Visiting Kep ...

Friday, 28 December 2007

Decided that rather than try the Vietnam border crossing today (and from there try to make it to Saigon) we'd stay an extra day in Kampot, seeing as how we were so exhausted from the Bokor excursion (see previous post). And man, are we glad we did. We've been on the go ever since Siem Reap, without really resting at all, trying to cram in every sight possible. Laura had expressed interest in checking out the nearby beach/resort town of Kep (which is known for their crab fishing and restaurants) and pepper plantations. So we hired a tuk tuk to take us the 27 km there and back for $15.00!

The beach was small but nice and the water clear and clean and, best of all, warm! Spent some time swimming, laying out for a bit, then got our tuk tuk driver to take us on a tour of this tiny town. The main attraction we found was a huge, former French mansion which was now being used by a poor, Cambodian family that charged visitors $1USD to enter and check it out. Since it was so large they were only using the bottom floor (not even sure if they were the legal owners, they may have been caretakers or even squatters but what's a buck among friends (actually quite a bit for some of these folks!)...[pix to be uploaded soon]

Looking through the rooms of this mansion was amazing -- like the Casino on Bokor you could imagine what life must have been like for the wealthy French back in the day, the parties they must have had, the life they must have led...(which reminds us that the previous day's guide told us that the older locals who remember the French did not look back on them with fondness because all the focus was on French profits -- nothing for the local Cambodians). One funny thing -- our tuk tuk driver couldn't speak any English so he had to ask one of his friends in Kep to translate. When we go it through to him that we wanted to check out these old French buildings he looked at us like we were completely crazy. He had no conception of why anyone would find this interesting on a historical, archaeological, or simply tourist-level. So sad.
We will call it an early evening tonight...right now it's dinner time and tomorrow we try the border crossing at Chau Doc!

See you in SAIGON!!!!!

(note the interesting political graffiti here -- we took a few more shots like this that someone tagged in the old mansion. Anyone want to venture a guess as to what the message is?)