Where the pepper grows

Our first stop in Cambodia was the small town of Kampot. Apart from an oversized stone durian and a few nice restaurants along the waterfront, this town didn't have much to offer. So we rented a scooter again and explored the surroundings. We went on a winding road (I would have definitely gotten motion sickness on a bus) to the Bokor National Park. Our first stop was at a huge Buddha statue. Apart from some locals praying and a small group of musicians, there wasn't much to see here either. The abandoned painted houses weren't worth staying here longer either. And to make matters worse, it started raining when we got back to our scooter. Finally, when we reached the top of the mountain, a terribly ugly ruin (a former hotel) called Bokor Station was waiting for us. The newly built casino next to it shone with modern ugliness and is probably mainly visited by Asians. A little disappointed, we made our way back as the rain got heavier. On the way, we stopped at an old church. It was also incredibly ugly, but this place had something magical... at least for me! It was the first church I had entered in a long time...

On the way back, the rain turned into a downpour and we were completely drenched. The only good thing is that the rain is quite pleasant at the warm temperatures and you dry relatively quickly.

We took a lunch break in the town and continued towards Kep to visit a pepper plantation. I've always wanted to go to the place "where the pepper grows" =) I wonder if I'll meet people here who have always wished to go to the place "where the pepper grows"?!?=)

We visited the first plantation and entered a huge estate with countless pepper fields, beautiful houses, a lovingly designed environment, and a small family. A young man came up to us and warmly greeted us. We got a small private tour of the pepper fields and a lecture on the growth, different varieties, and cultivation of pepper. It turned out that this was a huge family business with organic farming, which will open its doors to tourists and a beautiful guest house next month. Unfortunately, we had to interrupt the tour due to another downpour and sought shelter in a small shelter. After about half an hour, we thanked the nice man and made our way back.

A beautiful day that slowly came to an end with a colorful rainbow of luck... =)