CAMBODIA’S seaside was struggling to come alive when I left in 1995. Khmer Rogue activity had claimed the lives of many, including foreigners, for decades. The little towns and beaches and offshore islands have gradually benefitted from a return to normality, and areas once decidely off any track at all are now apparently off the beaten track at least. Kampot and Kep were cliched sleepy seaside towns in 2000 when I visited. Even the water was still. The nearby Bokor mountains offered forests and colocial ruins, if you didn’t mind a dirt road. Kampong Som, or Sihanoukville, always bigger and flasher, was first and foremost a beach destination, despite a smattering of bars. Sadly, it has become some kind of Chinese Wild West, Vegas meets Pattaya meets Hong Kong.
Cambodia's coastal towns and beaches remained largely undeveloped for the first half of the 90s.
Kep, Kampot, and to a lesser extent, Kampong Som (Sihanoukville) didn't get a lot of visitors.
The abduction and killing of three foreigners from a train remained in the minds of potential tourists for years.
A lack of safety and a lack of visitors meant a lack of infrastructure, which in turn meant a lack of visitors....
Before the Khmer Rouge, a French hill station existed north of Kampot, at Bokor.
A church rubbed shoulders with casinos, clubs and hotels for the colonial elite.
The colonisers, understandably, fled the genocidal and xenophobic regime, leaving their play town to fall into ruin.
Visiting Bokor Hill station in 2000 was a really bumpy ride along an unsealed road.
Several hotels, many restaurants and such, have since popped up, served by tarmac roads.
Nearby Popokvil waterfall has seen them all off: The CPP, UN, KR, Lon Nol, Sihanouk, The French, and more.
The calm waters of Kampot reflected the character of coastal Cambodia, never busy.
Driving east along red, dirt roads took you to Kep, which made sleep ol' Kampot look hyperactive.
The fishing fleet was the biggest thing in either town.
The seafront at Kep was made for sitting with your legs dangling at the waters edge.
More and more visitors have come over the last 20 years to enjoy this laidback atmosphere.
While these bridesmaid towns may have fared better, Chinese money and influence has had a tragic impact on Kg Som.
Chinese casinos launder money for Chinese criminals, who ride in limos to and from Chinese hotels with Chinese hookers. Violent and fatal incidents are common.
This was the international ferry departures in 2000, my last look at Kg Som. A simpler time.
