The article tells about a small town in Cambodia - Kep, that even an inconspicuous-looking city can have a rich history and be of interest to tourists. The city of Kep is located on the border of Vietnam and southern Cambodia.
Well, the city is pretty loud. This is just one central street several kilometers long, located by the sea, and several houses. The place where the whole life of the town flows is the market, or rather small trading floors. Both locals and tourists flock here. Aborigines just spend their time, and newcomers buy simple food, cigarettes, and other goods for life.
There are almost no shops and ATMs in Kepe. Therefore, you have to travel to Kampot - a city located 26 kilometers away. To go there, you can hire a tuk-tuk or rent a motorbike. The roads are not bad here, and the whole way should go without any unpleasant incidents.
Local tuk-tuk are very interesting, they are equipped with a shelter from the rain. So the transport is quite comfortable by local standards.
During the trip, observing the surroundings, you can see many villas standing empty and dilapidated. This is a legacy left over from the French. In the days of the colonies, rich and noble people liked to come here on vacation. Later, when the Khmer Rouge came, the mansions were destroyed. And now they are empty and useless. A bit of a creepy sight.
On the market you can find such an exotic fruit as durian. Locals are always not averse to feasting on them. But for tourists it can be a real challenge. The fact is that when the fruit is cut, the stench is incredible, but if you overcome the attitude to the smell and dare to taste, then its taste turns out to be very delicate and sweet.
The whole life of the inhabitants of Kep is connected with the sea. It feeds them. Perhaps that is why there is one of the few local attractions on the embankment - a monument to a woman sitting by the sea who is waiting for her fisherman. When will he return from the sea?
The statue is treated very reverently. Locals bring here various colored fabrics and dress up a woman in them. Probably, this image of a waiting, worried girl is close to the locals. Tourists also come to the pedestal, and sitting at the foot, gaze into the blue distance.
Black pepper has always been considered the pride of Kep. You can buy it on the market, but the prices are too high, and this is understandable - the market is tourist, and the quality of the spice is the highest. Many well-known culinary experts value this kind of pepper above others. It is grown on large plantations near the city, in the local province of Kampot. Therefore, it is called "Kampot".
