I wake up to a glorious day in Phnom Penh this morning. The sky is clear blue and there’s a stiff breeze snapping the flags of the nations along the quayside to full attention. I walk down to the FCC for a light breakfast. It’s the perfect spot for a meal on a day like today. Sitting in the open third floor dining room, looking out at the river, where some long boats are practicing for races later today, I almost wish I was spending the weekend here instead of heading down south.

But by the time the car comes to pick me up, the breeze has died down and it’s beginning to get hot, so I’m glad to be escaping to the seaside. The drive down to Kep takes about two and a half hours. The two lane road is relatively good, although there are several one-lane bridges to slow things down. There are not really any sights to see along the way, although the landscape of rice fields and country houses is rather pretty.

 
We arrive in Kep in the early afternoon. In French colonial times, Kep was the premier seaside resort, but was abandoned in the 1970s when the Khmer Rouge began their bloody rule. My home for my stay here is the Champey Inn, a collection of 16 bungalows scattered around a swimming pool facing the sea. The rooms feature a rather spartan design, with painted concrete floors, simple wood furniture and stark white walls. The Champey Inn sits on the slopes of a point within sight of a collection of ramshackle restaurants sells the area’s famous crab. The rest of the point is lined with the shells of abandoned villas.

While Kep is coming back to life as a tourist destination, it’s still well enough off the map. While there are a few hotels and guest houses in the area such as the Champey Inn, there’s little else to divert the tourists – no nightclubs, no mini-marts, and even very few restaurants aside from those at the hotels. That is starting to change, so if you’re interested in seeing an ‘unspoiled’ place, you better go now.

See the Kep photo gallery for a lot more pictures from around the area.

Posted by michael under First Impressions

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