Spice it up in Kampot

Historically known for its pepper, Kampot's offerings spice up more than food on travels through Cambodia.
The serene town of Kampot is a pretty place worth a few days of exploration. While no sites are worth singling out, streets in Kampot are well-kept and encompass a range of architectural styles.

Natural structures are also worth seeing in the Kampot area, which includes a variety of caves. Phnom Chhnork is one of the most interesting. Here, guests can spelunk into the caves to uncover a seventh-century temple built inside. In a remarkable testament to the powers of nature, stalagmites and stalactites are slowly growing in, on and around the temple, "devouring" it with their limestone growths.

The favorite crop of the region is worth a try, and travelers who time their visit between September and April will often be able to get just-harvested supplies. While many fields of the crop were eliminated by the Khmer Rouge, small-scale farmers today sell and produce green, red, white and black pepper. Bird pepper, said to have aphrodisiac powers when ingested, is offered only occasionally, as its process - pepper that has been eaten and expelled by birds - is not practiced often enough to warrant large supplies.