Roughing It

I awoke at dawn to see the bright hairy face of a macaque monkey staring down at me from the gap between the wall and the roof. There was a crashing noise outside as the bungalow owner's two large dogs came bounding through the jungle, and the monkeys fled away. The dogs looked quite pleased with themselves, as if it was the highlight of their daily routine.

the huts

The jungle was not kind to us! We returned to the Cambodian mainland after four days living a "rustic" lifestyle on Koh Rong island covered in mosquito bites, jellyfish stings, odd rashes, and sunburn. I got a blistered rash on my hand from a Rove beetle (look it up), but it's healing fine now, two weeks later.

cot and very essential netting

We survived monkeys, all types of lizards, and other creepy creatures out in the jungle. It was an adventure, and we wouldn't have had it any other way, although I was so happy to be back in civilization again when we finally got to Phnom Penh.

the bathroom

Koh Rong is not a developed island. There are no cars, roads, or even motorbikes. The only way to get from one part of the island to another is by boat. All in all, our bungalows were quite nice considering some of the other options on the island (some people took to camping in tents on the beach).

in the jungle

We had mosquito netting (so necessary!) and the electricity ran from 6pm to 6am. That's when we could use the fans to cool off a bit. It brought back memories of being at Boy Scout summer camp!

my hammock

We didn't spend much time in the bungalow though. The best part of the "resort" was the lounge, a huge, breezy, open-air space with comfy cushions, 24-hour electricity, and the only wifi at the resort. They also served a good cup of coffee, great for sipping and watching the rain fall outside on the jungle.

looking out from the lounge

From our hut, it was just a two-minute walk down a muddy pathway through the jungle to the beach. Despite how beat up we got, I think it was all worth it.

the beach