Koh ta Kiev and around, Cambodia

 We found out about this little paradise in Cambodia from a couple of fellow travelers. It is a small island Koh ta Kiev about an hour boat ride from Sihanoukville. The island has only 4 accommodation options, making it a rare gem in the nowadays overdeveloped world.

There are beaches on 3 sides of the island, 2 of which have bungalow housing.  We found our way to the isolated 3rd beach, where we set up camp for a couple of days.

There are only a couple of things in the world better than falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves.

Among other attractions of the island, was the interactive miniature tiger training.

Counting our sunsets.

This is the way the locals treat their women :)

As much as we didn't want to leave, it was our time to say good bye to this piece of paradise.

Admiring a lotus in its full bloom.

 It's a long way home from here...

On the mainland we took a day to explore the surrounding areas. We stumbled upon this temple on the side of a hill. 

 It is beautifully located overlooking the ocean, surrounded by a sculpture garden, and the peace and quiet of the surroundings made us stay there for quiet some time.

It was the most colorful temple interior that we've seen so far. We were greeted by a very friendly monk  who introduced himself and handed out candles to make a prayer. He asked us where we're from and suggested that we pray for peace in Ukraine, and so we did.

The walls and ceiling were covered in murals depicting Buddha's life story. The centerpiece was a statue of Buddha meditating under the Bode tree, which is believed to be the place where he achieved enlightenment.

One of the statues in the garden.

The teacher and his pupil.

According to Chinese mythology, rubbing the smiling Buddha's belly brings good fortune and prosperity in one's life.

Making a couple of spontaneous turns as we explored the surrounding areas. brought us to a hillside with a steep bumpy road. A truly fun ride!

 A set of hammocks overlooking the beach, we believe this is where fishermen napped between shifts.

Lounging on the beach, this little guy crawled up to us.

Anna soaking in the last sun rays that evening.

Mui Ne

Situated between sand-dunes and the ocean lies the small fishing town of Mui Ne. Because of its location, strong winds of set in every day from the cool ocean toward the hot sands, making this one of South East Asia's top kite and windsurfing destinations. 

 As the kitesurfing was the main reason for visiting this town, Slava couldn't wait but go for it :) The rough waves and strong wind makes this place intimidating for a beginner, but they say if you learn to kite here you can do it anywhere. Because it was tough even for Slava, Anna, who wanted to take lessons, decided to wait for an opportunity to learn the sport later on in a better location during our travels.

The other must do attraction in Mui Ne, especially for those who are not into ocean sports, is to visit the nearby sand-dunes. There are both white and red sand dunes, but the white dunes, located further away from the town offer a more spectacular sight. The best way to get around, as often it is in South East Asia, is by motorbike. We stopped to get some gas at a local gas dispenser.

This time around we did not account for the strong winds in the area. As you ride, you are being blasted with fine sand dust picked up by the wind. Looking back, this somewhat painful adventure was both funny and fun. 

View of the fishing boat harbor that we passed along the way.

The views of the white sand dunes were out of this world. The dunes harbored a little lake. In contrast with water the dunes looked even more powerful.

We took time to get away from the tourist crowds, which wasn't very difficult because they all tended to stay together. A sense of calmness sets in when there's nobody around you but smooth waves of sand hill tops.

The wind reshapes the hills' traces everyday. 

  

Walking on the edge.

On the way back, we couldn't resist but buy a cheesy magnet from this boy. Despite him looking so serious on the picture he was quite comical in real life.

Watching the sun go down.

In the early hours, the low tide makes Mui Ne's wavy and windy beach calm and flat for a morning. 

Dalat

While moving toward Cambodia a natural stop along the way for us was Vietnam's hilly city of Dalat. By lucky chance we found this cute little guesthouse, as the one recommended in our guidebook was no longer open. So far we've stayed in many places and most of the time we're left with a pleasant impression and surprised about us being able to find these places.

Dalat is a typical city planned on a hilly landscape, with a maze of streets running up and down and connected by stairs and small alleyways. Us both being lovers of maps and being very confident in our way around, we got lost... However, as nice as the city may be, exploring the surrounding areas is why one comes to Dalat. This is exactly what we did by renting a scooter and riding out to the elephant waterfalls.

Along the way, there was a coffee plantation and as the vietnamese are famous for their rich coffee tradition, we had to make a stop. Traditionally, vietnamese coffee is served in single person portions, with the coffee beans ground at the last minute retaining their full flavor the longest. You have to wait for the slow drip process to fully savor the taste - but the wait is worthwhile  The Coffee has thicker texture and is stronger and is typically served with condensed milk, making it very smooth.

overlooking the coffee plantation.

We arrived at the top of the Elephant waterfall, where the walking trail toward its bottom pool begins.i There's a turn in the trail that takes under the fall itself, where you can't avoid being splashed by the rushing water. Capturing the full intensity of being there is impossible on camera.

At the bottom of the falls.

As we were about to leave the falls, we happened to notice a roof of a temple and decided to pay it a visit. On both sides of the grand staircase that led to the temple were sculptures of turtles (the figure of wisdom) and dragons (the figure of power).

Inside, the temple is divided into 3 parts. A Buddha statue in the center and 2 majestic figures of multi-armed Guanyin  an East Asian deity of mercy, and a bodhisattva associated with compassion.

Outside the temple there's a lovely garden with a massive statue of Budai, who is usually identified as an incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha. He's almost always shown smiling or laughing hence the nickname in Chinese "Laughing Buddha".

Enjoying the colors.

On the way back, we visited a silk factory, which had the entire process of silk fabrication on display.

The silk worm cocoons are stored in shallow woven baskets.

Silk reeling is the process by which a number of cocoons are reeled together to produce a single thread. This is achieved by unwinding filaments collectively from a group of cooked cocoons at one end in a warm water bath and winding the resultant thread onto a fast moving reel.

Drying silk thread.

Silk worms feeding on mulberry leaves.

The silk thread produced in the factory is later used to create elaborate tapestry by local artists.

With some time to spare, we decided to visit a picturesque lake on the outskirts of Dalat. We got there just in time to enjoy a lovely sunset.

With curiosity to experience the architectural heritage of Dalat, we paid a visit to Dalat's "Crazy House". This is the brainchild of a local architect Mra Dang Viet Nga, the daughter of Ho Chi Minh's right hand man, who studied architecture in Soviet Moscow. It's a bizarre marriage of Gaudi and Lord of the Rings construction. The whole complex seemed to be made up of 5 different buildings with predominantly organic curves, and a maze of connecting staircases all around - outside and inside.