Island updates and observations

The island is a quiet place at the moment. Low season hitting and lots of rain and not lots of tourists means more excuses for bonfires (in our newly created bonfire pit), games of cards indoors and making use of my 50c jacket I bought in Vietnam back in March (for the first time since getting windchill on Barry). Even had a week off the alcohol.


About 6 weeks ago we got new neighbours, who moved into Anton's old house. They're totally badass to say the least. Alec is a friendly Russian giant and Sarah is the most hardcore lady I have ever met. So we see her zooming past on her scooter she goes;

Sara: "Mr Nathan! Bacon! (my name, close enough)"
      -points to her basket on the front of the scooter-
      -Inside is an inflated puffer fish-

Nat: Did you catch that?
     -nods-

Nat: Are you going to eat that?
    -nods-

Me: Is it still alive?
    -nods-

CAMBODIA!

Not to mention her wrestling some 1 1/2m Iguana Lizard thing from the doorstep; underneath the house, catching it, putting it in a cage to look at; then releasing it. Boom! Or her bringing over some fried Sting Ray for Nat to chomp on (and roasted sweet potato for me!) Or her totally accurate coo'ing to call in her chickens at the end of the day. Totally. Badass. Her kids are hella cute too, coming over to ask for "baby cat" all the time.

I returned back to my calling in life- working on the biggest pub crawl in Cambodia! Hearding people from place to place, starting a party, bad influencing people to getting drunk and calling it "work" and not to mention getting paid in free booze.

Little baby Klang is doing as good as ever! Bounced right back. From being sleepy and lethargic all day to non-stop play. Still has enough cute moments for me to snap these;





A funny story I remembered about my friend Sean from the last post, so he and my friend Petra went on a boat trip to see the bioluminescent plankton (too much joss in the water I think, or radioactive poisoning from our neighbours in China...or just nature being cool as!) and he slipped and fell and ripped himself a new arseho-... he impales his buttocks on an anchor... fair to say everyone was very sympathetic...ankorwat?

"I slipped and it fell into my butt"...nice one.

Me and Jay, he rocks my crop top better than me

This week saw some friendly faces from back home. George, Danielle, Beth and Josh came to Koh Rong so took them around the jungle, fell over in the park a little bit and obviously had my designer footwear mocked.

One of my good friends, Jay, opened up a hostel on the other (boring) island, Koh Rong Samluem. It's called Blue Dog and it's totally mint. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures because after one-too-many cocktails (come on, it was my weekend off!) I forgot to take any on my newly acquired phone, but these are some of the snaps from Sarason's bay. Had a mint time at their opening party and I'm expecting some big things to come from there and I can see a few more of my days off being spent over on that side of the bay.

 I've had worse views whilst "waiting for the bus" (or the ferry) 

Other than these updates it has been a pretty tough week on the island for me. Had some bad news from home about my Grandad George; so I've keeping myself busy this week with the company of some of my friends and the day job of swinging through the jungle. Sending a lot of love in the direction of England to Grandma and the family and thinking a lot about everyone and remembering some great times me and my grandparents have had. I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today without my Grandparents. Maybe I caught the travel bug from them after being guided around London in the Summer Holidays every year, seeing things most people my age and from my hometown still haven't done. Gathering a thirst for knowledge after being shown the history and culture of our capital city, London. My good attitude towards life, my manors, respect towards everyone from the cashier in the local corner shop to the train conductor, to the person sitting next to me on the bus. Being told my (toy) pet rabbit would be made into a pie, looking after our little pet Gerbils, being taught woodwork in Grandad's workshop. My love for nature and birds; being shown around the wetlands to feeding Woody the Pigeon in the garden (or helping to prepare the waterbombs for the cats who pray on him). Chomping on tellytubby biscuits, reading the jokes on the tellytext and trusting my Grandad George would've washed the grapes before giving them to me. I'm still looking for the wizard, and the lady with a ring in her nose and all our other characters. Big love to you Grandad George, love your little pet.



"If I can go the whole of the Navy without getting a tattoo, I can guarantee you I wont be getting one in Camden today"