getting crabs in Kep

So one thing you hear about, when you hear anything about Kep, is the crab market. Last night we ate at the crab market -- we thought. Turns out, the crab market isn't that road of little restaurants, the crab market is more like it sounds: the morning's catch from the Gulf, hauled out for sale:

Kep fisherwomen wear leopard print jackets when hauling in a basket of crabs!

click to enlarge - it's a real scene, with food stalls under umbrellas and crabs being hauled in by the second

crab baskets at the bottom of the photo, crab boats in the water

so many vendors, all cooking fresh seafood on the spot

squid and fish and crabs, skewered and cooked over wood charcoal

the attention to detail on the backside of this sculpture cracked me up

this guy towered over the whole thing - the guardian of crab fishermen, i guess

my husband, in hog heaven....wandering into a market filled with fresh crab

the air was so smoky - all those charcoal fires everywhere. it smelled GREAT.

We got caught in a lot of rain, so we headed back to our hotel to relax for a while. The afternoon became sunny again, so we swam for a couple of hours in the beautiful pool at our hotel:

it's a wonderful pool - water just slightly salty, not too cold but definitely not warm. just right and wonderfully refreshing after a sweltering day at the crab market

We were ready to head back to our room anyway, but I noticed the sky was darkening. Just as we got to our bungalow the skies opened up and it was bloody humping DUMPING, as a friend of mine used to say. I mean gallons and gallons of water were just pouring down, it was wonderful.

When it stopped raining, we headed across town to this great little restaurant called Breezes. I decided not to take my camera -- dang it -- because we passed some gorgeous scenery and the skies and water were absolutely incredible. Shades of rosy pink, reflecting on the softest-looking pinkish water, I wish I'd taken my camera. Anyway. The meal was just great; Marc got crab croquettes and lok lak, which is a Cambodian beef dish that comes with a great limey green peppercorn sauce. I got udon noodles with ground chicken, mushrooms, and fresh basil, extremely tasty. We hired a tuktuk driver to pick us up at 8:30 in the morning for a trip to Kampot. More on that tomorrow.

My now-customary ending to this post: I love it here! Cambodian people are so warm and friendly, and my heart melts a little each time I interact with someone.