With the mission behind us, the local Cambodian missionaries went home, the US-based Cambodian missionaries went to visit families in their home town/village, and some of us went to different parts of the country. The rest of us headed to the beaches on Koh Rong island for a 2-day/3-night stay at the Ryta Beach Bungalow and Resort. Though it took us almost all day to get there, it was worth it in the end. We arrived just in time to witness a beautiful sunset. The beach was stunningly beautiful. It is west facing, white-powdered sand that makes the sunsets pop, gentle waves, and warm waters...a Caribbean man's dream.
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| The Bungalows are cozy and have the luxury of air condition and hot showers, with a nice porch to relax. |
On day 2 on the beach, we took an all day boat ride around the island, stopping at various beaches and eating lunch at a local island village (it is reported that no foreigners live there).
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| All aboard... |
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| The outboard motors on these boats are very different from what we are used to. They are mounted on the sides of the boat and have a very long shaft at the end of which sits the propeller. |
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| We passed numerous houseboats |
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| Lonely Beach |
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| The water of Lonely Beach is very shallow, clear, and warm, but unfortunately, the snorkeling was not as crisp and corals and fishes not as pretty as in the Caribbean. |
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| The Lonely Beach bartender and son. Lonely Beach is an eco-resort powered by solar energy. The bungalows are set back into the woods and are barely visible from the beach, giving the beach a deserted feel. The beach is well kept by the French owners or caretakers. The beach does boast a restaurant and bar where you can din and drink on the cheap. How cheap? A Pina Colada cost $3, local Angkor beer cost $1, and Gin and Tonic cost $2.50. |
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| Our third stop was at Preksvay village where our boat took us right up to the restaurant on the waterfront. There we had a wonderful meal of vegetarian for the two non-meat eaters on the cruise, chicken, and pork. |
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| Jim playing with the resident kitty which he wanted to smuggle back to the USA. Don't worry, he soon forgot about that wish. |
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| We then took a tour of the village. |
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| Houses lined the mangrove river that cuts through the village. |
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| Salted fish being sun-dried on galvanized roofs. |
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| The village has a beautiful Pagoda which was being repaired and repainted. The pictures you see are all being done by hand as seen in the picture below. |
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| Leaving the village. |
In front of the village, on a small island is this $3,000 to $5,000 a night resort for the rich and famous. The restaurant below
We docked back at our beach just before the sun went down. Some of us went for a swim while others went looking for food.
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