The Best of Cambodia & Laos

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SOUTHERN CAMBODIA
8
KAMPOT
main courses $5; daily 10am–10pm) is a stylish riverfront cafe with a mildly Italian slant.
They serve a mixture of Khmer and Western dishes and there is also a good selection of
interesting photo books to glance through. The Rusty Keyhole (River Rd.; & 012/679-
607; main courses $2.50–$4.50; daily 4pm–midnight) is a popular Western-run cafe and
restaurant serving good-value Western and Asian food at a very reasonable price. The
daily seafood specials come recommended. For tasty crab done a dozen different ways,
we highly recommend the open-air Ta Eou (& 012/820-832), an affordable local joint
jutting out on the river, right next to the New Bridge.
After dinner and a brief walk around town, you’ll find that there are a number of little
bars. They are easy to find, since they are the only things with lights ablaze on the otherwise
dark streets. The Honey Bar (just back from the river on the left side of the road
that goes to the central roundabout) stays open late, as does Bonkors (a pun on the slang
word for crazy and the nearby mountain) on the riverfront. The bar at Blissful Guesthouse
is popular with backpackers and gets busy in high season. In general, Kampot is
an early-to-bed kind of place.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
Bokor Mountain
This is the main attraction in and around Kampot. Unfortunately at the time of writing
it is largely closed to visitors as the road is being repaired. Bokor hill station was built
by the French as a high-altitude complement to the fashionable seaside resort of Kep
across the bay. Both are now faded and crumbling in a very atmospheric fashion. Bokor
was also the scene of fierce fighting in the ’80s, with Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese
troops battling it out across the mountaintop for control of the buildings and the rest of
this strategic area of high ground. After you’ve spent some time in Cambodia navigating
overcrowded Phnom Penh and the tourist rush at Angkor, you might see why the French
sought out quiet, cooler climes, building this sanctuary to privilege on a mountaintop far
from the madding crowds. Bokor Mountain is part of the larger Bokor National Park, a
thick jungle sprawl of giant ferns and thick vegetation. Tigers may exist and if so are rare
(and very shy), as well as leopards, Asiatic black bears, and slow lorises and other monkeys,
as well as a unique grouping of jungle birds, snakes, crawlies, and even a small
population of Asian elephants. To get down-and-dirty with the local flora and fauna and
do some trekking, contact Mr. Sok Lim at his tour office Sok Lim Tours on the north
end of Kampot (at riverside north of the central bridge; & 012/719-872).
Note: At the time of writing Bokor Mountain is closed to visitors, with the occasional
exemption for an organized tour. If that can be negotiated, although the rules change
frequently, be prepared for a 3-hour hike up the hill and then a 3-hour hike down again.
By the time you read this, the situation may have changed and the road may be open and
brand-new. It is not clear at present what renovations are planned for the hill station
itself, although it looks like the words “luxury” and “resort” may figure prominently. It is
a prime and unique location. Ask at your guesthouse or contact Sok Lim Tours (see
above) to get the latest updates before heading out for this trek.
If you manage to get up this mountain, you’ll be rewarded with beautiful views; be
sure to stop along the way at the few landslide areas where the trees have been cleared.
The top of the mountain is a large plateau and, after tracing its length, you’ll reach the
crumbling hulks of the Bokor Palace Casino and Resort, now stripped bare and covered
in moss and graffiti. On the approach, you’ll first pass a few villas worth a look, as much
for their vantage point over the flatland as the sea below. Next, you’ll pass a small temple