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HELLO WORLD!!!
You big beautiful thing you...
We are looking for some help in setting up a brand new backpacking hostel located on the province border of Kampot and Kep here in wonderful Cambodia!
I love this place and have no plans of going anywhere, the people, the food, the weather... all amazing.
The travelers we are aiming to accommodate will most likely be eco friendly minded/heathy active lifestyle/nature loving types who like being off the beaten track. Although we are located in the province and the area is indeed very local, we are still just 20 mins ride away from Kampot's center, and less than 15 mins from Kep beach. So though we're not completely isolated, we do have access to almost half a square kilometer of private land 20 minutes away in the hills of the province border. There the only sounds to be heard are birds singing and monkeys howling. So yoga, trekking, endurance bike rides, bird spotting and such things will all be available to our guests. We're most likely the closest hostel to the pepper farms, the Secret Lake and the mangrove forests, (I've tried searching for other hostels but no luck!). There's also a number of caves dotted around the place. We have around 10 good condition, well serviced mountain bikes on call available for hire too
Our property also has a fairly large plot of land at the rear with a lily pond and coconut trees around the border. The plan is to raise chickens, ducks, quails and hopefully maybe we can start a small fish farm too. An organic fruit garden is also high on the list. Every so often we will put on small live music events (predominantly acoustic instrument based) and get some wooden stalls set up for our friends around town to come come do their thing... food and drink, handcrafts, clothing, jewelry, there's a lot of like mined people around this part of the country, and the more the merrier.
We took over the property mid-June, it was an old farm house that half of the building was recently converted into a salon/barber shop. The glass building will be used as accommodation.
The landlady's family have been helping us with the renovation (also helping out with a spot of child minding from time to time!!). They're great and live over the road from us. As we grow, we are growing together.. we have already learnt a lot from each other.
Vin- the landlady's nephew, watches over the place at night and helps out during the day lifting, moving and fixing things. I can see him being manager one day! His father makes beautiful wooden structures in true classic Khmer style, in the coming months I will get him to start building a small stage for our events, I can't wait!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Events & social
Pets
Movies & TV
Farming
Charity work
Writing
Music
Languages
Drawing & painting
Gardening
Cooking & food
DIY & crafts
Art & design
Astronomy
Animals
Water sports
Yoga / Wellness
Team sports
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Mountain
Nature
Fitness
Camping
Beach
Cycling
Adventure sports
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
There's so much I've learnt from these people over the years, it's impossible to write it all!
Help
All roles within the hostel will be done by local staff. Most roles will be taken by the landlady's family, but the English language is bit of a problem for them. Only 2 of the family have a small level of English speaking skills, so we would love volunteers to come and simply just talk to them!
We are also interested in finding help with gardening, fruit tree planting, baking, menu writing, building & maintenance, music/entertainment, artistry, poultry keeping, design work, social media, sign writing etc...
And I have a dream of making a bicycle powered washing machine if anybody has any ideas??
And a homemade, eco-friendly hot shower would be a dream come true! You know you've been here too long when you start getting cold!!!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Khmer: Intermediate
German: Beginner
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I was quite good at languages in school, I did well in German lessons and was asked if I wanted to learn French too. Unfortunately they both got mixed up in my head and now I can barely remember much of either language these days. I've put a fair bit of effort in to learning the local Khmer language, it's very interesting how they form sentences and even words, they love a good joke too! I haven't put any effort into reading or writing yet, I'm waiting for my child to learn first then I will have my own personal tutor while he's doing homework! When the hostel is up and running, i would like to start a communal language book.. Each page will have a different word at the top, and a list of countries that our guests are from. People can add to the list of start a new word page... I've always wondered how much of other languages I've inadvertently learnt, without knowing. I will spin all the rubbish adverts and terrible music videos I watched as a child into a positive, one way or another!! BANZAI !
Accommodation
We have 2 dorm rooms, the first of which is ready to go go go. Both are solid buildings with lockable doors, each with personal fans, power sockets and lock boxes... (and with a little help privacy curtains coming soon).
In the near future I will be hiring a local cook to provide volunteers with meals. Until then, shared meals will be 3 times daily.
What else ...
Nearby local attractions-
*Kep Beaches
*Kampot Pepper Farms & Salt Fields
*Bokor Mountain
*Preah Monivong Bokor National Park
*Kep National Park
*Mangrove River Forest
*Tuek Chhou Rapids & Waterfalls
*Secret Lake (man made during the war)
*Kep Crab Market
*Phnom Sorsia Caves with Bats and a Temple
*Phnom Kbal Romeas - Archaeological site, caves, fossils, rock climbing
*Phnom Chhngok Cave
*Kampot River & Firefly Tours
There are 2 daily scheduled local buses that pass by us travelling between Kampot and Kep. We are also just 5km away from Kep Railway Station which runs two trains (one in each direction) daily between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville (around $8-$9 per person).
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Digital nomads are more than welcome but no complaints please! Cambodian internet is much better than it used to be, but we still have occasional hiccups. Upload speed is also slower than download speed
Space for parking camper vans
Yeah, why not? Tents are also welcome
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Phillip & Lillian (4 months)
The newest addition to our place (an hour to be exact). So they're subject to a possible name change once my 5 year old gets home from school... Dog whisperers are more than welcome to come and show off their skills!
Phillip & Lillian
Sox (5 months)
A drinks shop owner that I often pass nearby our place had been trying numerous times to give my son a kitten... the third time I caved in! She's lovely most of the time, and a little rascal for the rest... and he doesn't like his photo being taken hehe
Photos
