Laid-back, quiet Kampot is famous worldwide for its pepper farms and, maybe not so internationally famous, for colonial French architecture and a beautiful national park. The locals are friendly, the roads are bumpy, and the pizzas can make you very happy. I also have my own, unofficial theory about how the place got its name.
The boat from Koh Rong Samloem smashed through the choppy seas on the way back to Sihanoukville. It was equal parts exciting, nerve-racking and nauseating, as it leapt to great heights above the waves. But we made it to shore in one piece.
It was a very short stop in Sihanoukville before the 3-hour journey to Kampot. Some of the roads were sketchy to say the least, with a couple of pretty severe-looking accidents along the route. It was the first time we’d had a decent-sized bus during our time in Cambodia though, for around $7 each.
The boat from Koh Rong Samloem smashed through the choppy seas on the way back to Sihanoukville. It was equal parts exciting, nerve-racking and nauseating, as it leapt to great heights above the waves. But we made it to shore in one piece.
It was a very short stop in Sihanoukville before the 3-hour journey to Kampot. Some of the roads were sketchy to say the least, with a couple of pretty severe-looking accidents along the route. It was the first time we’d had a decent-sized bus during our time in Cambodia though, for around $7 each.
Just four of our original group of seven were left, wandering alongside the Preaek Tuek Chhu river, searching for Mad Monkey hostel. A few boats and structures set up as bars or restaurants lined the banks, with several places across the road proudly advertising ‘happy pizzas’ for $10. Ten guesses what the secret ingredient is.
Ten minutes later we found the relatively quiet hostel, surprising when considering the seediness of its counterpart in Samloem. We hedged our bets with just the two nights, for $14, hopeful that we’d finally have heard back from the Vietnamese visa office by then.
The room was reasonable and there was a pool, though we arrived a little too late to enjoy it in sunshine. That didn’t deter a local family from bringing their kids to play in it. This is surely the only location, across the Mad Monkey franchise, where the presence of children wouldn’t be entirely outrageous and detrimental to their development.
Ten minutes later we found the relatively quiet hostel, surprising when considering the seediness of its counterpart in Samloem. We hedged our bets with just the two nights, for $14, hopeful that we’d finally have heard back from the Vietnamese visa office by then.
The room was reasonable and there was a pool, though we arrived a little too late to enjoy it in sunshine. That didn’t deter a local family from bringing their kids to play in it. This is surely the only location, across the Mad Monkey franchise, where the presence of children wouldn’t be entirely outrageous and detrimental to their development.
Since there weren’t swarms of people about, we commandeered the pool table before grabbing a bite to eat in the bar. The food was pretty good, though they seemed to randomly sell out of whatever it was I fancied the most – especially the harissa chickpea burger or other appealing meat-free options.
After dinner the on-off rain prevented our venture into town, so we played a few games of Shithead (cards) in the bar; eventually being joined by a couple from Wigan, a Dutch girl and an Iranian girl. Other small groups of people had started to form around the hostel, with most planning to head to a club night being promoted by the reps. We agreed to join, since tuk-tuks had already started to gather outside.
It was just under 10 minutes to the club, but I didn’t see a great deal happening on the streets along the way. In fact, Kampot in general did seem pretty serene and laid-back.
After dinner the on-off rain prevented our venture into town, so we played a few games of Shithead (cards) in the bar; eventually being joined by a couple from Wigan, a Dutch girl and an Iranian girl. Other small groups of people had started to form around the hostel, with most planning to head to a club night being promoted by the reps. We agreed to join, since tuk-tuks had already started to gather outside.
It was just under 10 minutes to the club, but I didn’t see a great deal happening on the streets along the way. In fact, Kampot in general did seem pretty serene and laid-back.
We arrived at Naga House, located among some trees near the river bank, with a small bar, hammocks, seating areas, DJ decks and an open space for dancing. The playlist was mostly deep house, or at least music on that side of the spectrum, with handfuls of people moving and bobbing about in ways typical to the genre. Not foot-shuffling though I should stress.
It wasn’t too busy, yet far from empty. You could hear yourself think and chat to others without shouting. It was a good atmosphere really, without being too heavy or wild of a night.
That was until a wasted Russian guy, in a Brazil football shirt, playing a solo game of beer pong, started kicking off with himself and anyone in the vicinity. It wasn’t long after that we decided to head back.
That following day, after coffee and a generous portion of scrambled egg on toast, we decided it was time to explore the surrounding countryside. Mad Monkey offered moped rentals for just $6 a day, which is more than reasonable and prevents the passport lottery you have to play with the external vendors.
It wasn’t too busy, yet far from empty. You could hear yourself think and chat to others without shouting. It was a good atmosphere really, without being too heavy or wild of a night.
That was until a wasted Russian guy, in a Brazil football shirt, playing a solo game of beer pong, started kicking off with himself and anyone in the vicinity. It wasn’t long after that we decided to head back.
That following day, after coffee and a generous portion of scrambled egg on toast, we decided it was time to explore the surrounding countryside. Mad Monkey offered moped rentals for just $6 a day, which is more than reasonable and prevents the passport lottery you have to play with the external vendors.
We weighed up visiting Arcadia, the other renowned hostel in the area, with its own sort-of water park. I for one was sceptical of this river, if it was anything like the murky Mekong, so we opted to check out another local attraction: Preah Monivong Bokor National Park.
For the first several miles, the roads were a different level of sketchy and damaged. I don’t think I’ll ever complain about another pothole back home, these things were absolute craters – and frequent. Large trucks and other weaving vehicles kicked up large clouds of dust too, just to make them less visible; not to mention the added difficulty of now driving on the right-hand side.
Yet at the entrance to this nature reserve, the roads surprisingly became smooth and tarmacked. Adrenaline kicked in as we jostled for positions, winding our way up this mountainside. My inner Valentino Rossi came out, with the occasional low-knee leaning turn thrown in for good measure. It was safe of course - I had a helmet on after all (and I obviously survive or I wouldn’t be typing this).
For the first several miles, the roads were a different level of sketchy and damaged. I don’t think I’ll ever complain about another pothole back home, these things were absolute craters – and frequent. Large trucks and other weaving vehicles kicked up large clouds of dust too, just to make them less visible; not to mention the added difficulty of now driving on the right-hand side.
Yet at the entrance to this nature reserve, the roads surprisingly became smooth and tarmacked. Adrenaline kicked in as we jostled for positions, winding our way up this mountainside. My inner Valentino Rossi came out, with the occasional low-knee leaning turn thrown in for good measure. It was safe of course - I had a helmet on after all (and I obviously survive or I wouldn’t be typing this).
During one stop for a quick bathroom break, we were waved over by a local family of 10 having a picnic. We were immediately offered a can of beer each by the uncle, or at least I assume that was his relation to the party.
He did seem like the mad and mischievous uncle type, trying to pour a Johnnie Walker whisky chaser down our necks before we’d even cracked the beers open. Since we were driving mopeds on roads that require the utmost concentration, we politely declined. He’d continue to offer it relentlessly, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
We swapped whatever small talk we could across the language barrier, and soon they invited us to sit by their barbeque for some shrimp. The hospitality and friendliness of these people, towards us foreign strangers, was incredible.
It was completely altruistic of them, but I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty - the only things anyone could offer back were cigarettes. They did accept the offer for a couple though, leaving barbecued shrimp entrails on several of the others left in someone’s packet too.
He did seem like the mad and mischievous uncle type, trying to pour a Johnnie Walker whisky chaser down our necks before we’d even cracked the beers open. Since we were driving mopeds on roads that require the utmost concentration, we politely declined. He’d continue to offer it relentlessly, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
We swapped whatever small talk we could across the language barrier, and soon they invited us to sit by their barbeque for some shrimp. The hospitality and friendliness of these people, towards us foreign strangers, was incredible.
It was completely altruistic of them, but I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty - the only things anyone could offer back were cigarettes. They did accept the offer for a couple though, leaving barbecued shrimp entrails on several of the others left in someone’s packet too.
After a team photo and several more refusals of the whisky, we continued our ascent up Bokor mountain.
The greenery and views had been incredible throughout, but they got even better near the summit. Which is where we encountered a grand statue of Yeay Mao, an ancient mythical heroine in the local forms of Buddhism and Brahmanism. We parked up to explore on foot.
According to part of the myth, you can present an offering to these statues and ask for woe to befall an enemy - then the spirit will oblige. I don’t have too many enemies, or at least I was having a kind and forgiving day, so I just snapped a few photos and moved on.
The greenery and views had been incredible throughout, but they got even better near the summit. Which is where we encountered a grand statue of Yeay Mao, an ancient mythical heroine in the local forms of Buddhism and Brahmanism. We parked up to explore on foot.
According to part of the myth, you can present an offering to these statues and ask for woe to befall an enemy - then the spirit will oblige. I don’t have too many enemies, or at least I was having a kind and forgiving day, so I just snapped a few photos and moved on.
I was pretty surprised to see a few of the Buddhist monks there also taking selfies. I guess this trait of society is becoming rooted in all 20-something-year olds, regardless of belief or background.
It wasn’t long before the family from before showed up too. And sure enough, Uncle was there laughing and shaking the whisky bottle at us again.
I’m not sure if there was anything further along the trail, but the weather looked like it could take a turn at any moment. It was approximately 20 miles back to the hostel, and the downhill hairpins and rough terrain would have been a nightmare in the wet. Thankfully we made it back before too much of a shower took over.
It wasn’t long before the family from before showed up too. And sure enough, Uncle was there laughing and shaking the whisky bottle at us again.
I’m not sure if there was anything further along the trail, but the weather looked like it could take a turn at any moment. It was approximately 20 miles back to the hostel, and the downhill hairpins and rough terrain would have been a nightmare in the wet. Thankfully we made it back before too much of a shower took over.
Still having time left with the mopeds made trips to and around the town awfully convenient. With some sections of the road being reasonably maintained, I often found myself making excuses to zip around. We’d got the good news that our Vietnam visas were in, so one of these quests was to find somewhere to print the documents.
Turns out it’s not that hard to find a cheap printing shop. It also turns out the pharmacies sell sleeping tablets for $1.25, which is ideal when you have a 16-hour night bus ride to take – a plenty of longer ones within Vietnam coming up too.
That night was Liverpool vs. United, with a bar opposite the hostel streaming it. That’s if you could call it a bar; it looked a tad dilapidated from the outside, though there were plenty of comfortable seats inside.
When we entered the owner was smoking a joint and stroking a small dog. She seemed very blasé and had clearly smoked a lot, since serving us seemed a laboured task. Maybe that, coupled with the happy pizzas is why they call it Kampot.
Turns out it’s not that hard to find a cheap printing shop. It also turns out the pharmacies sell sleeping tablets for $1.25, which is ideal when you have a 16-hour night bus ride to take – a plenty of longer ones within Vietnam coming up too.
That night was Liverpool vs. United, with a bar opposite the hostel streaming it. That’s if you could call it a bar; it looked a tad dilapidated from the outside, though there were plenty of comfortable seats inside.
When we entered the owner was smoking a joint and stroking a small dog. She seemed very blasé and had clearly smoked a lot, since serving us seemed a laboured task. Maybe that, coupled with the happy pizzas is why they call it Kampot.
After the match, which ended 3-1 to the scousers, two of us wandered towards the town centre to see what the evening had to offer. We reached the night market, which was largely fabrics, jewellery, ornaments and the likes, without seeing anywhere busy.
On the return we made pit stops in a couple of the boat and pier-bars along the river, as quiet as they were. I’d had enough after the second, or maybe the third, as a local woman wouldn’t leave me alone. I’d watched her hit on several of the other punters before making her way round to me.
No matter how seductive her broken English and repeat calls of ‘boom boom’ were, I was going home alone. I quite literally was as well, since my friend decided he was going to stay on the boat for one more.
With our visa documents sorted, we booked the overnight bus to Vietnam for the following day.
Although we never planned to stop in Kampot, it turned out to be well worth a visit. I guess the jury is still out on my nomenclature theory, but it was a great place to wait on our visas and a very happy ending to our time in Cambodia.
On the return we made pit stops in a couple of the boat and pier-bars along the river, as quiet as they were. I’d had enough after the second, or maybe the third, as a local woman wouldn’t leave me alone. I’d watched her hit on several of the other punters before making her way round to me.
No matter how seductive her broken English and repeat calls of ‘boom boom’ were, I was going home alone. I quite literally was as well, since my friend decided he was going to stay on the boat for one more.
With our visa documents sorted, we booked the overnight bus to Vietnam for the following day.
Although we never planned to stop in Kampot, it turned out to be well worth a visit. I guess the jury is still out on my nomenclature theory, but it was a great place to wait on our visas and a very happy ending to our time in Cambodia.