where in the world is matt

Kampot itself is a rather small town with not much to do as its also rather inflated accommodation, but I was staying at a place with a group of people i’d met in Sinville so it was rather nice.

Bodhi Villa is 2km out of town on the other side of the river offering very basic rooms with a nice chill vibe on the bamboo decking out into the river. Other then a change from beach and ocean to decking and river there was little to it. It was nice to have a few days doing nothing but playing guitars and pool but it was also a place that you can get sucked into.

After the chore of getting there via a taxi scam that they make you wait for 2 more people in the back OR you can pay $3 now (Y). I think not.. and so we played the waiting game of who would cave first which of course they did, so 2 hours later then planned we arrived in town.

Town itself is not geared for tourism, few guesthouses with little by way of amenities or drinking holes for the average westoner, with even less to see in the area. The main sites boasted are a series of caves 10km away that boast to be older then Ankor, circa 5th century and made from limestone. There is also Bakor national park which hosts a variety of wildlife from tigers to elephants, all of which you cant apparently see. There is a weather station and village abandoned atop a 1km ascent which sounded interesting as its deserted, with orange lichen and mist giving a ghost town feel, but due to roads being worked on in the area and the need for a 250cc bike to get to the top I decided against it as I didnt feel comfortable doing it, specially on my own as everyone else was to lazy to venture out.

Did swing by Kep which is famous for its crabs with Kampot pepper, more of a chore to get to the flesh then seems worth but competition is fierce so youre likely to get abit for your buck. Kep is listed as a site to see but its anticlimactic, specially this time of year with high water levels preventing use of the beach, another reason I didnt go to Rabbit Island with the troupe as the weather is to problematic.

I decided instead that a week and a half of lying around was time to head and see something, so I took the bus back to the capital but due to times I was unable to pick up a new camera and travel straight to Siam Reap the same day. So another night was spent by the riverside and I await my 7 odd hour bus to Siam Reap for some Ankor WHAAAAAAAAT