location. To avoid an early bus we thought we’d spend one night in the town. Don’t do that. Despite being invited to lunch and beers with some locals enjoying a picnic (super fun!!), the shore of Rach Gia is literally burning garbage in some places, and at best, garbage.
We ended up grabbing food and seeing a movie. It’s about the best thing to do in a town like that. The movie was actually very enjoyable. Air conditioned, comfortable seats and yummy popcorn. We saw the Marvell movie, highly recommend it.
Can Tho was busier than I expected. The main attraction is to see the floating markets of the Mekong river. We ended up doing a 6 hour private boat ride. If I were to do it again I’d do a different option, but still we had a good time. You start out at 5:30am so we avoided the heat but I was exhausted! Oh and Dan finally got a haircut and his beard trimmed in Can Tho. Our host family said I came home with a new boyfriend.
Next stop after Ho Chi Minh was Can Tho just a bit south. We made sure to arrive in the early afternoon so that we could join our new couchsurfing host for a fishing trip to his local village! This was definitely one of the most memorable meals of my life. The fresh huge coconuts, the friendliness of the people, the boat ride through a canal to get there. It was incredible. The family was so nice and their kids were adorable. At one point the 4-year-old was drinking a can of beer(!) and cheers-ing “Yo!” with everyone, hilarious.
In Ho Chi Minh we stayed with a very kind couchsurfing host. It was crazy to see what he considered to be a quiet two bedroom. We did have some amazing food on the side of the busy and bustling street just around the corner from his house.
