I stayed in Sihanoukville for just 24 hours. It's very much a seaside kind of place consisting of stunning white beaches but as previously mentioned, it was hammering down and continued to the whole time I was there. Which is a huge shame because I had heard great things about the place but with time now not on my side, I didn't want to hang around. I did make it down to the beach upon arrival and despite the downpour it was a lively place and if the weather was good, I'd have certainly stayed longer and definitely had an enjoyable time. My rough plan was to spend a few days there and then head over to an island called Koh Rong, in which again I'd heard strong reviews. However, it wasn't meant to be this time. The only real positive to come from my brief time here was that I hit a casino and turned 10 dollars into 130 in the space of about half an hour which was a huge bonus.
So, I decided to shift east to a place called Kampot. And I absolutely love it. It's only quite small and lies next to the Prek Kampot river with a real French feel to the place. My first evening was spent just soaking up the atmosphere in a few riverside bars. I ate some amazing Khmer food and got chatting to a few locals who told me about an old abandoned hotel and casino up a mountain which sounded interesting and I decided I'd head there the next day.
The following day I hired a scooter for 4 dollars. The currency out here is the Riel but all cash machines fire out dollars and that appears to be the preferred currency. 1 dollar is the equivalent to 4000 Riel and when you purchase something you'll nearly always get both currencies in change which is a little confusing but I got my head around it in the end. Bokor Hill station is about 8km from the centre of Kampot and once you get there it's then another 30km or so on winding roads to get to the old hotel. It is situated within the Preah Monivong National Park and is about 1000 meters above sea level. The place was basically originally built by the Colonial French in the early 20's with the main purpose of it being a kind of holiday resort that they could use to escape from the usual heat of cities such as Phnom Penh. 900 people lost their lives during the construction of this resort in a period of just 9 months which is just unbelievable. The journey up to this place was thoroughly enjoyable with incredible views all around. I found myself constantly stopping to take pictures. The whole place is very strange. It is like a ghost town. The French first abandoned Bokor Hill (Surprisingly!...) during the late 40's and then again in the 70's when the Khmer Rouge entered the area and it provided the regime with a great stronghold, with them not leaving the area until the 90's. You also have an old church up there and a reasonably new hotel and casino that has been built. You're relatively high up so the fog adds to the eeriness. When you walk through the hotel you can really imagine how thriving the place was, full of arrogant French chaps, smoking cigars and praising the exploits of old Napoleon whilst supping imported French wine and no doubt munching amazing food. And at that moment when I found myself day dreaming and soaking up the atmosphere, I saw my favourite graffiti I think I've ever seen. It simply said "Keep it moist". Brilliant. I then jumped on my scooter and headed another 15km or so to a waterfall. The water didn't look too clean, quite a brown colour but still it was a beautiful place. I refreshened with a cheeky beer before descending the winding roads back down. I really enjoyed it up there though. Very bizarre, eerie yet stunning. I've since learnt that the old hotel has been used in several films.. "City of Ghosts" and "R-Point" which I've never heard of but still, I can understand why it would be used.
That evening I sampled more incredible Khmer food before having a few drinks with some people who were stopping at the same place I was. We played cards, exchanged stories and generally had a pleasant evening. I really enjoyed my time here, it's very laid back with not a great deal to see in all fairness but the whole vibe to the place was amazing. Quite a few expats live out here and I can definitely see the appeal.
Now I'm on a bus heading to a neighbouring town called Kep.