Today I gain an extra day in my hols as it’s Leap Day – have been looking around for a man to propose to but no obvious candidates, guess I’ll just have to wait another 4 years! It’s my last day in Kep, tomorrow I move on to the vast metropolis of Sihanoukville. Whilst it has been nice here, am happy to be moving on, especially as I have had enough of my “back to nature room”. The thatched roof is very pretty, but real, and the gaps seem to let in whatever decides to visit…. There appears to be more creatures each night and the chorus of geeko noises and croaking seems very near, as I cower under my mozzie net for protection in the complete darkness! And as well as trying to find water in the shower – no pressure and either cold or scalding, and dodging the mozzies, am looking forward to a proper bathroom. Rural charm is all very well, but give me a sealed room and an indoor bathroom any day. I take a closer look in the seafood restaurants (see pic), think I am having shopping withdrawal and decide there must be something on offer. I can find whole fish and whole squid barbecued on bamboo sticks, bright orange pepper sauce in recycled water bottles which I have just watched them make in a huge vat and then ladle into said bottles, lots of booze; I especially noticed the 1 litre bottle of Gordon’s Yellow Label Gin, sporting the label “Singapore Duty Free” at a bargain $11. Soap is big here, lots of Lux, but shower gel and hair conditioner are scarce commodities anywhere here, and Kep is no exception. But there was a dusty display of various medicines, mostly looking like antibiotics, the edges of the foil packs curling in the heat. I also realise that as well as being restaurants, these are also the homes of the fishermen and people who run them. Ladders go up to small sleeping platforms, and hammocks are everywhere. Outside the women are sorting the catch recently brought in, and they separate the huge prawns from the tiny fish. Some of the prawns end up in a red liquid stored inside those big plastic sweet jars. I can only assume that the red liquid is some sort of preservative as the jars are displayed in the open in full sun with no refrigeration in sight. As I have to travel tomorrow, I decide against sampling one….
