Ko Ta Kiev is a remote island off the southeastern coast of Cambodia. It is all but undeveloped – there’s 4 or 5 bungalow resorts catering to backpackers, but no roads, no electricity, and no running water. The next island over has a cell tower, and if you hold your phone at the right angle at midnight under a full moon you can just pick up a signal.

The island is gorgeous, with clean sand beaches, unspoiled jungle, and a laid back atmosphere. It was the perfect place to relax for a few days after that REI trip.

The only trouble with all this is that I got sick! It came on slowly, day by day, but by my last night I was tossing and turning with a fever. When the only bathroom is a squat toilet 150 meters away from your bungalow, it gives a whole different meaning to “the trots”.

I don’t know if it’s something I ate, or just the accumulated stress of 2 months of traveling catching up with me. But, a couple of people in the REI group had something similar the last couple days, so I’m hoping it will follow a similar pattern and resolve quickly.

I have now returned to the mainland on schedule. My original plan was to head to Phnom Penh, spend a day or two there, then fly to Thailand. That still might happen, but right now I am holed up in a budget hotel in Sihanoukville. It’s clean, it has AC, and it has a private bathroom with a western toilet. Here I will stay until I feel well enough to manage the 6-hour bus ride to the capital.

Update 11/26: I’m feeling much better after 24 hours of bed rest, and have a bus booked this afternoon to Phnom Penh. Onwards the adventure!