Kampot

Try and find THAT on a map! (hint, it's in Cambodia). So on Rach's whim, we set off to Kampot, a provincial capital in Cambodia. I was expecting a reasonably sized town, but when we got there we discovered that it's got 9,000 people and westerners are still a novelty! It was certainly an eye-opener, but a really charming place with incredibly friendly people. We took a trip out to some local cave formations on the back of a moto. The trip was stunning, out into the villages and rice paddy fields, scattering every type of livestock known as we bounced over the 'road' (I use the word in the loosest sense). There's one cave, guarded by monks that has a 7th century temple in it, which is amazing as it's so well preserved.

The next day we went into Bokor national park, the reason for travelling to Kampot. It's a huge park, but the main draw is an abandoned hill station 1,079 metres up the top of a jungle mountain. The road was build in the early 1900's and most of it has washed away, so the only way up is in a 4x4 pickup - or more correctly on the back of a 4x4 pickup. It takes 3 hours to do the 39 km - that's how bad the roads are, but it's completely worth it. The town is spooky, particularly the main hotel, where we had our lunch. The walls are intact, but it's ruined. It's hard to describe. As it's the top of a mountain, it's also got a micro climate which means it's basically cloudly up there all the time - a truly eerie place.

I did take loads of photos but, on our return bus journey we had both our cameras nicked from a rucksack under our seats. And to make matters worse, we had to bribe the police to give us a statement, otherwise they wouldn't investigate it. And that's after going to the police station after we found we'd been robbed and being told that they couldn't be bothered as it's a Sunday, come back tomorrow! I've got such conflicting feelings about Cambodia at the minute. It's an amazing place with stunning scenery and truly friendly people (well 99.9% of them anyway) - but if you need help, there's nothing, which leaves you feeling pretty unsafe at times.

Anyways, we're now in Siem Reap to visit the Angkor temples for the next three days, before heading off to Bangkok.

No stats - not in the mood to figure any out. They will return though!



The view from the ruined hotel towards the water tower - 1,079 metres up (3,000+ feet) - 'Borrowed' from Flickr, although I had a shot almost the same.