This post was written on 7/25.
Our last day in Kep, we hashed out the final pieces of our projects and fit in a bit of exploration. We took an excursion outside of the Kep province (the smallest and newest) and explored the surrounding province of Kampot, a region of Cambodia known for the Kampot pepper. The peppers grown here are some of the highest graded peppercorns in the world, and the soil is particular to Kampot — enhanced by its high levels of quartz crystal and a unique salt content blown in from the nearby sea, the black, red and white peppercorns produced here are far superior and are the preferred pepper spice in many upscale kitchens. Similar to products like Champagne, Kampot pepper is a localized variety and can only be called Kampot pepper if grown in the Kampot province.
Spring Valley Resort offered beautiful views at night!
On our way to Rabbit Island for a day of relaxation!
Walking through the pepper farms of Kampot
After our tour of the organic pepper farm, we headed to a set of caves that were unbelievable! We walked into near darkness only to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, then came into a surreal opening of vegetation, cool pools of fresh, sweet water that trickled through the rocks over thousands of years, and Buddhist relics in all shapes and sizes. A small boy was on hand, as they always seem to be, and pointed out a few cool features and even guided us through a pool deep in one of the caves, which opened into a vast cavern of crystal encrusted stalagmites and stalactites where the occasional soft swoosh of the bats could be overheard. It was a magical place to sit and reflect on our grand adventure!
Braden marveling at the caves of Kep
Inside the caves
The rest of our time in Kep was filled with swimming, beaching, and drinking cool smoothies to ease out our artistic juices. Upon returning to Phnom Penh, we had one day to finish our projects. A few students ate lunch at a really sweet rooftop restaurant, while others ventured around the corner to soothe themselves with a few frozen mochi.
We gave our presentations at our favorite local coffee shop, the beautiful Brown Coffee Company, LTD, and invited a few of the friends we made, as well as the general public via the Khmer Times and Phnom Penh Post, two of the English newspapers in town. There were even a few locals at the cafe who sat down to listen to some presentations, and, at the end, we realized that our dear friend Marine from Battambang was also there. Everyone did a fantastic job and should be very proud of all their hard work!
Maddie presenting a painted instrument representative of the life of Arn Chorn-Pond and our time in Cambodia.
Elly presenting at the youth forum.
After our presentations, we went back to the rooftop patio restaurant for a tasty congratulatory meal with an incredible view. A few students even jumped in the restaurant’s infinity edge pool. What a sweet way to close our trip!
Today we did some last minute shopping at the central market, ate lunch, packed and cleaned, and said our goodbyes to our new friends at the 1Up Banana Hotel, who presented each of us with a beautiful scarf — a traditional departing gift for someone dear so they don’t forget their “family.” Now we’re at the airport anticipating our long flight back to the U.S. We know in a few weeks, after everyone is rested and reintegrated into western life, our students will ask themselves, “How can I apply my experiences in Cambodia to my life at home?” or, “What can I do to make an impact on Cambodia by sharing my experiences the way that so many of the people we met already have?”
We all had a wonderful time during our program, and we leaders would be honored to take any one of our endearing and insightful students on another Putney trip. It’s boarding time.
See you in New York!
Jordan and Lisa