A Glimpse Into Heaven

Now, you might think that a remote island with limited electricity, no ATMs, sandflies, no hospital, no fire department, water buffaloes out for vengeance and snakes which can potentially render you unconscious (forever) would be a place you would want to avoid like the plague but if you find yourself in the Kingdom of Cambodia, grab your snake-repellent cape and get to Koh Rong.

There are two ways to reach this paradise; you get the slow boat or you get the fast boat from Sihanoukville. That’s it darlin’. There is no private jet option -believe me, I asked.

Hey, after travelling the day before on a twenty-two hour local where half of the seats were occupied by a brood of chickens and a single, solemn pig, a girl starts to get a bit delusional.

I had been told, in whispers by a group of fellow backpackers, about Koh Rong’s glistening white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and iridescent plankton lighting up the night like something out of a Disney movie.

Here’s the truth: maybe it was the rain from the day before or maybe it was the storm that was looming but there was nothing Disney’esque about this place.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say murder’esque but the black sewage running next to the boat and the deafening roar of thunder which rang out across the island made me question whether we had turned up to the right place.

We had!

The burnt brown sand had more of a mud quality to it; with each step I was literally and emotionally sinking. Then came the speech from what I can only assume was the island leader about the snakes and sandflies at which point the electricity cut out.

Welcome to your nightmares.

But then something magical happened.

The thunder stopped and was replaced by the silky smooth rhythms of Bob Marley's "Is This Love." The clouds disappeared completely and the sun emerged in all it's divine wonder. The mud/sand hybrid I’d been walking on started transforming into actual sand as I walked along the beach until it appeared that I wasn’t walking on sand at all but soft crystals instead.

I never got to see the iridescent plankton but that didn't mean Koh Rong was glow free. The moon was so bright that you could see everyone's silhouette carved out clearly in the sand underneath the moonlight. The sky was set alight by the southern constellations and feeling swept up in the moment, I shared a cheeky kiss with a German nomad.

This, I thought is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Even if there were sandflies.