In the end our first stop was Kampot for lunch so we crossed two off our list! Kampot, famous for its world class pepper - but also Cambodia's main producer of the, shall I say "highly perfumed" fruit - and therefore - home of the bug durian!
The big durian!
We will be back again one day to further explore this quaint riveside town, but after lunch it was off to Kep - via more road works!
Kep is about a 3 hour drive from PP and the road is really pretty good. We passed through lots of villages and saw daily life in full swing. We passed - watermelon village - banana village and also meat village - with stalls right on the roadside selling their wares from little wooden huts. I promise some photos next time - we were on a mission and no time to stop! Meat village - or butcher boulevard - is a sight that well might make the biggest meat lover turn vegetarian!
Kep a tiny seaside resort famed for its spectacular sunsets and magnificent seafood was founded as a colonial retreat for the French elite in 1908. The Cambodian wealthy continued that tradition in the 1960's but the town was evacuated and severely looted under Khmer Rouge rule and many of the old french villas are blackened, empty shells still today. The town is slowly returning to its former glory and there are some great places to stay. It is a popular weekend retreat for Khmers and they come down to picnic by the sea in bus loads. It was nice to get there and having a relaxing drink or three by the pool, with views of the ocean.
Picnic on the pavement!
Sunset at the Sailing Club
The next day we headed out to Rabbit Island on a boat charter that got a bit rough during the crossing. It only took about 45 minutes but I couldn't wait to get there. Due to the weather we had to land at another spot which required us to jump off the boat into waist high water and trek through the jungle to get to the beach - not much ever really goes according to plan - but it all adds to the thrill! Didn't spot any rabbits - apparently the locals think the island looks like a rabbit - we couldn't quite see it.......but each to their own! The beach was really quite nice, we had been told not to expect too much, but the waves were fantastic and kept the kids happy for hours. We had a local lunch and a swing in a hammock and it was time to head back - before the afternoon storms!
Fun in the waves
That night it was off to the crab market restaurants for dinner - and it was delightful. There is a strip of waterfront shacks (restaurants and bars) where the crabs are kept in baskets tied off the decks just waiting to be cooked in Kampot pepper or chilli sauce.......bring on the nut crackers! We had crabs, prawns, scallops - in all different styles - and it was finger licking good!
The following morning we trecked the 8km loop through the National Park and were rewarded with some fantastic views down to the peninsula......and a cool off in the pool on our return. It was a fantastic walk, saw some butterflies and disturbed a family of monkeys in the trees - but that was about the only wildlife we came across.
On the trail!
The view
The rest of the weekend was spent sampling more of the local seafood - delicious, lots of swims in the beach - better than expected, sunset drinks at the Sailing Club - stunning, and a tour of a local pepper farm - extremely educational! So all boxes were ticked, a great time was had by all and off we headed back to PP - via an alternative route, which taking a wrong turn saw us heading to Vietnam!! 5 hours later we were home. If only some of the roads had just a road number every now and then, or an occasional sign, rather that continual advertising for the Cambodian Peoples Party - we may have been right! I suppose we are nearing the election - but still! Anyway we got to see a fair bit of the countryside and are already planning our next trip down to Kep ...........home of the big crab!!
yep - that's the big crab!
Sienna's shot from the sailing club - brilliant!
Cheers to Kep - see you next time!
