Sand and Sanskrit (3)

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Khmer dance is performed at Vat Preah Einkosei.Photo by Rebecca Lo / For China Daily

We saw that many fishermen were now farming on the sandy soil so as not to be as reliant on the catch of the day for their family's sustenance.

Funds from donations helped to reopen a school staffed with teachers from Phnom Penh, with pens and notebooks brought in by guests as part of the international program Pack for a Purpose. Students who wish to explore topics as diverse as coral studies or malnutrition within Cambodian fishing villages can apply to stay in a Song Saa Foundation-sponsored hut to conduct research.

With all the do-good initiatives on Song Saa, it was fun to have the R&R counterparts, such as snorkeling, diving and lying around the sunset pool munching on a wood oven baked pizza.

Etienne Chenevier believes there is ample room for other luxury resorts like Song Saa. A partner with CityStar, he is developing 25 hectares between the Western Cape and 1.5 km of southern beach front on Koh Russey into an Alila resort designed by Singapore architect Chioh Hui Goh of Studiogoto. A much larger island than Song Saa, Koh Russey is also closer to Sihanoukville.

He took us on a stroll along the beach front after a seafood lunch consisting of fresh-caught crab, prawns and fish all enhanced by a robust black pepper sauce. During the walk, I was reminded of a similar explanation by Rory Hunter more than three years ago.

After our tour of Koh Russey, we were whisked to Siem Reap and checked into Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor.

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