Kep

Today we rented a tuk tuk (motorcycle with a carriage attached) to take us to Kep. Kep is on the seaside and was settled by the French in the early 1900s. Along the way we stopped at a pepper plantation. The land was rented by locals and had pepper, durian, jackfruit, and mangos growing. The fresh Kampot pepper is amazing and delicious.

Kep is a small town filled with decaying mansions. When the Khmer Rouge came in, all houses were vacated where many still sit. It is shocking that 36 years after the Khmer Rouge took over, the houses still remain. I have read that much of the property has been bought by wealthy foreigners who will develop when the time is right.

We went to the crab market for lunch and ordered crabs and shrimp cooked with fresh Kampot pepper.

Onour return, we stopped at a sea salt farm. Many acres of land is soaked in sea water and allowed to evaporate. The salt is raked off and stored in a shed. All very unsanitary, but then salt in that concentration will kill most anything.