Oh that was so good.You know when you haven't had something in a very long time and you don't even realise how much you've missed it until you're reacquainted with it...
Two eggs, bacon, cremated to crispy strips, HP sauce and a crusty baguette, all washed down with a large mug of blackest coffee. Served up alongside a soundtrack of Bob Marley and soft Jazz which plays all day, this is Lazy Beach restaurant on a very lazy beach on a tiny island in Cambodia. Hosting just twelve wooden bungalows, there are no shops, there are no other bars, there is no one hassling you, there is only one boat a day out of here.
As the theme to "The Prisoner" finally stopped going round in my head, post more than slightly rough boat trip out here (hey, we're used to near death experiences anyway) there was only one thing to do. Nothing. Jack. Sweet F A .
Other than gently rocking out in a hammock, floating on a very clear sea, maybe watching out for the odd huge jellyfish and a bit of snorkelling. The kids love the rope swings along the beach, chuckle loudly as they watch movies on their iPods (downloaded for a couple of dollars from Rogue music, of course) under the safe refuge of a mosquito net...and that...is that.
(There are whispers among fellow residents of this island, that the Lazy Bitch restaurant is not the only source of food, water, beer and anything else you'd like to get your hands on, it could be that there are shops, maybe even another bar elsewhere. Many people have taken off for walks with their rucksacks on the 'banana trail' as it is known and have never returned. It is said that on finding these alternatives they are quickly rounded up and removed from the island).
Day two and the kids are bonding nicely with Luka and Molly over board games around a table at the only bar in town. Liz and I bond nicely with Pete and Jess, their parents, long into the night, joined later by Chris who runs this establishment. I wake next morning with a drawing of a dalek in the pocket of my shorts. It's pretty bad actually. It certainly wasn't me.
Nastassja, Oskar, Luka and Molly play together all day on the beach, stopping only for lunch. In the evening, upset stomach finishes me early and I miss a spectacular display of glowing plankton in the sea. Hopefully I get my chance tonight.
Early rise, the kids are straight onto the beach to join their new friends for one last time-it's back on the boat for them today, as they begin their journey all the way back to Aireys Inlet in Australia! Pete and Jess are a little worse for staying up late again last night. I'm feeling all good about myself for taking a night off, even if I didn't really have much choice.
So, the boat turns up and off they go. We wave farewell and go back to our hammocks, back to the sea, the hush of the ocean and await the next boatload of imposters to our island...
...miss you Mikki x
Location:Cambodia
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