Kep and Kampot, Cambodia

We were told Kep was a nice quiet beach town where the crab dinners were tops, and the days were quiet (we agree on both counts, the blue crab was fantastic). We spent two days in Kep at a great guest house just to the right of the bus stop and on then took a boat out to Rabbit Island thinking we might stay there for a day or so but after walking around the island we decided it was, maybe, a little too quiet for us. And to tell you the truth, Kep was not everything we were expecting, with only one small beach and a few pricey (by Cambodian standards) restaurants we decided to move on to Kampot.

Once again we are crammed into a minivan for the 45 minute drive from Kep to Kampot when we were told it was DEFINITELY a big bus. However, we survived and after about an hour of looking for a guest house we landed a few blocks from where we were let off by the mini bus at the Hour Kheang Guest House. We planned to stay for 3 day and ended up staying 9 nights. The guest house was nice and clean with a great staff, they rented scooters and peddle-bike and... they made a great cup of coffee in the morning. From Kampot we were free to explore the nearby
Bokor Mountain National Park, nearby waterfalls and river rapids (once again an example of how spoiled we are in Canada), and a limestone cave which was the home to a temple dating back to the 7th century.

The Bokor Park was a highlight for us. On the 30 km ride with the scooter from Kampot we enjoyed the sightings of a Gibbon, two Great Hornbills and a long slender snake that didn't seem to be venomous but I was not taking any chances...Ken was thrilled! The Hornbill was absolutely beautiful and as big as a turkey. We were able to watch them for over an hour as they ate and flew from tree to tree around us, they must have had a nest around us somewhere. It was very refreshing riding in the park because it was ? altitude and at the top of the mountain we were very surprised to come across a huge hotel/casino which they were building...who in the earth will stay there, in the middle of no-where...only in Cambodia.

The locals must make the most of what they have but you know this gives awhole new meaning to riding 2up!

Kep is known for its blue crab dinners and they are proud of it.

This lady cut open a few coconuts for us to drink as we walked around Rabbit Island.  The walk was about 5 km in total, through jungle and along beaches.  The bungalows on the island were only 5 dollars but we opted for a day trip only, on the way back to Kep the winds picked up and we got soaked in our overcrowded boat...maybe we should have stayed.

Ken looks back to see if I am coming as I lagged behind walking on the trail around Rabbit Island.

A cage full of blue crabs, ready for sale a the morning market.

Along the river in Kampot you can watch people playing this game.  I am not sure what the name of the game isbut it is played simularly to hackysack but with a birdy simular it badminton..but not really.  The players usually hit the birdy with their foot, behind the body but sometimes it is hit off the knee or foot in front.  We decided not to give it a go and remained spectators only.

The sunset over the river at Kampot as one of the fisherman to our for the night.

A quiick look back at Fabian and Johana on our bike trip up Bokor Mountian.

I love my new camera.  It caught a great picture of one of a pair of Great Hornbills we watched in the Bokor Mountian N.P.  We were more than delighted to spy on them for a while.

The temple at the top of Bokor Mountian, nestled on the edge of a cliff it had a great view of Kampot on the river as it drifted into the Bay of Thailand.

On our daytrip back to Kep on the scooter we witnessed some resident monkeys that lived not too far from the Hotel we stayed at.  All in all, they were fairly tame but one did take a run at Ken when he got too close for comfort.

These little piggys went to market, the lucky ones stayed home.

A night it Kampot was spent watching a traditional show of dance, music and song from Cambodia and...Finland?  As an exchange program a group of music teachers make a trip to  Cambodia every year to teach the students of an Orphanage and Disabled Childrens school.  The show was great.