Kep to Phnom Penh

On our last night in Kep, we ate at Kimly, on the waterfront, and truly, we gorged. Marc got fried stingray in tamarind sauce, and I got a huge heaping mound of fried shrimp. I felt like I'd never want to eat again.

Today they painted these parking stripes, and the whole vibe has changed.
It's heading toward perfect westernization, and maybe all the new tourists will
be good for the restaurant owners and those who work here,
but it feels like a loss to me. I can find this in the US, in front of any
McDonalds. But the smoky, messy, crowded crab market at Kep
only exists here.
Marc's fried stingray in tamarind sauce
looking up the coast toward Kampot, leaning over the rail at our table at Kimly
in a place with regular spectacular sunsets, the moments of our final sunset in Kep
were Spectacular Spectacular
We were too full to have our rooftop pineapple treat after all, so we planned to eat it right before we left. The next morning we were up early to go into the national park that abuts our hotel, and it was so very quiet and beautiful. Green, lush, cool, drippy.

at the entrance
the whole walk was like this, and on occasion there would be an opening
on the left where you could see all of Kep and the coast to Kampot.
Beautiful scenery and vistas. Maintained by the Kep Squirrel Club, to boot.
I've never seen this before -- looks like alien mouths to me
Marc taking a picture of one of the big views
I personally am a sucker for fungi.
We came around a bend and saw this web, seemingly suspended in midair.
It wasn't visible from any other angle. It looked like glowing copper wires.
and these GORGEOUS shafts of sunlight streaming through the canopy
A couple of hours later, we had one last big breakfast, one last swim, packed our bags, paid the bill, and were driven to Phnom Penh.

one last swim in our gorgeous little pool
one last snack of super-sweet pineapple before we left
one last view from the breakfast table
goodbye sweet Veranda property
one last omelette
beautiful stonework
We got to Phnom Penh more quickly than either of us expected, just a couple of hours. Our hotel, The Pavilion, is very sweet.

walk in off the busy street into the peace of our hotel
the pool, surrounded by lounging platforms
and this Buddha watches over everything
We took a walk in the steamy afternoon just to reorient ourselves to the part of Phnom Penh we're familiar with, along the waterfront. It was insane when we were here last, since we were here at the opening of the Water Festival in 2011, when millions of people converged on the city. There was a HUGE storm brewing and the sky was heavy and the air was so muggy, so we walked and walked, stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a Tiger beer for me, and walked some more before returning to the cool of our room.

distinctive architecture here, and so many shades of yellow, orange and gold
I love the architectural styles
we saw this when we were here last, and went searching for it -- still here!
It's a little freestanding building on the riverfront, and inside
these heavily eyebrowed guys (Buddhas? don't know) sit
in front of a Vegas-style light show. I wish I knew more about it.
Men sit inside, and people pray in front.
self-explanatory......kind of
are these for sale? we just don't know.
CULT AND RELIGION. Hmm.
no idea, but that's the king in the photograph
Seeing more monks walking around the street. Pol Pot killed most of them, and like the
rest of Cambodian culture, it's slowly coming back.
the riverfront
traffic
just a little pavilion on the riverfront
riverfront lined with flags. Vietnam there on top.
riverfront buildings -- it's easy to find videos of Phnom Penh
when Pol Pot and his people destroyed the place. Utter devastation.
Self-evident. And hilarious.
An urban offering spot.
LOVE Cambodian wats
a lovely wat complex
We went out for dinner to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant called The Corn, and had the very best meal of our whole trip. My curry was pumpkin/banana/tofu/coconut and it was amazing -- delicate and subtle layers of flavor. Marc got a red curry with some chicken (they will accommodate non-vegetarians), and we shared corn fritters and a luscious salad of thinly sliced warm pumpkin and pears over arugula with a mustard dressing. We added a homemade ginger beer, and all of that came to $20. Oh yes. Delicious, subtle, wonderful, and cheap.

my amazing curry, $5? Shazaam.
don't quite know what to make of this -- Santa is Vegan? Is that guy named Santa?

There was a gigantic thunderstorm that boomed through the night, and around 4am I couldn't sleep because of all the birds singing -- boo hoo poor me -- and then our day started with breakfast around the pool.

fresh passionfruit juice and French bread and pastries
a traditional breakfast -- fried rice with veg and a fried egg on top.
Would've been better with fresh veg -- we think these came out of a Birdseye bag.
But that egg was so yummy.

While I wrote this post, Marc went out and shot a great video of the morning market:


And now we're off for the day!

1 comment:

  1. I'd love to know what happens at the Ministry of Cult and Religion! It sounds like it belongs in the pages of Harry Potter.

    ReplyDelete

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