Alarm set for 7am - straight downstairs for breakfast (omelet or jam & baguette) - tuk tuk driver arrived at 8am. 30 min drive to caves - walked through muddy rice fields, past a very reassuring sign proclaiming that "these fields have been cleared of landmines"!

203 step climb to entrance, with running commentary and descriptions (in surprisingly good English) by all three of the child-guides (a 12 year old girl & two 10 yr old boys) that we had somehow managed to collect, even though we had only asked the girl to accompany us!

Variously shaped rock formations at cave mouth: elephants, a cow's nose, half pig/half elephant, eagle and a crocodile's tail. Then into a shrine built around a stalactite, which necessitated yet another small donation!

The guides then suggested that we climb down to see the bats, which is when the fun really started!

We were told that he climb was easy, and would be OK for the kids - we ended up having to push and pull the children up and down several 2 to 3 m tall rock faces, some of which were very slippery and wet. I think that it would be fair to say that we all underwent various degrees of sense of humour failure during that hour!

Eventually arrived at the cave exit, into a cooling torrential downpour - but since we were all hot, muddy, sweaty and stressed, a cold shower was welcome!

The child-guides certainly earned their tip, today!

Back onto the Tuk-Tuk to recover (!), and journey to the pepper plantation.

Saw pepper plants, mango and durian trees. Kampot pepper is said to be the best in the world, so bought a packet to send home. On the way to Kep, we crossed the route of the new international railway that will connect Cambodia to the rest of SE Asia & China.

Kep is home to a number of abandoned / ruined / decaying colonial era villas - allows you to imaging how the town might have looked, prior to the Khmer Rouge.

Got taken to a restaurant to eat - twice as expensive as we've been used to - obviously the place where "tourists on tours" get railroaded! J had battered shark & chips! M: noodle soup, D&L: fried rice (cheapest thing on the menu!!)

After lunch, up to observation point, with rubbish views! (another dollar!), then via fishing village to salt flats.

Back to hotel for shower & chill out - kids watched a couple of dvds (Christmas carol & Charlotte's web). Once everyone else asleep, D back down to the lobby for better wifi connection (&beer), to watch Somerset's last ball victory over Auckland, in the first Champions LeagueT20 qualifying match!