The Oceanside Towns in Cambodia

We started out touring Kep. We hired a Tuk Tuk and went around the perimeter of Kep and visited the caves. Two young girls were our guide. Thankfully they had torches (flashlights) so we could see in the caves. The kids are on vacation for the New Year and they were all over us to make money as a tour guide. They were all so cute.

Before we left on the tour we found out that the hotel requires cash and there were NO ATMs in Kep. We were told that one of the guest houses exchangs money. So after the tour we stopped at the guest house. They did not have cash at that time. What to do??? We did not have enough cash to eat and pay the hotel/food bill for two days.

We spent the next hour arguing with the guest house on the fact that we had to leave and go to Kampot early because we had NO money. They said we agreed to two days and had to pay. With what?? We only had enough for the food we ate and the one night hotel room and the transport to Kampot. We didn’t even have enough for lunch (although we did drink a beer while in the argument). We finally got them to agree to paying for one night and all the food; not that they really had a choice. Apparently, this happens a lot because there are no ATMs and Kep and this is extremely unusual.

OK, truth be told, we were very happy to leave Kep. We had seen everything we wanted and we were ready to move on. The lack of money was a great opportunity to leave early. Kep is very small and isolated.

We arrived in Kampot and loved the beach town. It is a small town along the coast and is really beautiful. It reminds me of Italy in some ways. Definitely a wealthier village in Cambodia! We wandered the streets and enjoyed the cooler air of the ocean.

One major observation is the women wear pajamas during the day. They may not think they are pajamas, but in US they are definitely pajamas, including teddy bears on them. Now the question: if they wear pajamas during the day, what do they wear to bed? I really need to know this@#? I have to find a pair for my Mom. What a great Mother’s Day gift!

Tomorrow a hike in the Boker National Forest.

Namaste