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Well, boring everyone with a blow by blow account of our exploits has taken a backseat on this trip. I don't know if it is because I'm bored with keeping a journal or just too busy... nevertheless here is another entry.
Phnom Penh is a distant memory after spending two nights in Kampot. Kampot is south of PP on a river close to the the sea. It's a sleepy town that seems to be doing well with the traveller crowd due partly to the many businesses run by expats. It's also popular with weekending Khmers down from the capital - they seem to cruise endlessly along the riverfront on motos often laden with three people.
There's plenty of evidence here of the French, who once favoured the place. The locals play Petanque, or Boule as they refer to it, and there are many buildings with the distinctive French colonial look. Reminds me a lot of what I've seen in Vietnam, but also strangely of my distant memories of the south of France. The French evidently felt similarly as they decided, back in the day, to build a casino atop the Bokor mountain range. Those crazy Frenchmen must have envisioned a Indochinese Riviera complete with hilltop casino and beachside dining.
Bizarrely, some shady multinational has now gained rights to rebuild this hilltop monument to the joys of capitalism and the heady days of French Indochina will soon be with Cambodia's southern residents again. They are even constructing a port to deal with large boats - presumably cruise ships to feed the massive resort and casino. This whole project is 1000 metres up and in a National Park to boot.
We took the only opportunity to see this we could: the dreaded "organised tour". The price included the necessary kickbacks to the construction company/park rangers to get us past the hive of activity that is the construction of a world class mountain road to the summit. Seems the only time civilians can ascend Bokor is on a holiday when construction ceases. The transport was rudimentary - a small truck took us, squeezed onto hard wooden benches, half way up. We then trekked up a goat track through the rainforest to the top part of the road where we rejoined the now despised truck and it's cruel seating.
The old casino is perched atop a cliff face with thick white clouds clinging to the precipice. This totally obscures the supposedly amazing view but adds to the weirdness of the scene. Kinda like a haunted house or the hotel from The Shining.
There is also an old Catholic church - essential wherever one builds a casino! Apparently the Khmer Rouge used it as a bunker when the Vietnamese invaded to oust Pol Pots regime. The Vietnamese commies were held off by the KR for six months as they shot at each other between the casino and church. Not exactly what the French had in mind.
The following day we hire a moto and head for the country. It's always fun cruising around and we see lots of farms, people and caves. We also visit a pepper farm where we see the vines and have the process explained. One of my favourite dishes so far has been the squid fried with fresh green pepper and the pepper straight off the vine tastes amazing. Kampot is the primo place for growing pepper in SE Asia and I'm looking forward to trying fresh crab with green pepper in Kep. We head down there tomorrow.
note: photos so far are only from my iPhone - hopefully I'll get some better ones up later
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