“The salt of existence is primarily in the pepper you put into it.” Alphonse Allais

Thursday 8 February, last morning and breakfast at Otres Beach II, we give the keys to the room around eleven climb in the small van that picked us to head to Kampot. The driver made multiple stops in almost all hostels in Sihanoukville and it's only a good half hour later we finally take the road south.

We need a little more than two hours to reach our new host city beneath Bokor Mountain, on arrival we take a tuk-tuk which is far from the paved streets to sink in tiny alleys. A final turn, garbage and suddenly here we are in a small green and flowered garden with tables set outside under palm huts : Bandini’s, our home for three nights. Our room is huge for a much more reasonable price than Sihanoukville, that evening we are also reassured that food prices have come down in the standard. For a dollar we can also deliver us and enjoy the quiet garden for dinner. The woman of the home, adorable, is very caring with us.

The next day we rent one of their scooters for two days and head towards the nearby town : Pictures. If the latter is known for its crab market, we're just along for the make us a little more to the east in the direction of a pepper plantation. There are several nearby and most offer free tours but we still plunge ahead on the dirt road to get to Sothy’s Pepper Farm, we saw a brochure at the inn.

There are many volunteers on the two-hectare farm, largely covered with fruit trees, some French, so we take the visit to French – less people ! – and start sitting around a table with another couple. The volunteer tells the story of Kampot pepper, famous worldwide for its flavor. Cultures have been tried in other regions but the soil of the province that gives its special taste with pepper and can be replicated elsewhere. Kampot pepper has also a Protected Geographical Indication (IGP).

One plus your logo IGP, Sothy's Pepper Farm is a member of Kampot Pepper Promotion Association which follows the guidelines of the French label EcoCert : no chemical fertilizer or insecticide used, to Sothy are scientists mixtures of local plants that keep away insects attacking plantations. They even produce their energy using a wind turbine and solar panels.

Drinking the words of our guide and direct fruit cocktail planting, then we go to the tasting of their pepper under these four forms you may know. Vert, the beans are harvested while they are not yet fully ripe, they are usually soaked in oil and eaten fresh. Black, it is the green grain that has been allowed to dry for several days before being sorted and graded. Rouge, This is the grain mature, picked one by one and dried in the sun, less easy to obtain. White, is the red grain soaked in water to remove its matrix before being dried in.

With our new knowledge, it is another French volunteer who takes us in planting, kiln and sorting, teaching us every step of new things about the culture of pepper. Excited about our visit, We retrace our steps – at least since our wheels always scooter – to get to the Kep National Park. The gate at the entrance is not always monitored, if someone is there, the entrance fee is $1 per person. We offer a beer Led Zep Cafe that provides a copy of the plan paths to all its customers.

We're off like real tourists, without tap water and for a short walk in the jungle. What might remind some our adventure in the Malaysian jungle, but this time the roads are – almost – well marked and we reach the top of the hill easily, who hoped to enjoy a superb view.

Missed, the vegetation is too dense ! We welcome the small white Buddha sitting there, imperturbable – lui a compris depuis longtemps que le bonheur n’est pas forcément dans l’admiration d’un paysage, preuve en est il tourne le dos à la baie de Kep 😀 – et commençons notre redescente qui ne nous amènera pas vraiment là où nous le pensions. Never mind, nous avons le droit à un moment à notre point de vue sur la mer aux milieux des branches alors que nous arrivons presque en bas de la colline, c’était bien la peine de suer me direz-vous ! D’ailleurs ce n’est que quand nos pieds touchent de nouveau le goudron que nous nous retrouvons face à quelques singes alors que nous n’avons vu aucun signe de faune pendant notre brève randonnée !

La journée touche à sa fin, nous rentrons face au soleil couchant et décidons de profiter encore de la livraison des repas au Bandini’s, leur jardin est tellement calme et relaxant qu’il est dur de le quitter !

 

Crabe géant et maison qui bouge

Cela fait une impression bizarre quand on se relaxe dans un jardin cozy et que l’on voit une maison se déplacer au dessus de la clôture ! Elle devait sûrement déménager 🙂

(Elle était bleue, mais pas adossée à une colline.)

NDLR : Restez connectés, la vidéo sera disponible dans le prochain article !

 

Passé le marché, il y a aussi le crabe géant dans la baie (de mer), awesome.

Le fait de voir un bonhomme piquer les mûres baies (de poivre) parmi des milliers dans un panier pour les trier avec un sourire pas peu fier, passionnant.

Évidemment, même si ce n’est pas précisé, les suceurs de sang sont toujours de la partie, que l’on soit en ville ou dans cette oasis de calme. Irritant, grattant, gonflant, récurent, persistent mais… pas important . 🙂 Bzzzzzz !