What an amazing few days it has been. Time has been flying yet the days do still seem so long.
Koh Rong was everything a backpacker could look for. It was paradise in a nut shell. The island was a functioning slightly modernized version of the beach. Although tourism is booming it is all in small forms and the air on the island has a magic about it.
It was an island were everything goes. No one seemed to judge. The local Cambodian tribes lived in harmony with the various backpackers who have settled down to open up hostels.
I truly can not say enough good about my time there. Jenny and I made. Slits of why we were sad to leave the island and it went on and on. The only thing we could think about not missing were the sand flies and Mosquitos.
Saying goodbye to yet another group of friends was rough. I even avoided saying bye to one local named Leo because it was easier to leave quickly than have another hard goodbye. I wanted to stay. My mind screamed for me to stay. The island pulls people in every months and the number of stories about people coming and just not leaving is a common tale.
When I stepped off the boat I hesitated. I wanted to turn around and go straight back. I stood still frozen not able to take a step forward.
I thought hard about leaving behind the rest of my trip and living in paradise. I could teach at the friends of Ko Rong school and live the dream.
But in the back of my head I knew I would not be fully content. The island may have been perfect in my eyes but my true paradise is wandering. My paradise is a constant motion between city and city and country and country. I love seeing the world. I love discovering new things about cultures and eating food that I don't even know what it is.
So with that thought I took the step forward. I put Koh Rong behind me and realized I will carry the memory with me forever but it was time to move on.
Back in reality Jenny and I walked down the street with the cars buzzing and all of the pollution again. We were reminded yet again by a scene in the beach when the people on the beach are asked for a volunteer to go to the mainland. No one wants to go. When Leonardo dicaprio lands back on the mainland he talks about how his perspective of the busy life on mainland had changed. We felt the same way.
We had so much to accomplish today. We made a list of 18 steps to get done. It included taking money out, paying off the money loan, picking up laundry, picking up our Vietnam visas, and much more.
Somehow we managed it all in a short amount of time. We only hit one small snag when our Tum Tum driver (I swear was drunk) ran out of gas in the middle of the highway. Too funny. But we are in the bus to Phnom Penh and hopefully I will have credit cards again by tomorrow for the first time in weeks!!!!! Also we met two Americans and are planning a little Fourth of July party on the night bus tomorrow!
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