Bacoma - second to none

Our last few days in Kep and it's worth mentioning that if you are ever passing this way Bacoma is the place to stay. It's a great guesthouse - comfortable, friendly with good food. Michael and his team make sure everyone feels welcomed and cared for.
This week we've been catching up with some great movies in the thatched cinema. (In a previous life Michael ran an arthouse cinema in Switzerland.) I thought "Embrace of the Serpent" was wonderful. Also "Whiplash" and "Trolls"! Now we're back to premiership football coverage at the weekend if there's demand.

This is the cinema during the daytime. At night it is transformed into a cozy space with big screen for requested movies or football (decided democratically of course).

Spock - top dog at Bacoma. Takes his duties seriously and accompanies us to the Crab Market every day, trotting on ahead to check for hidden dangers... or rival dogs. 

Lots of birds in the garden here - this tailor bird is particularly vocal. Also mynah birds, bulbuls, shrikes, hoopoes, sunbirds...

This is a gliding lizard doing a good impression of a twig. He also displayed his dramatic yellow throat flag but not when I had a camera pointed at him!

Beautiful flowers

Hoopoe

Path leading up to Bacoma

Near by is the Crab Market with a small fishing fleet. Sadly, the crab fishery has been over-fished in recent years and bottom-trawling is destroying the sea grass nursery beds offshore. We didn't order crab to eat.

It's so beautiful at sunset, looking out towards Thailand.

New Year on the beach at Kep is a blast! Local families and tourists gather for totally wild fireworks and dancing.

I can't bring myself to criticise the Chinese lanterns here. I know they sometimes cause problems for wildlife but they are a part of Khmer culture - sending good luck soaring up into the night sky.

Trevann doing his Harry Potter impression. Or is it Sooty?

A few days later we shared a bottle or wine and a meal with "The Geordies", Andrew and Victoria, also long-stay guests at Bacoma. 

Two new kittens were rescued from an uncertain future at a local guesthouse last week. All skin and bone when they arrived, Andy and Vicky have settled in well.