Kampot and Kep

Our last stops in Cambodia were the riverside town of Kampot and the refreshing seaside town of Kep.

Kampot is a laidback town that is mainly known for growing pepper and durian. But for tourists the riverside is the nicest part of the town.

We took a sunset cruise on the river to admire the mountains and to see some fireflies.

We also rented a motorbike and headed up the hills to Bokor National Park. Unfortunately it was quite cloudy so the views weren't as great as they could have been but then again it felt quite magical driving up through the clouds in the morning. We also went for a short walk in the jungle and were lucky enough to see (and hear!) some endangered Pileated Gibbons (below is a video just for their sound)!

After Kampot we headed off to lovely seaside Kep to enjoy some of the famous seafood. 

Kep is especially famous for their blue crabs so we went to the crab market to have our share. Here they keep them alive in cages in the sea until you buy them. Then you can ask to have them steamed and ready to eat. We bought 1 kg and they tasted so amazingly fresh and wonderful it might be hard to find something equaly good back home!

Here, too, the sunsets were amazing!

The Great Motorbike Adventure, part II

The camping site was located next to Tad Houa Khon which was especially beautiful just after sunrise when we were the only ones there. It's easy to imagine how beautiful this is during the wet season.

After that it was time to hit the road again. Sometimes there were some minor obstacles...

Our first stop of the day was on Mai Savanh Lao, an organic silk and tea farm. But in the dry season they also grow pepper and these very hip sacha inchi nuts, that are high in protein. We were also offered to taste mulberry and hibiscus.

 Perhaps the most interesting part of the journey was a stop at a Katu tribe village where Mr. Hook welcomed tourists at his home. We had a guided tour around the village and their coffee plantations and then we and two Austrians stayed the night at his homestay. 

Air-conditioning was not needed in our bamboo bungalow. The bungalow was for the guests, but the family slept inside the house. The word "family" also has a much wider meaning among the Katu tribe than among us. For example in Mr. Hooks ca. 60 m² house there lived 34 people. The largest house in the village consisted of 72 people.

The coffee plantation and different stages of the coffee fruit. The ripe fruits were really delicious, though we didn't eat the bean part to avoid staying awake all night.

Coffee here was served in a bamboo cup with a bamboo filter on top

Enjoying the sunset from a nice viewpoint while learning from their way of life form Mr. Hooks younger brother.

Then it was time to make dinner in the kitchen. We helped with the peanut sauce.

After dinner we gathered in the living room and Mr. Hook continued telling us a lot of very interesting things about the Katu tribe and his own life while sharing a waterpipe. They made their own bamboo waterpipes. Everyone in the village smoke. Even children who start at the age of three to keep the bad spirits (and mosquitoes) away.

Then it was time for our last day on the Bolaven Plateau. In the morning we stopped at Tad Lo for yet another waterfall.

And since Lao is famous for its coffee we made one more stop at a coffee plantation to have iced coffee and a rest in the hammock before driving back to Pakse.

Sunset over the Mekong in Pakse.

The Great Motorbike Adventure, part I

From Vientiane we took a sleeper bus down to Pakse in the south of Laos. We had a luxurious 180 x 90 cm bed for the two of us. Luckily we had each other since single travellers got to share the bed with a stranger.

In Pakse we rented a semi-automatic motorbike for four days and headed on to the big loop of Bolaven Plateau. A more describing name for this loop might the the waterfall loop. There's around 20 waterfalls to see but we picked only a handful of them.

First up: Tad Fane, a 120m high waterfall - the tallest one in Laos.

At the end of a very bumby dirtroad you can find Tad Champi, which is a very nice place to swim. Here you can also walk behind the waterfall.

Hit the road, even if it's a sandy one!

Dos Bandidos! The breathing masks were an absolute must on the dusty roads.

After a night spent in a small village called Ban Nong Oy we headed on towards the main waterfalls of the loop: Tad Tayicsua. This area has five waterfalls to see but to get to them you have to trek through the jungle. At times the trek was quite extreme but it was well worth it in the end.

The first waterfall was easy to get to

Jungle path between waterfalls

Up, up, up the stairs we go. A lot. And this was far from the steepest ones and we didn't need pictures to remember them by...

Our guide dog had to wait for us all the time. Apparently we were too slow...

The second waterfall was the most fairytale like even though the picture doesn't do it justice. Think lush green grass, pink flowers, a tall waterfall and a rainbow as a sprinkle on top of an ice cream bowl.

The third one was more like a river with rapids than a waterfall

The fourth waterfall. This one we saw from the top. Not for those with a fear of heights.

The last and the least visited, yet very majestic waterfall

The trickiest part was finishing the waterfall trek by crossing the strong rapids to get back to the starting point. Ville balanced himself over a fallen tree with the help of a bamboo stick. Malin tried to find a safer way but ended up choosing a slippery branch. Fortunately Ville was at the other end to give a hand.

After four hours of blood, sweat and tears, we made it!

And off we go again. Hop on my bike, honey bunny! 

Stopping now and then to admire the beautiful views.

We had to go to the middle of nowhere in Laos to sleep in a tent together. Then again it was on a wooden platform so maybe it doesn't count. Nevertheless, watching the sunrise from inside the tent was amazing.