After two months of travelling, and not having had yet been to a beach I was eager to get down to the south of Cambodia and visit some of those beaches.

But I hated Sihanoukville. It was raining basically the entire time I was there and the beach down there was so incredibly dirty. It was a bit of a reality check discovering this after hearing so many wonderful things about the beaches in Cambodia and seeing so many incredible photos. Every morning I woke up it was grey and raining, so I didn’t even make it out to any of the islands. Honestly though, what is the point of going to an island for a day when it’s just raining the whole time?

After two days in Sihanoukville, I decided to head East to Ream National Park. And here it was: a small piece of paradise. I stayed at the Monkey Maya in a 16-bedroom dorm with mosquito nets covering the bunk beds and the sound of the ocean lulling me to sleep every night. The hostel/ resort is located on a private beach with beautiful (and clean) white sand surrounded by the Cambodian jungle.

It was stunning here. And peaceful.

Being off season, there weren’t many people at the Monkey Maya, which made it all that more relaxing. It was a nice spot to just not do anything other than read and snooze in some of the hammocks.

The area is also known for plankton. I’ve never seen plankton before so needless to say I was in awe. It looks like stars have fallen from the sky, getting trapped in the ocean and lighting up beneath the surface of the water with your every touch. Their fluorescent blue twinkling on the waves beneath the inky black sky.

My last night at the Monkey Maya, there was small but solid crew of people and, after a few shots of whiskey, swimming in the ocean to see the plankton was agreed upon. A few of us didn’t have the foresight to put on our bathers so we just stripped down naked and ran in.

This night, the plankton was even brighter and more magical than the previous night. It was darker and we swam further out and, being naked, it was surreal to watch my body shimmering blue with every move under the water. The waves crashed loudly around us, bringing a sparkling plankton filled foam with it. We could only really tell where one another was in the water from the dark, shadowy human forms that were surrounded by the faint blue glowing plankton.

After about thirty minutes of twirling and kicking and splashing to watch the plankton, two figures hurriedly exited the water, their little white bums shining out through the darkness.

It’s not just plankton in the water but jellyfish too. One of those little white bums had the unfortunate pleasure of being stung by one… On the tip of his manhood.

The poor guys spent the res of the night with his dick wrapped in a cloth of vinegar, trying to soak out the stung while his friends stayed awake with him in case he had a reaction.

I hope he can laugh about it now.