Jann in Cambodia: Kep sur la mer

12 – 15 Apl

Along with half of Cambodia we are off to Kep to spend New Year by the seaside. Normally Krong Kep is a sleepy seaside town. Over the New Year period its holiday central. The hotels are all full and day trippers swell the numbers. Expats are doing their bit too, keeping us company at our lovely hotel, The Veranda, Police man the main road into town and are charging an “entry fee” of 5000 riel (around $1.25). Carloads of Khmers arrive and claim one of the waterfront platforms for their picnics. Local vendors swoop and sell them bags of fresh boiled crabs which are devoured with other barbequed seafood. They swim fully clothed and are having a grand time.

Kep’s heyday was early 1900s when the French elite headed to the seaside for some respite. Kep sur la Mer was home to many beautiful colonial villas that these days are ghostly wrecks. They were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period and so far have not been restored. Kep is famous for its seafood – especially crabs, and sunsets. Neither disappoints. The crab market is right on the waters edge and the place to go to watch the trade in the catch of the day, and to eat crabs! Built out over the water are a stretch of rudimentary seafood restaurants and their food is delicious. The local specialty is crag stirfried with Kampot pepper. Kampot is a nearby town and their pepper ( as anyone who watched Rick Steins Asian odyssey will know!), is world famous. It is absolutely delicious and we have this meal every night we are in Kep! Watching the sunset with a cold beer and crab – you can’t get much better than this!

Kep view from The Veranda - derilect French villass in prime position

Gulf of Thailand Sunset - Kep

Our days are spent exploring the province on motorbike. Kep is only 35kms from the Vietnam border and its pretty countryside – lovely coastline, hills that are home to the pepper plantations, and more lush vegetation than other provinces. We stay away from the main roads as the traffic is horrendous with Khmers heading home to visit family. I stopped trying to count people in mini-buses. Ingenious drivers leave the tail gate down and back door open in order to squeeze in more passengers, and who doesn’t fit inside the bus sits on the roof. The ubiquitous motorbikes add to the chaos. There is always the tranquil pool at the Veranda for some relaxation at the end of the day.

http://www.veranda-resort.com/index.php

Kampot pepper - delicious!