Follow the turning to the left at the Provincial Museum, where the road winds back upriver, past one of Kampot’s most characterful guesthouses, Mea Culpa, and a few hundred metres ahead (behind the National Bank of Cambodia building) is the Lotus Pond, a place of serene enchantment both in the late morning, as its eponymous flowers spread into full bloom, and at sunset, where the golden glow of late afternoon casts its most spellbinding light.
Coming back into the centre of town, Phsar Kronat (Old Market) has become the centre of gravity for Kampot in recent years—partly as a result of businesses closing down on The Front, and partly because of its own favourable geographical position on the boulevard just off the riverside. The market carries plenty of meat products, vegetables, and fruits, as well as hardware and moneychangers; but what’s changed is the diversity of outlets lying around it on the main square, such as tour operators, real-estate agents, clothes stores, and the town’s principal concentration of bars and restaurants.
The best of the new crop of upscale eateries in town is Tertùlia, a striking space on the corner of the square, where the Portuguese owners have devised a menu of seafood-rich fare from their home country—a space where it’s equally pleasurable to people-watch, drink Portuguese wine, and chat with the genial hosts.