As I am writing this, we have already waved goodbye to Cambodia, and two flights later, we have now arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, country number 18 on our journey. Leaving Cambodia was a tough one! We spent one and a half months there and had a truly fantastic time. From the bustling streets of Phnom Penh to the magical temples of Siem Reap, from the relaxed island life on Koh Rong Sanloem to the warm, welcoming house-sitting stay in Krong Kep, each place left a lasting impression. Letting go of the cats and dogs we cared for over the past two and a half weeks was especially difficult. We formed a real bond with these wonderful animals, and our time with the two dogs, Ranger and Rosie, stands out as a particularly memorable highlight. Stephen, Mandi: If you’re reading this: thank you so much for trusting us with your home and your lovely pets. We had an absolute blast in Kep, and we sincerely hope we looked after everything just as you would have wanted.

I wrote the last update just after Christmas, and the last one and a half weeks in Kep have been truly amazing. One thing I didn’t mention in the last update was the visa run we did. The tourist visa in Cambodia is only valid for 30 days, and ours was expiring on December 29, which meant we needed to leave the country and come back to get a new tourist visa. So we took our scooters and rode to Vietnam, which, luckily, was only about a 30-minute ride from Kep. What we expected to be a rather stressful endeavour turned out to be a pleasant, easy ride. The coastal route took us all the way to the border crossing, so we walked into Vietnam, got our passports stamped, and for 160 US dollars we obtained a new stamp and visa for Cambodia. There was also an extra 20 US dollars paid to the border police in Vietnam to avoid a two-hour wait on their side. Honestly, it felt like a rule made up on the spot, but sometimes you just have to play the games as they’re presented to you.

We also did a great, long scooter tour to Bokor National Park. It took us around 90 minutes to reach the park, and a winding road filled with curious monkeys led us up Damrei Mountain to the abandoned Bokor Hill Station. Bokor Hill Station is a remote French settlement, built by colonialists in 1921, and it still includes the ruins of a Catholic church — a very rare sight in Cambodia that visitors can explore. Today the mountain also hosts a large luxury hotel and casino, along with an imposing statue of Lok Yeay Mao, a mythic heroine from Cambodian Buddhism. On our way back we stopped in Kampot for an early dinner. A great day!

Another highlight was the visit to the “La Plantation” Kampot-Pepper farm. The pepper from Kampot is highly rated in Michelin-star kitchens around the world. Thanks to the unique microclimate and rich soil of the Kep–Kampot region, this pepper is one of the most sought-after in the world; at “La Plantation” they produce an exceptional, fully organic Kampot pepper. Over 22,000 pepper plants are carefully arranged across the expansive property, and during the 60-minute tour we learned in detail about the cultivation methods and the manual harvest of the different peppercorns. The visit concluded with an excellent tasting session, where we were able to sample and compare the subtle flavor differences between several varieties of pepper.

Oh… and then there was New Year’s Eve. Since Kep is famous for its crab, it was an obvious choice to order crab with Kampot-pepper sauce, and it was absolutely delicious. After that satisfying meal we returned home and carried on with our own countdown to midnight. We listened to music and played several of the games Sarah and I had prepared beforehand, which made for a very pleasant evening. I won’t pretend I wasn’t relieved when I was finally allowed to go to bed after midnight. The Khmer actually celebrate their New Year between April 14 and 16, and although there are usually some fireworks on December 31, they were cancelled this year because of the ongoing conflict with Thailand. I didn’t miss it much, though!

On our last evening in Kep we met Barry and his daughter Roisin for dinner and enjoyed a final pizza at Martini’s Pizzeria before waving goodbye to Cambodia the following morning. We had a fantastic time in Cambodia, and we will surely be back one day. Another country that welcomed us with open arms and many warm smiles, after more than six weeks there it definitely became a place close to our hearts. We are now looking forward to our time in Chiang Mai, where we will also meet my aunt and uncle, who are visiting Thailand throughout January. More on that in the next update. Until then, be well!