A 3 hour tour...

Life's a beach! :)

Ok, so I promised you one last adventure in Sihnoukville. As I mentioned, we did some exploration of the local offshore islands. By explore, I mean of course that Jess and Eric took lots of photos, while I had fun scrabbling my way into the boat. 

EHP. See the rusty, rebar ladder? Right.

What do I mean by that? Well, let me do some backtracking. You see, we were met by a gentleman while sitting out under an umbrella shortly after we arrived. This man promised us adventure, photo opportunities, and good food... all for 'a very special price for you'.

Right. Make notes here - when negotiating boat rides to and from islands, always check the details before you sign on.

What? Unsafe? Why, nothing could be further from the truth. ;)

Detail 1: How many people are going with you?

Answer: You will be told 6-8 and you should expect closer to 15... or maybe 20 if we're doing this Cambodians-on-motos style.

Detail 2: Where will we board?

Answer: Assume it's at the nice, newly built dock a few yards away. In reality, you'll be boarding in the nice, wet ocean, a few dozen yards offshore.




Detail 3: Will I get wet?

Answer: "No, just up to your knees." - This will be said to you while a crew member is heading out to the boat and is subsequently swallowed by a mammoth wave. Well, my knees did get wet....

Near-drownings and wishes that we had actually worn bathing suits aside, the trip out to the islands was quite pleasant. We stopped at one of the closer islands to allow our boatmates to hop out and snorkel a bit.

Helllooooo! Can you hear meee? Cooommmee baaaacckkk!

We found out in very short order exactly how many of our boatmates were strong swimmers (none) and how many would flop around like an octopus caught in a bowl of Jello (pretty much all of them). Hilarity ensued, and eventually the boatmaster started throwing ropes to them whenever people went out swimming.

Welcome, to Jurassic Par... oh, wait. Wrong island!

The island itself was incredible. For the most part, it was wild, untamed jungle broken apart occasionally by serene beaches.

One thing I really want you all to understand is just how utterly beautiful everything was. The ocean was a gorgeous sapphire blue, with patches of coral reefs lightening the tone to emerald in places. The islands themselves were a contrast of thick overgrowth and gentle sands, with the surf beating out a steady rhythm. You cannot stand with your feet in the sand and not marvel at creation. Truly, make this a must-see should you ever visit.

Best kind of fork in the road, yeah?

Our next stop was bamboo island, where we were directed to once again enjoy the hospitality of the rusty tetanus-trap of a ladder. I opted to jump off the boat instead. What? Can you blame me?

Just imagine looking at this from your beach chair and hearing nothing but waves.

After a quick setup, the intrepid photographers left me with our belongings to seek after the perfect lighting.



Me? I have an iPhone camera. It has 2 settings - clean lens, and dirty lens. :)







Many of the pictures you see on this post that look so professional were either my wife, or Eric. There's some great places to spend your day with a camera on these islands, and it shows.

After a nice lunch of BBQ'd Barracuda and some sun-warmed fruit (my mouth waters at the thought), we headed on a 10 minute trek through the wilds to the other side of the island.

What did we find there? Was it giant, soft-shelled turtles laying their eggs? Was it a half-frozen boy clinging to a raft? Were there survivors from a plane crash and a smoke monster?





Sorry folks. This ain't National Geographic, LOST, or a remake of Titanic. All we found was a secluded beach and an abandoned ex-hippie-commune.





Not that it's any less exciting. You see, there was NOBODY on this beach. Empty grass huts and an old firepit, sun, surf and sand. It was a sunbather's dream!




When you come, take the tour. Take the hike. It's very, very worth it.

One of Jess' awesome photos. It looks old, but 4 of our English compatriots managed to pile on without breaking it.

We sauntered around for a bit, snapping pictures and enjoying the ocean breeze. I even made a friend...

Eric's photo. Note the lack of shyness in this crab.

This lil guy loved me. So much so, that he just had to touch me... with every claw, pointy leg and feeler he had. He also liked to hug with said claws, which is one reason why he didn't make the trip home with us.

We ended with a short trip to another snorkel spot, where we watched some very-tired passengers re-attempt the swimming thing. Still funny, just slower.

Well, that ends our journey to Sihanoukville. We had a blast, ate good, good seafood, and got burnt. What else can you expect in a great vacation?

Next up, I have a three-legged elephant I want you to meet. :)