Peppers and caves in Kampot, Cambodia

Talor: Kampot is a very cool, very chill little town famous worldwide for their peppercorns. After settling into the Orchid Guest House, spent three days exploring the riverfront, the French colonial architecture and the lovely rural countryside.

Our first evening, we went out for a night on the town to celebrate our anniversary. Though the pretty riverfront is lined with bars and restaurants, it was fairly low-key... just my style. Clinked glasses watching the sunset, then being the party animals that we are, we were back in our room and in bed by 10pm.

The next day was spent exploring the town on foot and bicycle... yes, I finally got up the nerve to learn to ride a bike again! After a few false starts with everyone in the vicinity watching and laughing, ventured out into the streets that have paved roads and light traffic. Worked up a major sweat riding two whole blocks to the waterfront! Only fell down once, but then panic set in when I almost got hit by a motorbike then decided that was enough and walking is a lot safer and much more pleasant. So we walked across an old rickety bridge, that had been destroyed and re-built three times, to see what goes on on the other side... not much, but found prices a lot cheaper. Then came back via the new bridge and walked to the bustling market in the center of town digging the French colonial architecture everywhere. Finally got Erik a krama, a traditional Khmer multi-purpose scarf, which is great for sun-protection.

At the Epic Arts Cafe, an NGO that employs deaf and disabled Cambodians, we had our first western meal. The salad with tuna and fruit and the vegetable quiche were surprisingly good. And they had a fantastic fruit shake, pineapple and mint, that was super-refreshing. But the best part was just sitting and people-watching because it's THE gathering place for the deaf and disabled in Kampot. They were very friendly and patient with us as we tried using American Sign Language with them, but found it is very different from Khmer Sign Language. But through gestures, body language and lots of smiling and laughing we managed to communicate anyway.

For our final day, we rented a motorbike to explore the caves in the countryside. We were eagerly met by a bunch of kids who all wanted to be our guides for a tip. One of the oldest, who spoke really good English, wanted to guide us, but he had to go to school. It was good to find that they put a high value on education here, especially learning English, because they see it as their only opportunity to getting a good job. So we were led by one of the others and soon we had a group of three leading us and showing us “points of interest,” which really amounted to rock formations that resembled animals. Found the inside of the caves dank and claustrophobic, but enjoyed speaking English with the kids.

Afterwards, took a pleasant ride to the peppercorn farms. We got a guided tour and a tasting of the fresh peppercorns, which when eaten raw are super-spicy. With our mouths burning, we got back on the bike and enjoyed the ride back to town stopping every now and again to take photos (way too many) of the rural countryside and the beautifully green farms.

Our next stop along the Southern Coast, Sihanouk Ville...

Erik: Kampot was nice, and I was really happy that Talor finally built up the courage to mount a bicycle once again. She had a few bumps and bruises from it (as well as sore arms from being so tense,) but it should pay off well as we visit the more rural areas. Being a former French colony, there were plenty of frog ex-pats living there, and I was happy to find that after months of losing my French as my Spanish improved, it came back quite quickly. I even sat in a small bar and listened to Noir Desir's “Tostaky” - a French rock song that had been very popular when I was a bartender in Paris so long ago...strange juxtaposition!

Renting the scooter to see the countryside was good fun, and we met so many young kids eager to practice their English – it was a simply relaxing, pleasant day.

Next up, though, is Sihanoukville, famous as THE party beach resort of Cambodia...wasn't quite sure what to expect there, after the calm, quiet, easy life of Kampot.

Kampot photos:

Kampot, Cambodia