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Day 37 and 38- another boarder crossing

Today we had to leave Koh Rong. I am so sad about this. I have genuinely loved the day and a bit I spent here. I have actually found paradise and can not wait to return one day so that I can again see the reddest sunset, feel the warm clear water on my feet and glitter with the plankton. We stayed at Palm beech resort and I would recommend it to anyone! It was magical! 

But today we were off to the small village of Chambok which is near the Cambodian boarder. The village is home to 910 families who rely mostly on farming. The community grows vegetables, rice and raises animals. The village once had to be evacuated during the Khmer Rouge period as it was controlled by them during the 1970s. During this time they hid a lot of land mines which meant that when the community asked to move back in 1993 after the fall of the Khmer Rouge they couldn’t. In 1998 a charity called Landmine action centre came and cleared the land mines. This meant that the villagers could then move back and start farming again. In 2001 another organisation came and saw that the village was living unsustainably by cutting down trees and killing so many animals. This organisation tried to find the best solution and utilise the existing waterfall. They taught the villagers English, created the homestay and restaurant which meant in 2003 the village could Italian tourism. Now all money made from tourism goes back into the community. 



We stayed with a family who were very kind. The accommodation was basic with no air conditioning but instead fans and no running mains water. 

We also visited the waterfall, unfortunately as this was such a climb (over massive boulders and up over tree trunks) I didn’t think it was wise to take my phone so I didn’t get any pictures of the actual waterfall. We swam in the fresh water which was amazing.



Day 37
Up early we took another long bus ride to the Vietnamese boarder. 

The boarder crossing was actually quite easy which was nice for a change. We then traveled further to Saigon otherwise known as Ho Chi Minh City. This is in the south of Vietnam. 

Vietnam is made up of 92 million people and behind Brazil is the second largest exporter of coffee. The name Vietnam literally means ‘people south’. This is because originally when Vietnam was established it was people from the south of China. It is currently a communist country. 


We headed out for a street food dinner and a few drinks on the town!




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