We're fairly incorruptible: Back to Phnom Penh onto to Kep

So its Monday and for days we were trying to figure out how to travel around this country. We landed in Phnom Penh during the biggest festival of the year and most of the city was shut. We then took a good quick,safe and comfortable bus to Siem Reap with Giant Ibis. After 8 days in Siem Reap we knew we wanted to go to Battambong but then the idea of 12+ hours to Phnom Penh and then another 6 hours to Kep filled us with dread. We thought of bussing back to Siem Reap and flying to Sihanoukville, a town we didnt really want to visit, and then bus to Kampot and onto Kep. I even toyed with idea of flying to any of the destinations from Siem Reap - anywhere!

After the bus to Battambong, we decided to hire a driver back to Phnom Penh, stay a night and get a driver onward to Kep on the south coast. yes we have the facility to do this, so we did.

In a big fail, we forgot to ask the name of our driver who delivered us so well and safely to Phnom Penh through some pretty gnarly road works towards the end. He had no english, german or french. We had zero Khmer. It was a surprisingly quick trip with a delicious meal half way at Kompong Chnom - which we ate with "Dan" fried rice, omelette, beautiful sour fish soup. Nom. Onto PP! Bit busier today.

Into Phnom Penh and the cheap 3G data contract navigates us to Le Grand Palais on Street 130 near the central market. A faded duchess of a building, a French jewel among the bustle of northern Phnom Penh, a small room, a comfortable bed after the slab in Battambang, a pool that I have no desire to jump into, bit cloudy and as long as the beers are cold...

A very nice rooftop bar with a refreshing breeze and views of the city. If you avoid looking at our table guest.

We are only here for a night, wandered to Sisowath Quay, went into a transport office and asked about a driver and 'Bong' (brother?) is organised to drive us to Kep on Tuesday. We then went to a tourist Viva mexican restaurant - mmm bean enchilada and two $1.50 margaritas each! YUM "ch'ngyan" - is my attempt to say delicious in Khmer.

Tuesday Wake and breakfast very luxuriously. Then a very distinguished older chap introduces himself to us as Sid. A Lexus 300 hybrid #rockstarlifestyle. A very smooth trip. Halfway we stop for fuel and I go into the shop and get some cold caffeine - some nescafe tins, which Sid appreciates. As we proceed Sid asks if we have a driver to come back to Phnom Penh, we ask if he could do it, and gives us a price and we agree straight away. So he drives us one way to Kep, very little chance of a return job, and will try and secure a job for Saturday to Kep (unlikely) to come and take us back to PP. Four runs of the highway PP to Kep and two jobs. I can only assume the transport office price did not provide much for him and by dealing with him directly he gets a better cut. A very safe driver we were very happy to choose him again. The phone gps wins again and we arrive at Brise deKep Boutique (Lonely Planet wrong again on location). Sid unloads our bags as we negotiate the checkin and as we depart Sid and I have a bro-hug when he confirms he will be coming back. I am touched by this in a way I cant quite explain.

Nice room, nearing shabby in the bathroom, bed is fine, hotel is directly on the ocean near the pier to Rabbit Island. We decide to stay at the hotel for the day as Kep is veeeeerrrrry spread out, almost post apocalyptically sparse. Anyway this lasts for an hour and I decide to walk for supplies - mozzie coils, lighter for the mozzie coils, tonic, gin for the tonic, dry ginger ale, bourbon for the dry ginger ale, recon orange juice for the gin. Start walking back and a bloke on a bike rides past beeps once and looks at me I nod and for 2000 riel I am dropped back at BdK - so lazy it was only 800m.


Empty boulevardes


What a beaut!

Independence Monument Kep

We dine at the hotel, excellent food, in fact a busload of farang drop in after the BdK restaurant in Kep is full and we get the overflow. The kitchen churn out consistently good for an extensive menu, and very very fresh.

Wednesday in Kep starts with kids screaming, motos firing up leaving arriving leaving arriving, the boats at the pier thump thump thump into lumbering movement into the contested waters out to Vietnam. Breakfast is simple, omelette baguette fruit Khmer cafe all good.

Now I dont like to talk about my peristalsis in great detail but this hotel has a note above the dunny, "Please do not put toilette paper in the toilette" and the spray hose is dangling there. I have always refused this aspect of Asian etiquette.

Anyway I used the bum gun ok. I might get one installed at home.

We have organised a moto for the next couple of days from Tun the french speaking staff. Pay above the odds for a pretty dodgy looking machine. We are only going to go into the western side of Kep today, and maybe a bit further. Riding a scooter is something Sandy and I both enjoy together having done it in Vietnam, Bali and of course at home. Well I am glad I purchased such a fine machine at home because I put a lot of effort into selecting such a well appointed and well fettled beastie as the Aprilia Scarabeo.

Tun's Honda AirDream is a mangy flea bitten cur. Odometer gave out when Molly Meldrum had credibility. Speedo just wants to stay at zero. Brakes are shit. Lights only work on high beam. Headset bearings have never been serviced. We ask for deux casque s'il vous plait. Indicators work which in Cambodia is just fucking surreal. Horn works, tyres have tread, we're set. For what I dont know

Ride slowly to the Kep Crab Market for a coffee and some cards and another iced coffee. Then we decide to have a massage just next door. Waves lapping as we both choose a Khmer massage, quite blissful. Lunch at The Democrat. Ride around some more and look at some of the delapidated 1960's homes which create so much of the 'end of the world' flavour of Kep. And back to the hotel for the hot afternoon and a quenching ale and later dinner at the hotel - the onion soup avec crouton was delicious. Tomorrow we go to Kampot.