Day 18: Sun 25 Nov - Kampot to Kep 30km

Ride: 30km; total: 814km

Day 16: Kampot – Kep – Kampot (53km) Breakfast at the hotel. Cycle to Kep beach town, a less visited beach than Sihanouk Ville. On the way, we visit Sar Sea Cave on the hill top. Arrive in Kep, we board the board to Rabbit Island. Enjoy picnic lunch and relax on the quiet beach. Swim and snorkeling before returning back to Kampot for overnight (B,L,D)

Had an interrupted nights sleep due to an irritating cough.  Nevertheless got up at 5:30am and went for a ride to the mouth of the river where the local fish markets are held.  It was just a place on the river where all the fishing boats gather each morning for the fishermen to sell their catch. There were lots of people and boats coming and going and ended up being a great experience.  I managed to take a few nice photos of the boats and people in the early morning light.  

Back to the motel to pack up and go to breakfast at a restaurant run by deaf and mute people.    

What a wonderful experience and the breaky was fantastic; coconut & banana pancakes, eggs, bacon & a tomato/onion/capers side dish, fresh fruit & natural yoghurt with lashings of good coffee.  All prepared by the deaf/mute staff.   Best breaky so far.  I also bought a couple of T shirts and scarf to support them. Kev had a mouthful of coffee and then went and lay on the couch as he was not well at all.  He's had a head cold and tummy problems for a few days and should not have been riding, but he’s a tough bloke and just kept going. 

Got on the bikes and headed out of Kampot to Kep.  It was a nice easy ride which a few needed as they try to recover from tummy and cold problems.  We booked into the Rock Royal Hotel right on the end of a point.  It is a new hotel, immaculately kept and very grand, but not quite finished.  Some of the electrical wiring were saw hanging out of walls and lying in hallways was downright dodgy.   Kev and I were on the third floor with ocean views via a side window.    

20 minutes later we met in the foyer for a boat trip to Rabbit Island.   Kev skipped this too as he still wasn’t too well.  What a little paradise, palm trees, hammocks, sand, palm leaf huts and warm tropical water.  Had a fantastic lunch under the palm trees consisting of crab, chicken soup, veggies, fish and lovely curried fish.  It felt so relaxing sitting there, not a care in the world with your bare feet in the sand.  I could have stayed there for a while.  At 2:30pm we got back on the boat and headed back to the motel, just a great experience and day all round.  

Spent the rest of the afternoon reading, washing and tidying my gear. 

Dinner was taken at one of the many waterfront restaurants near the markets where we rode in this morning.  Lovely seafood dishes which tasted fresh.

Fish market at Kampot

Our breakfast stop and another example of that lovely French architecture

Boat trip to Rabbit Island

These huts on Rabbit Island were available for $8 per night