What to Expect During A Koh Rong Boat Party

A Guest Story, Written By West Van

The adventure began, as all great adventures must, late.

We booked the day trip through Yellow Sun Koh Rong, a beachfront hostel with great staff. One of the Khmer guys there ran the boat party, and we thought he'd be fun to spend the day with. The boat party was USD$15 per person, so we figured let's go!

Racing to the boat docked at the end of the pier we only just make it with barely 15 minutes to spare! Of course, that's what happens when you spend your mornings relaxing on the beach - you lose track of time. And so beneath us starts up the great turbulent engines to propell our way on waving wayward bound.

On the first leg of this journey the speaker is turned full blast and a selection of Bob Marly, and only Bob Marly, songs are played for us. The songs are all the classics, and are played on repeat for a time until someone asks for anything else to be played. 

After a short drive with the sea breeze in our hair, we stop! First, we find a lovely bay to stop for the arranged - and advertised - snorkelling adventure. Each of us are equipped with goggles and a snorkle and directed to where the best of

snorkelling will be. And so, over the side everyone leaps. 

Being something of a fanatic snorkeller I must say, the excersion wasn't the best quality. It was still snorkelling though. Urchins the size of basketballs, huge coral and schools of fish swimming everywhere through the murky water was the reward for our outing there. We spend half an hour snorkelling around - the bay is quiet and calm, and there's alright visibility - so far as Southeast Asia goes!

We were summoned back to the boat at a cue after some time and spent a few more minutes in the bay, a complementary beer in hand and access to the roof top diving board available to us noless! Then we were on our way to the next stop!

When we arrive, we are told we're going  fishing. Our guide has promised us each a shot of whisky for every fish caught, and jokingly tells us we are eating these fish for supper. Each of us are given a spool of fishing line with a leaden weight and a hook with a bit of squid for bait. And to the sides we go.

The fishing is hard going, with many tangled lines. After a short while, the first fish is caught and we are all relieved as the prospect of success looms in our eyes! Our guide brings out a bottle to pour a shot, but instead of the promised whisky its rum, and it is poured directly into the recipients mouth.

More and more fish, then the biggest, a woman at the front of the boat manages to hook a strange looking fish a foot and a half long, but our guide tells us this one needs to be thrown back... too many bones. And shots are further poured into the mouths of many.

When the fishing is done, myself having caught no more than zero, we are granted this promise of a shot of whisky now being abandoned for only the reward of a catch and all are welcomed to tilt back their heads and partake in the madness.

We buy another beer from the store on board as the boat trundles its way off and along the to the next island. There will be the opportunity to watch the sunset from a high place atop a hill at a resort, we are told, and so all together we land and make from the pier to the gravel road and climb.

The resort top terrace ends up being a delightful place, but our ambitions for food and drinks are met with that most hateful of barriers: Tourist prices! So instead our pair endeavour to make back down the hill and seek out somewhere else to eat. This we find and do in the company of a complete stranger, and all is well in the moment.

When we return to the terrace we find that we have only just missed the sunset entire, but we

don't mind. We've seen half a dozen sunsets on Koh Rog this week, and our full bellies make us more than content enough. 

As a group, we make back down the hill to the boat, and by great surprise find that there was no joke told earlier. We are now treated to a barbecue supper, complete with the roasted up fish that many in our party had caught.

Each one who had hooked one was offered to eat their still whole tropical fish, but there were so many who refused this rare delight that I myself managed to have 3 all to myself. Delicious. The food was rather good beside as well, and with full bellies we make our way out once more to sea.

Then down come the lights, and up turns the music. No more Marly this time. Instead its all american dance music and with the colored light spinning overhead we dance! The guide pulls out cups for everyone and free pours rum and coke - admitedly, much of it goes onto the deck rather than the cups, so he grabs another bottle. People dance and sing, until finally we hit the last stop for the night. It's now well after dark. We pull up a few hundred metres from shore and turn off the lights of the boat. Everyone jumps into the water, splashing their hands back and forth the see the bioluminescent plankton. Some people debate whether they are in fact visible, and then we see them. 

We climb back on board and enjoy the last of our drinks as we sail back into the harbour. Everyone is drunk, merry, and has just spent a fun afternoon on the water. Smiles are everywhere. Now it is time for rest.