IndoChine: Day 60 - Tue - Koh Rong Samleon

Went across to Koh Rong Samleon, my home for the next month, on the "Big Boat" from Pier 52 with a loud and intimidating group of other Projects Abroad and Marine Conservation Cambodia volunteers, returning from a long weekend. The road to the pier was appalling. The leap onto the boat very difficult with a backpack and three bags around my neck but I was lucky as I had help with my case.

Leaving port.

This is: Vicky (who was just how she looks), Kerwin, Charles, with Elodie in orange at the end.

Koh Rong Samleon looked nice in the weak sunshine in the distance. It was cloudy but occasionally the sun would break through. The water did not turn blue though.

Got off the boat at the very end of a pier that is full of holes and that ends in a narrow point, we have to get off at the very end, on the pointy bit, due to the boat draught. Walked in through the local village, M'Pay, to get to the bungalows of MCC - Marine Conservation Cambodia.

The men of the village were playing boules. Crossed over a creek (called 'shit creek', though I at first thought they said 'ship creek' so I will stick with that) via a new, high, wooden walkway that was not there until two months ago. Previously it was a barrel that you pulled yourself over in. NB. Everything here, including bridges, piers and bungalows is made locally by the villagers.

I am in bungalow 1, "the party bungalow" I'm told, with Laure, (Swiss girl who i showed around phnom penh over the weekend). Also Kori, from South Dakota and Elodie from France. Elodie took quite a lot of warming up and I rarely see Kori as she has friends in other bungalows, however they are very nice once you get to know them. We pushed two people out of their bungalow to make way for us (literally, as we arrived) and they make no bones about complaining about it. One of them was Eveline, who later led a dive I was on.

That is Ali. She's the boss. She arrived as a 1 month volunteer and has been here 2.5 years. She lives in the village and speaks Khmer.

First we did the paperwork sitting at the big long table in main bungalow, with Ali. ( Not really sure if they even looked at the medical questionnaire). Main bungalow is the primary meeting and eating spot for the volunteers. It is open on three sides with wind and the sea rolling constantly. The kitchen, with open cooking pot hearths (no electricity) is on the fourth, rear side. There are two aquariums, freshwater and seawater, and a TV and a million plugs for charging.

Everything here is oriented around diving. Everything, especially the floor, is always wet.

Ali and Emma run the show. Kim is the PADI diving instructor and Erica (who is originally from Texas) is the newish assistant. They are typically Projects Abroad in that they are simultaneously efficient and completely vague.

Main Street, looking in the ship creek direction.

View from the village.

We went for an orientation walk around the village up to the school, which they are painting a mural on, and over to sunset rocks, a great place to guess what? Needs sun.

Sunset rocks.

Boules.

Lunch was next, with everybody at the long table. The food gets cold quickly here - Meaning everyone digs in. The food is the same as on the last project, though fortunately not yet more fish! Then got a chance to regroup and unpacked a little into my shelf and single hanger of clothes.

The loo is throne with a huge barrel of rainwater for the shower and loo-flush, but no basin. Hand sanitisers rule! Cypriot plumbing in force here!

I met George the Gekko. He keeps our bungalow free of insects. He likes moths. He is about 15 inches long and is grey with red spots and stripes and huge limpid greenish/black eyes. He watches you in the 'shower'.

After lunch we had to study our PADI books, 'bookwork' as they delightfully call it. I bagged a hammock and stared at the ocean trying not to fall asleep. It was still warm. There are three bungalows of guys and four of girls at the moment. I met some of them, a varied group but all with that particular group instinct to convey superiority by greater knowledge, or coolness! These are The Divers. (As opposed to The Archaeologists from my past). As usual, everyone is surprising.

From left to right here is: Mark, corporate lawyer from London, talks unsurprisingly like Piers; Zahra or Sarah; Kori; Charles; Andreas; Elodie; and Max.

We did a beach clean up in the afternoon. This is one of the 'land based activities'. We started by emptying the fish tank and refilling it. I was 'pipe sucker' - suctioning it out! Plus ca change! Then we went over to sunset rocks armed with empty, used, rice bags, to pick up the sihanoukville (and local) trash that gets washed up here on the islands. There is a lot of it. I picked up at least 10 disposable lighters, four medicine bottles and a light bulb. Also a large number of plastic fish net ties.

The view from the right hand side hammock on our bungalow balcony. The bush is a huge 'dendron' type with yellow (turn orange) flowers and the greenery below sometimes has pink convolvulus/morning glory amongst it.

After that, finally, aware supper was at 7pm and thoroughly sticky, I got a swim at Long Beach. Laure came with me and Abby, an American 'Type-A' (you know, ex-bandleader type) girl we had been talking to, met us there. Long Beach is a beautiful stretch of golden sand along past the tourist bungalows and BJ's. You just walk along the path next to the jungle, which makes noises at you.

I saw a black and white swallowtail butterfly. It was still sunny and warm. Saw a small hermit crab, on the sand. They leave the most remarkable patterns in the sand. Was so sticky with sweat by now that the swim was bliss.

Returned for a 'shower' and sat in the hammock a bit longer before supper. Elodie then invited Laure and I along to BJ's for their what seems to be usual pre-supper drink of 'Klang' beer. The same sort Sython gave us on the homestay, which thank god I quite like.

A lot of people here smoke. Some do so during supper. Supper included Wes's birthday celebration, local waffle cake with sparklers and chocolate sauce. Yum. Then there was the weekly team meeting, where I identified Emma for the first time and then I learnt a new card game. Called 'shithead' (of course) it may possibly be based on canasta. Kerwin, a French speaking American, taught me to play. 'twas fun.