Journey to Peace Village

I've spent the last few days in the peaceful town of Kampot. This has really been the highlight of the trip to Cambodia. Kampot is a former French colonial getaway and has many aging French villas. Some are in disrepair but many are started to show signs of new life. It's become somewhat of a tourist getaway for those wanting a mellower vacation than Sianhoukville.

It's slightly inland so there's no beach. But there are some interesting sites nearby such as pepper plantations and a cave pagoda "Elephant cave." There are many NGOs there trying to help disabled people. For example, Tracy and I went to the Epic Cafe, run by deaf people. I loved "Bokor porridge" a kind of oatmeal with lots of fruit. It's a variation of one favored by Khmers (which includes fish!)

Another highlight was a visit to the Kampot music school. This teaches orphans and disabled children how to play traditional Khmer music. The children had varying skill levels but were very lovely!

We also met a Buddhist monk named Mina who is teaching English to local children. Tracy bought him some books and I worked with him on game ideas.

I hated to leave Kampot!