Monday 17 June 2013

Koh Rong Long Beach, Cambodia June 3rd 2013

This walking the plank business gets more precarious with each visit to Koh Rong Island! Today's visit has a specific goal - Long Beach, said to be remote and in pristine condition. Access via an hours hiking through jungle or by local boat from the village.Eager to spot some native wildlife its has to be the hike for me.

Through the village, up between the piles of garbage and observing the local mamma's preparing food among the squalor - I certainly wouldn't eat anything around here! Follow the flip flops according to the notice, Long Beach this way as the steep climb upto the plateau begins with the aid of a rope and some well anchored tree vines.

Somehow I've managed to upset a pair of hornets, big bright orange, menacing creatures buzzing around as if getting ready for the kill! Any thoughts of wildlife spotting are ended as I need to make haste and avoid a nasty situation getting worse. Thankfully the trail leads into some rather dense vegetation at which point my adversaries seemed to give up the chase - oh well, that's 1 to me!

Down to the Long Beach via a series of ropes and roots, pretty steep and quite precarious in places - not recommended for persons of a nervous disposition as the drop is almost vertical should one slip. The beach is indeed Long, white sand and yes, pretty clean although not perfect. A handful of western tourists hanging around the accommodation area, about 6 bamboo shacks set back into the jungle.

Some garbage, washed in from Thailand and a stale water pool, not enough to detract from the feeling that this place is indeed remote, an empty wilderness that boasts a certain exotic feeling so far undiscovered. Large shoals of fish surprisingly close to the shoreline easily visible in the crystal clear water - time to join them I think.

A boat ride back to the jetty is welcomed since I didn't relish being chased by hornets on the return hike. $5 and a 20 minute slow boat ride offering views of the islands untouched jungles and forests.























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