The moon was full while we were visiting Koh Rong. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I loved full moons since that meant having a natural night light in a world of very limited electricity. The moonlight by itself would be bright enough to cast your shadow alongside you while you walked outside. BUT on Koh Rong, the ocean was full of bioluminescent plankton that when disturbed by waves or a swimmer, would light up the water. We learned that clear, dark, calm nights were the best for seeing the plankton and were told our best chances to see them during our stay was likely early, early morning – 3:00 am early morning – when the moon was down. On our first morning, Husband woke at 4:00 am to go check the plankton. This should have been my job as I spent a restless night waiting for plankton like a kid on Christmas morning. It turned out to be not a good viewing night, so we were both back to sleep. I was not terribly worried as we would have two more chances over the course of our stay.
Sometime later that morning, at a slightly more reasonable hour, we rose and enjoyed some time reading on our front porch prior to breakfast. The morning was super muggy and we were in sluggish, total vacation mode. A little before lunch, we decided to hike to a local village for exploring. The trail threaded through the jungle, between cashew and mango groves, and past herds of grazing water buffalo. At the end was a clearing with the semi-official entrance to the village: a sturdy bamboo bridge whose high arch allowed boats to pass through the river underneath on their way to their marine fishing grounds. On the other side was Preksway Village. The village ended up being larger than we expected, with a semi-established eco-tourism business. The business was run by a one man show, Johnny. He could arrange guides and boat trips all over the island, ran an English and service industry school for the locals, and could set you up with a great meal. We ordered lunch from him and not so patiently awaited our feast. Another incredibly successful meal of fried red snapper, calamari, and a vegetable salad with rice was worth way more than the cost and wait. And just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, we were delivered a “welcome coconut” to drink and eat. It was a monster – easily the largest coconut either of us had ever seen – a Siamese twin sized coconut.
Afterwards, I encouraged Husband to walk further through the jungle with me. Up over the crest of the island we went and down onto the other side where we found an isolated beach that had so much potential, if you could just look past the discarded garbage that had washed up from the sea. There was orange sand, large rocks, and palm trees encroaching upon the ocean. Another location as isolated and beautiful as Lonely Beach, just truly deserted except for two lone souls visiting on their honeymoon. After taking some time to explore and snap a few photos, we headed back through the village, over the bridge, and towards our bungalow. After getting a bit turned around in the labyrinth of water buffalo paths before asking for directions from a sweet old lady wielding some large iron weapon meant for chopping down coconuts, we were able to find our way safely back before dark.
We went for another evening swim, skipped dinner due to our massive lunch, and ended the night in bean bags working on crossword puzzles. Another full mooned night passed without a plankton sighting.
We started our third day much the same as our prior beach days: slow. For our activity, we rented snorkel gear from the bar and swam to the nearby reef that was just around the corner in the next cove. This was my first time snorkeling. There were so many firsts on this vacation, and we were not even one week in! The viewing highlights were tons of black spindly sea urchins and a school of brightly colored parrot fish. There was also lots of dead coral and tons of non-picturesque fish.
All the activity worked up an appetite, so naturally lunch was next followed by a lounge in the hammocks. As the afternoon progressed, we watched a storm roll in. The clouds brought a steep drop the temperatures, blew away all the mosquitoes, and captivated me. I was more than willing to sacrifice a sunset for a storm. Though sunsets are the reason I travel to the beach, storms – above all – are my favorite; quality storms roll in off the ocean. This storm would not disappoint.
The gray storm clouds were also able to block out the moon, leaving the night pitch dark – perfect for viewing the plankton. We waded out into the ocean, braving the growing waves and rain to try to stir up some life. All around our ankles there were sparks of activity. The plankton would light our feet as we splashed through the water, trying to coax the algae into action. The plankton were tired after getting worked over by the waves, but they gave us a very cool, although short-lived light show.
As if this rustic stay hadn't already won me over, getting to see the plankton was the icing on the cake. I thought I had experienced the best of both worlds...
Until the following day...
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