Kampot and Messing About on the River

We both really enjoyed the vibe in Kampot. Bodhi Villa was a lovely place to unwind for a few days, the tone being set by the sign as you go in:

Jos and Hugh (our wonderful hosts/chill consultants) kept us supplied with delicious food, beer Lao, cocktails and regular 'rock out' sessions from behind the bar, which tended to get a bit more lively as the day wore on:

During the day it was great watching Hugh taking people out on the speedboat - often being towed at high-speed trying desperately to cling on to a rubber ring!

Hold... on... tight!

Our bungalow overlooked a lovely frog pond - although they seemed to prefer our washroom to the water, giving Haze great anxiety during the night when reaching for the elusive lightswitch! The laidback atmosphere also meant that none of the bungalows had doors, only curtains. This proved very welcoming to the lizard population; Haze jumping a foot off the ground upon seeing a foot-long lizard crawl out from under the mattress was one of the funnier moments to date! :-)

We don't have a closer photo of our bungalow unfortunately, but here's the view from the other side of the water:

And here's what you see coming back the other way:

We walked into town down the suggested route along the railway line and across the bridge. It all felt very 'Stand By Me':

Kampot itself is a lovely sleepy little town with a friendly community feel to it:

Part of this spirit comes from the Epic Arts Cafe, which we stopped by a couple of times. It it run by people who have disabilities, many of whom are also involved in dance and performance arts, and have toured around Cambodia. We had the great fortune to be in Kampot when they performed in their home town, and it brought many locals and supporters of the cafe out onto the streets.

Here's a brief snap of what we saw that evening:

We met many people who came to Kampot just to visit, and five years later are still here. It's easy to see why!

Namaste!