I really do. Here is the funky hostel (called wish you were here) where I’m residing at.

I’m not normally a western food girl whilst travelling (especially with asia’s culinary delights) but today has been am exception and I’d read rave reviews about this burger. For $5 this is the most amount of salad I’ve eaten at once this whole trip. And boy it went down a treat!

Watching the storm come in was the most incredible thing, past the islands and like a curtain of rain heading towards shore.

Buddha belly and book number 4 (my aim is 10). Living a luxurious backpacker life.

The whole stretch of beach is filled with bars boasting day chairs available for use after purchase. I had set up camp just near this one and a little Cambodian lady ran over and said that I can use the chairs… But I was happy on the sand not having to pay, she told me I was going to have to pay even if I laid on the sand cause she is “making business” so I took up the offer and bought the cheapest thing on the menu a 1.50 big bottle of water. So I lounged here on this relatively secluded stretch of the beach for a few hours (I even managed to sunscreen my own entire back which is a down side of travelling alone), though the anti-malarials that I’m on worked their magic and I’m still a tinge of red.

I was one of less than 10 people swimming on this 6km stretch of beach this morning. The water is deliciously warm (I even think you’d coupe mum) and there aren’t swarms of tourists which is heavenly. Though being the low season and people cottoning onto this beauty, there is a lot of construction and maintenance of new and old bars and bungalows going on. Plenty of beach to choose from, and though I was still hassled to buy sunglasses and pedicures, no where near as much as I thought.

My first cup of tea this morning in 5 weeks because it was finally cold enough, complimented with brown sugar (eeeep!)

I had even organised my running clothes so I could be up bright and early and jogging along the beach when I woke up to the sounds of howling winds and rain coming in my window. It wasn’t until 9:30 (after my first heavenly breakfast of eggs since arriving) that the sun began to peer out from behind the clouds… I thought it was my tea making me feel over heated, but it was in fact starting to shape up to be an okay morning. I couldn’t have left the hostel fast enough if I tried. How I have missed sand between my toes and salt in my hair.

N.B the hideous thong than that seem to grow daily

Markets are a backpackers best and worst nightmare; a chance to pick up cheap goods to replace ruined clothing or for souvenirs but also a place to realise how much stuff you would absolutely love to purchase and take home but realistically and practically speaking you just absolutely cannot. It happened all through Europe and it’s happening again. Everything that is not disgustingly touristy that I want to purchase is breakable or too heavy to carry around for another 2 months. I’ve already got a souvenir bag going which I plan to post as soon as I leave Cambodia (they have a very unreliable and expensive postal system). These tea pots and Buddha statues are just a few of the things I’m lusting over.

A quick zip back to the past, saying farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Leng. I will definitely not miss the suspicious food and mountains of rice, nor the chickens, but i will miss their hospitality, a never ending supply of hazelnut spread and free washing as well as all the perks that came with living there-meeting Socheat, being bought mushroom noodle soup for breakfast, and fruit, their next door neighbour, my little shadow and free medical advice. I, again have promised a return trip 😀