15.12 - Day 335 - Kampot, KHM
Sunday 15th December - Kampot (Day 335)
I take myself for a walk around 6:30 am just heading in whichever direction seems most busy. And busy it certainly is when I stumble upon a market that has spilled onto the streets, the scooters parked 3 or 4 deep.
It might have lost its shock value but the hunks of red meat hanging to the side of carts or stalls, bowls of thrashing fish or crawling crabs still seems a world away from the sterilised supermarkets we are used to.
Stooping as I walk inside past the pre-packed goods section, fruit and veg, mounds of dried shrimps and fish, past the clothes stalls and jewellery glass cabinets being polished, this market has it all.
Back at base the bananas, mandarins and lychees complement the Cornflakes for breakfast. Although it’s Sunday we convince Sienna and Seb to start on the final week of school as we’ll be bussing tomorrow and flying on Wednesday, the last day of term.
After the inescapable games of table football we wander into town to find lunch - the local food places seem to focus on either breakfast or dinner so lunch options are a little more touristy (happily for Sienna and Seb) - ending in the gradually awakening small park with food stalls.
Dessert of sorts is smoothies from a familiar stall - as per the rest of South-East Asia, Kate and I don’t really stand out, but Sienna and Seb make us more noticeable and memorable.
It does feel in Cambodia we’ve received a lot more waves and shouts of ‘Hello’ from children walking past or on scooters and as we walk to find out about today’s proceedings of the Sea Festival, parents spotting us nudge their kids to say ‘Hello’ to us and the six ladies manning the information desk are thrilled to see us and want our photo too.
The afternoon is spent in and by the pool at Onederz Hostel, leading back to the Festival Stage for the end of the closing ceremony and accompanying fireworks. The streets are hectically busy, but we feel well versed in this now, walking along the roads back to bed.
