THE TRANQUILITY OF KEP, KAMPOT AND BOKOR

Over the Pchum Ben holiday last week, I visited Kep, a seaside town about a three hour drive from Phnom Penh. We needed a break from the noise of Phnom Penh and Kep was the perfect reprieve to escape. The lush green landscape, cascading mountains in the background, spectacular sunsets, fresh seafood, and laid back lifestyle was what we needed to break away from the urban jungle. Our time there was short, but it was just enough to remind us the beauty of nature in this resplendent retreat. Slow down, escape the noise and join me on this photo tour to get a taste of tranquility and nature in Kep, Kampot, and Bokor. 

As we arrived in Kep, a large crab waits to greet us. Kep is famous for its delicious seafood in general, and the Kep crab, in particular. If you want to get your seafood fix while in Cambodia, Kep is the place to go.

Once known as the St. Tropez (Kep Sur Mer) of Southeast Asia, the quaint town once housed beautiful villas owned by the late King Father Sihanouk, and other wealthy Cambodians and expats. When the Khmer Rouge took over, villas were abandoned, some destroyed, and of course neglected. Now with peace and stability, Kep is slowly gaining back it's quintessential charm and reputation as an oasis of paradise.

Sunsets in Kep are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The vibrant orange hues infused with the monotone blues and grays, all with the Bokor mountains cascading in the background, create a picture perfect moment and brings peace and calm to your spirit.

On the road to Kampot, we see a little girl waiting to cross the street on her oversized bicycle with the lush trees in the background. The rainy season, while at it's worst causes flooding, brings forth the best views of the countryside with emerald hues across the country, from the lush green rice paddies to the coconut trees.

As we drive through Kampot, the king of all fruits, the durian, stands tall and proud in the city center. While Kampot is mainly known for it's world famous tasty peppercorns (Kampot pepper), it also produces the best durians in Cambodia.

In the rainy season, it can still get scorching hot in Cambodia. With the heat and humidity, it can feel like a sauna. On the road to Kampot, a wagon full of people trying to shield themselves from the hot sun as it circles around the city center.

Our final destination that day was to see Phnom Bokor. As we climbed up the mountain the hot sun was replaced by deep jungles, dense fog, and cool misty air. As we arrived at the top, an unexpected and pleasant surprise was to see an old, large, and active pagoda surrounded with people making offerings for the Pchum Ben holiday. With the fog, cool air, and colorful flags, for a moment I thought we were in Tibet rather than Cambodia.

A beautiful Buddha statue sits alone at the top of Phnom Bokor. A perfect place to sit in quiet reflection. Phnom Bokor, a beautiful mountain range has an expanse of 140,000 hectares of dense jungle. A newly built casino also sits on top of the mountain, but I prefer this view.

As we drove down the mountain it started to rain heavily. The roads going to/from the mountain were one of the best in Cambodia, clean, maintained, no potholes, well lit, good signs, and guards monitoring it. People also drove better going up/down the mountain with the twists and turns. In the rainy season the weather changes quickly from sunny skies to zero visibility. As we went down it started to pour rain and visibility became difficult.