​After my world wind tour of the Angkor temples things slowed down a bit (relatively speaking). The nice long bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh gave me a nice glimpse into the rural Cambodian life, lots of small wooden shacks,  rice paddies, and an overall quiet life. Phnom Penh is an interesting city, coming into modern times, but with an infrastructure that can’t quite keep up, but still some pockets of traditional life along the waterways and in the markets. 

The madness of Phnom Penh where bikes, mptos, busses and cars all mingle with markets.

Slower pace of life along the rivers of Phnom Penh.

I only passed through then was soon off to Sihanoukville, the launching point for the beaches and islands along the Gulf of Thailand. In my short time there,  sihanoukville didn’t have a lot of character. Split into an industrial warf area and a tourist party zone, bleh no thanks. I was glad to catch the boat to Koh Rong the following day for some more relaxed beach side living. When I was dropped at Ramdoul pier and slogged it through the jungle I wasn’t sure what to expect. Basic wooden shacks, mosquito net beds, cold showers, and no need to wear shoes or change out of one’s bathing suit. My kind of digs, so I extended my stay to 4 nights.

Basic beach side living, all one needs to relax in style.

Lazy living beach side in hammocks, I could get used to this.

Beach sunsets are one of my favorite things.

Stroll to palm beach with Pascal, Ann-Christin and Mario.

Cambodian fishing village in the north shore of Koh Rong.

Not much to say about the next four days except I spent most of the time lounging in hammocks,  waking the beach looking for seashells (and swimming), and hanging out with lots of cool people. Oh,  and there was our nightly swim with the bioluminescent plankton that always made me a bit giddy and never got old. They are only visible once you’re away from all light and you have to get in the water,  waist deep or deeper is best.  Diving underwater with my goggles on was like swimming through a sea of stars,  so surreal! When my four nights were up I was definitely sad to go,  but Nepal was waiting! So I caught the slow bus back to Phnom Penh with Mario (from SOB), where I bid him farewell.

Ocean side sunrises are pretty nice too

Lounge area at Sons of Beaches, lots of hammocks and lots of sand.

On the 24th I was dumped into Kuala Lumpur for a one night layover which I spent wandering Chinatown (bao!) and relaxing by the iconic Petronas towers. Lovely very clean and modern city,  Malaysia, I will be back. Then it was off to Kathmandu, and I was dropped right into the madness. Made it through visa applications and out of the airport, right into the hectic traffic of the dusty streets, more semi-organized chaos. Kathmandu feels less like SE Asia and more like what I imagine India to feel like. Really nice people, densely packed brightly colored houses and really really cheap outdoors gear. AJ (new friend and travel companion) and I spent the next few days working on our bargaining skills (need work) and getting all the permits settled. I am taking gear orders for those interested 🙂

Kuala Lumpur, a blending of the old and new.

Petronas towers and all their glory. Lovely place to relax for an evening.

Sunset over the colorful houses of Kathmandu.

Momos and Naan for $3? I could get used to this.

Then she (AJ) headed to Bhutan for 6 days while I went off for a solo adventure into the Langtang Valley. Stay tuned for a ton of photos and sad stories from my trek through the Langtang Valley, a place heavily ravaged by the 2015 earthquake and still struggling to recover. Hope your life is an adventure,  no matter where it leads.