Category Archives: Cambodia

Kampot Cambodia.

A couple of hours away from Phnom Penh lies the sleepy town of Kampot. All the guide books and online travel sites tell you of ‘quite little Kampot’ and ‘quaint sleepy Kampot’ so i thought i better go and check it out.

The town itself is not very big but it is situated along the banks of a river. It is best known for its French colonial architecture but about half are run down if not just derelict. It is also known for its world famous Kampot black pepper and its Durian production. The durian is so well liked they made a roundabout dedicated to it !! –

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Durian Roundabout Kampot !!

 

I had booked two nights at Kampots Pie and Ice Cream shop, a fabulous little bakery with some rooms above. It was worth staying there purely for the nice smells that would waft up from the kitchen below.

During my first two days there i struggled to see the appeal of the place, nothing much happened, it was quiet therefore relaxing and it was a town that had fallen into decay. But that was the charming thing about the place, nothing much happened, people quietly went about the lives at a slow relaxed pace, many people come from the capital to have a break and be by the river. Many cafes and bars are owned by ex-pats who arrived here and just never left, there are many stories of people coming here and settling down but they just can’t tell you why they never left. I stayed another 4 days there just doing much the same as everybody else, nothing much.

Views of the river –

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View of the landmark bridge

 

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View down river

Kampot Prison, open to all. Apparantly you could actually wonder in and meet the inmates although i decided against it –

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Kampot Prison

 

Phnom Penh Cambodia.

First stop in Cambodia was the capital Phnom Penh. I was here 6 years ago but was already surprised by how it had changed, many more bars,cafes and restaurants. Some friends who had visited told me how every second car seemed to be a Lexus, i remembered seeing older cars, tuk-tuks and motor bikes. The place is now filled with modern cars, Lexus seems the fashion, a lot of Range Rovers, loads of other big off road prestige vehicles. Saw my first Lamborghini drive past whilst having breakfast one day, i can only think that corruption must be rife here for things to have changed so quickly.

The place still has a nice feel about it with many cafes and bars along the riverside. I had already seen the Royal Palace and museum last time so didn’t visit again, the other thing to do is visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum more commonly known as School21. This is where Pol Pot carried out his torturing of the Cambodian people, shame to think he used a primary school to do all of this. The killing fields are another ‘tourist attraction’ but saw that last time too so gave that a miss. The only thing to do was to indulge myself in the cafe lifestyle.

Views from a roof top bar looking out over the Mekong river –

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Phnom Penh on the banks of the Tonle Sap river
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Phnom Penh on the banks of the Tonle Sap river

Part of the Royal Palace complex, they like their roofs with lots of pointy things –

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Part of Royal Palace complex

National Museum –

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National Museum Phnom Penh