Out and about on a motorbike ...

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Geo: 10.61, 104.18

The plan for today is to rent a motorbike and clock up some miles sightseeing. We are up at 06:30 and have a short stroll along the riverfront whilst we wait for breakfast. Not a help yourself buffet at this hotel but still a good start to the day and at least the fry up was hot !! Walk into town to a restaurant called 'Family' that the Aussie owner of our hotel had recommended and hired a motorbike for the day for $5. Fill the tank up with petrol for an additional $2 and we are off.
Our first destination is the Phnom Chhnork cave temple about 15km south of town in the quiet and lush countryside. Unfortunately the speedo etc on the bike doesn't work so although I am looking for a turn off about 6km out of town I have to guess how far we have travelled and at what speed etc. I stop to ask directions to make sure we are going the right way but nobody seems to have heard of the temple. Continue a little further along highway NH3 then fortunately see a sign. About another 6km along dirt roads that aren't really suitable for this bike through small villages that are full of vegetable gardens and we are there. Were told that we would have to leave the bike at Wat Ang Sdok where we would pay one of the monks our entrance fee and then make the short walk to the limestone cliff. Not so romantic an experience now as we drive right up to a concrete booth where a chap in uniform takes our entrance fee. We leave the bike at his office and let him go back to sleep then we are faced with 203 steps up the side of the cliff. I didn't count them. Having reached the top we now have to descend into the cavern where we are met by a stalactite that supposedly looks like an elephant - well, to some people anyway. Apparently there are lots of bats in the cavern and as much as I would like to see a huge flock of them flying by I guess I am just as comfortable with not seeing any. There are a few flying around way above us but none that come close. The main feature inside the cavern is a 7th century brick temple dedicated to Shiva. Even the linga inside the temple is formed from a stalactite so it has survived although it is pitch black inside and the light from my phone doesn't do it any justice Retraced our steps out of the cavern and back down the cliffside with views over the countryside beneath us. Back on the bike and off we go again along dusty roads.
Kampot was always reknowned for its pepper, particularly amongst the French. The Khmer Rouse, yes, those guys again, all but destroyed the pepper farms but now they are making a comeback and they have the first Cambodian 'geographical identification' to preserve the local identity. We were planning on visiting a pepper farm nearby but when I see the sign that says it is a further 15km each way along the dusty and slow roads we decide to give it a miss and continue to the seaside at Kep.
Jai has wanted to eat a large crab for ages now and I read that one of the best places to try the local pepper was at the seaside crab market in the coastal town of Kep about 25km south of Kampot. As we are already half way there it seemed the perfect spot for lunch combining two foody treats at the same time.
The French built Kep as a coastal retreat for the rich to get out of the city but the Khmer Rouge - you just can't get away from them ! - trashed the place and many of the colonial villas still stand as blackened shells of their former glories. Just off the coast here is Phu Quoc island which, although just a stone's throw away, is Vietnamese territory. So crab, pepper and a sight of Vietnam all at the same time ! There are beaches here but nothing very special and although I had earlier thought about spending a night here eventually decided that a lunch stop would be enough.
Continue along the NH3 south for about 25mins before passing the White Horse roundabout and making our way into town. We are only really here for the crab market so that is where we park up. It is a bit hectic here with everyone determined to make a sale from their crab pots. Lots of people think that Jai is Khmer and are confused by her blank expression when thy talk to her. Actually it is a bit too much hard sell and not that nice here. We wander around for a while taking in the sights, sounds, and smells before deciding that it is time to sample the goods.
Kimly's restaurant comes recommended and as it is nearly the furthest away from the hectic market it get our seal of approval. It is only 10:30 and a bit early to eat really but … The dish that the place is famous for is crab is cooked with Kampot peppers so that is what we order. I am not really a seafood sort of person but the dish we were served complete with a peanut and coconut sauce was lovely. Bit disappointed that the crabs were not as big as I had expected them to be but really enjoyed it.
Back on the bike for the return ride to Kampot. It has been very windy all day today and although this is good for keeping the temperature down it is blowing us around a bit on the highway. Get back to Kampot and head for the hotel where I find that since we left this morning they have dug up the pavement all along the road in front of the hotel and we have to leave the bike on the road opposite. Back to the room for a coffee and a shower.
This afternoon we had sort of planned on visiting the French hill station atop Phnom Bokor which is 1000m high and supposedly has great views over the surrounding country. As the place became deserted it resembled a ghost town with the Catholic Church standing as an eerie reminder of older days. I have also read that the whole atmosphere of the place has been destroyed by the building of a near 600 room hotel and casino monstrosity at the top of the hill so have decided to give the place a miss.
With the bike at our disposal for the rest of the day and our mutual interests in farming - cough, cough - have decided instead to pay a visit to a pepper farm instead just over the new bridge and out of town. The road out of town leads to what is described as ‘rapids' at a place called Tek Chhou. I just thought that we would have a quick look whilst we were out this side of town but when we were flagged down and told we had to pay to continue along the road we about turned and headed back towards town. There are a lot of durian orchards along this road and here you can certainly smell them as you pass. We eventually stop at a place called ‘Farmlink' which I hoped would be a farm but turns out to look more like a shop; surprise, surprise. We arrive about 10mins before they are due to open for the afternoon so hang around with a few others before going in. We are shown an ‘example' of peppers growing in the garden, large racks of peppers drying in the sun, and some girls sorting the peppercorns by quality then quickly whisked through to an expensive shop. We were here for about 15mins before setting off again. Probably not a wasted visit but not hugely exciting either.
We ride along the west bank of the Kampot river over a small dodgy bridge and onto Fish Isle. There is another enormous temple here – all of the temple buildings in Cambodia seem to be big. There is a lovely shaded area beneath some old trees and right alongside the river with cool breezes blowing in which makes a perfect cooling down spot.
We make our way back towards town, passing the opposite end of the closed Old Bridge that runs to our hotel before making a 10mins stop for Jai to have a paddle. She was a bit disappointed that the water was warm and not very salty – thinking about English Channel experiences. We cross back over the New Bridge, ride around town past the Durian roundabout again and back to the hotel where we now have a makeshift dirt track over the ditch that was once a pavement. I now have red forearms and face from our day biking in the sun.
Our crab lunch early this morning is pretty much all we have today and by now we are both hungry. A last ride around town before returning the bike and collecting my passport that had to be left as a deposit. We return to the bar where we had a beer last night and enjoy another couple of draught Cambodia beers. Jai is strictly on the OJ tonight as the one glass of wine gave her a headache. We have both promised ourselves something Khmer to eat tonight and Jai has a fish dish called amok and I have a Khmer curry. Mine was very nice but Kai wasn't impressed as although hers tasted of fish there was hardly any meat in it.
We walk back to the hotel along the riverfront in the dark. The water levels have been higher all day today and there is no sign of the small beach where I had my paddle last night. Get back to the hotel about 20:00 which is quite a late night for us oldies. I pick up a couple of books from reception as I can never overlook the opportunity to replenish stock. We pack our bags as best we can before morning and then stretch out after quite a tiring day. I now also have very red and sore eyes from all of the dust that is constantly blowing around.

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