Kampong Som to Phnom Penh

We left Kampong Som on Friday morning and headed back toward Phnom Penh. We drove alongside rice fields where we stopped to watch the harvest. The women working in the field were cutting the stalks of rice with a special sickle-like tool called a kadeov. It has a handle, an arm for gathering the rice stalks, and a blade for cutting. This is what it looks like in use. 

The road began to climb into the mountains, and the air became cooler. At mid-morning we stopped at a very nice roadside market where we sampled several different local fruits and bought some for our trip.

One of the many fruits we saw displayed at the market (and which we enjoy immensely!) is jackfruit.  It is often bigger than a football, and when seen hanging from the jackfruit tree is quite impressive.

Around noon we approached the Kirirom Hillside Resort. The road climbs steeply up the mountain, and is rutted and winding. At the top, we were told are the ruins of one of King Norodom's homes. However, our rental car was overheating badly, so we left the ruins to explore another day. Instead, we had lunch at the resort, and enjoyed getting acquainted with the resident monkey and watching him tussle with the resort's puppy.

It reminded us of the frequent dog tussels we enjoy at home, and how much we miss our four-legged friends.

A few hours and a number of miles of bumpy road later, we were back home. It was a wonderful three days and a trip we won't soon forget.
  　

Kep to Kampong Som

After a western-style breakfast at the hotel, we left Kep for Kampong Som, also known as Sihanoukville in honor of a former Cambodian king. As we left Kep, we could see the ruins of many formerly lovely villas. They were abandoned when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge overran the country and took power in 1975. Unfortunately, most of them were never restored to their former owners and are now in a state of advanced deterioration. 

The road winds along the coast past rice fields, small villages, roadside markets and other interesting sights. Here is an example of the home of a typical Cambodian farm family. Usually the yard is full of chickens, a dog or two, cows and small children.

This small "finger" connects to the sea, allowing the villagers to take their boats out in to the Gulf of Thailand to fish, then have a safe harbor when they return.




As we continued toward Kampong Som, we stopped to watch this young woman, who was doing intricate beadwork on dresses and blouses. We were told that the dresses are made in the city, and then brought to this seamstress so the beadwork can be applied. 

You can see some of the finished garments in this case.












We also stopped to watch these villagers harvesting salt from evaporation ponds just a short distance inland.

Once in Kampong Som, we settled into our hotel, the Holiday Palace. It was right on the water, giving us a chance to do some beach combing and people watching, not to mention seeing another great sunset.

There was work being done on our hotel, and John was wowed by their construction techniques.  Here you can see the workers mixing cement one bag at a time to make the concete patio.  In the background is the welder.  Not only was his scaffolding a little inadequate...he was welding in flip-flops, without gloves or sleeves to protect him from the sparks, and with only sun glasses as eye protection.

Lunch by the Sea

When we arrived in Kep, we dropped our bags at the hotel, Long Villa. We had lovely rooms with balconies overlooking the sea. (I should say the bedrooms were lovely; we won't discuss the bathrooms, which were a bit rustic.)

We then headed for the local market where we bought blue crabs fresh from the sea.
 

Since Nine speaks fluent Cambodian, she was able to bargain for the best crabs at a good price.

They were boiled for us on the spot.







We also purchased some tasty grilled squid. 

Just down the beach, we rented a table by the water and ordered steamed rice and fried fish to complete our lunch (along with a bottle of white wine). The entire meal cost $37 US, exclusive of the cost of a nice white Bordeaux.

Later, we walked along the waterfront and admired the fishing boats moored there. 













John and Jimmy were particularly interested in the motors with long-shafted props that propel them through the shallow waters. 

We enjoyed a chilled beverage on our balcony while we watched local fishermen wading along with their "butterfly" nets. 

We then watched a lovely sunset.

Dinner was at the hotel's patio restaurant. It was run by a nice young Cambodian couple from Columbus, Ohio. It seems they got tired of the winters in the US Midwest...imagine that!

Off to the Beach

After almost a week of visiting markets and adjusting to a new climate and new time zone, we were ready to go adventuring again. Jimmy and Nine wanted to show us Cambodia's beaches and mountains, so off we went.

We rented a small SUV and driver (you'll understand why later) and headed out on Wednesday, January 4. Our first destination was Kep (prounounced kipe) located southwest of Phnom Penh on the coast near the border with Vietnam.

　

　
The countryside isn't as lush as you might expect, because this is the dry season. These rice paddies have been harvested, and the local cattle have been turned in to graze on the stubble. 

Or sometimes they're on the way to or from the fields, stopping traffic as they go.

The rice crop (at least the part which will be used for local consumption) can be seen drying on mats beside the road, or in rare instances, piled under a shed.

Along the way we shared the roads with plenty of other vehicles...not all of them mechanical. 

Cattle pull some of the loads.  Jimmy tried to get a kiss from this one, but she was too shy.

We also saw a few ponies being used. Here, one little fellow waits patiently as his owner loads a TV set on top of the mattresses and other cargo, then plods along to the market.

Other carts are pulled by what the locals call water buffalo. This team has a full load of hay (or rice straw) bound for some unknown destination. If you saw this vehicle from the rear, you'd never suspect what was up front.

Our trip was full of pleasant surprises.  This woman, bound for the local pagoda with her load of bright goods for sale, was just one of them.

　
Around noon we reached our destination, the town of Kep, bounded by the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

　

Happy Cambodian New Year

We began our first adventure of 2012 on Wednesday, December 28, 2011.   At 7:55 am we left Austin bound for Phnom Penh, Cambodia to visit our good friends, Jimmy and Danine Jacks.

Even though we're not traveling in the RV this time, the trip certainly qualifies as a flight! We were 24+ hours point-to-point, most of the time in the air. Service on Korean Air, which we took from DFW to Phnom Penh, was superb. We had lots of entertainment options, but most of the time chose to read and to follow the plane's progress along our route on the seat-back monitor.   (You can see we were over Alaska when this photo was taken.)

Our route took us much farther north than I had expected. We left DFW at 10:50 am and at 5:15 Austin time were over Anchorage, and then crossing the Bering Sea. We crossed the International Date Line at 7:21 Austin time, then at 1:40 am Austin time we arrived at Seoul Incheon Airport to change planes for Cambodia.  Arriving here at 10:20 pm local time on Thursday, we were met by Jimmy and Dodo, Jimmy and Nine's nephew.  Dodo was a tremendous help to us in clearing Customs and getting us and all our luggage to the apartment.

We were out and about on Friday, traveling by tuk-tuk with Jimmy and Nine to visit Phnom Penh's Phsar Thmey or Central Market.   (The tuk-tuk, a four-seat open carriage pulled by a 100 cc motorbike, is a popular means of transportation in the city.  They, and the hordes of motorbikes, vastly outnumber cars.)

Fresh fish like these, fruits and vegetables and cuts of meat, compete with each other at the market for the shoppers' eye...and purchase.

Lunch Friday was at the lovely Ngon Restaurant, which impressed John with it's sixteen mini-kitchens, each used for the preparation of a different dish.

Dinner, prepared by Saroeun, Jimmy and Nine's cook and housekeeper, was worthy of a five-star restaurant. I can't tell you the names of all the dishes, but they were fantastic!

On Saturday, Paul and his tuk-tuk took us to visit the Russian Market. Unlike Phsar Thmey, which specializes in fresh produce, meats and fish, the Russian Market is known for its clothing, arts and crafts, bulk produce and motorcycle parts.  

As you can see, there are also plenty of options for on-the-spot dining or take-out!

New Year's Eve was a quiet one, but New Year's Day was very lively. Dodo and his wife and daughter arrived for lunch, and later in the afternoon we were joined by Nine's cousin, Neang Nith, her husband and three daughters. It was, indeed, a very happy new year!