Discovering Kampot town

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A much quieter night last night. Decided to discover Kampot on foot today after being coupd up in a tuktuk all day yesterday. Walked the 2km into town and eschewed the usual breakfast of fried rice in favour of banana waffles and a cappuccino in a little place on the riverfront. Kampot's tree-lined waterfront promenade really can be described as elegant and a lot of the colonial shop houses are in very good repair. Took a stroll through the local market, there is an amazing variety of fish, vegetables, fruits and spices on offer. If the market roof had been 6 inches higher it would have been easier to negotiate the jumble of alleyways but it's only about 5'4" which is fine for the average Cambodian but otherwise a litle tough. Decided a haircut was in order so found a local barber who said I needed a shave as well. For some reason the words 'Sweeney Todd' came to mind as he tilted the chair back and produced a cutthroat razor but no blood was spilled and I now have a face as smooth as a baby's bottom, and some would say it bears a resemblance as well. A little aimless wandering and a stop in at the arts cafe for tea. The arts cafe is staffed by young people with various disabilities to give them gainful employment. A further stroll around town and then the wind picked up which is a precursor to the daily downpour so with the inundation only seconds away and thunder booming overhead I ducked into the nearest restaurant. l'Osteria a genuine Italian restaurant run by a genuine Italian. Best pizza I've have in ages chased down by a 14l of the house red. Travelling can be hard sometimes, especially when waiting for the rain to stop. Spotted O'Neils Irish Pub on the water front, they didn't have Guinness but I did manage to find a Crown stout to toast the Duke - you know who you are. Got back to the guesthouse to find a small cat lounging on my bed. When your pole house doesn't really have walls i guess its a bit hard to keep the critters out. I hope it hasn't left fleas on my bed. A quick spray of bushman's might be in order.

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