Tuesday 5 March 2013

Kep't up all night!

One of the tree houses in the background
The next leg of our tour was to the sleepy seaside town of Kep. Like Kampot, Kep is surprisingly quiet and laid back, but this is how we like it. Our fantastic accommodation, an eco resort, was set back from the sea, high up within the mountain jungle and National Park. The area commands incredible gorgeous panoramic views of the sea and sunsets which we discovered on our three hour walk when we first arrived.

Gorgeous Kep sunsets
Our veranda
Living within the forest presents some natural challenges such as sharing your room with the local wildlife, troops of ants, watch-strap eating mice and the odd spider to name a few. Our first night was a nightmare with neither of us getting any sleep. Just as we were dropping off, an incredibly loud frog-type noise bellowed out inches from my head. I'll freely admit that I nearly shat myself and dived across the bed onto Sonja for protection. The modern man!! Anyway, on inspection behind a large picture on our wall, we found not one gecko... but a whole family of them including about 15 eggs stuck to the wall, some unhatched. They were removed for us, but the trauma of the first night prevented us from getting any great sleep for the following three nights as our ears and eyes were tuned into any rustle or creep around the room. Embarrassing!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pepper plant
Despite the nighttime antics, we did manage to see some sights during our days. Taking a little motorbike out for the day we took ourselves out for a tour of one of the local pepper plantations, Kampot's most famous produce. We tested the peppercorns straight from the bush and learned about the difference between green, black, white and red pepper (you can test Sonja later).

Giant crab!!


Kep is also famous for it crab so one evening we headed down to the crab market and sampled the well-hyped crab and green pepper combo. Well, Sonja did, I chickened out and had fish and chips.

We also spent a day on Rabbit Island, a short boat trip from Kep seafront. With only a few basic bungalows and cafes, Rabbit island offers travellers a chance to find a deserted beach or two if you're prepared for a walk. Despite Sonja slicing her big toe on a rock and me getting sunburnt, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Are you look at me?
Rabbit Island
 

1 comment:

  1. You certainly are having some adventures. At night in the forest sounds are amplified so I know what you mean about not being able to sleep but sharing your room with a family of geckos is no joke - I hope you got a reduction for multi-occupancy! Marlene

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