Hello Everyone,
About a three hour drive [94 miles] southwest of Phnom Penh is the small city of Kampot. Over the years it has become a destination for the more budget conscious traveler. It’s a bit of a noisy city with lots of construction and hoards of motorbikes and cars clogging the streets. We hired a driver, with an SUV, for 4 days, to take us there, drive us around and bring us back to Phnom Penh. Along its riverfront is a long paved walkway with lots of restaurants and activity. The sunsets across the river are a beautiful yellow-brown through their polluted air.
Kampot is known as one of the three best places in the world to grow pepper [the peppercorn kind]. I’ve never been a pepper user, but some people have such a love for it that they bring their own pepper with them, to use in their food when they travel. So, one day in Kampot, we went to a pepper farm to see what all the fuss was about. I was amazed at how many variations of just two types, round and long pepper, there were. And, it came in three colors, too, black, green and red. This particular farm was a “social project” started from scratch in 2013 by a French/Belgian couple that got rich high up in the software industry and retired early to change their lives dramatically. It is now thriving with acres and acres of pepper and other vegetables and herbs. They employ 150 local workers and run a small school with 20 children.
Pepper is actually a vine that grows vertically on wooden poles. They grow all the types and colors here. After a tour they take you to a tasting area where a guide will walk you through a “tasting” of ten or so varieties that they sell. It works just like a wine tasting. The guide will explain the subtleties of the flavors and suggest what foods would go well with them. Some are blended peppers with things like lime or salt or herbs.
After the tasting we attended a Cambodian cooking class. It was interesting and fun. We learned many things about Cambodian cooking, but the most important was making the “paste” that goes with almost any Cambodian dish. It is made with several herbs and spices and then pounded into oblivion with a giant mortar-and-pestle. Check out the photo gallery for some views of the cooking class and watch Carol make coconut cream from scratch.
One of the reasons we came to Kampot was to visit an NGO called OEDDO [Orphans Elderly and Disabled Development Organization]. It administers to 45 orphaned children, 37 elderly and several disabled. It is funded by an NGO in Eugene, Oregon along with support from Friendship with Cambodia. They are currently completing the construction of a hospital there that will administer to poor local families at no cost. The founding director has two children that are Cambodian medical doctors and will work there when it’s completed. They expect the hospital to open in about a year with donated equipment from Eugene, OR.
When we arrived at OEDDO, we were greeted by a rush of children and elderly that approached us showing the “Sampeah”, a Cambodian traditional greeting, showing respect. It is performed by raising both hands, and placing their palms together in the lotus-like fashion while bowing slightly and repeating a greeting of “hello”, in Cambodian, of course. It was so touching to see them. They all appeared to be very happy, while living in this orphanage.
I learned of an interesting scam while in Kampot. Fortunately it did not happen to us. In Cambodia the currency is the Riel and there are about 4,000 Reils in one US Dollar. Almost everywhere here things are quoted in both Riels and US Dollars. So, most tourists just use US Dollars to make their purchases. Many of the ATMs here dispense US$, but Carol and I always like to use local currency whenever we can. Before we left Seattle we read that if you bring US$ to use in Cambodia make, sure that they are clean new bills with no tears because they will not accept worn or torn bills. Well, at a happy-hour in our hotel one night, a Norwegian tourist, who had just arrived, told us that he went to a commercial ATM at the airport and withdrew $400 in US$. What came out was old, worn and torn US Dollars.
He didn’t know that the locals won’t accept this kind of cash and when he went to spend it no one would take it. He now had $400 worth of cash that he could not use gotten from a local ATM machine. He tried to exchange it a bank and a money changer, but no one take it. He didn’t know what he was going to do with it, because he couldn’t spend it back in Norway when he got home. If you travel abroad, think twice before you get cash from a local commercial ATM machine. If you need US$, get it in person at a bank where you can see what you are getting. Or, better yet, use local currency, like we do. It’s more fun, too.
I’ve included some pictures of the pepper farm and the cooking class and the orphanage in the photo gallery, for your viewing pleasure, if you would like to take a look. The pix are more fun than reading my “drivel” anyway.
Carol has released a couple of blogs you might want to check out too……
The “Grandmothers” of OEDDO:
https://carolapucci-tips.blogspot.com/2024/02/when-cambodian-grandmothers-in-rural.html?m=1
Phnom Penh: A City of Surprises:
https://carolapucci-tips.blogspot.com/2024/02/phnom-penh-city-of-surprises.html?m=1
That’s about it for Kampot. Next we’re flying to Hanoi, Vietnam, to see how that city has changed in the 17 years since we last visited there. Then we’re taking an overnight boat ride to Halong Bay, something we missed the last time we were there. Stay tuned for what “jewels” we might find in Hanoi.
Later………. Your favorite travelers, Tom and Carol
Kampot Photos
Click to Enlarge and Read Caption
