Koh Kong

Our first full day in Koh Kong and it just keeps getting better. A gentle wander through town brought us to a nice little river side café for breakfast and iced coffees, then back to our hotel to collect the bike for a leisurely ride across the Koh Kong bridge and head for the beach. And what a beach; a tropical paradise with a few drink stalls and cafes, plenty of shelter from the blazing sun for Allie, hammocks to laze in and cool, clear, safe water to swim in. Amazingly we had all this to ourselves, there was not another living sole to be seen, just a few sand crabs scuttling to and fro from their holes in the beach. Even Allie, who always professes that she doesn't do beaches, relaxed and enjoyed the few hours of just lazing about.

We’d been told about a great little place for lunch, the Crab Shack, so come that time of the day and we rode about half a mile further along the beach to that very place. Fat Sam hadn't been wrong! Nestled under a few trees right at the edge of the beach were scattered a few tables and chairs with the ramshackle restaurant at the far edge. If you’re in a beach side restaurant with the name “Crab Shack” there really is only one choice you can make from the menu!!! In fact we not only ordered the crab but also stir fried vegetables, seafood and rice; it was superb, and all the better for being washed down with an ice cold tinnie!

After letting the crab settle nicely we mounted up and headed back to look for the Buddha Hell we had been told about. We’d missed it on the way out so thought we’d try again as it should be just before we got to the bridge. I turned left through an arch which I thought would be the place, but still didn’t find it. We found out from Sam, at dinner in the evening, that I just hadn't gone far enough. So hope fully we will find it, third time lucky….. 

Across the bridge we rode through town and straight out the other side. This time looking for the mangrove swamp and watch tower we had read about. This one showed up on my GPS so should be easy to find I thought, but of course the GPS had other ideas! After turning us off the main road about 100yds too early, we had an “interesting” ride along some dirt roads running actually through the mangroves until we arrived at a locked gate. Damn, it had brought us to the tradesman’s entrance! A short back track with Allie getting ever more worried about going for a swim in the swamp and we arrived at the correct entrance. Funny, but I’d swear she used to be far more trusting of my riding, I don’t know what I've done to upset her equilibrium!

It was another attraction well worth the tiny entrance fee of about 75p each, with a concrete boardwalk running deep into the swamp, with covered platforms every so often, many of which had family parties picnicking on them. After walking through the covered market area and crossing the road I had originally tried to access from, we found the lookout tower at the far side of a very bouncy wooden suspension bridge. 

Crossing it caused little concern, however after going to the top of the tower, on the way back there was a couple of young lads making it bounce and sway rather more, which made for an “interesting” crossing. At the top of the tower we found three young teenage girls who for some unknown reason were very keen to have their photos taken with us. Back at Fat Sam’s in the evening, the expats were holding court in their usual positions at their usual table, it was as though we were caught in a time warp… and so the day ended!