Beautiful Kampot

Right now I am sitting at a western restaurant in Kampot provincial town, looking out at the river with the mountains in the background. I just had a veggie burrito with a coke and a piece of apple pie for dessert. For the record, today is a vacation day and this is very different than my daily routine. But it is a beautiful break! I really wish I could upload pictures, so that you could see how pretty this view is! It is a very pretty view, but it is also pretty because it is so different from my picture of Cambodia so far. Most of Cambodia does not have mountains, there is no view of large bodies of water, and Kampot is a very clean town. Also, for such a busy and popular town, it is very calm and quiet. Right now I am not hearing the constant honking of cars or chickens and cows, and more cars honking. All I hear right now is some kids playing does stairs, and all the trees around me being blown by the wind (well and the staff of the restaurant spraying the plants with either water or pesticide, but that is not as serene sounding).

This week I visited my future permanent site, which is in Angkor Chey District in Kampot Province. After my visit, myself and the other volunteers being placed in the province met up for a day of relaxation in the provincial town. Kampot provincial town is beautiful. It is the southern most Province in Cambodia (so I am still holding strong as a southern girl in this country!). It is along the coast, and it has the Mekong river running through it. There are mountain ranges throughout the province. The land is still very flat, however there are these mountain ranges that seem to have come out of no where. Also, thanks to the coast and the mountains, it is known to be a cooler province. There is a wonderful breeze and it seems that the afternoon heat is not quite as killer.

Kampot provincial town is a tourist attraction for Cambodia. There are a lot of westerners that visit and a population of foreigners that have taken up residence here. With that comes the western restaurants that I have grown to love and appreciate. Also along the coast is Kep (which is a small province inside of Kampot). I have not yet been to Kep (only a taxi ride away), but I hear that it is also very pretty.

This is the Cambodia that I can't wait to show people who visit!