Koh Rong/Koh Rong Sanloem
The last island I’d stayed on was all the way back in Koh Phangan, and while I’d appreciated a change and a chance to let new tattoos heal, I recently found myself itching to get back to island life. I’m not sure I could ever live on an island permanently, but somehow the relaxed energy sits well with me while I’m there.
Koh Rong and it’s smaller sibling, Koh Rong Sanloem are what I imagine the southern Thai islands were like 30 years ago. Tourism is clearly the biggest industry here, but the tourist infrastructure is limited and has been build to sit within the nature, rather than on top of it. It was a really special feeling to have my feet in the sand, no matter if I was sitting on the beach, eating at a restaurant, or walking back to my hostel. Very unlike me, I often found myself leaving for the day with no shoes, because it was inevitable I’d end up carrying them more than I wore them. I spent whole days lying on the pristine sand, with occasional dips in to the clear water to refresh myself, reading and chatting to friends. It was peaceful, restful and I loved it.
The highlight of Koh Rong was undoubtedly Nestival - an all day, all night, in to the early hours festival run by The Nest hostel, at one end of Long Set beach. At first there was a spring break kind of vibe to it, and I was concerned that it wasn’t the right place for me. As the night went on though, the music improved and Erik, Noïah and I met Lexie and Andrew, and then Hélène and Anne, and we formed a group of likeminded people. We danced for around 12 hours straight, losing and finding each other, and at around 6am we settled down on the beach to watch the sun rise together. It was the best night out I’ve had since the start of this trip and new friendships were forged.
So strong were the bonds created that night between Hélène, Anne and I that I decided to join them travelling to Koh Rong Sanloem for a couple of nights. We spent almost all of our time together, eating delicious food, lying on the beach, and wholesome evenings making bracelets. Hélène - big on craft - gave Anne a necklace and me a bracelet she’d made at home, and I in return gave her the mask and snorkel that had been given to me by Nicky in Langkawi. There was also a boat trip, the highlight of which was sea fishing, and eating the fish we’d caught (I caught three, although felt a little bad about it), although a heavy lightening storm soaked us and forced our boat to immediately head home. As Anne, Hélène and I head in three different directions, I’m sad to lose them as travel companions - we’ve made a very warm group. I’ll really treasure both the bracelets and the memories. I hope we find a way to see each other again.