Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club

The Philippines was done, I’m back on my own and I was heading to some main land. I’ve been waiting to get to Cambodia since last visiting SE Asia in 2011. I arrived in Phnom Penh and decided to jump straight on a bus to Kampot. There I would spend five days before travelling back up to the city to meet Stephanie.

I had accommodation booked for one night at Nomads Backpackers, thought nothing of it but it ended up being a little bit strange. To start I got a “free upgrade” which was only a larger single room but next to where the owner stayed, no problem, but when the owner is a super camped up David Brent you start to worry, his laugh and jokes were just as awkwardly timed too. He was probably deep down very nice but he didn’t stop going on about what they did here, what they do for the community and how they know everything, it wasn’t hard to smell the bullshit! I booked another place to stay for the week and that was justified the next morning. I went out for breakfast in just a pair of shorts and Camp David came running up to me like a giggly school kid and went “Oooo you’ve got something stuck to you!” and then went ahead and pinched my nipples… hilarious on reflection, a little inappropriate at the time, the shocked faces at the breakfast table said it all! I headed for a legitimate chain hostel after that, mainly because he had the cheek to charge me for breakfast, the slag!

The first night I met a few people and went out to the early hours of the morning, even spotted Camp David out in the club, an awkward hello that. The morning after I headed to a free water park, it was good fun but boring after a while, especially as I was a thirty year old male playing alone whilst I waited for some friends to turn up. Now who’s the suspect weirdo? The next day or two weren’t the most interesting as I was in bed with the two bob bits. Luckily I escaped being sick but I definitely wasn’t able to eat or leave my bed, I was taken out for thirty six hours.

Kampot has so much to offer, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. The days I did get out and about I managed to ride up Bokor mountain and see temples, churches and derelict buildings, went underground to a temple cave, had a wander round a pepper plantation and a coastal ride to the nearby town of Kep.

All of these were best reached by moped, you can rent one for $5 a day and it’s by far the best way to see it all. The rides are an adventure in themselves, there’s some beautiful sweeping mountain roads and some, almost, off road dirt tracks out into the sticks.

La Plantation, a pepper plantation outside of Kampot, was really worth the visit, they put on free 45 minute tours in English or French throughout the day and free tasting session once the tour has finished. The Kampot pepper is regarded by many as the best pepper on the planet. It was genuinely delicious and so was the Khmer Root Cafe which is a wooden shack down the road from the pepper plantations with all the chefs local to the area, one which I couldn’t resist a photo with. The dish was so good I indulged myself and had two, it was also my first Lok Lak, which is Kampot peppered beef served on onions and tomatoes, it’s definitely my favourite meal in Cambodia.

Overall I loved my time there and it’s a place you could easily spend a few weeks, it’s really relaxed and according to Camp David there’s 21 days worth of activities. The best part of it all was the food. Finally back to decent SE Asian grub, it’s sent my morale’s through the roof!

Heading back up to Phnom Penh now to meet Stumpy or Stephanie as she prefers to be called.

Dolphins Splash Waterpark

Bokor Hill Mountain

Phnom Chhngok Cave Temple

La Plantation

Khmer Root Cafe

Kep