A week off and back to the Penh. I like Phnom Penh, it’s a compact version of Bangkok, managing to combine former splendour, one very big river, a thriving tourist and ex-pat community and good markets with excellent eating and drinking. Most of the action is situated along the river bank, Sisowath Quay, where a sprinkling of hotels sit. Take a room here and little commuting is required. Granted it’s not as splendid as Bangkok, but there’s enough to see and do to keep a tourist happy for a couple of days. Phnom Penh concentrates a lot of its tourism on its recent dark history, but that can be covered in a full day. Its sobering but the city has moved on, and how.

My visit corresponded with the Cambodian Cup Final, bringing the might of Phnom Penh Royal up against The Defence Ministry. The game played out in boiling sun with a crowd of 7,000, mostly hiding in the main stand, which throws a good covering of shade making the day bearable. I’m accompanied by my tuk-tuk driver, Mr Thai Cowboy if you please, who drives around town in an old two-stroke Thai tuk-tuk which affords him some degree of celeb status, and he is often in the local paper. I only wanted a lift but he is set for watching the game and is soon parked up between the Royals fans and the huge Army presence in military fatigues. The army makes a full march into the ground to take their seats in the centre of the stand - as if anyone’s going to argue.

The game itself is full of errors, and a Sussex County team could easily dispatch either side. The comedy errors go on and in the end the Army wins 3-2 with a last minute strike. The red and black Royal contingent disappears quietly, leaving me and the Cowboy to head to a brewhouse over on the other side of town to start an evening on the beer. Having finally left the Cowboy to it, the night is made far more entertaining by a full scale power cut. All the western businesses without generators are straight out of business, whilst the local roadside stalls (who cook on gas in the street) do a roaring trade.

Next day and it’s back to Kampot again, and after a journey of three hours I’m back on the river. Not a lot has changed since my last visit and I have a chance to catch up with the editor of The Kampot Survival Guide. I’ve commented on this magazine before, and it’s still doing its best to delight and confuse visitors to the town. The latest edition has broken the news that Kampot is to have the world’s first spiral underground railway, linking the market to the top of Bokor Mountain. We struggle to have roads here, but some tourists buy in. I join a session to discuss the next wind up, but am defeated on my idea of offering $2 a night beds in the charming local prison (apply to the sleeping guard outside). I’m advised it’s not a good idea to wake the guard up or upset the police, so we let this idea go to rest.

It’s a shame this lovely town can’t offer a beachfront - the nearest being at Preak Amp where a resort complex is has recently been developed – it’s actually quiet pleasant and reasonably priced and would make a nice couple of days break. The best beaches are over the water in Phu Qhoc, now Vietnamese territory having been gifted by the French during the break up of Indochina. How nice of them. This then entails a further half day journey and an expensive Visa to enter. It is however hoped that a direct service can soon be offered from Cambodia.

On the point of beaches, several people here in the know are suggesting as Thailand disappears under tourism, the next new hot spot could well be the Philippines.