At first I named this post Ten Intriguing Photos from Kampot. Then I realised what I meant to convey was that Kampot itself was Intriguing, not the Photos themselves Per se.
Kampot the fourth stop on our Cambodian Itinerary was the perfect break. It’s peaceful vibe, wide river boulevard, and quirky restaurants and bars made it an intriguing base to explore from. Kep (try pepper crab at the many seaside cafes), Rabbit Island, Bokor Mountain, Phnom Chhngok cave temple and the famous Kampot Pepper farms can all be visited from Kampot, and afterwards the beaches and nightlife of Sihanoukville await.
1. An Intriguing Combination of Bride and Vehicle.
2. Canadia Bank at the Durian Roundabout had a full ATM in a dedicated air-conditioned room at the front and no Withdrawal Fees.
3. Captain Chim’s $5 river trip (complete with one cold beer or softdrink) chugs beneath the Old Bridge destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and rebuilt with random mis-matched pieces. We also rode across this eccentric bridge in search of salt fields.
4. Great Food and drinks at the Indo Bar – food specials from around Asia varied nightly.
5. Ramshackle River Boats.
6. A creeper covered pergola covered in masses of flowers.
7. An old Building on the Riverfront housed Moliden Restaurant .
8. We left our hotel one morning to find the Cane Seller had arrived in town.
9. Kampot had surprisingly wide well planned streets. They would soon be swept clean of the remnant sands deposited through the wet season.
10. A Kampot Sunset could be fiery orange or deliciously mellow like this one. Sometimes the same sunset produced both.
Ten photos from Intriguing Kampot is linked to Noel’s Travel Photo Discovery and Nancie’s Travel Photo Thursday.
Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it
What an interesting view of life after all the turmoil of conflicts in the region. That bridge looks a little to mismatched, but probably safer than some of America’s crumbling bridges. The “bride and ride” is efficient for starting a honeymoon after the ceremony.
Suzanne Fluhr
We visited Cambodia on our trip to Southeast Asia in January. Unfortunately, our only stop was in Siem Reap in order to visit Angkor Wat although we did spend a day walking around the city and visiting the National Museum. It will be intetesting to see Cambodia ‘ s trajectory over the next decade.
Muza-chan
The cane seller looks amazing 🙂
Jan
We were waiting for the pottery supplier to come to town, but instead we got cane 🙂
Mike
Hi Jan, and good post! They were all great as always but that bride and vehicle made me say what the heck? ha, ha! The Old Bridge definitely interested me along with it’s history! Did you eat at Moliden Restaurant and was the food good?? We hope all is well with you! 🙂
Jan
Hi Mike, We did not eat at Moliden. I included it because of the old building. All the food we ate in Kampot was good. We ate twice at the Indo Bar because the young Chef was very enthusiastic and very personable. His cooking was recommended to us by an American couple we met on Captain Chim’s riverboat cruise. They were expats living there for eleven months.
Suzanne Stavert
I have never been to Cambodia and for now it is not on our travel list, however I am thrilled to see your photos. They are spectacular! I started to write that I had a favorite, but I don’t – they are all really amazing!
Jan
Thanks Suzanne – blushing 🙂
Jess @UsedYorkCity
These are fantastic and totally making me nostalgic for Cambodia!!! The motorbike/wedding dress combo is classic;-)
Jan
That photo makes me laugh every time I look at it Jess 🙂
Krista
I’m entranced by these photos, Jan. This part of the world is so utterly, completely foreign to me that I want to drink in every detail. 🙂
Jan
It was a very relaxing boat trip – no commentary at all. The cold beer was a nice touch for $5 total trip cost. Cambodia is a challenging country to visit, making Kampot such a great place to chill for a few days.
corinnevail
Jan, I’ve never been to Kampot, only Siem Riep. These photos make me want to explore the country further. I love your boat photo!
Jan
Hi Corinne, Just six of us in old laid back canvas chairs in an old timber boat. An amazing trip.
hikebiketravel
Looks like a delightful spot to hang your hat for a couple of days. Nice to find a bank with no withdrawal fees!
Jan
Perfect Leigh 🙂
Bob R
Nice selection – my two favorites are the can sellers’ vehicles and the brides in boxes. 🙂
Jan
They are certainly the two most intriguing Bob 🙂
Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans
Intriguing photos of an intriguing place! I love the third pic – what I would give to be cruising down that river with my feet propped up right about now!
Jan
It was a very relaxing trip – only six of us on board and very unhurried. We did have to rescue another larger boat and tow them back to Kampot though 🙂
NatureFootstep Travel
lol. Looks great. I love the cars loaded with boxes. Never seen anything like it. 🙂
Jan
We wanted to buy pottery and we were told that the potter would bring his goods to town on a contraption like this. We waited for pots, but we received Cane wear 🙂
Anna | slightly astray
Intriguing indeed! I love how some parts are so modern while other buildings are run-down. And what I find most interesting is your mention of Rabbit Island, hehe.
Jan
The bank was one of the few new buildings in Kampot Anna 🙂
Lisa Wood
love your intriguing kampot photos – I keep going back to the wedding dress with the car photo…..is it a mechanic shop with bridal dresses?
Jan
I have no idea Lisa :/ Maybe they are hire cars (for the wedding) and hire dresses to go. Really don’t know.
Marcia
Beautiful photos, Jan, each has such a different feel. I thought those contraptions were fish pots at first.
Jan
Yes they do look a bit fish trappy Marcia 🙂
Jo
I can see what you mean when you say you played the “I wonder if I could live here game” Jan! I would have been doing the same. Such an interesting place, with an amazing light (especially at sunset) and inexpensive and interesting food – what’s not to love? Great pics by the way too 🙂
Kathy Marris
My husband is itching to travel to Cambodia. We are actually stopping at the port of Bandar Seri Begawan in Cambodia on our Asian cruise in January but I’m not sure what’s there. Kampot did look like an intriguing place. Thanks for bringing it to me.
Jan
I think that port is in Brunei Kathy, not Cambodia. 🙂