Kep

I will try to go for the "less is more" approach this evening. Like the bikini pictured above...this babe was on the end of the pier on the Kep beach.

Cambodia continues to be incredibly layered in every sense - working through everything we are seeing and doing and trying to apply meaning, while also remaining foreigners, proves to be time consuming and rather draining. There is no shortage of recounting, assessing and comparing in our household each night. This past weekend we had the opportunity to experience an entirely new part of Cambodia on our journey to Kep. Many of you, knowing the geography of Cambodia, asked us if we would be living near the beach. If you call three hours "near," then the answer, as we found out, is yes. 

Some verbs that come to mind when I reflect back on our bus ride include: jostle, quiver, lurch, bump, squeeze (as in: "We had to squeeze in between ten cows and a moto, while also avoiding tipping over into a rice paddy..."), puke (almost), screech...and the list goes on. It was a 7:30AM wake-up call after a fun night out with other ex-pat teachers at the FCC for happy hour, closely followed by a fresh seafood dinner (think grilled whole prawns with roasted garlic and a side of morning glories). The bus we ordered was for 25 people, but thank goodness they sent us a 36-person vehicle so we could all spread out. Out our windows we saw green pastures with big, white, healthy-looking cows (not the skinny, ugly city cows), sparsely populated villages with pretty homes, and an overall feel that we were in a National Geographic special on the Cambodian country side. 

Just as I was about to give up on the bus entirely and throw myself onto the road because I would rather die than continue (extreme? I don't think so), we turned off the main road and entered the sleepy coastal town of Kep. Our bus pulled up right outside our hotel, which was steps from the beach. Complete with pool table, lounge area, pool/jacuzzi, room A/C and beautiful views, the Beach House is certainly a place to which we will return.

The first day involved a pizza lunch -- we met a number of ex-pats who have started tourist-driven businesses in the area -- and relaxing on the beach. At one point, when getting up from my towel to adjust my suit, I noticed that there were three Cambodian twenty-somethings taking pictures of us from the wall above. Although I was freaked out at first, it quickly turned into just another thing that I should get over quickly. The real reason is that Cambodians do not wear bathing suits when they swim. Instead, they prefer to frolic in the waves in jeans, long sleeved button downs, pajamas or any other non-swim suit related item of clothing. So, for some people, to see Americans in bikinis and without shirts is something curious. That first night we all went out to a local restaurant (minutes from the rather well-known Kep Crab Market) for fish. After looking around for the best deal, we ended up on a beautiful second story terrace over-looking the water. We then dined on what Jeff has called "a top five meal." The incredibly friendly owner brought out three plates each of whole fish, prawns, grilled squid, whole crab and delicious fried rice, beers for less than a dollar and a medley of sauces, the best of which was lemon juice and black pepper based. Although Cambodians lack any semblance of proper napkins (think tissue paper), we were given water with sliced lemons to dip our crabby hands into at the end. Overall, it was a culinary and cultural experience to remember.

Sunday we woke up, grabbed a coffee and headed off to Rabbit Island, about a 15-minute open boat ride away. We were eleven people on one long boat, sitting on planks of wood going crosswise. We tipped and dunked and felt sort of like we were on a carnival ride (I remembered to keep my eyes on the horizon, Dad), but got there in one piece. After about two hours of lounging on the beach, which is white sand, rustic, wooden cabanas, lots of local dogs and warm water, we trekked back for a shower, lunch and our departure.

I could go into more detail and mention things like our bus hitting what we think was a person on a moto, or at least driving them off the road (whaaa?!), but I will just say that alls well that ends well, and enjoy the snippet below!

Jeff (getting into bed): "I just want to let you know that you let a scary, two-inch bug into the room this morning and its probably going to crawl into your mouth tonight."

Caro: "I dont think it flies."

Jeff: "It flutters."

Caro (indignantly): "Well it can't get onto the bed!"

Jeff: "It was chillin on the desk.."

Caro: "Seriously?! Why didn't you kill it?!"

Jeff: "I tried to, it fluttered away."