The Cambodia Coastal Visitors Guide 52nd

kampot/ kep

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displaying European design elements. Unlike many other Cambodian cities, the shophouses are often individuated in design and facade, lending to Kampot’s quaint air. The old architecture of Kep is also of note, though more for its state than architectural interest. Sea and mountainside villas, constructed in from 1930s to 1960s, were abandoned during the war years and most now sit deteriorating, the remains of a different time. As the Kep area has developed in recent years, the old villas are slowly being destroyed.

Kampong Trach

Kampong Trach is the district of Kampot province that borders Vietnam. The road trip from

Kampot to the main town passes though some pic- turesque rural areas. There is a side road to Kampong Trach town that skirts the base of Phnom Voar , (where the victims of the 1994 Khmer Rouge kidnappings were held.) These mountain areas of Kampong Trach were one of the last Khmer Rouge holdouts in the 1990s. Kampong Trach town is small and relatively uninter- esting. The area’s main attraction is a series of limestone caves and tubes that have been carved into a nearby mountain. The roof of a large cave in the center of a mountain has collapsed, making a small, enclosed jungle. Pagodas and shrines have been built amongst the caves, providing for some excellent photo possibilities. Bring a flashlight and wear good walking shoes. Architecture

Kampot Museum

The beautiful old colonial era gov- ernor's mansion on the riverfront has been convert- ed into the

Kampot Museum. Re-cently opened, and though there are posted hours (see below) the actual open- ing hours seem quite irregular. The museum promis- es a look at the history of the Kampot area, includ- ing old photographs and maps. Posted schedule is Tuesday, Thursday and weekends from 3:00PM- 6:00PM, but the actual opening hours are very irreg- ular. Riverfront road at the south end of town. Khmer Cultural Development Institute Located in Kampot town . School of traditional Khmer music and dance for young Cambodians. The school sometimes allows visitors to observe the students in practice and holds public performances once per week. Check the website ( www.kcdi-cam- bodia.com ) or the bulletin board at the school for performance schedule and visiting hours. Donations welcome. Tel: 092-388767 Trekking Kep National Forest 8 kilometers around Kep Mountain through jungled national forest land and several good hiking trails snake up and over the mountain. The gently sloping road winds past a couple of old pagodas, though light jungle where you may spy monkeys or other wildlife, and provides many pic- turesque overlooks along the way. Kampot and the Elephant Mountains can be seen from the northwest viewpoint, and the trail on the east side of the moun- tain provides some striking views across the valley to a pagoda on the next mountain and beaches. For the more adventurous several footpaths split off from the road, leading to the top of the mountain and the other side. Offering a fairly easy hiking expe- rience, a small road loops about

of Kampot (and Kep)

Kampot has been an active settle- ment for centuries but the location and layout of the

modern town was established during the French colonial period in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Many of the buildings in the south half of town along and near the river were constructed during this peri- od. Though suffering a bit from the ravages of time, the architecture of Kampot is pleasantly provincial, a mix of red tile-roofed shophouses and old French colonial government buildings. The south end of town harbors several European- style buildings including the old governor’s mansion (now the Kampot Museum) and the colonial prison. Most of the other colonial era buildings employ the classic 2-storey ‘Chinese shophouse’ design, many

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