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Cambodia! Completing the Southeast Asia Loop (Kampot and Kep)


Our first stop in Cambodia was the small town of Kampot. I wanted to go to Kampot because I had been hoping it would be like Luang Prabang (one of my favorite places, as you may recall). Kampot is described as a quaint riverside town, so it seemed reasonable to think it might be like Luang Prabang. Alas, it was not at all like what I was expecting. I didn’t think that Kampot was very pretty or quaint and actually  found it to be a bit ugly with not a lot to do there. But we have met several people during our travels who just absolutely loved Kampot, once again reaffirming the very intuitive idea that people like different places.

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The waterfront of Kampot definitely had its charm, but just was not as pretty as most of the other riverside towns we’d seen on this trip.
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Cute kids playing in the water.

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Most of the buildings, even the ones like these in the center of town, had a rundown feeling to them. This actually became a common sight for us in Cambodia, which led us to believe this may be a remnant of the destruction of Cambodia at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.

Nonetheless, we did enjoy spending a few days in a place with not much to do after the whirlwind pace of our 3 weeks in Vietnam. The highlights of our time in Kampot were motorbiking to nearby caves and the oceanside town of Kep with our new German friends we met on the bus ride over from Vietnam, stumbling across a cafe serving the best Western food we had during our entire time in Asia, and riding bicycles to a nearby local swimming hole.

The main beach in Kep was surprisingly pretty.
There were a bunch of monks at the beach, something I've never seen before, and the contrast with the woman in a bikini a few feet away from them was too funny to pass up taking a picture of.
There were a bunch of monks at the beach, something I’ve never seen before, and the contrast with the woman in a bikini a few feet away from them was too funny to pass up taking a picture of.
I loved how relaxed this girl looked hanging out on the beach.
I loved how relaxed this girl looked hanging out on the beach.
Exploring the caves.
Exploring the caves.
Our adorable tour guides who manipulated us with their cuteness into giving us a tour of the caves even after we refused them repeatedly. It ended up being a good thing they did or we would have missed out on all the dark, narrow crevices to climb through.
Our adorable tour guides who manipulated us with their cuteness into giving us a tour of the caves even after we refused them repeatedly. It ended up being a good thing they did or we would have missed out on all the dark, narrow crevices to climb through.

On our last day in Kampot, we braved the blazing hot sun by riding bicycles to a nearby swimming hole. It definitely appeared to be a locals place as there were a lot of Cambodian families swimming there and not another foreign soul in sight. There were little wooden structures set up that people could rent to hang out in and eat lunch or relax in a hammock, and a lot of local vendors walking around selling snacks.

The swimming hole is located in a really pretty spot.
The swimming hole is located in a really pretty spot.
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