After an unforgettable experience in the Mondulkiri jungle, we take the bus to Phnom Penh, 235 miles South. Another ride in the back of the bus for Matt, Chris and Maider. And once again we flew out of our seats a few times…
We will spend only one night in Phnom Penh before getting back on the road to Kampot, another 95 miles South. We just stopped in Phnom Penh to cut the journey in two.
To go to Kampot, it happens that renting a taxi for the 4 of us is cheaper than the bus. It is also more comfortable and more convenient, we love it !
The car comes to pick us up at 10 am in Phnom Penh and we arrive in Kampot around 1:30 pm.
Les Manguiers, a peaceful haven
Chris and Isabelle found an amazing guesthouse called “Les Manguiers” , located right by the river. The owners are French and Khmer and work for an NGO that help finance school programs for unprivileged children. The guesthouse is built on a large land where plenty of bungalows are disseminated under the mango trees. We booked a large bungalow with two double beds and a little patio with a view on the river. At the property there are plenty of activities like ping-pong, badminton, kayaks, etc…
We have lunch by the river. On the menu a salad with shrimp (it feels great to have something else than rice or noodles). We then spend the afternoon relaxing and playing a few games.
Late afternoon we sit on one of the many pontoons of the guesthouse to admire the sunset behind the mountains.
Matt will even go for a swim. After-all it is still 90 degrees outside at 5:30 pm.
We planned 3 days in Kampot to visit the surroundings, more particularly the pepper plantations, the caves and the salt fields.
Visit of a pepper plantation
The next morning we rent motorbikes and leave to go visit “La Plantation” , a pepper farm in the countryside of Kampot.
The Kampot pepper is apparently one of the best on the planet. Pepper was originally cultivated in the Kerala region, in the South of India, and was first exploited here by the Chinese. But it is only during the 19th century, with the French, that the growing of pepper really intensified. Right next to the ocean, the area where the Kampot pepper grows, benefits from an exceptional climate. The amount of sun, the fresh air from the ocean and the quality of the earth thanks to the rainy season make for a great place to grow pepper.
Today there are around 300 different pepper farms around Kampot.
The road to get there is mainly dirt road that leads us through rice fields, that are completely dry during this season.
We see plenty of locals riding their bikes or scooters, and many children going to school who don’t hesitate to say hello.
The countryside is really beautiful and pretty calm. It is really nice to drive in the middle of these rice fields. Even if the road is full of potholes and also very dusty.
Before arriving to “La Plantation” we drive along the Secret Lake. This lake was initially created as a huge reservoir by the Red Khmers. But the dam broke in the 1990s, flooding the land around. Since then it has been rebuilt and we can now safely drive around the lake.
After driving in the dust for a while, we finally make it to “La Plantation” . Before starting the free guided tour in French, we sit down in the shade to drink a refreshing lime juice. The temperature outside is already around 110 and it is only 11 am.
The tour starts with a quick presentation of the history of pepper, before a walk around the farm, and finally ends with a tasting.
At 11:30 am we start the guided tour with a young guide from Belgium, who was been working in this farm for several months.
He explains that this is the largest plantation in the region (20 hectares). Since its relative recent start (2013), the plantation (started by a Franco-Belgium couple) is now a major actor in the pepper industry and in the region in general. Helping to create jobs (120 full-time employees and adding another 150 during the picking season), but also helping to fund the nearby school and inviting the students for workshops every week.
The first part of the visit helped us understand the growth of the pepper tree that climbs around poles or trees.
Than the guide tells us about the picking of the pepper and the differences between the red, green, black and white pepper.
He then showed us fruit trees that they grow to preserve biodiversity on their farm : mango, pineapple, dragon fruit and passion fruit.
We end the visit with a tasting of the different types of peppers : the black, the red, the white and the long pepper. But also a mix of spices that they sell and use in their restaurant.
The visit was super interesting and ended with a great tasting.
We couldn’t stop there so we decided to grab lunch at one of their restaurants : La Rotisserie. The dishes here are of course built around the different peppers they produce.
Visit of the Phnom Chhnork cave
In the afternoon we hop back on our motorbikes and go visit the cave of Phnom Chhnork.
To be able to visit the cave we have to go with a local guide. Ours is called Up and speaks very well English, and even a little French.
We climb to the top of the cave by a staircase.
From up there we have a nice panoramic view on the region.
Then we get inside the cave and walk back down through the cave.
The way down is tricky and we have to hang on not to slip. But it is pretty fun, and our guide keeps making jokes.
Salt fields of Kampot
On our way back to Kampot we stop by the salt fields where we have the opportunity to watch a woman work.
We stop a little further to take pictures of the houses by the river and the fishing boats.
Before getting to the guesthouse late afternoon.
The first thing we do when we arrive : change to our swimming suits and quickly jump in the river. After this long day on dusty roads, it feels amazing to dive in the water.
We then sit down to watch the sunset from the pontoon. We spent an incredible day in the countryside around Kampot. Certainly one of the highlights of Cambodia for us. People are relaxed and couldn’t be nicer.
Bokor National Park
The next day we have a 25 mile ride to go visit the Bokor national park. The first 6 miles are pretty flat, but then the road becomes winding and steep. We are surprised to see that the road is in great condition. Completely different than the roads we took yesterday.
Built under the French colonial times, this resort in altitude and former tea plantation, marks the end of the Elephant mountain. We can actually see these mountains from our guesthouse.
At 3,550 ft above sea level, the fresh air as we climb is more than welcome.
On the way up we stop by a huge statue of Buddha.
In the colonial times, people came here looking for fresh air, which made this resort very popular. Now most of the buildings are abandoned.
Abandoned for the first time in the 1940s, it was popular again in the 60s before falling in the hands of the Red Khmers in 1972 until the 1990s. Where the site is abandoned a third time before being visited by the public again only after 1997. We are surprised to see so many abandoned buildings : a church, a casino and several other buildings. It really feels like we are walking in the middle of a dead town.
We are even more surprised to see the number of Chinese constructions. They are building huge hotels everywhere. We even see a minivan full of Chinese investors.
At the top we can see the Gulf of Thailand and Kampot’s surroundings. Unfortunately the sky is a little hazy and we can’t see much.
Relaxing afternoon
We ride back down around noon and stop to grab lunch in the city center of Kampot, before spending the afternoon resting and jumping in the water at our guesthouse. The place is really calm and relaxing. We sit down to read or have a nap between two jumps in the river to cool down.
Before sitting down for our daily sunset watch.
Day in Kep tasting crab
For our last day in the South of Cambodia we hop on our motorbikes one last time to drive to Kep, 15 miles away from Kampot.
Built in 1908 by the French, Kep-sur-Mer was a popular little beach resort town in the 1960s, before being destroyed by the Red Khmers.
If we go to Kep, it is to taste its famous crab. Visiting the crab market is a must do in the region.
We arrive at the market late in the morning.
It takes us a moment to understand how the market works. From what we gathered, there are baskets in the sea, filled with crabs, that they bring to the market when a customer is interested in buying some crab. Once the basket is carried to the market, customers hurry all around to choose their crabs. A pretty fun spectacle.
This market is specialized in crab, but you can also find all types of seafood like squid or prawns, and fish of course.
The market is pretty big and it is even possible to ask for the seafood you buy to be cooked. We get some grilled squid and octopus that are excellent.
Isabelle meets a couple of Cambodians who speak very well French because they used to live in Switzerland. And they invite us to taste the famous crab from Kep that they just bought on the market. They show us how to at it and more importantly what we can or cannot eat.
We will then sit down in a restaurant for lunch to taste the crab cooked with Kampot green pepper. And the mix makes for a delicious dish.
We go back to the guesthouse in the afternoon, where Matt and Maider work on the blog, while Chris and Isabelle go to visit the museum of the city of Kampot and go for a short kayak trip on the river around the guesthouse.
We all go for a last swim in the river. Matt and Maider stay the evening resting at the guesthouse, while the parents go to see a dance show in the city.
It is time for us to leave Kampot after 5 great days spent discovering the region but also grab some well deserved rest.
The last leg of the trip with the parents awaits us in Phnom Penh, capital of the country.