Kep, Crabs and other things - Cambodia blog entry #9

 

Along the Gulf of Thailand and less than twenty miles to the Vietnam border is the quaint town of Kep, Cambodia. It is the capital of Kep Province in southern Cambodia, has a population of 35,990, and is 107 miles south of Phnom Pehn. 

Before the time of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s, Kep was a mansion-lined beach resort town that the French from Phnom Penh would escape to on the weekends. During the war, the mansions were pillaged or destroyed. There are still many that remain today, a ghostly reminder of the past. 

After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Kep became a seafood hot spot, mostly known for their crabs. 

Also available to buy in the seafood market is durian, known as “the king of fruit.” Durian has a spiny, thick husk ranging in color from dull green to yellow-brown. Its edible interior is a soft, custard-like pulp that can be white or yellow. But it is best known for its nasty odor, described as smelling like sulfide, blue cheese, or even sweaty gym socks. 

Our guide K bought one and cut it open. I didn’t think it smelled that bad - just kinda funky - but I still wasn’t willing to try it after all the horror stories I had heard. The other woman with us, Helen, tentatively took a bite. The look on her face was precious. She totally kept it together but handed the rest of it off to him, saying in a reserved tone, “that's was enough. I'm done”.  Then she scrambled for a mint in her bag. 

K next bought some tiny squids and waited for the vendor to fry them. He chowed down on them with glee. I would've tried a bite, claiming earlier that I would eat anything that was cooked done, except I couldn't picture biting a leg off the baby. If someone had a scissors, maybe I would have snipped off a leg - would only be like a baby green bean - but no, not chewing off an appendage. 

We wandered down to the end of the pier and the pounding waves reminded me so much of Lake Superior, even though it was warmer than Michigan’s UP. I was so content. 

From there it was a short drive to Kep Beach. We walked in the sand and got our feet wet in the waves. I was still content, even though my feet were damp and sandy the rest of the day, and I was as unphotogenic as ever.

The White Lady statue sits at the end of a pier waiting for her husband – a fisherman – to return from the sea. She is a symbol of unconditional love and patience. 

The Kep Crab statue is not a random crab – he is a blue swimmer crab. Surely, any crab aficionado would see that right away.

Last along the beach was the Lady and Fish statue, of which I could find no information online. Which is a shame as she is beautiful. 

All in all, a very good afternoon.