Wandergliding: Kayaking in Kampot

January 14^th, 2025

My guesthouse in Kep ordered a tuk tuk for me, and it was not the usual three-wheeler type, but a motorcycle with a trailer attached to it. This was a first for me, and it was a super cool way to travel. I almost felt like royalty sitting in a chariot, a cheap chariot, but a chariot nonetheless. We puttered along at about 40 km/h as I took in the scenery between Kep and Kampot.

Starting my chariot ride in the moto-tuk-tuk.

That's a pretty big trailer to be pulled behind a motorbike!

Cruising through the Cambodian countryside.

The riverfront in K.ampot.

The next place I was staying at, Retro Kampot, was on the far side of the small city, a few kilometres into the country, and it was located on a small stream which fed into the river Preaek Tuek Chhu. It was a pretty rustic place, but it would do for a few nights.

The backwaters near my guesthouse.

I went for a walk to find a place to watch the sunset.

A cute family on a bike, they stopped to wave at me.

Looks like a good spot for a beer.

The name of this beer made me laugh...not great markeing for English-speaking beer drinkers. It would be a while until I found one to try...not in Kampot.

The sun going down.

The restaurant at Retro Kampot.

On my full day in Kampot, I rented a scooter and headed into town to run a few errands. I needed to print my Laos visa, exchange some big $100 USD bills at the bank for smaller denominations as they are difficult to spend otherwise, and mail some postcards. I was successful on the first two tasks, but not the last one. I’ve had challenges before with mailing postcards, such as in Peru where I stood in a line up of only 3 people for an hour and a half and even had to have my thumbprints scanned and picture taken…all just to send some postcards! This time, the guy behind the counter of the post office simply asked if I could return the following day, as he didn’t have enough stamps. Huh?!? Oh well, I try again another day.

The riverside beach in Kampot.

The one "skyscraper" in town.

There were a few interesting historic buildings.

Hard to see here, but there are strings and strings of lights that go over the street...it might look nice here in the night time.

A durian fruit, the smelly one that you supposedly love or hate, and you can't take them on airplanes or in hotel rooms. It was glorified in Kampot at the biggest round-a-bout in the city.

Back at the guesthouse, I grabbed a plastic, double kayak and was instructed about a loop that I could do on the small stream which would end up in the main, lazy river. It was a nice little paddle, and for some reason I thought that it wouldn’t be wise to take my phone with me so unfortunately I don’t have any photos. Not sure what I was thinking as I took the phone with me when I kayaked in the ocean at Railay Beach in Thailand…oh well.

I found a different spot for my second evening, a British run little bar called the "Insider".

These Brits were hanging out at the bar, now they're headed home. Hard to see, but there's a dog and a puppy in the yellow kayak. It was fun to watch them try and set off, but they managed.