Yesterday I was wandering about the streets of Phnom Penh and I noticed a delicious smell emanating from one of the many sidewalk food vendors. Following my Pavlovian response to an enticing smell I stopped to investigate. It was a stir fry with a lot of veggies but I did not recognize one ingredient. It could have been a bean, it could have been a bean sprout, it could have been a short noodle., it could have been a worm. I was 99% sure it wasn't a worm because it just did not have a meaty texture, so I kept on eating and wondering. Had I thought it was a worm it would have been end of show. (I have my limits.)
Last night I had my first bout of traveler's stomach and as I was regretting what possible steps I could have taken to avoid the problem, it dawned upon me that what I had eaten looked a lot like the larvae you find when you turn over a log in the woods. Grossed out? The good news is I am feeling fine and whatever it was did not kill me. I hope it wasn't larvae but I guess I will never know.
Today I took a bus from Phnom Penh back to Kep on the coast of Cambodia. I had a ticket to go to Kampot, another 20 KM further, but when the bus stopped at this little seaside village I was intrigued and hopped off. That is where I am now.
After checking in to a guest house I wandered along the beach and selected one of the many waterside cafes for lunch where I ordered a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of crab and a bowl of rice all for $4. I really did not know how much a kilo of crab was but when I saw my order I was sure I had over-ordered. I picked and smacked crab for over an hour and I could not finish it all.
Kep was developed by the French as a resort and there are numerous abandoned villas built on the hill overlooking the sea. Because of the link with colonialism Kep was particularly despised by the Khmer Rouge consequently the villas and other remnants of that legacy were mostly destroyed. At the moment I am debating to stay here omorrow or go over to Rabbit Island.
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