So, we are going to report on the beaches that we have visited and a little on the wildlife that we captured in pictures. We have covered several beach areas in southeast Cambodia (see map below). The first beach area that we visited is at the Ream National Park near Sihanoukville – see http://www.sihanoukville-cambodia.com/about-sihanoukville/ream.html for more information.
The park encompasses 21,000 hectares of coastal area including sandy beaches, mangrove forests, the Prek Tuk Sap estuary, off-shore coral reefs and two islands (Koh Thmei and Koh Ses). Macaques, sun bear, dolphins, and over 155 species of birds and other animals may be seen in the park. We saw cranes and several birds of prey including what we thought were some type of eagle (Cambodia is home to several species). The park is marked on the map on the bottom left (map from National Geographic Society).
Here is the entrance to our guesthouse in Ream.
Here is pool shark Michelle playing our friend Amy (a SKMH volunteer
from Romania). Frequent power outages made playing interesting. The owner of
the guesthouse finally ran his generator to keep the power up.
Here we are at the pavilion that extends into the Gulf of
Thailand behind the Ream Beach guesthouse. The rooms were tiny but cozy. There
wasn’t any hot water or A/C, but our room faced the beach and with the wall fan
running was comfortable (it is the center one, bottom floor). We also met the giant house gecko that was over a foot
long that scared Tod out of his shoes when they met face-to-face in our room.
We didn’t have the camera at the ready. Michelle stayed in the bathroom while Tod
chased it out of the room.
Here is the view from our pavilion looking west towards the
park entrance. This is a “postcard” picture. This beach area was one of the
most clean and beautiful that we have seen while in Cambodia.
What a handsome bunch! Tod, Bob and Amy. Tod is obviously
the second-tallest person in Cambodia…
Here are two love birds in the little beach area behind the
guesthouse.
This is one of our favorite pictures (that Michelle shot) of
the spiny sea urchins that attached themselves to the pavilion support
structure. When we swam we had to be sure to stay away from the dock and pavilion
supports because YOU DON’T WANT TO GET CLOSE TO THESE CREATURES! You can see
how beautiful and clear the water is and easily see the schools of small fish
swimming around the urchins.
Amy making a friend at the ranger station. The poor little
guy was tied up on this rock pile.
Here we are going up the Prek Tuk Sap estuary (also known as
the Salt River we were told because of its brackish nature). Michelle takes great
pictures.
One example of the beautiful scenery we saw the entire trip from Ream to the coast
down the river.
Here is the beach where we landed in the boat. It was
covered in shells everywhere as we walked it – very lovely.
Here was a surprise part of the trip where we had to hike
through part of the forest to get to a new location where the boat was docked.
Michelle had tweaked an ankle just a few days before, so she had a tough time, and
it was very hot and humid. Tod kept a watch out for snakes and rabid bovines (well not really). But we made it
without incident over several kilometers.
Next up: Sihanoukville and Kep…