CAMBODIA

Cambodia is a Southeast Asian Nation whose landscape spans low-lying plains, the Mekong Delta, mountains and Gulf of Thailand coastline. Its busy capital, Phnom Penh, is home to the art decor Central Market, glittering Royal Palace and the National Museum's historical and archaeological exhibits. In the country's northwest lie ruins of Angkor Wat, a massive stone temple complex built during the Khmer Empire.

Trust hippies to get underrated destinations in the limelight. When Thailand got ruined by commercialism, these carefree spirits shifted their attention to Cambodia- where the birds still sing and nature runs amok. A bit crazy in parts and immensely free-willed, this country has become a hot hippie destination in current times.

Cambodia... "THE HOT NEW HIPPIE DESTINATION"!!! Unlike neighboring Laos & Vietnam, Cambodia has pretty easy to deal with visa formalities. It also seems to attract all sorts of people, interesting types, & seems to not attract the typical tourist types responsible for ruining Thailand for example. Its also a fairly relaxed place while being a bit crazy at times. They say its a lot like Thailand  as it used to be once. The ruins at Angor Wat are incredible like nothing else one have ever seen.  In addition, although international pressure is changing a few things, grass is all over the place. There was over a kilo in a cabinet in my guest house that was left by people leaving the country, & it is sometimes brought to your table free of charge in some travelers restaurants, so you will smoke it of course & buy more food!  The civil war is over too now.

SOUTHEAST ASIA is hardly the final frontier when it comes to backpacking. Buses specially tailored for foreign tourists line every Bangkok street corner; tubing the Nam Song in Laos ends with gift shops; pancakes and spaghetti are ubiquitous even in Burma.

KOH RONG

Koh Rong, is the second largest island of Cambodia. The word Rong might refer to an old term for cave or tunnel, although some islanders say Rong refers to a historical person's name.

Koh Rong is an island about the size of Hong Kong, with 28 beaches that ring an untamed mess of virgin jungle. The main beach where the ferry drops us off, is home to Koh Toch, a village settled about 25 years ago. Locals traditionally made their living as fishermen on brightly painted Cambodian longboats, and, whether it was the sun or the surf, or the happy abundance of fish in the rich waters, these were some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Being invited to sit down to a traditional dry salted fish and rice dinner with a Khmer family is common. On Koh Phangan, being invited to sit down for dinner with a local — or being asked to hold their baby or play with their kids or have a warm and watery local beer with a crew of old men playing cards — is unheard of. It’s not as if Thailand lacks an authentic culture…but the country, especially its islands, has been inundated with foreign tourism for so long that it’s far more difficult to forge sincere connections than it is on Koh Rong.

Koh Rong is still the last authentic party in Southeast Asia, but it’s also an indication of what unregulated, unfettered development and an unchecked influx of tourism can do to a place.

In 2013, there were only  roughly 20 guesthouses on the beach, and electricity ran reliably only between about 5 pm and midnight. We can spent our days lazily passing joints on the tourist end of the beach, or playing with kids in Koh Toch. The Koh Phangan nights of Long Island iced tea buckets and prepackaged EDM and capsules of crappy Molly were nonexistent. This was a real party, a real pursuit of pleasure; travelers spent their evenings spinning poi, playing guitars, swapping stories, singing by candlelight.

Looking at the beach, the village is situated left of the community pier with mostly foreign-owned guesthouses to the right. Going left meant being in Cambodia proper: thatched roofs, rusted metal, very free-range chickens, boats so old, being refurbished 24/7 by old men with gnarled hands. Going right meant an untouched beach paradise with water as clear as crystal and sand as white as snow. It sounds cliché, but this is what the cliché is actually meant to describe. I wouldn’t have believed just how white sand could be or how crystal the ocean until I came to Koh Rong.

The most amazing thing about the Cambodian Island of Koh Rong is not the white sandy beaches, the crystal clear water, the jungle views, the friendly locals or even the plentiful supply of fresh fruit smoothies. It is the "Phosphorescent Plankton" that is visible in the water after dark. A combination of low light pollution on the island and the warm temperature makes these tiny glowing lights visible in the ocean after dark. I was told many a fable about how best to see this natural phenomenon by an old hippie in a local restaurant. Including, to wait until the island’s generator goes out for the night and that the best place was out in the front of the Paradise Resort. So there I was waiting on the beach in the middle of the night when the owner of the Paradise Resort passes by on his nightly walk and informs me that his resort has its own generator so therefore the lights never go out!!

It’s just that in 2014, Koh Rong is less a village that happens to be on a paradise beach, and more a paradise beach that happens to be home to a village. This, of course, is because of the influx of tourism. There were roughly 300 tourists on the island at any given time a year ago; now there are more than 700. While the majority of people passing through are still conscientious, there are a lot more neon tank tops than last year. There are Full Moon Parties. With them, of course, come bucket drinkers and fist-pumping, “throw your hands up in the air” anthems. I’ve heard people come into bars and asking for Molly — only to be told in no uncertain terms to turn around and get on a boat back to Koh Phangan. There are more foreign women wearing bikinis in the village than last year (a truly disrespectful thing in Khmer culture), more foreign men who can’t hold their liquor stumbling in the sand by 3 pm. A fire earlier this year, sparked by two travelers (allegedly drunk, smoking in bed) destroyed two businesses and nearly destroyed one more.

While the true party — the pursuit of real pleasure — ends, the other party is just getting started.

If you have ever traveled to Southeast Asia, you will have heard people complaining about “How it has changed, and how it used to be.” I don’t mean to be one of those people. It’s still paradise. You can still float on your back under a massive equatorial sky and be amazed by the glowing plankton washing over your skin. The villagers will still invite you in for a dinner — if you take the time and effort to venture from the western side of the pier. You can still have a meaningful romp on Long Beach. You can still form real connections with the kids and indulge in some of the best noodle soup at Mr. Run’s. You will still meet some of the most special, interesting, kind, intelligent, and honest travelers you can meet anywhere in the world.

But it’s changing. Fast. Really FAST...!!!

See You Soon...On Another Famous Hippie Location

Until Then...NAMASTE...

#Trotterhipp