Blogs from Kep, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 4

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Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep August 31st 2011

Kep was going to be my final stop on the Cambodian trail before heading back to the big bad city. The seaside town was even sleepier than Kampot, which meant it near enough in a coma, it is famed for it's crab market and super fresh sea food that literaly jumps out of the sea and onto your plate and the famous pepper is always on hand. All this set with the backdrop of prestine mountains blanketed by a mass of multi-coloured greens. Well one can only imagine, again when I first arrived the top of the mountains disappeared into the mist and the whole time I was squinting out to the coast and got excited whenever I got a glimpse of the sea and the islands, only to heave in disappointment when it disappeared through ... read more
Waiting for enlightenment
We made it
Kids with attitude

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep July 24th 2011

... and it's back to the beaten track, but not for trying. After a brilliant time in remote Myanmar and a grueling day and a half of buses, planes, more buses and taxis with a bit of curb-side napping, we finally reached Siem Reap in Cambodia but not without the obligatory border scam. We had been warned ahead of time but I'd like to think that even if we hadn't, this scam was insultingly amateur. Our bus actually dropped us off at the Thai border town a few kilometers away from the border and we took a tuk tuk the rest of the way. Rather than proceeding right to the border itself, our driver took us off to a side road and parked in front of a small roadside shack where we were greeted by a ... read more
Very cool temples.
Serenity at Bamboo Island
Sunrise from my hammock

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep July 4th 2011

We were dropped off at Kep and straight away bought return boat tickets to Rabbit Island as well as bus tickets to Siem Reap for the day we were returning. We had around 40 minutes to kill so got some breakfast before a tuk-tuk came to take us to the jetty, and then a boat to take us to the island. We quickly found ourselves a little hut on the beach for $5 a night – just a bed and mosquito net and a hammock hanging outside. The beach is beautiful and there were hardly any tourists there. Many tourists come for a day trip so at night it feels deserted except for the few families sitting together watching TV. We dumped our bags and spent the whole morning swimming in the sea. By lunch time ... read more
Angelo eating a snail
Snorkelling
snorkelling

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep June 28th 2011

Hmm ok, also „Weiteres in Kürze“ war gelogen – ich geb´s ja zu. Wir sind mittlerweile in Kambodscha angekommen, ich muss also ein bisschen nachholen.. Von Hoi An nahmen wir wie gesagt den Nachtbus nach Nha Trang, ein Küstenörtchen weiter im Süden, wo wir um 5.30 Uhr morgens nach einer laaaaaangen Nacht ankamen. Der Bus war der bisher Schlimmste – wie Sardinen in der Büchse lagen wir gequetscht im hinteren Bereich des Buses und die Straßen waren sowas von schlecht, dass ich mir mehrere Male den Kopf stieß – und das im Liegen. Ich glaube von den 12 Stunden habe ich ungefähr eine halbe Stunde geschlafen. Der dicke Franzose neben Tom half leider auch nicht, da er furchtbar schnarchte. Aber genug beschwert! Nha Trang hat zwar einen wunderschönen Strand, komplett mit Kokospalmen und Bambushütten, sowie zahlreiche ... read more
Buddha in Nha Trang
Sardinen
Dalat

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep May 23rd 2011

Today we headed off to Rabbit Island for a day at the beach. We were picked up by Boun Thorn our tuk-tuk driver from yesterday for the ten minute ride around to the boat dock. So we could be flexible with our time we opted for the private tour ($25 for the two of us) as opposed to the group tour which would have been $18. The boats are an open dow type powered by the very strange looking but effective petrol engine with the propeller at the end of a very long shaft. The tide was out so the first challenge was to get Kim on to the boat with out losing her over the side. That done we headed for the island about 15 minutes away. Arriving at the island was a bit of ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep May 22nd 2011

Another wonderful day in Kep. Breakfast at the Veranda is great, back into my SE Asia favourite - omlettes. Organised a Tuk tuk driver through the hotel to do a tour of Kep and in particular all the old villas. Kep used to be the playground for the well off with rows upon rows of villas This all changed with the Khmer Rouge and there are now hundreds? of villas in total disrepair with everything except solid concrete removed. There are conflicting stories as to whether the Khmer Rouge destroyed the villas or they were stripped by the locals who sold the materials in Vietnam. Needless to say it is a photography heaven. so a couple of hours later we were dropped back at the Crab Market for a wonderful lunch of Kep crab with green ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep May 21st 2011

Finally back in Cambodia after 4 years. Trip to Phnom Penh was uneventful and then a 2 hour car ride to Kep. The road was largely in good condition and the traffic thinned out fairly quickly as we left PP. Still amazed at the driving skills of people in this part of the world - they have the ability to make 4 or 5 lanes of traffic where there are supposed to be two. Still very much a case of the only road rule is "the bigger you are, the more you rule". I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the speedo and saw the driver was only doing 70 while weaving in and out of traffic blowing his horn every two seconds. Then I realised the speedo was in Miles per Hour - time ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep April 8th 2011

Kep is along the South Coast of Cambodia, about 30km from Vietnam, about 20km outside of Kampot and around 100km (and a million miles removed) from Sihanoukville. What used to be a 'rock star' vacation spot for Cambodia's elite, was abandoned in the 70's when the Khmer Rouge took over. Brutal fighting took place in and around Kep and afterward the villas of the rich and famous were left to the elements and became modern day ruins...like Angkor, they are shells of their former glory. Temples to what used to be. Nature, war and looters leaving nothing but skeletons of beautiful mansions. Last time I finished up my Cambodian leg of the trip on the beaches of Sihanoukville. Back then it was a quiet little town with guesthouses and a few beach bars. There were warnings ... read more
Relax
Small infinity pool
Jamie

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep March 30th 2011

Joff - We travelled from Phnom Penh to Kep via bus and unusually the trip passed without incident. We arrived in Kep which is tiny and incredibly quiet apart from the numerous tuk tuk drivers vying for your attention in the hope that you will select them to take you to a hotel whereby they will get the fare and a backhander for delivering you. Fortunately we had made a reservation on recommendation and had a 100 meter walk to a French guest house overlooking the beach. Kep was formerly a resort for the French but following the revolution has fallen into a state of disrepair where the jungle is reclaiming the ruins of villas and there are only a few guesthouses so locals significantly outnumber westerners. It is famous for the national park which is ... read more
Caro with the French Balloon man
Joff on Rabbitt Island

Asia » Cambodia » South » Kep February 21st 2011

After six nights in the beach resort of Sihanoukville, we decided it was time to move on to pastures new. After a (surprisingly) pleasant minibus journey we ended up in the charming town of Kep. During it's heyday, Kep was an upmarket resort created by the French and later enjoyed by Cambodia's elite. The years have not been kind to Kep, and the combination of political and economic factors have left it desolate... That is until recently. All over town there are abandoned colonial mansions that are now starting to be lapped up by property developers.  At the moment though Kep is still a pretty sleepy place, and it's town centre consists of a crab market, a tour operator and a handful of restaurants. Due to it's proximity to Kampot (home of the best peppercorns in ... read more
View from the Veranda
Ruins of Kep
Dave exploring the ruins




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