Bamboo Island, Cambodia

I was told about this place by a few friends that I HAD to go to Bamboo Island in Cambodia.   What I didn’t know what that it’s not advertised to tour companies to stay at so we didn’t exactly know how to get there in the off-season.  A lot of people go there on the island hopping tours to stop at and have lunch on it’s beautiful beach with calm, warm waters not knowing that you can actually stay there and stay in some cottages on the other side of the island on the beach.  Since Damien and I didn’t know that we could get their via the island’s cottages own boat for a lot less, after a lot of hassle, we took the island hopping tour to drop us off there.  Now, let’s talk about one crazy-ass boat ride.  Off-season is not meant to have casual boat rides.  With the storms coming in and out, the ocean was CRAZY.  It’s not like we were in a little row boat, this thing could hold 30+ people, it was two stories, it should have taken those waves in stride.  Well, the boat was riding parallel with the waves so we were swaying side to side at over 45 degree angles where the water came up to the edge of the boat about to spill in.  Madness.  Several people got seasick and there were a few lucky of us that weren’t hanging over the sides.  Once we got to a place where the water was calmer, many of us went swimming just to get off of the boat and feel calm for a little while.  Afterwards, we did go to Bamboo Island for lunch where I ended up having one of the best grilled fish I’ve ever had.  Afterwards, Damien and I stayed on the beach for about 4 days just walking, swimming, reading, resting, petting the cat that wouldn’t leave the bungalow, watching movies on our laptops, adding to the coral wind chimes at the end of the beach where others had contributed their portion, laid in hammocks, and I built a dream catcher out of things I found on the beach.  Considering electricity is only available from 6pm-12am, this place is meant for nothing but pure relaxation.

My one complaint that I shouldn’t even be complaining about (that I NEVER thought I would complain about) is that the sound of pounding waves became annoying to me.  It’s not like those nice, little, relaxation CD’s you can play softly in the background as you fall asleep.  This was the real thing and it is LOUD.  Crazy loud!  I couldn’t sleep it was so loud and I just wanted to turn the volume down or head back to the mountains. 

Noise or not, it’s a gorgeous stay on a very remote island.

An employee enjoying a swing at sunset 

Flip flop hammock, just some of the flip flops found on the beach

Storm rolling in