Day 29 31.12.2014
And so another year comes to an end ! It has been a really busy year for me...which somehow ran away from me. I had the sense that before I could get my stride the year was already over. Am going to try to get into my stride a bit quicker this year and try to have a slower and quieter year.
Another highlight of Kep is Rabbit Island. No idea why it has that name. It is a 25 minute longboat ride from Kep and provides some island beach, clear water and snorkeling. The snorkeling was interesting, but not spectacular. Unfortunately the plastic debris has found these shores as well. We enjoyed a few hours here and unfortunately had made arrangements to leave earlier, as we would have loved to eat on the island as the seafood looked delicious. As the young crew had made plans to go to Kampot for the New Year's celebrations, we left the island late afternoon.
Clint and I had our quiet New Year's Eve. A spectacular sunset ended the year. Sundowner drinks on the terrace at Raingsey, dinner at Kimly at the Crab Market and then back to Raingsey. Fireworks from the Kep Sailing Club and the beach area started at 10pm. Then again at 11pm with many Chinese Lanterns being sent off. Being a windstill environment these looked amazing...sailing away in the skies over the sea. We managed to stay awake for the fireworks at midnight ...quite spectacular on all fronts, and were very content with our quiet New Year. May it be the fore runner of a quiet and content year.

Day 30 1.1.2015
After a lazy late start Clint and I decided to do the hike through the Kep National Park, which is a jungle area over a hill behind the town of Kep. Most of the walk was in the shade of the large trees and real jungle vegitation. A private individual, running the Led Zep Cafe, has done all the sign- boarding (which is fantastic!) and naming of the trees. Makes the walk really worthwhile. There are also several viewpoints over Kep amd all the way to Kampot and the surrounding area, which gives one a great overview. We took a walk down to a privately owned Butterfly Farm, open to the public for a donation, with its beautiful garden. Lovely environment in a hidden valley surrounded by thick jungle. Towards the end of the hike we found the magic tree .... a large Banyan tree with long vines, long extended roots, airferns and a huge hollow trunk. Only when you see someone standing inside the trunk does the enormity of the tree strike you.
Walking back to Bacoma through the backroads of the town was interesting, as we saw so many more of the overgrown villa ruins and also interesting scaffolding and pulley systems on some building sites. Health and Safety is definitely not an issue here.
After checking to see that the rest of our crew had made it through New Year ( and luckily they had ) , we made plans to go to the Sailing Club for sundowners that evening. It is an idyllic and colonial style environment. Only saw 3 old Hobies there ...not sure if that is the total of their sailing fleet. The sunset that evening was one of the most spectacular we have seen. Ricki and Dylan joined us for cocktails ...couldn't be a better setting for the first evening of the first day of the year. May this be what the rest of our year we be like ...tranquil and spectacular !
Ended off the evening with watching A fish called Wanda - now a nearly 30 year old movie with John Cleese and Kevin Kline. Too me - still a super funny movie, for the youngsters, a bit too slapstick !

Day 31 2.1.2015
The boys did the steep hike and the rest of us the easier route of the National Park, and then met at the Magic Tree. The boys managed to climb into the top of the tree, but made a very hasty descent when Dylan started yelling ...Wasps! Luckily they were small wasps and he only had a few stings and Jemma came equipped with anti-histamine tablets. We then went off to the Butterfly Farm and walked to the deserted Yasmine Valley Resort, up the valley. The story goes that 2 business partners built the resort and then fell out and could not get the matter resolved. They seem to have just walked away. The sounds of the abandoned piano ringing through the encroaching jungle were quite eerie. It looks like it was a beautiful resort, now being claimed back by the jungle and the plunderers.
Back at Bacoma we indulged in Nutella and Banana Pancakes again and settled the bill. Extremely reasonable for a wonderful stay and great food.
We went back to the Sailing Club for sundowners and the sunset. As it was not Happy Hour, we decided to go to Trei at the Crab Market instead, as the drinks were just so much more expensive at the Sailing Club. We ended up having dinner there as well. Then Lovely last evening in Kep !