Koh Rong Island in Cambodia. Another eco tragedy about to happen? Part 1

Otres Beach in Cambodia. Days of serenity

After a month staying in Otres Beach in Cambodia doing absolutely nothing, just chilling, hanging around on the beach, eating delicious Cambodian food and enjoying fantastic sunsets, it was about time to do something positive for the first time of our time staying in the SE of Asia.

And why not to do some volunteer work?. We were traveling together 2 couples and two kids from Spain. We stayed in Viet Nam initially for a few months and despite we did some little efforts here and there to help the local communities we wanted something more. A few days before we were cleaning the beach in Otres (freaking out the locals btw) picking plastic bags and another little rubbish. but like I said that wasn't enough for us.

Sihanoukville wasn't our scene (lets put it that way) and we did heard of a couple of islands that were located not far from Sihanoukville: Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem (also called Saloem I believe).

We were told both islands were amazingly beautiful unspoiled places, a real wild experience in the tropical nature far from the commodities that the so called civilization offers you in your daily routine. No roads or cars, no Internet coverage, no TV as the islands are not connected to any power grid (They use power generators a few hours on the evenings)…It was all about to experience the nature on its most pure ( and tropical) state.

It did sound all very promising to be honest as our goal in this trip was to try to go to places where the tourists never reach to see and if so…we wanted to be the only tourists there!
So lets see what can we do there.

On our way to the islands!

At first we were undecided which Island we wanted to go. Our idea like I said before was to do something for the locals on a volunteer basis, for around a month lets say, which it was the time we had left for our visas in Cambodia.

It was about time we stopped acting like spoiled tourists and try to do something useful for the people in the area.

Our catalan friend Ari, who was traveling with us all the way from Viet Nam, has a master degree in waste management and our plan was to show the islanders a very much needed  (so we were told) waste management project and also try to offer them some other fresh ideas for the conservation of the island, as on the last couple of years the number of visitors have been increased exponentially, mainly due to the diving activities from the boats which depart almost everyday day from Sihanoukville. Everything was like I said on a volunteer basis.

Koh Rong Island

Don't forget how much this islands have changed in the last couple or three years and the recent huge impact tourism has had on the place.

The quiet, completely isolated islands have becomed a new hot diving destination for little groups (yet) of young western tourists who party almost every night on the beach and therefore leaving a negative ecologic impact on the area.

Everybody seems to want to find 'The Beach' like in the Di Caprio movie, but very little people cares about the wrong side effects to the nature.

Koh Rong

Koh Rong, which is the bigger one, is known for its beautiful stunning white sand beaches. Its also called Monkey Island. It has 4 little fisherman villages and about a dozen guesthouses spread  all over the island. There is also a plan from a Russian resort investor to build a high end very posh resort right on the other side of the island. Airports, roads…the whole lot. Its on the cards but no one knew when it would start.

But for the moment thick vegetation and wild nature was everything you could find inside the island. No road network at all!. We can say that Koh Rong still remains practically unspoiled. Just jungle and the sea.

Koh Rong Saloem, which is the smaller one, is a bit more hilly and has a small village  too called M' Pai Bei (which means 23 in Khmer by the way). To me here I could feel more the  fisherman Cambodian atmosphere to be honest. 
There is a little fisherman settlement in the south of the island too (Koh Rong Phumi).

Koh Rong Samloem

There are about a hundred fisherman living in M' Pai Bei with their families and for the rest of the island you can't find much more than jungle, 4 or 5 small eco beach resorts&guesthouses , a remote light house and a very little navy base. Pretty much like its bigger neighbor Koh Rong.

Oh! and wild monkeys too.

Like in Koh Rong, there is no electricity, you only get some power a few hours on the afternoon thanks to the noisy generators, and there is no Internet coverage and nor roads neither cars or bikes to be seen. Something very hard to find this days. Paradise indeed.

Needless to say the beaches in Samloem were stunning but slightly different than in Koh Rong.

While in Koh Rong they were more like white sand caribbean type of beach, in Koh Rong Samloem they were more beautiful pale yellow sand and it had a completely different feeling. You can see it on the photos here which explains it better really.

There is a conservation center in Koh Rong Samloem and its manage it by an English guy called Paul who lives there. But I will explain more about this later on.

So one morning we rang and talked on the phone with the management of the scuba dive centers in both islands and they both agreed to have a meeting with us to discuss in which degree we could be able to give some volunteer help while we were visiting the places.

As both were 'Eco' we thought we would had a bit of support to our proposals.

Arriving to Koh Rong

The first island to visit was Koh Rong, so one morning we packed our gear and left from Sihanoukville to the remote island for a day. You get a little bus in the center of Sihanoukville about 8 am in the morning and they give you a lift to the boat. We were about 60 people rammed in the little coach (Hey! This is Asia) and I think almost everyone but us were young scuba divers.

Koh Rong Pier

We had a very pleasant trip that morning as the sea was pretty calm and there was barely no wind (it wasn't the same when we went to Koh Rong Saloem but i will explain that a bit later).

The journey took about 3 hours and coffee and biscuits were provided for free. Nice.  As soon as we were getting closer to the island I realized how beautiful the place was. There was jungle all around and I could see ( even from miles away) a white thin line, like a strip all along the coast line. I was pure white!
Wow.

Advertising in Koh Rong

When you arrive there is a little wooden pier with a couple or 3 bars on the beach. Behind the beach on a little hill there are some huts where the visitors can stay for the night.

The atmosphere was pretty much of young people I have to say, also few lost hippies but  mainly scuba divers. We had a drink and some breakfast in one of the bars and we waited for our contact to appear... but sadly after an hour or so no one turned up.

Local Village in Koh Rong

At this point we started to be a bit concerned as we didn't have much time and we were supposed to get the same boat back to Sihanoukville the same afternoon. We didn't wanted to waste all day there in that bar. We didn't have the chance to see a bit of the island yet!

So we asked the staff on the bar and we were told the person from the management who was supposed to meet us (Someone called Pierre If Im not mistaken) was busy that day with a diver course so they told us someone else would come instead. Right. 
Not a good start.

The beach in Koh Rong

After a couple of drinks more on the little wooden bar in the beach, this young english guy from the Diving center shows up finally and introduces himself as a diving monitor. He was nice and polite. I forgot his name but I remembered he first apologized as he told us he knew very little about waste management (obviously) but he agreed to listen to us and also get us on a little tour around to show us the place.

Local woman walks around in pajamas

We told him the first thing we wanted to see was the village where the residents lived. And so we did.

Then another woman from the diving center came with us too. 

As soon as you walk behind the beach strip, all the sudden you realize how the locals really live. There was dirt everywhere, plastic thrown everywhere, rubbish, etc…. and the waters from the little pond where they were living were very filthy (to put it nicely). They just seem to toss everything there. There wasn't any kind of control with the dirt.

There were even pigs and other little farm animals who were throwing all their poo to the dirty waters.

Koh Rong little village

We were witnessing what was not shown on the local leaflets or the Internet advertising. This poor people were living amongst rubbish like you see on the news on tv in any 3rd world country. It was literally a thrash dump.

Everything of course, was well distant from the tourist hubs for rent.

Dirt everywhere

While we were doing the tour I took a few photos but always on a very discrete way. I didn't want to bother the locals and also I wasn't sure if that would bother the Scuba Diving staff too. But hey! We were there to help. 
I managed to take a few shots here and there when no one was looking anyway.
We were shocked.

It felt pretty sad. A mixture of dirt, neglect and extreme poverty.  Far from the paradise promised a few yards away. What a contrast indeed.

There was a huge pig caged in there. Dumping all the dirt below him on the pond

The beach like I said still keeps its pure beauty. Palm trees, white sand and those amazing pristine waters you always dream to swim one day in, but in some other parts close to where the fisherman were living, at the bottom of the sea you could see a surface on the sand of a worrying grey dirt color. It looked like a kind of layer of lead dust to be more precise.

Huts for the tourists

Im not an expert on management waters but our friend Ari told us that this was the first signs of a serious water contamination, like a kind of thin layer of sulfur.

The main fact, she said, were the toilets on the facilities in the island. They were the conventional ones and didn't have any device to separate the waste, number 1 from number 2, the solid from the liquid if you know what I mean.

The only solution is to install eco toilets she said. That would make the difference as they didn't have a septic tank on the area (If they had one at some point It was obviously not big enough).
Ari kindly did offer the guy to hand made a real size wooden prototype of those eco toilets and we told them it would be no problem to show it to them sometime in the next days when we were supposed to be back on the island. She also offered to do some lecture about the whole project to the local staff.

Lots of dogs around

That obviously wasn't all. There was some education needed behind. Set some rules for the party goers, banners, a bit of a speech in the boat for the diving groups and general visitors before reaching the island etc... A kind of a protocol of behavior for all the people coming to the island.

Its not all about making money with the scuba diving activities and the beach parties, its also about the care of the place. If things carry on like this, whats gonna be left? This paradise and its purity will be quickly gone.

So after a bit of a tour around the village as I could feel that our hosts were was getting rather than bored or very little interested (Kind of like someone told them to do a task that wasn't their field or line or work), so we decided we had enough and we headed to the beach to have a last drink and wait to catch our boat back to Otres Beach.
We certainly were in shock to see in first person in which condition the local people lives in. We didn't expect to see that.
Boat came and we all went back to Otres. 

And that was it really. The week after my friends bothered to make a prototype and they tried to contact the Diving center again. But they seemed to be very busy with their diving activities and nothing more came out of it. We felt somehow a bit frustrated with the lack of interest shown from the Diving management, even more considering we were willing to work for them for free.
Maybe it was not the best time for them I don't know. What I really know is that something needs to be done, someone has to do it and it has to be as soon as possible.

I really hope they show more interest on the future and they focus their energy a little bit more in the 'Eco side' (as they are advertised as) than the business side and I also hope the so neglected Koh Rong natives find a decent way of living complementary to their traditional duties. 
Its no joke the impact of those increasingly crowded groups of people visiting the island on daily basis. As it is the boats and all the things people carries around. Plastic bottles, petrol, not to mention the beautiful coral reefs on the area and the fish resources.

Also, like I mentioned before hundreds of people every week using the beach toilets where everything is tossed to the sea shore. And many many more things Im sure I forget to mention…. but then again I'm not en environmentalist. But I can recognize the damage made by man when I see it.

So it was time to visit the second island Koh Rong Sanloem.

And fortunetly that was a completely different story.

See you in part 2

© Pedro Vila

Palamos Costa Brava Xmas&Boxing Day 2009

Jordi Felani the thinking man

Last xmas I spent a few days in Palamos in Costa Brava. We always gather with me old mates for this days and also for NYE. The place was so quiet unlike the crowded days in summertime.

Cala S' Alguer wee fisherman Village

Cala Castells Sunset a new decade ahead

Cala Castells

A few years back there was planned the construction of dozens of summer villas in Cala Castells near Palamós but due to a massive media campaign promoted by the locals the whole project was stopped and canceled. A prove once again that people can still change things.
Revolution wont happen on TV. Start your own one!

Cala Castell Palamós Catalunya

Coconut DF show in Pat's Memorial event. Jolly Brewer 26th September 2009 Lincoln UK [Part 2]

Dave Fielding Coconut DF sound check

Dave Fielding: Coconut DF

So after Helium 3 supporting act it was time for Dave Fielding to join the stage. The place was rammed as it was the main music act of the night so no one wanted to miss it.
Dave told me minutes before the show that he was very nervous. I couldn't believe at first how someone with such a long music career can still get that previous stage fright but suddenly I realized it was a very very special night for him and he wanted everything to work as perfect as possible. On the last minute Ralph the original Coconut DF drummer couldn't make it to the gig, so Daniel 'Bongoman' Heard and Josh Jackson [again] joined on the last minute. And they both did a perfect job I have to say.

If I had to play along an 80s guitar legend like Dave Fielding I would be anything but relaxed!

Pure ecstasy

There was a fast connection with the crowd gathered there. All the show set list was improvised [Like all Coconut Dog Fuck shows on the past], they jam the songs on the most natural way and never rehearsed it before hand.
To me it doesn't sounds unrehearsed at all to be honest.

That's me taking pics btw. Photo Courtesy of Cath Aubergine

The good mood and the positive energy started to flow . Dave was wild, he was literally on fire. He is undoubtedly very skilled and has a long wide experience. That is why he makes it work!.
I can guarantee you that you have never heard or experienced anything like this sound before.
Mr. Fielding takes music experimentation to the next level. Basically he managed to shake his glorious past and moved on. Which is to me the right thing to do. If you add that its not easy to play Dave's well known unique trademark delayed echoed guitar effects on a high uptempo dark psychedelic Trance-Dance Beats.

Dave on trance

Dave's emotional speech for Pat

Dave is a professional. He has played all along all his musical career on the main major venues around the world, America, Europe etc....and on the early 80s days supported and shared stage with some of the major acts of the time like The Cure, U2, Echo&Bunnymen, The Cult, Simple Minds, The Sisters Of Mercy, Talk Talk [You name it...] and a long long etc.... Its countless the amount of guitarists Dave [And Reg!] have influenced on a whole generation [Bands like Editors, Interpol, etc..]., its all out there proved and quoted in the music journalism. They were the pioneers and they well deserve the recognition.
He is been around with his very different musical projects since Years [Pre-Chameleons] in 1979 and you can tell as soon he joins the stage.

Dave took everybody to an unknown [but very pleasant] strange sonic landscape.

Clockwise: Daniel Heard, Dave Fielding and Josh Jackson

The show was about 3 or 4 long improvised songs. Highlights were 'Bosnia ' [Surprisingly not played at the end of the set this time due to the crowd request of an encore] and also some nice 'The Shadows' chords filled the room at the middle of the 2nd or 3rd set.
A nice surprise indeed!

I had the infinite pleasure to hear Bosnia several times on the past, and that night was probably the best one. I am very happy it was finally included it on the last The Reegs double cd compilation released last July, as it never was recorded in studio with lyrics before. Although I have to say I always personally enjoyed it to the max when he played with The Reegs on the late 90s.with Reg Smithies there backing [Can you imagine??!!].
There are some recordings of The Reegs last shows in 1998. They are brilliant, I really hope they decide it to release them some day, and more particulary The Duchess of York in Leeds which was their last show ever. day, and more particulary The Duchess of York in Leeds which was their last show ever.

Dave Fielding taking off!

Wild!

But back to Coconut Dog Fuck show, Dave feelings were very very intense like I said. He was jumping around and dancing like a...... possessed Shaman?. I recall he even almost felt over the drums once!
At some point I think he was in some sort of trance for his sadly missed friend .....and we all were there to join his mystic experience.

For a very few moments I had the sensation that Pat was somewhere watching everything and giving us all his distinctive and very own warm [always[ honest smile.

Dave Fielding: Coconut Dog Fuck

Dave played his legendary Microfret guitar his ebow on a way that anyone else cant. Quoting my friend Cath's Aubergine from Manchester [The person I know has seen more live bands ever, literally hundreds per year!]:

' .....ask me how I would rather spend a Saturday night - purely on a MUSICAL level - and give me darkly psychedelic techno over rehashing history; present over past; every time. This is just how it is for me. Dave Fielding can do things with a guitar that nobody else in this world can, and the rest of the band provide a quite brilliant foundation on which he can do so.'

Double 12" string guitar. Last Dave adquisition. Shame it wasnt used.

People dance, people had fun. Happiness isn't a crime!

Dave Fielding brought also a double fret twelve string guitar but its a shame he couldnt tune it on time. I personally would love to see him playing that on the most 'Jimmy Page style'!
At the end of the night about midnight Pat Sister Bernardette gave a little speech to thank everyone for turning up to the gig. Also some money was raised for Pat's family who were there, his mum, Dad and brothers&sisters which I had the pleasure and honor to speak briefly with.

Coconut DF The real thing!

For Pat, sadly missed but not forgotten!

They all were very happy and proud. We all gather backstage at the end of the night , and the feedback was so positive by those who turned up. Everybody smiled and was satisfied. I personally had a fantastic and very memorable night and some [Actually several!] Guinness where raised on Pat's memory. Proper Irish wake.

Pat sister Bernadette gives the final thank you speech

Special mention to the show for the lightning too [Gaz Top personal equipment ] as it gave a great atmosphere to the show. Many thanks again mate for such a great job organizing everything, you nailed it!. And also thanks everyone who got involved on the event helping or just turning up. My most sincere apologizes as well if I forget to mention anyone [So many people to say hello there!]. You know who you are.
To me it was well worth the quick trip from Spain. Despite I lost a few days before my best friend Antonio Blanco Rodriguez who was brutally murdered in El Salvador the 11th September and therefore been very very difficult times for me, there was no way I was going to miss Pat's memorial tribute.
Personally It was like a two in one occasion.

That goes for you too Tony !

I am pretty sure Pat would be very proud with all of us.

Pat's memorial will go down in history for ever, and quoting Dave 'It was our best Coconut DF gig!!'.

Like I use to say....... Nobody dies if we keep his memory alive.

Pat Taylor

R.I.P. Pat.

Hasta siempre amigo!.

Ps: I managed to take a couple of video shots from Coconut DF with my pocket camera, although sounds is compresed and obviously isn't very good [Soundwise], it shows quite well the spirit of the night [I recall some other guys with proper video cameras so hopefully more stuff will surface one day.] I will upload them when I have a bit of time off.
Also more photos were taken on the night. If you want to see them join our Facebook groups for The Reegs and Coconut Dog Fuck. or Pats memorial event.

Ta

Pedro Vila

USA Trip

After the summer hiatus I will have a bit more time to update the blog, so apologizes for the lack of content and updates. To be honest I always saw summer the right time to spent as much as you can outdoors so didn't have or wanted time for computers.

Fires in Yosemite National Park August 09

I had a fantastic time this summer on the US.I stayed a some days in Chicago and also I drove some of the west coast, Big Sur and also to Yosemite National Park. One of the things I found more shocking were the fires. They were huge, in San Gabriel Mountains I think and also in Yosemite. Mount Wilson was on flames too.

Spooky skies Los Angeles 2009

On the way to Mojave desert

Fires near the Highway

I was told the fires can burn for weeks. The view at night was very sad, hundreds of years gone within minutes
.
I'll report back soon when I get a bit of time off, and also to review an exciting flight with a glider over the Mojave desert!


Ta

Pedro Vila