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For details of the places I visited in Kampot, Kep, and Sihanoukville, with GPS Coordinates, see my book Kampot, Kep and Sihanoukville.

Today I head out early, as I have a lot I want to see. My aim is a cave I have seen on the Internet. I know it is on a road out of town, but I have no idea where it actually is. But hey, that has not stopped me from finding places before.

The road out of town is very nice, as to the countryside.

A few km out of town, I spot a sign for Climbodia. They are the only rock climbing company in Cambodia, and I read on the Internet they do climbing at another cave I wanted to see. I follow the dirt road that leads off from the main road, and continue to follow dirt road after dirt road, with a hint of a sign here and there.

Eventually I come to a cave. I find the guys from Climbodia there, and have a short chat with them. They inform me that I need a guide if I want to go into the cave. Before I can ask where I can find a guide, one magically appears by my side. He informs me that I have to pay at the office at the gate that I just drove by, before I can go in. I ask him what is his fee, and he says whatever I feel like. Now, in Siem Reap you can get a guide for the day with his own motorbike for $15 to $20, and I have my own motorbike, so how much can it be to see a cave?

I pay the entry fee and we head into the cave.

Art on the cave wall next to a shrine.

A small shrine inside the cave.

Love at first sight.

After viewing the cave, my guide asks me if I want to go and see another cave. I had no idea this second cave was in fact the cave I wanted to see, but I agreed. He has no motorbike, se he wants to ride with me. Well, that makes things even cheaper.

We follow some dirt roads and then some shortcuts that are just footpaths, and eventually come to the cave, on the wrong side of the water channel. So we cross by a cool bridge.

After paying for entry to the cave, I buy myself and my guide a soda, then we head up to the cave.

A small cavern outside the big cave.

A second small cavern with shrines inside before you head up.

Steps leading up to the cave.

View of the countryside as you head up.

Going down again and into the cave.

Shrine at the cave opening.

Large shrine inside the cave.

Outside the cave is another cave, that is mostly flooded in the wet season.

After seeing this cave, my guide offers to show me the secret lake and a pepper

farm, so we head over to the not so secret anymore lake and pepper farm.

 

Pepper plants grow up  columns build of bricks. Cool to walk though it. You can eat the peppers raw and undried directly off the plant.

Pepper plant.

I am hungry, and my guide tells me that there are places to eat next to the lake, we just need to cross the bridge, that is permanently flooded. Way cool driving through a foot of water. Locals stop here to wash their bikes and themselves.

Secret lake, not so anymore.

Nice view of the not so secret lake.

I buy myself and my guide lunch and a soda, and we dig in. Then we head back as I want to go to Kep. He wants to be dropped off at the first cave where I met him, so he can guide other tourists. But first, I saw a pagoda on a mountain along the way, so we go and have a look.

Steps up to the top.

The pagoda turns out to be just a small building with a few statues.

I drop my guide off, and give him $10. Fair I think as it was only 3 hours, and I bought him lunch and I had to supply the motorcycle as he did not have his own. No, he wants $20. I go no way, I can rent a Tuk tuk for a day and be driven around for that price and I bought you lunch. Well just $1 more please he asks. Sucker, I give in.

I head at full speed to Kep. The road is good and easy to follow, and soon I am in Kep. I come to a roundabout, and turn off towards the crab market.

Kep crab market. They have some of the best seafood here.
From here, I head along the beach, and note a cool statue.

I do wonder if the sculpturer rubbed the statue the wrong, or is it right way.

I drive around and I note another statue. This one is actually the younger version of the same woman whose statue is on the Bokor mountain, featured in a previous post.

I drive around and manage to find a golden chicken, or sort of chicken.

I drive around a bit more, and see a house with some cool graffiti. The house is a bit run down, and needs a gardener. There are actually a lot of abandoned houses and villas, and is due to the Khmer Rouge that drove the people out of the towns.

A black hole opens and tries to swallow me into a distorted space time, luckily Scotti beamed me out of there at the last nano second.

Next I’m head to Kep National park. The park is basically a small mountain, that has a 8km path that runs around the side. You can hike (ha ha ha, not me), or bicycle and also ride with a motorbike around (that’s me). There are a number of small footpaths that lead to the top from the road that goes around. At times you get a view of the ocean or the countryside.

 

I spot this classic along the road.

 

The path at most times are covered with vegetation and it is a trip well worth doing.

 

 

 

Ocean view through the trees. There are rest stops now and again, and at the start of the path there are two restaurants that can be accessed by small footpaths down to them.

 

From the park, i head out to the beach.

 

I think we do not have enought lemon juice or wine for this baby. Welcome to Kep.

 

Kep beach. If you are going to Sihanoukville, or have been there, then Kep beach is a bit of a let down. There are a number of nicer beaches a distance from Kep though.

From the beach I head back to Kampot, and pass the white horse statue on the way.

In Kampot I pass an old building, and stop to take a few pictures. A guy comes up to me and asks if I want to come in and have a closer look. Then I realize it is the prison, so I politely decline. I heard they do not give out bar soaps in prison anymore, apparently only powder soap now. It takes longer to pick up in the shower. 🙂

Kampot Prison.

I drive on, and pass the next place where the Olympics will be held.

Then to finish off the day, I go for a duck ride.

Tomorrow, I am going to see the “witch of Kampot.”