Much of our time in Cambodia this year was retracing our steps from a trip seven years ago. Kampot was completely new for us.
Roughly 5 km (3 miles) inland from the Gulf of Thailand lies the riverside community of Kampot, the capital of Kampot Province. During French colonial administration it had been the capital of the Circonscription Résidentielle de Kampot (Kampot Residential District), and until the mid-50s was Cambodia’s most important seaport.
During the latter stages of the Cambodian Civil War (1967-1975), Kampot was subjected to a 35-day artillery barrage by the Khmer Rouge, which left much of the population homeless, or worse. A little over two weeks after capturing Kampot, Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, and Democratic Kampuchea was established. Four years later, when Pol Pot was overthrown, he and his adherents retreated into the Cambodian jungles, finding refuge in outlying areas like Kampot Province. To support themselves many of these brutal exiles turned to banditry, harassing transport routes and not infrequently kidnapping for ransom anyone who might be foolish enough to venture too close to their territory; Westerners were a particularly popular target. In 1993, when the Cambodian monarchy was restored, amnesty was offered to any Khmer Rouge still in hiding and thousands surrendered themselves to the government. While a state of lawlessness no longer exists in Kampot, it does have its own distinct vibe and was a refreshing change from the tourist-centric cities to the north.
Dollars – On our trip down from Siem Reap we spent one night in Phnom Penh before arriving in Kampot, where we stayed for eight nights. This sleepy town was pretty easy on the budget, especially when you consider we had several “Western” meals which tend to be more expensive than eating local food.
| Cost/Day (2 people/9 nights) |
What’s Included? | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic day-to-day living expenses | $85/day Canadian (8 nights) ($63 USD / €58) |
Kampot Accommodation, sightseeing, groceries, restaurants, and local transportation |
| All-inclusive nomadic expenses | $101/day Canadian ($75 USD / €69) |
Basic expenses above plus entry visas (pro-rated), buses: Siem Reap to Kampot, Phnom Penh accommodation, data packages, subscriptions (Netflix and other streaming services, website hosting, Adobe Lightroom, VPN, misc apps, etc.) |
Environment – We stayed in two distinctly different accommodations in Kampot. Our first three nights were at the Sokchea Kampot, a new resort in the middle of nowhere on the opposite side of the river from the city centre. Located as it was away from the action, we appreciated that they had several bicycles guests could borrow. A little on the pricey side (relatively speaking) at nearly $50 CAD/per night, it was worth it having a pool to dip in after a hot dusty day biking the city streets.
Our last five nights were in an Airbnb right in Kampot. A bit of a strange setup. We had our own entrance, a securely padlocked metal gate, that led into a foyer open to the host’s kitchen, and a staircase up to our private unit on the second floor. The host’s family would wave whenever we passed by and occasionally we had to sidestep some children’s underwear on the foyer floor, but this proximity did mean that either the hostess or her Aussie expat “husband” could easily check in with us to see if we needed anything. Truthfully, they were extremely welcoming and not the least bit intrusive. The unit itself was very private, had a fabulous balcony, and was near tons of restaurants.
Tips, Tricks & Transportation – There is a direct bus from Siem Reap to Kampot, but it is an overnight bus and the common thread from overnight bus reviews was the abundance of creepy crawlies. We opted for a daytime route, which did necessitate an overnight stay in Phnom Penh before catching a morning bus to Kampot – a pleasant insect-free journey with the Giant Ibis line.
Despite having few sidewalks, and a total absence of traffic lights, this city of slightly over 32,000 is super walkable and easy to navigate if you’re on a bicycle. If you do prefer having a dedicated space for walking there is a lovely promenade stretching for blocks along the Praek Tuek Chhu River. And if you are bicycling through the streets and want to cross the river, I strongly recommend using the Entanou Bridge or as it is better known, the old French Bridge. Given the degrading structural integrity of this bridge built in the early part of the last century, only two-wheeled traffic and pedestrians are supposed to use it. That restriction is largely ignored by remorque and tuk-tuk drivers yet it was still way less stressful to cross than the Kampong Bay Bridge which had a narrow, raised walkway on either side that I was terrified of slipping off while cycling, landing me directly into the path of cars and trucks!
I had read a little bit about the seedy underbelly in Kampot. There certainly were a lot of grey-haired white guys walking around with a younger Asian girl on their arm, but we didn’t feel it was any worse in Kampot than in other parts of SE Asia – as an older married white couple we felt like the exception to the rule on the streets of Hua Hin, Thailand. Now, we don’t tend to be out at night patronizing bars and nightclubs, so maybe we were just blissfully unaware. Regardless, I would still tell people to put Kampot and the surrounding area on their list of places to see in Cambodia.
Out and About – If you are inclined towards organized tours there are lots of options in Kampot, but we almost always prefer some level of independence. Through Facebook, Howard was able to contact a local driver who was happy to customize a couple of days of sightseeing for us.
Beginning in the late 19th century, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Malay Peninsula were all part of what was referred to as French Indochina. And while the French were thrilled with the economic value of their colonies, they weren’t completely enamoured with the weather – I might have to agree! With an elevation of 1,048 m (3438 feet) Bokhor Mountain, about 37 km (23 miles) from the city of Kampot, offers a more temperate climate which the French recognized could be an ideal retreat for their colonists stationed in the region.
In 1925, Bokhor Hill Station opened with an opulent hotel, Le Bokor Palace, several villas, a post office, and a church. The French were only able to bask in these cooler temperatures for roughly 15 years before the Second World War forced them to ditch their Indochinese territories. Most of the pictures you see online for Le Bokor Palace would lead you to believe you’ll find a spooky old building, ripe for photography.
Surprise … in 2008, a Cambodian investment group leased much of the land surrounding Bokhor Hill Station with plans to revitalize the area and in 2018 a refurbished Le Bokhor Palace was opened to the public. It is a stately building, just not as captivating as we had expected.
In addition to the renovated Palace, there is a new modern hotel/casino and plans are also in the works for golf courses. We did pass several construction projects, however they appeared to be largely abandoned. Actually, all of Bokhor Hill Station seemed abandoned. Neither the new casino nor Le Bokhor Palace had a single car in their parking lot. It was a bit weird, but the drive was very pretty and we spotted lots of monkeys, even stopping to listen to the hoots from a troop of gibbons hiding in the treetops.
It wasn’t just the French who found the temperature on Bokhor Mountain appealing. In 1937 King Sihanouk had a summer palace built on the hillside. Damnak Sla Khmao, the Black Palace so named for the wood used in its construction, was also ultimately forsaken and no plans are in place to restore its former glory.
The climb up Bokhor Mountain needed the engine power of a tuk-tuk. For our second outing we were in the back of a remorque again, which truly is the most delightful way to travel, although with very few paved roads it did get a tad dusty!
Cambodia has been cultivating pepper since the days of the Khmer Empire, mostly on small family farms. The French ramped up production and by the beginning of the 20th century, 8000 tons of pepper was being produced annually; nearly all of the pepper consumed in France at that time came from Kampot Province. An incredibly labour-intensive crop, which involves handpicking the peppercorns from the trees, the following decades witnessed an ever-increasing decrease in the number of farms. The policies of the Khmer Rouge, including collective farming (rice, not pepper) and conscripting soldiers, very nearly wiped out the plants entirely. A handful of the survivors of those horrors managed to return to their land and rescue the few vines still clinging to life.
Today there are 400 members of the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, both small farms and large plantations. In 2016, the European Union approved protected geographical indication status for Kampot pepper, acknowledging its unique character – that’s the same kind of protection given to the sparkling wine known as Champagne.
We visited La Plantation, which is 17 km (11 miles) from Kampot but takes about 45 minutes by remorque. It is one of the bigger operations in the province and was started by a Belgian couple in 2013 using cuttings sourced from some of the original Kampot farmers. They are committed to giving back to the community through a variety of social programs and offer free tours of their fields which conclude with a pepper tasting. It was a fascinating couple of hours.
From La Plantation we headed even deeper into Cambodian farmland, which was once littered with Khmer Rouge landmines (we were assured it had been completely demined). We bounced past durian farms, coconut and mango trees, sugar cane fields, rows and rows of vegetables, chickens, cows, and lots of children waving frantically at us, joy blossoming across their faces as we waved back. Our destination was Phnom Chhnork, a 7th-century Hindu cave temple. Nestled in a magical setting of stalagmites and stalactites, this ancient sanctuary is one of the oldest monuments in Cambodia.
We finished our day watching the sun set over the salt fields skirting Kampot city. Salt might be just as important as pepper is to Cambodia, and involves a similar level of manual labour.
Salt farms cover about 4,748 hectares of land in both Kampot and Kep Provinces, and the fields are owned by the 200 families of the Kampot-Kep Salt Association. During the hot season (January to May), salt water pumped from the ocean is left to evaporate in the man-made fields. The crystals are raked into mounds and packed into wicker baskets which are then stored in drying sheds. Weather greatly impacts the success or failure of each year’s harvest. Until very recently the salt from this region only made it into the Cambodian market, and to address the severe iodine deficiency in the population salt ionization has been mandatory for Cambodian salt producers since 2003. The first-ever export contract for a Cambodian salt producer was signed in 2017.
Us – We thoroughly enjoyed Kampot. It encapsulated everything I remembered about Cambodia when we visited seven years ago. People were kind, friendly, and happy to be alive, contrasting sharply with Phnom Penh which seemed devoid of joy. Off to Vietnam! Wish us luck with our border crossing; we may have inadvertently overstayed our Cambodian Visa.
Restaurants – We happily sample local dishes, but after almost a month in Cambodia we just had a hankering for something familiar. After a few off-putting experiences with beef dishes in SE Asia, I’m always a bit leery of ordering a hamburger. The Google reviews for Smashed Burger however were exceptional, so we risked it. The reviews did not lie – we ate here twice! It’s run by one woman and has great meat, fresh buns, yummy toppings (garlic mayo, fried pickles, caramelized onions, bacon), and flavourful fries – a mouth-watering result.
Burgers weren’t the only Western-style food we found ourselves drawn to in Kampot. Dany’s Pizzeria was just around the corner from our Airbnb. Dany prides herself on making everything from scratch and wanted us to know that she’d been trained in an Italian kitchen. She uses only quality, fresh ingredients and we can attest to that freshness as the neighbouring grocer appeared with a pineapple in hand moments after we placed our order. The pizza was delicious with a perfect crust that I think is called Neapolitan – that sweet spot between thin and doughy. The restaurant was pretty quiet when we stopped in for a bite mid-afternoon and Dany was thrilled to have time to chat with us and practice her English.
Speech – These are always good basic words/phrases to know in Khmer, but everyone with whom we interacted spoke some English:
- Soo sdai – Hello (and should be accompanied by a sampeah (a small bow with hands pressed together in prayer);
- Lee-hi – Goodbye;
- Bah – Yes (male) / Chaa – Yes (female);
- Aw-dteh – No;
- Suom – Please;
- Aw-koon – Thank you / Aw-koon che-rahn – Thank you very much (again accompanied by a sampeah);
- Tah nyek neeyay preesah ahng-lat-tay – Do you speak English?
- Suom ket loy – the check please (in a restaurant);
- Suom-toe – Sorry or Excuse me.
