In The Mangroves

Koh Kong is a small village 10 km from the Thai border and was the last stop on our tour Cambodia. The place itself has not much to offer, but for its surroundings the more: secluded beaches, dense rainforests, Waterfalls and huge mangrove forests.
From Sihanoukville there were 4 hour bus ride to Koh Kong. Our accommodation “Thmorda Garden Riverside Resort” is away from the city on the river Stung Koh Poi and surrounded by mangroves.
The guest house's restaurant is on stilts on the water. From there we are evening out with the kayak down the river to see fireflies in the dark. It looked like a Christmas tree lighting, very bright spots anywhere in the mangroves. And every paddle stroke and the plankton glowed in the water. The spectacle was really fascinating.

Boat trip to Koh Kong Island and through the mangroves

The next morning we drove first to third on a moped. As one may have no fear. Our moto driver took us through the 2km-long toll bridge across the river to the boat dock of Koh Kong and together with Yen and Fritz from Berlin went there by boat to Koh Kong Island. The boat engine rattled all the time loudly in our ears. It took a good two hours until we finally reached the lonely beach. There we awaited white sand, turquoise water, blue sky and sunshine… . Was will man mehr?! During our boat driver and the guide prepared lunch (There were grilled barracuda with vegetables) we plunged into the water and snorkeled. The visibility was not so good and somehow it itched us everywhere at once. We thought we are allergic to the water. But since it was in yen and Fritz exactly, We suspect, that we had caught some sand flies. You can see the stitches immediately and they itch even days later.
After lunch we had a bit of time at the beach and then it was gone again with the boat on the way back. Before we went back to Koh Kong, it still went to the mangrove. On a boardwalk we walked right through the mangrove forest.

We spent the evening back in our hotel restaurant, the “Thmorda Crab House”. It is known for its crab dishes. We tried “Soft shell crab with pepper and garlic”. Soft shell crab or crayfish butter cancer called, that have recently molted and therefore have a soft shell. Our crab was fried and we were able to complete with all the bells and eat off. It was really tasty.

The next day we just did nothing and enjoyed the quiet times.

Trekking through the jungle of the Cardamom Mountains

After our rest day our fifth jungle tour on the program. This time it took us to the dense, green forest of the Cardamom Mountains. This jungle in western Cambodia, is protected by the state and is therefore still very original.
Together with four other (a German, an American, a Dutch and an Italian) We rode on the back of a pick-up 40 kms to the starting point of our tour. Then it was pants in your socks stuck. Our shoes along with socks were sprayed with a liquid, that looked like chocolate milk. You should protect against leeches. Dann was es loose in the Wald. On a small path we walked towards Tatai Waterfall. In between, we had to get rid of leeches again. They were really annoying and have constantly stuck firmly to our shoes and socks. But fortunately they were not. We have arrived at the waterfall for a swim before we had lunch. The other four wanted to spend the night in the jungle. Dopey and I had opted for the day trip. Therefore we went to lunch with one of the guides on our way back. Unfortunately, we have not seen a lot of animals, only a small green poisonous snake and a few big spiders were running across our path. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the jungle, because it is so original. But our guide was not as talkative and we had to pull him out of the nose and to learn more about the flora and fauna of almost every word.

Before we were leaving Cambodia, we inserted an additional rest day in Koh Kong. Then it was first farewell to Cambodia … .