We woke up early again to the sun shining into our windows and waves crashing onto the shore. We were determined to get the day started right away so we got our suits on and headed down to breakfast.
Right after breakfast we lathered up the sunscreen and got into the kayaks. We set our sights on an island far away that apparently had good snorkeling reefs and fish. The sun was already really hot at 10am so it was a tough ride out to the island. I don't know how far it is, but the island is the one in this picture.
(On the left is the island we kayaked to and snorkeled around)
It took maybe thirty minutes to get there. We climbed to the top of the island where there appeared to be a pagoda of sorts with monk's orange clothing hanging. We didn't have our phones or camera because they didn't provide wet bags so we have no pictures of this, but it was super cool.
The snorkel gear was not surprisingly faulty, but as long as you held your head at the right angle you could breathe while looking at the sights. We saw some really cool fish with bright blues, greens, and yellows. The deeper you go the cooler the fish and coral. I've never snorkeled so it's cool to see an underwater landscape (or seascape?). The crevices are kind of intimidating and creepy that you don't know what's in them - until a huge fish jumps out at you! That didn't happen, but it could have. There were also some spiky sea urchins with bright blue eyes that hung out in clusters.
We were probably at the island for an hour or so when we gave up on the snorkel gear and paddled back to shore. It was really getting hot out by now and it seemed to take forever to get back. I want to be able to enjoy the relaxation of kayaking in the water, but there were points that I wished I was just at shore so I could jump in the water and get out of the sun. We were glad we decided to do this snorkeling trip ourselves, instead of committing to six plus hours on a boat without the control to do what we want.
We got back and swam around for awhile before drying off and heading into town to get our last Sigi meal. His place is down a small side street with zero airflow. So you combine the heat of the day, with the heat of the cooking, and add in no breeze it got hot. One of those feelings where you're entire body is covered in sweat. But it's all worth it when you get the food in front of you. I got a curry noodle and it was the best curry noodle I've ever had. I don't usually eat all of the broth/sauce from a soup, but I finished everything.
After filling up and sweating our faces off we walked back to the tree houses to jump in the water and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We cooled off in the water and then enjoyed our treehouse porch while RWC. We have an amazing breeze and are in the shade by this time which is perfect for me.
We got hot and thirsty again so we head downstairs to jump in the water, read, and just look at our lives for awhile. Alex made me take a quick photo shoot on the rocks because she said she wanted one framed on her wall. We got another coconut shake and set up cribbage as we ordered dinner. They make dinner so delicious here it's worth staying at our place and paying a little bit more for the food. We swam around after dinner in the dark until we got creeped out and went back upstairs.
We were planning on waiting until around 10pm to head back out to see the bioluminescence until it started pouring. It started with a bunch of wind, crazy wind, and then stated to storm HARD. Pouring rain, lightening everywhere, and the wind whipping against the windows. We were super bummed to have missed the opportunity to see this, but we weren't about to risk our lives. Especially if the water needs to be calm in order to see anything.
At any rate, we went to bed a little disappointed, but still happy to be where we are. We were getting up around 7 the next morning so it wasn't the end of the world to get to bed. We have a long day of traveling tomorrow: an hour long ferry, an hour break to grab a bite, then a 5-6 hour bus ride into Phnom Penh.
We're really going to miss this place. Being in a treehouse right on the beach with an unbelievable view cannot be beat. This truly is a paradise. I wouldn't ever want to live here, because I don't enjoy partying enough and I would get bored, but it's an amazing getaway and a unique experience.
As I was going to bed I was hoping for the water to finally leave my ear, but I guess I would have to wait until tomorrow to hear out of my left ear again.
"Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before. How can there be any adventure, any exploration, if you let somebody else - above all, a travel bureau - arrange everything before-hand?"
- Richard Aldington
Sweet place!
ReplyDeleteWith all the eating you've been doing I expected you'd be significantly fatter by now.
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