Can You Pass the Pepper Please?

Kampot is renowned for it's pepper and it is exported to both Western and Asian countries.  In all honesty it has never occurred to me where pepper originates from or how it's grown, that is until I came to Kampot!  It is the rainy season in Cambodia now and after an unusually hot and dry spell last week the rains arrived and it was extremely wet - I was worried I wouldn't get into the countryside to see the pepper plantation before I leave here, but lucky for me the rains have stopped for now and this weekend has been lovely and sunny with a welcome breeze too!

So, with my good luck, off I went to visit the Kampot pepper plantation and have a tour of the beautiful countryside, including some limestone caves.  

The Kampot Province of Cambodia:

*Please note this (edited) photo is not my own

The Mountain Where the Caves Are:

 

The 'Bridge' Across to the Caves:

View From Climbing up the Mountain Before Going Into the Caves:

Heading Down Into the Caves:

'The Elephant'

The Shrine Inside the Cave:

The Limestone Formations of the Cave:

Starling Farm | Kampot Pepper

Starling Ridge Plantation Resort, Kampot:

The Pepper Plants:

Drying the Pepper:

At Starling Farm they grow black, red, white and green pepper. 

The Mango Trees at Starling Farm:

The Track Down the Mountain, Back to Kampot:

 The Rice Paddies Are Starting to Turn Green:

I hope you enjoyed this post and next time you're at dinner and ask someone to "pass the pepper please" maybe its humble origins in Cambodia will cross your mind...