Caves, crab and countryside (Kampot & Kep, Cambodia)

As our visit to Kampot was unexpected, and with no plans as to what we were going to do during our stay, we opted to take a one day tour around the area in the back of a tuk tuk.

The tuk tuks in Cambodia are by far the most comfortable we’ve have experienced so far in Asia. The seats are deep and padded and wide enough for all three of us to fit comfortably and unlike Bangkok they travel at a steady pace.

The tour included a visit to the nearby caves, pepper farm, local fishing village and to Kep, the next small town along, famous for its crab fishing.

Tasting fresh pepper at the plantation

The scenery between stop offs was lovely. Huge expanses of flat farmland with tall palm trees dotted sporadically with a dramatic backdrop of huge hills. We passed many local people working in the fields, oxes pulling carts and push bikes stacked high with local produce. As we drove through the countryside ‘the boy’ enjoyed spotting animals and added the word ‘cow’ to his growing vocabulary.

I was very nervous and my adrenalin was pumping when our tuk tuk got stuck whilst crossing a railway line. With ‘the boy’ and I perched on the tuk tuk like a sitting target, I quickly grabbed him up and jumped off, only to be reminded by my amused hubby that the train lines are no longer in use. I have to admit I did wonder why the tuk tuk driver was so calm about the situation. Panic over!

The weather was beautiful, the peppered crab that we ate for lunch was superb, but the highlight of the day was watching ‘the boy’ play with the local children in the small fishing village. Wherever he went, the children followed, toddling along the waterfront and watching the ducks. We rounded them up (the children, not the ducks) and took a group photograph to show him when he’s older.

'The boy' and his friends from the fishing village near Kampot

Kampot was definitely worth the unexpected visit.

Top tip if the day:
If you have the option to do a tour on your own at a reasonable rate then I would recommend this over a group minibus tour. We’ve done both during our time in Asia and we often find that the larger group tours are very rigid and stick to tight timelines. Once we’ve got off the bus, put ‘the boy’ in the sling, changed his nappy or given him his milk, it’s almost time to turn around and move onto the next sight. When you’re on your own tour you can set the pace and it’s a far more relaxing experience.