During the French occupation of Indochina, Kep was a palm-fringed beach, lined with villas of French settlers and rich Cambodians. The French left, of course, after being thrown out of Indochina. The Kymer Rouge then destroyed virtually every building in town in the late 1970s.
Although Kep is certainly on the tourist circuit, only the most dedicated tourists committed to exploring every nook and cranny of Cambodia should venture there, in my opinion. There is little to see to make the journey worthwhile. The beaches are quite nice, but that’s true of a hundred other places that offer more than ‘nice’ beaches. I enjoyed seeing a huge statue of a crab just off shore and another of a woman at the water’s edge, but aside from those two oversized pieces of eye candy, I found little to recommend it. Surprisingly, this out-of-the-way spot is listed in the classic book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. It must have been a stretch to include Kep on that otherwise flawless list.
The most intriguing part of Kep was seeing first-hand the destruction the Kymer Rouge inflicted upon the town. As readers may know, the Kymer Rouge was committed to the communist ideal of total equality. The beautiful villas in Kep that were available only to the elite were clearly incompatible with that ideal and, hence, deserved to be destroyed. The pictures here give you just a taste of what the place looks like even today.
However, Kep is going through a revitalization. Farsighted Cambodians bought semi-destroyed villas for a song in the 1990s and are fixing them up today. The gorgeous Knai Bang Chatt is a luxury destination for upscale tourists that is leading the rejuvenation. The Sailing Club next door provides the perfect ending after a day of sailing. If you prefer, you could take an outing to a forested hill overlooking Kep to stay at the Veranda Natural Resort with its stylish bungalows and pools shaded by palm trees.
There’s not a lot to do in Kep. However, it is well known for crab so you would be well-advised to spend part of an afternoon at the crab market and you definitely have to experience a crab dinner. If you like monkeys (like I do) you could visit the Kep National Park; you will see plenty of moneys in the jungle there. You might even be able to persuade a local fisherman to take you out to Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) where you will find immaculate beaches, good snorkeling and fresh grilled prawns. Or, you could always lie on the beach.
As in most of Cambodia, you can find good value for the dollar in Kep. I rented a room at the Sok Man Palace Hotel for $10 US. I wasn’t sure what I would get for that price but I was thrilled when I found out: a large room with a view of the Bay of Thailand, a comfortable bed, WiFi and an ensuite bathroom with both a separate shower stall and hot water. These last two features are luxuries in Asian hotels. In most, the entire bathroom is treated as the shower stall, inevitably leaving the floor a watery mess. Further, in this price range, cold water is normally all you get. To be fair, ‘cold’ in the tropics means tepid in Canada. It’s okay once you get used to it!
From my hotel I could wander down the road about 400 meters to The Oasis, a backpacker’s place run by a Frenchman, where I would have dinner and breakfast. This was the only place I found nearby that offered food in a setting I found attractive. As usual in Cambodia, the fare was good and the prices were cheap. When I asked the owner why he chose Kep for his business, he answered, “Why not?” His response struck me as being remarkably at odds with the critical thought normally associated with the people who come from the land of Descartes.
For me, the best part of Kep was the three hours I spent chatting with Richard. This peripatetic gentleman had a fascinating life story to tell about how he was born in Chile, immigrated to Canada, worked in Central America and eventually landed in one of the poorest countries on the planet with his Cambodian wife. Armed with a master’s degree in psychology and a love of the culinary arts, this colorful character’s career spanned from consulting for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to running his own restaurants.
Photo Credits
Photos by Jan Wall – all rights reserved
John Futch says
Actually Kaeb (Kep) is one of my favorite places in Kampuchea, largely because little goes on there. The tranquility rubs off and certainly regular trips to the crab shacks lined up in the market are a plus.
A day trip voyage to beautiful Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) is always worthwhile, a chance to see some really unspoiled beaches on the Gulf of Thailand, and other slightly longer adventures can take you to the beautiful, sleepy river town of Kampot or to the brooding and mysterious ruins of the bloody casino at Bokor Hill Station.
Enjoying reading your adventures. Keep ’em up.
John
Phnom Penh/Long Beach