Sihanoukville!

The best thing to distract me from the blustery cold in London, and in the spirit of escapism, has been sorting through my photos and reliving my experiences in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. This was the last time I was at the beach and will probably be the last time until the European summer. It is making me desperately miss the warmth and feel of Sydney Spring, which I have always thought to be the best season. I digress...

Sihanoukville is an untouched paradise in South East Asia. Whilst it doesn't have the picturesque beaches of Thailand or Bali, it has a certain unique charm. Bars and sun loungers line the beach giving endless choice of where to spend the day relaxing. Our spot was perfect to while away the time by swimming, reading, drinking and endless musings on life. There was an endless stream of cocktails and beers from our amazing and gracious host, John. We never needed to leave our oasis, everything we needed (and lots of things we didn't) would appear! But the best buy of the day had to be the fireworks. All The Fireworks. So many fireworks that we built a firework fort and let them off at sunset. It was a pretty magical way to end an incredible day. We timed our visit to coincide with the full moon and the beach came alive in the evening and I can only imagine how incredible it would be during high season!

Two days spent by the beach with nothing to do was the perfect way to end my two weeks in Cambodia. I miss the warmth and I miss the sun but mostly I am missing my friends.

Cayo Levisa and Cayo Jutias!

Being in the Caribbean it would have been a shame to miss the idyllic beaches of Cuba. Whilst we were staying in Vinales we took a day trip to relax with the locals at Cayo Jutias: It may sound strange but if someone offers you lobster whilst you are sitting on the beach, take them up on the offer! It will be cheaper and better than the food in the only restaurant!

After our time in Vinales we decided to spend a couple of days on the island of Cayo Levisa. It had great accommodation with excellent air conditioning, though the water can run dry on the island until it is replenished by boats from the mainland. It was lovely staying only 20m from the beach and swimming in the amazingly warm, turquoise ocean! The only downside was the food which was simple and all meals are basically the same (which came as a shock after being spoilt in Vinales!). We had heard that Cuba has some great scuba diving so decided to give it a go. There were some amazing sights to see but the diving in Mexico was definitely better!