When we first arrived in Kampot, Cambodia to lend a hand at our friend Anny Pizey's stand up paddleboard company, SUP Asia, I did not expect how much I would enjoy it. Quite possibly the best job I have ever had! My day was simple, wake up at 5 am to the Muslim call to prayer, fall back asleep and then get up at 7 am when you hear the fishing boats coming home from a nights fishing. Just up river from us is a Cham Muslim fishing village where an entire group of them go out fishing at 4:30 pm to return at 7 am after selling their catch in the town of Kampot. A tough job but everyone always has a smile for me when I pass them on the water. As the boats roll past the house I putter around and make some coffee, maybe something to eat and say good morning to Sal who arrives at 7 am to open the shop which is beneath the house. The house is on stilts like all the traditional Khmer houses around the river in Kampot. Sal lives in the Muslim village with his wife Sreymom and has quickly become a close friend to Kim and I. Playing the roles of guide, handyman and interpreter Sal is integral to our day to day. Around 8 am I change into my board clothes (swim shorts and a shirt that covers my shoulders as we will pass by the Muslim village) and wander downstairs in anticipation of our guests who have signed up or may walk in for an 8:30 - 11 am lesson and tour.
A typical tour gets the basics down for the peeps and we usually have a swim as its most likely already hot out. After everyone is comfortable on the boards we head under the bridge and into the mangrove proper. All the plant life has adapted to their salty environment and are able to filter the saline out of the water in their uptake of it. The mangrove plants even have barnacles on them! The height of the river changes with the tide which is pretty trippy. We paddle through the narrow channels and enjoy the serennity. Every now and then we can get attacked with a barrage of 'hellos' from children on the shoreline or kids actually playing in the water. The channels open up into a wide open area where for a few weeks we could actually find jellyfish. It's also a nice spot to sit and float for a bit whilst one has a well deserved drink of water. The mangrove then narrows again and as we complete the loop we come out under another bridge on the other side of our original start point. We've just paddled around an island. Afterwards we paddle up river toward the Cham village and take a peek at all the fishing boats painted green and flying the Cambodian flag. More smiles and waves abound. Kim is waiting back at the dock at SUP Asia and helps pull all our gear in. With bigger groups she accompanies me in the kayak and helps me keep track of everyone which is very helpful.
In the afternoon Sal heads off for lunch and prayer and is usually called back to guide a local group from Phnom Penh just down for the day. These groups are hilarious and a riot to accompany as they have so much fun doing something they have never done before. Often several cannot swim and yet have no fear. Kim has had the pleasure of tagging along for many a group and always comes back with a smile.
At 3:30 pm I'm set up for another tour till 6 pm which is a favorite amongst the tourists as they get to see the spectacular sunset from a paddleboard after a tour of the mangrove. After everyone is off the water Kim and I sit on the dock bathed in the pink sky for some drinks on the docks and sit with our feet dangling in the water until dark. It's quite close to perfection.
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