“Kampot pepper stars in this region too, notably at the nearby Kep crab market, where the locals serve it alongside the tasty little critters – well worth a trip. A 15-minute boat ride away, you’ll find Koh Tonsay, aka Rabbit Island. Seasoned backpackers who visited Thailand 30 years ago might find the pace familiar: it’s pleasingly slow and sleepy, with simple stripped-back bamboo beach huts for just $7 a night, and three hours of electricity daily. I met Lisa here, a Californian backpacker and photographer my own age, and we spent afternoons swimming and walking, evenings lazing in hammocks with cold beers or eating crab (and that fiery pepper sauce) at the quiet restaurants (the two best are part of the family-run bungalow resorts at either end of the beach).

However, there is a positivity everywhere, and initiatives you’re glad to spend money on. In Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, I visited Romdeng and Marum, training restaurants where the staff – ex-street children – cook and serve fresh, creative food. In Kampot, visually impaired masseurs offer soothing treatments at Seeing Hands, and there’s a chilled vibe and decent coffee to enjoy at Epic Arts Cafe, run by deaf and disabled workers. Much of the budget accommodation in Kampot is on Guesthouse Street, where you’ll find Pepper Guesthouse offering possibly the finest fish amok in town. This fragrant fish curry, steamed in banana leaves, is Cambodia’s national dish.”

Source: (Susan Smillie) Continue Reading @ theguardian.com