The time has come to leave the island. It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
When I last updated this blog, rainy season had worn me down and I was ready to move on. On my return, however, I changed jobs, my lifestyle changed and I fell in love with the island all over again.
After low season I couldn't handle working in a bar anymore so i was very happy when someone else wanted to buy into Vagabonds and take over management (Courtney, you're great). With the freedom to work on what I wanted, I created myself a little office job, doing the accounts and bookings for all 3 of Dave's guesthouses.
The initial aim of this role was to eventually update all of the info available online about Koh Rong and create a press pack for each business. Snowed under by bookings over Christmas I didn't get much of a chance to do this before another project came up.
While working for 3 businesses I was getting my food and drink from Island Boys and Vagabonds, while living at Dreamcatch Inn. Being around Dreamcatch meant that I began to help out automatically, then in January took on the project to start a kitchen.
The kitchen wasn't even built yet so I recruited a chef (also from Glastonbury) and together we designed the kitchen, wrote the menu and bought the stock. When I first spoke to Bethany about starting the kitchen she asked if we could use all recyclable packaging and natural cleaning products so I knew she'd be perfect (and she was, Bethany you're great). We were also joined by another Somerset girl who took on the art work and organising the reception (and has now taken over managing the place completely, Nat you're great). So together the three of us created a little hippie cafe on the beach :-) To anyone and everyone reading this, go check it out, it's great!
It was this lifestyle and community that was so hard to leave. I'd gotten away from 24 hour party bars and had found other people that wanted creative projects and early nights. I did a full year on Koh rong, and in that time started two guesthouse/restaurants, helped out with a tshirt business and created a tobacco brand (gave it a go, doesn't smoke amazingly but cheap, local, and not too bad). It's crazy what is possible in Cambodia. It's the wild wild east with no rules our taxes and the easiest working visa I've ever heard of.
I talk about that more in a podcast I recorded for walking the earth. if you haven't heard it already you can listen here: https://soundcloud.com/walkingtheearthpodcast/episode-14
Now is the time to move on. What was meant to be an 8 month trip in Asia has been 18 already. I've run out of money (a long time ago) and as much as I love Cambodia I know there are so many more places in the world I have to see. So to Thailand now for a final travelling fix before heading back to the UK for summer (yes that's right, I'll be in England, for a few months at least).
I'll never really be able to leave for good though, I'll have to visit, see how it all turns out, and you never know, I might not like the real world ... so ronguns, don't worry, I'll be back!
When I last updated this blog, rainy season had worn me down and I was ready to move on. On my return, however, I changed jobs, my lifestyle changed and I fell in love with the island all over again.
After low season I couldn't handle working in a bar anymore so i was very happy when someone else wanted to buy into Vagabonds and take over management (Courtney, you're great). With the freedom to work on what I wanted, I created myself a little office job, doing the accounts and bookings for all 3 of Dave's guesthouses.
The initial aim of this role was to eventually update all of the info available online about Koh Rong and create a press pack for each business. Snowed under by bookings over Christmas I didn't get much of a chance to do this before another project came up.
While working for 3 businesses I was getting my food and drink from Island Boys and Vagabonds, while living at Dreamcatch Inn. Being around Dreamcatch meant that I began to help out automatically, then in January took on the project to start a kitchen.
The kitchen wasn't even built yet so I recruited a chef (also from Glastonbury) and together we designed the kitchen, wrote the menu and bought the stock. When I first spoke to Bethany about starting the kitchen she asked if we could use all recyclable packaging and natural cleaning products so I knew she'd be perfect (and she was, Bethany you're great). We were also joined by another Somerset girl who took on the art work and organising the reception (and has now taken over managing the place completely, Nat you're great). So together the three of us created a little hippie cafe on the beach :-) To anyone and everyone reading this, go check it out, it's great!
It was this lifestyle and community that was so hard to leave. I'd gotten away from 24 hour party bars and had found other people that wanted creative projects and early nights. I did a full year on Koh rong, and in that time started two guesthouse/restaurants, helped out with a tshirt business and created a tobacco brand (gave it a go, doesn't smoke amazingly but cheap, local, and not too bad). It's crazy what is possible in Cambodia. It's the wild wild east with no rules our taxes and the easiest working visa I've ever heard of.
I talk about that more in a podcast I recorded for walking the earth. if you haven't heard it already you can listen here: https://soundcloud.com/walkingtheearthpodcast/episode-14
Now is the time to move on. What was meant to be an 8 month trip in Asia has been 18 already. I've run out of money (a long time ago) and as much as I love Cambodia I know there are so many more places in the world I have to see. So to Thailand now for a final travelling fix before heading back to the UK for summer (yes that's right, I'll be in England, for a few months at least).
I'll never really be able to leave for good though, I'll have to visit, see how it all turns out, and you never know, I might not like the real world ... so ronguns, don't worry, I'll be back!
