Kep. Cambodia

After the total chaos of Phnom Penh we are powering down in Kep – a sleepy little village by the sea famed only for its pepper crab and for the fact that it was once the hang out of Cambodian royalty before it got smashed to pieces by the Khmer Rouge. Tried the crab last night – wonderful meat and doubtless slimming since it took so much energy to extract. When I say powering down – no internet here, no newspapers and last night the few Tv channels gave out with the ominous warning on some that 'this channel not allowed in this country'. We had no way of knowing if this was a temporary blip or if the trouble at the border had spilled into outright war between Cambodia and Thailand. Slight uneasiness not helped by the soldiers with rifles loitering outside the crab restaurant.

Feels strange to be so far from news. I had to text Chris. He replied straight away Rangers 0 Liverpool 4. Retired to bed much comforted.


Rabbit Island





Fantastic to be beside the sea. The air so clean after Phnom Penh, the street – there is only one – so quiet. save for the breaking waves. We took a ferry across to Rabbit Island on Sunday – noted for its bathing beaches. As is the norm for us in Asia every trip is an adventure. We were talked into it by charming lad who met us off the bus from PP – and offered us a bargain price. Like very many lads we've met here, he has one thumbnail very long and scrupulously clean. A guitarist and budding rock star of course. A Cambodian version of 'Beautiful girl', sung in English although it's hard to tell, is the soundtrack here. Makes a nice change from Hotel California.

The young lad took us to the ferry dock on the back on his motorbike. Fortunately, he had a mate so that was a bike each for us. No crash helmets of course but a bike each was a bonus since three and often four per bike is normal. At the so-called dock it was the usual thing: scramble over rocks, wade through thigh high water, throw yourself into the boat – like gazelles we were. Jenks' swallow dive into the boat especially impressive and clearly a new technique for the nimble Cambodians. Rabbit Island was a delight. Goats, chickens and even cows meandered thru the coconut palms and hammocks. We floated for hours in the South china briny, lunched on fresh prawns and coconut water and then wandered back to the boat across the hillside path.
Then from nowhere came the monsoon rain. We waited wondering if we would have to shelter in the thatched huts overnight. Two by two the other passangers turned up since it turned out we had all been given different departure times. We watched the rain and a lonely paddle boat struggle thru the thundering waves. then it was our time to leave. Somehow I found myself sitting alone at the front of the boat. Rabbit Island is only about half an hour from Kep but as the boat heaved and threatened to capsize it looked an awfully long way off. Make it we did – drenched by the waves and for the first time in Asia cold from the wind. No fish for dinner that night – spaghetti please.