Cambodia

9 – Cambodia: Kam Pot, Siem Reap and the Temples and Palaces of Angkor, and Phnom Penh

Nothing much happens in Kampot. The blue, swift-flowing Kampong Bay River flows past crumbling colonial houses, passes under bridges built by the French and bombed by the Americans, and winds up in the Gulf of Thailand. 

The epitome of a sleepy river town, so peaceful and quiet it’s as though time has stood still since the French left, albeit reluctantly in the 50's, it appeals to a particular group of grizzled ex-pats who gather on warm breezy evenings over tall glasses of Cambodian beer, and relate amazing back-packing adventures.

Ever since I read about Kep crab and Kampot pepper, exulted in my guidebook as the best in Asia, I’ve been dreaming about eating dinner here. The experience began with a visit to the crab market to see them brought in fresh from the sea. All the dealing is done by women. 

We invited our tuk-tuk driver, Wan Dan, to join our Kep crab feast and he was so moved he invited us to lunch with his family on their farm in the country. Next day Wan Dan drove us in his rickety tuk-tuk over unpaved, pot-holed roads into the bucolic serenity of palm trees, rice paddies and farm houses. There are no cars here and only a rare motorbike; everyone’s on bicycle. The villages have no electricity or running water, but plenty of telephone towers. Farmers, bent over their fields tending vegetables, use cell phones. Traditional Khmer houses are built on stilts, with place for animals, hammocks, dining, and bicycles in the shade underneath.

We stop to look at a temple in a cave and children appear wanting to guide us. They point to a sign indicating the place has been cleared of mines.

When we arrived at the family farm the children were gathered around a vendor on bicycle selling ice cream on hot dog buns. Well, if the French can eat pain au chocolat, why can’t Cambodians eat ice cream on soft rolls?

Wan Dan’s wife killed a chicken that morning; his mother roasted it and prepared a delicious dish of string beans, with herbs from her garden, and boiled rice for lunch. We brought a large Durian, known here as the king of fruit, which appeared to please her. Wan Dan’s father, a hero of the anti-Khmer Rouge forces, came out to say hello. 

On the way home we visit a Kampot pepper plantation that boasts the best pepper in the world, and I wouldn’t argue. Those Kep crabs were also sweet and succulent and perfectly cooked.

We took a boat ride in the choppy Gulf of Thailand and a sunset cruise on the Kampong Bay River, lazily ambling along the quiet shores of mangrove and palm trees. Somehow, three tranquil days passed blissfully in Kampot.

After a seafood lunch in tourist-filled Sihanoukville, we board the only plane at the airport and fly north to the lovely town of Siem Reap, starting point for visits to the famous ancient temples and palaces of Angkor.

I won’t even try to describe this place. Like Halong Bay at the beginning of our journey, Angkor is one of the world’s wonders, and the crowning glory of our incredible journey. I attach a few pictures in hopes of expressing something of the magnificence. I just want to add one thing: as magnificent as the buildings of Angkor are, so are the trees.

The end of my journey comes in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, a thriving city, teeming with life and energy, which is nothing short of a miracle considering it was completely decimated and abandoned during the Pol Pot era of Khmer Rouge in the 70’s. The people came back and have rebuilt their city. The new young king has returned from Paris and taken up residence in the royal palace. If he'll let his people get educated, something good might happen here.

Business looks good, judging by all the tourists eating, drinking and shopping, although, based on what I saw on our drives through the land, and stories told by people i met, I’m well aware of dire poverty in Cambodia. As our driver informed us, “the people of Cambodia are poor but the government is rich.”

Oh, yeah, patricia ate spiders: big, black, thick-legged, deep fried ugly monsters, with crickets & slugs on the side.... yuk! i was so revolted i looked away.