Koh Rong Sanloem

As coronavirus gripped the nation back home, an island retreat seemed the perfect escape. But new travel restrictions were causing trouble in paradise. Everything felt normal to begin with, though the relaxing pace would not last long.

If it wasn’t obvious from our Thai Islands post, boat trips in this part of the world are full of surprises. We’d already tackled boat transfers over open water and we’d managed to keep our luggage dry while wading from boat to shore. But this was the most confusing journey yet.

Sihanoukville

After a 5 hour bus from Phnom Penh, we were dropped at the roadside near Sihanoukville and left at the mercy of a local tuk tuk driver. Incidentally, Sihanoukville itself is in a sorry state. According to locals, as tourism ramped up various Chinese conglomerates began building enormous casinos there which totally dominated the skyline. Then last year, the Cambodian government tightened their gambling laws. The change restricted online gambling, a large source of revenue for the Chinese firms. So off they went back to China, leaving so many half finished buildings and roads that the once sleepy fishing village was now an 80 square kilometre construction site.

Back to the matter at hand, we managed to negotiate our tuk tuk fare down to only a minor ripping off and hopped in – but it was a hell of a ride. We were driven around in circles, temporarily abandoned when our driver left the tuk tuk for 20 minutes and ultimately dropped off at the wrong pier. He insisted that the pier had changed (locals usually know these things), but we’d just confirmed our booking and the ferry company did not mention this. So we were dropped off, pointed in the general direction of boats and left to our own devices. After walking up and down the pier like lost sheep, we were no clearer on what was going on. We tried to ask some locals at a different booking office, but the extent of their English was to say “No”. Then turn down their music and say “No” again. As our boat departure time came and went, our only reassurance came from a couple of Swiss girls who had been taken to the same place.

Saracen Bay

Eventually we did make it to Koh Rong Sanloem, only 45 minutes behind schedule. From first impressions, the white sands and clear waters of Saracen Bay looked like a little piece of heaven. We soon forgot our boating troubles.

The sand felt softer than carpet and the sea was the warmest we’d experienced, it was blissful! The only downside was the feeling that we were being stung from time to time. We couldn’t see any jellyfish so we wondered if our skin was just being irritated by the salty water. As we later discovered, the source of our discomfort was microscopic sea fleas. The bites are harmless (or so they say), but apparently they were particularly bad that day, in the calm warm waters of the bay.

In spite of the sea fleas, this would end up being the last truly relaxing afternoon of our trip. Covid-19 became a major concern in the days that followed. All of the islanders were still healthy so no problem there; it was the flight cancellations that got us worried – and apparently everyone else too as the beach was becoming emptier each day.

Sunset Beach

To try and calm our nerves, we decided to visit Sunset beach for an evening. After being given some wrong directions, this didn’t quite end up the serene walk we had in mind. When we arrived, the bay was beautiful but unfortunately we just couldn’t enjoy it fully.

Back at Saracen Bay, we had heard rumours that glowing plankton were visible at night. So we headed out into the pitch black waters of the sea to witness this phenomenon. Sadly our cameras weren’t quite able to capture the glow, but it was spectacular to witness the magical twinkling lights follow us as we moved through the water. Apparently glowing plankton is common at night in tropical waters – well worth a Google.

Scuba Diving

The next day we had arranged a diving trip, our first since becoming PADI accredited. Winds had picked up which meant visibility was only around 5m. Despite this, we were still able to see some colourful marine life. Highlights included some beautiful corals, parrotfish and a rather large ghostly looking angel fish that kept following us.

Due to the lack of tourism, we ended up having the boat to ourselves all day with captain, cook and guide working solely for our leisure. This felt a little strange, but we were happy to take the trip to clear our heads, at least for the brief time we were underwater. And it seemed like our dive shop really needed the business.

Coronavirus Concerns

With more time each day devoted to reading the news, government announcements and planning what we do next, it was becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy our time on this pristine island. Since being denied entry into Vietnam, watching news of the coronavirus unfold was becoming a little scary. The Philippines closed their borders. Singapore would give us a 14 day Stay At Home notice if we entered. And our final planned destination, Indonesia, announced suspension of the visa exemption scheme from Friday 20 March. We couldn’t believe how much things had escalated in the space of a week. To top it all off, the UK government started advising against all but essential international travel – so that’s what settled it. With more countries closing their borders everyday, it no longer seemed feasible to continue with our trip. Even the longer term travellers we’d met were coming to the same conclusion.

The only thing stopping us from booking a flight home there and then was uncertainty around which countries we could still freely transit through. Intermittent Wi-Fi was making this difficult to research, so we reached out to our blog’s most loyal reader for help.

Lazy Beach

By this point it was our last full day on the island. If we were going to be heading home, we wanted to at least enjoy the beach one last time. So at around 4pm when the Wi-Fi went again, having only left our bungalow for breakfast and lunch (in between trying to plan our next move), we headed out to Lazy Beach for one last hurrah.

Moving On

That night, we received confirmation (thanks Sabi!) that the only airport we could transit through was Singapore. However, our closest airport offered no flights there. Our original (cancelled) flight home was from Singapore, but we were unable to get through to the airline by phone, email or in person to amend that booking. In the last 6 hours, 2 of the 3 remaining flights home had either become fully booked or been cancelled. So, at risk of becoming stranded abroad and with no support from our insurance, we took the decision to book the last flight out of Cambodia. At only 4 times the cost of our original flight… Suppose you can’t put a price on health.

On the plus side, our new flight out was from Siem Reap – home to Angkor Wat, the reason we went to Cambodia in the first place. The flight situation meant we would only have a day and a half to visit, but at least we would still witness this wonder of the world – a light at the end of the tunnel.

All that was left was to get back to the mainland. Then fly onwards to Siem Reap. And hope for no more border restrictions. And that the Sunday flight wouldn’t get cancelled, then the Monday flight transfer, then the train home, and that we wouldn’t get sick, etc etc etc… Easy, right?