Cambodia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 108

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus A few big buses still travel via Kep from Phnom
Penh to Kampot ($3), but the journey is long and circuitous.
Destinations Kampot (5 daily; 45min); Phnom Penh (5
daily; 3hr).
By share taxi or minibus You'll be dropped off and
picked up at Kep beach, about 1km south of the town
centre where motos can take you to your guesthouse.
By moto or tuk-tuk A moto/tuk-tuk to Kampot costs
$10/$15 (45min).

Kep Lodge Pepper St, near Treetop Bungalows T 092
435330. Set in lush gardens, Kep Lodge has an extensive
Khmer and Western menu including Swiss specialities
such as röstis ($6.50) and indulgent cheese fondue ($9).
Cheaper sandwiches and burgers are also available (from
$3.50). You can use the pool for $5, and it's a good place for
sunset cocktails. Daily 7am-10pm.
★

Kimly Next to the crab market. Known by locals as the
pick of the crab-shacks, this is just the spot to try the local
favourite, Kampot pepper crab ($7.50), and the menu is in
English. Daily 9am-10pm.
Toucan Centre of the Crab Market T 097 8531057. Open
late, this is the closest Kep gets to a party bar with cheap
beers, tapas, pool table and over-water deck for sunset
cocktails ($3.50). Daily 9am-3am.

2

ACCOMMODATION
Bacoma Street 33A, 200m south of the Vishnu statue
T 088 4112424, W bacoma.weebly.com. The squeaky-
clean stone-walled thatched bungalows here are superb
value, and set in tranquil gardens. Th ere's also a movie hut,
top food and helpful owners. Double $10
Kepmandou 200m east of Rabbit Island Pier T 097
3359982. Handy for Rabbit Island, this friendly sea-facing
hostel has quirky little rooms, with or without windows, a
big first-floor communal a rea , pool table, cinema room
and simple kitchen. Double $4
Kukuluku 2km north of market roundabout on the main
road T 036 6300150. Cheap fan and a/c rooms and a light,
airy dorm on a small sliver of beach, with café-bar (serving
yu mmy c rêpe s) and small garden with petite pool. Dorm
$5 , room $15
★

Eastern
Cambodia
Running south from Laos, the mighty
Mekong forms a natural boundary
between eastern Cambodia and the rest
of the country. Many travellers pass
through en route to or from Laos,
although the attractive riverside towns of
Kompong Cham , Kratie and Stung Treng
are increasingly attracting visitors in their
own right.
Stretching away to one side of the
Mekong, Cambodia's remote eastern
uplands remain stuck in their own
isolated world, still largely untouched by
the march of development (although the
region's forests have suffered terribly from
uncontrolled logging). If you like nature
and wildlife, this is the place to be, and
despite rampant deforestation significant
patches of dense, unspoilt rainforest
survive, still alive in places with rare
wildlife and rushing waterfalls - although
to reach them takes a certain amount of
time, effort and money.
Tucked away in the far northeast,
hilly Ratanakiri province is bordered by
Vietnam to the east and Laos to the
north. he upland forests here are home
to around twelve distinct groups of
chunchiet (indigenous hill tribes) who
still make up a significant proportion
of the population, despite the arrival
of growing numbers of Khmer. he

Treetop Bungalows Pepper St, off the main road just
west of town T 012 51519, W keptreetop.com. The mini-
village of lofty stilted bungalows feels like a childhood
fantasy. It's on the hillside, with t errifi c sea views and
surrounded by lush gardens. Double $28

EATING
Kep is heaven for the seafood connoisseur. The crab market
on the western seafront is the place for crustaceans;
further on, the stalls around the centre cook up grilled fish,
chicken and other delights, but only during the day.

INTO VIETNAM: HA TIEN
You can hire a moto to the border
crossing near Kep at Prek Chang ( Ha Tien ;
daily 7am-6pm) for around $10 for the
half-hour-long trip. Bear in mind that you
need to be in possession of a Vietnam visa
as they are not available on the spot. On
the Vietnam side, you can hire a moto ($3)
to either Ha Tien or Ba Hon, from where
you can catch a boat to the island of Phu
Quoc or a bus to Ho Chi Minh City. Tour
companies and guesthouses in Kampot
can arrange share taxis and minivans to
do the whole journey.