Kep

On 1st sight, Kep just appeared to be a wasted bus ride. Just a dirty beach and a busy crab market, a graveyard of plastic containers and bags. Fortunately, our back packs are light and we could take a long walk and feel the vibe. The locals were chilled out, congregating on wooden platforms lazing in hammocks and sharing crab picnics. The kids splashing in the sea and the occasional adult joining them, the ladies fully clothed! Of course, all the children flashed their big, open, honest smiles and waved hello.... sucksoobye. How could we resist?
We found a perfect wooden cabin for the night at 'birds of paradise guesthouse' and sucked up the expensive 22$ a night pricetag.
The national park hike and the crab market were the worthwhile prize. Ginger fried fish, garlic and lemongrass grilled fish, crab amok, coconut pancakes, mango smoothies, sugarcane juice. All a wow. One of the restaurant owners proudly showed off his impressive English, as did his 2 little kids who loved their wild flowers stickers.
The Cambodians are so genuinely delighted to receive foreigners. Their war torn history is difficult to fathom. Never a cross word, never a raised voice, all peace and forgiveness. Perhaps that's their secret. Never holding a grudge.
The US Dollar is king here but don't try to spend one with the slightest rip or marking on it. It's a mystery what happens to those notes. We saved ours up and spent it in Chinese run Sihanoukville. It's also a mystery how the locals afford to live. Cambodia is much more expensive than Thailand. On a par with Portugal at a guess.
Now off for some island time....Read more