Lunch on the water near Koh ta Kiev

I had only meant to stay on Koh ta Kiev for a night, but ended up staying for four. When I finally managed to wrestled myself off the island, we ended up stopping on the way back to shore at a little building planted in the middle of the water. It was a restaurant, and all of the military guys that run the island were there for lunch.

We went in, the only foreigners and the only people not in military uniform, and we were promptly fed and challenged to drinking games. The military guys seemed particularly delighted to challenge me, a woman, to see who could drink a full glass of beer first. Needless to say, I won every time.

The lunch was fantastic  — all types of fresh seafood kept appearing as local fisherman brought their catch to the restaurant. Crabs, scallops, langoustines and a number of types of shellfish I’d never seen before. The only problem was that there was too much beer, and by 12:30 all of the military men were exceedingly drunk. When the highest ranking man there asked me to dance with him to traditional Khmer music, I didn’t dare say no.