Kampot

After a few days in the Penh it was time to head down south to Kampot, which takes 3 hours by car taxi. Stayed the first night at Les Manguieurs for $10 in an airy hut on stilts with cracks in the walls that opened to the great outdoors and the ground below. Concerned about mozzie born illnesses as we were right on the river, we packed up and stayed at Veronica's. When she had visitors, we found a new home at Natural Bungalows. with a little private beach. This was our residence for the next 2 weeks. 

Ordering pepper crab at Crab Market at Kep

Fishing boat- they go out to sea at 5pm and fish all night ready early in the morning for the market

Tek Chou zoo, 8 km from Kampot town was well worth the visit. We were the only visitors and our Tuk Tuk driver took on the role of tour guide. He had about 3 words of English. He proceeded to lead us around the cages, which were not were not fenced off at all. He tried to get a rise out of every animal by banging on the enclosures; snake, lizard, vulture, you name it.  He threw a stick in at a sleepy looking croc, whose eyes just poked above the slimy green film of it's pool, and then jumped a mile clutching his chest when it launched in his direction, jaws snapping!

We walked past an aviary like cage of monkeys and it took us a while to realise they were exiting from a hole in the roof and coming down to greet us outside of the cage. Suffice to say I started running in the opposite direction! One great scorched orang-utan held out an empty drink bottle, which we filled and he gulped down the water gratefully in the most human like way possible. 

The zoo was not complete without some photos of some very creepy statues and abandoned merry go rounds. 

  

The Tuk Tuk driver actually turned these two figures like this and spent 10 minutes getting to line their hands up in a hand shake!