Kampot Cambodia and the New Zealand connection

As it is the TET holiday and Vietnamese New Year, Sally my Mahjong teacher and I have come to Cambodia for an 8 day trip. Cambodia borders Vietnam so it is a nice easy bus ride away, arriving in Phon Penh 6.5 hrs later. We have moved south down towards the sea and a small town called Kampot. Kampot is on the river so I presume it was once a thriving trading port. Now with the sandbar at the river mouth the exported items find a different way out. Going down the river you see numerous fishing villages and the salt plains, so salt is an export commodity. Dried  Kampot pepper, as in pepper the vegetable is  renown from this area. While out walking today I came across this delightful guest house with these 2 signs. Tucked away in the depths of hinterland Cambodia is a New Zealand presence. This stirs the patriotism from with in. Our guesthouse hotel is owned and run by an English and Australian couple, so why not have a New Zealand influence just along the road. Kampot, while a small town has many guest houses and a huge collection of foreign tourists all enjoying the laid back life style and pleasant surroundings. One would suspect tourism contributes substantially to the economic well being of the town. 

I am impressed with Cambodia as a whole and Kampot as part of the whole. The people are kind and caring, carving out a living selling food and beverages from home restaurants, providing services like taxis  accommodation and tuk tuks. Buildings are being renovated, painted and well cared for. Having been devastated by a political regime and while poor, the country is rebuilding quickly and efficiently. While there are some similarities to Vietnam there are differences too. Plastic is a notable problem in the countryside , although the township is kept clean. 

There are many charities and NGOs  training people to be self sufficient. Notably these are in the food and beverage trade, where orphaned children or street children are trained as chefs, cooks and waiting staff. Massages here are given by blind people, their touch very soothing Sally tells me.  I am glad I have come.