Kep's Hidden Charms?

Jeremy and I spent Memorial Day relaxing in Kep, one of the beach towns of Cambodia.  Aside from the beach, pool, and afternoon cocktails (all of which were good!), a highlight of the trip was our hike in Kep National Park.  

The local Led Zep cafe and its expat staff have appointed themselves caretakers of the park. They have cleared trails, created a trail map, and marked the park with bright yellow signs to guide our way.  This was ingenious because all we had to see was a yellow sign or even a yellow dot of paint on a rock to know that we were still heading in the right direction.  If all your hiking has been in the western world, then clear trail signs might not seem like much, but in Cambodia, it's quite impressive!

Lep Zep's bright yellow trail signs 

After reviewing the map, we decided to take the "Stairway to Heaven" trail (why not, right?).  The trail started out with actual concrete stairs, but quickly moved to fun, switch-back trails through the jungle.

Jeremy at the "Stairway to Heaven"

As we climbed higher, we came upon a small cluster of houses.  I was surprised to find people living this far into park; my best guess is that they were the maintenance staff for the nearby cell phone towers.  We also saw a familiar face:  a poster of Britney Spears covering one of the windows!

Britney Spears poster in Kep National Park

Our trip on the "Stairway to Heaven" ended at Sunset Rock.  Although it was not sunset, it was a bit heavenly, with a beautiful view of Kep, including the well-known Crab Market, Kep Beach, and the Pacific Ocean.

View of Kep from Sunset Rock

After taking in the view, we explored around, following other short trails.  As we entered one clearing, I almost walked right into Jeremy as he stopped dead in his tracks.  I peered around him and saw the thick tail of a snake slither away, less than 10 meters from us.  Jeremy turned to me and said "That was a cobra!  It reared up and spread its hood at us!"  Suddenly aware of the danger of venomous snakes around us, we looked around at our feet, back up at each other, and quickly made our exit out of the park!