Day 10: Kicking Back in Kep

Kep is a small fishing village and holiday destination primarily visited by Cambodians.  So far, international tour companies have preferred to send their clients to the livelier Sihanoukville, which is further along the coast and has sandier beaches and better snorkeling and diving.  Kep is on the edge of the South China Sea and is subject to monsoons from July to October, which can bring in lots of debris. As this was April it was too early for monsoons (thankfully) but during the night we had the most spectacular thunderstorm that I've ever experienced.  It was impossible to sleep through the thunder, lightning and the deluge of rain that poured down for hours.  I think it is terribly poshpacker-like to sleep under a mosquito net in a tropical storm.  Actually the net turned out to be nothing but a nuisance as I squirrelled in my book, glasses, glass of water etc.  Anyway, there weren't many mosquitoes.

My attraction to Kep is precisely because it is quiet and not touristy. It is an exclusivity that comes, not from being expensive, but from being in an out-of-the-way place in a yet-to-be-mainstream country. Our hotel traded on the natural beauty of the blue sea, the green gardens and exotic flowers coupled with the gentle friendliness of the people. The website declares that a 'sense of the divine exudes from its location'. My overwhelming impression was serenity and enchantment.  



 After breakfast by the sea, Ian, Louise and I pampered ourselves in the spa while Richard settled in for a long session with Kindle on the veranda.  The Khmer massage was a bit too firm for Louise and Ian's taste but, as the website promised, I was 'rendered into a state of pure bliss and true tranquillity in the company of the lulling sea. 

Pepper tree outside our room loaded with fruit

Close to Kep is another small town, Kampot, which is renowned for the quality of the pepper produced there.  Experts describe that, alongside the heat, there is a delicate, sweet, even floral taste that puts Kampot pepper in a class of its own. Apparently the micro-climate between the sea and the mountains and the mineral-rich soil creates this special flavour. It is the first Cambodian product to enjoy the E.U.'s protected geographical status, which certifies the origin of regional foods.  When I saw the tree growing right outside our room with all the peppercorns hanging like dreadlocks from each branch, I realised I'd never even seen a photo of this before.   We were given a bag each of black and green peppercorns as a welcome present by the hotel, which has added a little style to the steak and chips I dish up at home. 




'There's pepper and then there's Cambodia's Kampot pepper' Time Magazine Jan 2012

The afternoon was dedicated to the infinity pool

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and the evening to quiet contemplation of fishing boats returning home

And we were so chilled that we forgot to give marks outta 10. 
 So maybe it ought to have 10?