After finally reaching Cambodia, I arrived at the hostel at about 9am and started with a crêpe and coffee. A traveller I had been speaking to in a Hostelworld group came down to meet me and introduced two other people. Before long, the four of us were in a tuk-tuk heading to S-21.

Tuol Sleng was intense and graphic, but I was glad I went. I learned far more about the Khmer Rouge than I had known before. One part of the audio guide told the story of an Englishman and an Australian who had been sailing around the world when they entered Cambodian waters and were arrested, interrogated and tortured. I had not realised foreign travellers had been imprisoned there too.

Our tuk-tuk driver waited for us, then took us to a place he recommended for lunch. I had nom bahn chok at their recommendation (fish curry soup) and it was amazing. From there we headed to the killing fields which again, interesting but very harrowing, particularly the killing tree.

Back at the hostel I had a swim and a shower, then we got ready to go out. We walked along the Phnom Penh riverside and through the night market until we reached David's Noodles, which a friend from home had recommended. They make the noodles fresh in front of you. After dinner, we had a couple of drinks and then headed back to the hostel.

I had one of the best sleeps I have ever had. In the morning I ordered an iced coffee and a smoothie bowl piled with granola and fruit, sat by the rooftop pool and wrote in my journal. Then it was time to pack, check out and take a tuk-tuk to the bus station.

I nearly missed the bus. As the last person aboard, I ended up squeezed onto the back row between two large men, with four hours ahead of me on a very hot minibus. Not the most glamorous part of travelling, but I was on my way to the coast.

At the ferry port, bad weather delayed the boat by another two hours. I met a couple of people while we waited, so we found some food and I brought out the Uno cards. A delay feels much shorter once a game begins. By the time Koh Rong appeared, the sky was still heavy with rain, but I had finally reached the island.

The following day we hired motorbikes to explore the island. It sounded straightforward until a storm arrived after dark, we lost our way and there was no phone signal. By the time we made it back I was wet, exhausted and, fair to say, slightly traumatised.

In daylight the island looks far less threatening. There are quiet beaches, long piers, swings facing the sea and little places hiring motorbikes beside the road. The sky in the photographs still carries the storm, but Koh Rong feels a long way from airports, delays and crowded minibuses.