Wake up. Order a mango passion fruit shake for a buck twenty-five. Walk shoeless to the gym in a bathing suit and no shirt. Workout hard for an hour. Protein shake. Take my motorbike, no shoes or shirt, to the most beautiful beach I've seen, Long Beach. Order a coconut and some lunch. Read, stretch, swim. This has been my mornings in the beautiful island of Koh Rong. I love this place and this routine. It leaves me energized, happy, and grateful. On Thursday everyplace was booked through the weekend. People come to Koh Rong for the weekend to party. Since I have effectively retired from partying since Thailand I have been able to completely avoid alcohol and the party scene for the beautiful routine I have described. Now I mentioned everyplace was booked on Hostelworld, on booking.com, and when I asked around town everyone was booked. This is the backpackers dilemma. Not planning too much in advance but still getting what you want. I spent Thursday walking around for two hours searching for a place. I found a place for one night. I didn't want to leave Koh Rong yet so I searched for another place Friday night and succeeded. The owner said I'd have to leave Saturday because there was no space. I was prepared to go to another island. I woke up today prepared to checkout and leave but he told me I could stay! This is the beauty of backpacking. You don't know what tomorrow will look like, but it will be beautiful. So instead of leaving to the other island I was able to stay another night. Maybe I will leave tomorrow or maybe I won't! I am in the best shape of my life because I walk so much and workout a lot. I hope to never own a car again. In Dallas I drove so much. It's so bad for your posture and your health. Walking barefoot and shirtless everywhere is so awesome. It feels primitive and good.
Koh Rong, Cambodia
2 min read
Chase Fagen
Living Gambit