I finally arrive in Kampot probably a stone lighter (no bad thing...) from the car's sauna conditions! . I was here last year when I visited from Kep, but wasn’t here long. That was an internet trip only as there was none available in Kep, but I remember thinking then that it looked a good place to spend a day or so. I was right. It’s set on the winding Kampot River near to where it reaches the sea. I decamp at the Mea Culpa guesthouse, a lovely new four roomed place run by Ben, a young Irish guy who came here a few years ago and stayed. $20 a night so back on budget for a change…. A big garden area with an outside bar and a wood fired pizza oven. A lot of people seem to do stay on here, but whilst tempted, I am planning to come home – this time at least…. It’s a quiet place and there are guest houses and restaurants lining the river front, and the rest of the houses are old run down, faded yellow French Colonial buildings going black with mildew, including the large Governor’s House just near the Mea Culpa. If I win the lottery, I’ll buy it and transform it into the most amazing boutique hotel. I only have one full day here so in the morning I wander along the river and this afternoon I take a boat trip on the river. Not sure what it is about me and boats, but yet again, I am on my own. Two other people had apparently booked, but they decided not to go – was it something I said? The boat was a bit on the ropey side, and my request for a life jacket fell on deaf ears until I insisted – there was rather a lot of water sloshing around in the bottom. But they eventually found one and I was on my way. The fact that the boatman was wearing it (the only one….) did worry me a bit (see pic). It’s an odd arrangement with the engine mounted on one side so it lurches rather alarmingly until the boatman decides to balance it out by moving to the other side…. It was a nice trip, the further upriver we went, the nearer we got to the black Bokor Hills. There wasn’t much life along the river bank (again, so different from Vietnam) but now and again you could see the odd fishing village, with wooden shacks that, if they were your garden shed, you would have renewed years’ ago. The odd mini, rowing boat ferry crossing but not much else. But it was cooler than the town and very pleasant.
I had dinner tonight outside (the thunderstorm had finally blown over) at the guest house where wifi is available and Ant and I had a great tech exchange. From my wifi laptop and his Blackberry, he sent me pics of him and the Dyl enjoying the Spring flowers in Battersea Park whilst he was there. We had instant communication via email and Blackberry. The Dyl pic is attached. It really is amazing – from all these miles distance we can do these things instantly – I really enjoyed it.
I had dinner tonight outside (the thunderstorm had finally blown over) at the guest house where wifi is available and Ant and I had a great tech exchange. From my wifi laptop and his Blackberry, he sent me pics of him and the Dyl enjoying the Spring flowers in Battersea Park whilst he was there. We had instant communication via email and Blackberry. The Dyl pic is attached. It really is amazing – from all these miles distance we can do these things instantly – I really enjoyed it.
