Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE GEM MINES
Pailin has been a
gem-mining
centre for nearly a hundred years - it's said that sapphires,
rubies and garnets once lay everywhere on the surface. Now much of the land is mined out,
and fortune-seekers have to dig deep into the rocky ground in search of the stones, which in
their raw state resemble fragments of broken glass. It's hard toil for the prospectors and, for
most, hope turns to wistfulness as they sift painstakingly through mounds of red dirt, sorting
earth from rocks; piles of spoil scar the landscape, creating an almost lunar scene.
Most of the claims are now abandoned, and those prospectors still at work are pretty
secretive about their diggings. If you're interested ask at
Bamboo Guesthouse
for information
about where the current workings are, but note that there's little to see other than a hole in
the ground and a pile of earth. Typical finds today are small garnets and topazes; rubies and
sapphires are now rare.
2
notorious Poipet border crossing further north (see p.130).
From Pailin, the border can be reached by shared taxi
(20min; $5) or moto (30min; $2.50). At the border itself
there's a small market and a couple of casinos, which
entertain an almost exclusively Thai clientele. Once in
Thailand you can take a minibus to Chanthaburi, then
another bus to Bangkok, or to Trat for Koh Chang.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Pailin offers no gastronomic delights, but there are plenty of stalls in the market and cheap
restaurants
nearby. Near the
top of the ridge road, the
Phkay Proek
isn't bad.
Bamboo Guesthouse
4km out of town on the road
towards the border
T
012 405818.
A pleasant refuge
from central Pailin with a range of wooden bungalows in
an attractive garden, all with hot water and a/c. The
restaurant is one of the best in town,
serv
ing Khmer and
Thai food, plus a few Western options.
$13
Memoria Palace and Resort
5km west of Pailin
T
015 430014,
W
memoriapalace.com.
An unexpected
find in dusty Pailin, the relatively upscale
Memoria
offers
attractive lodgings in an unspoilt hilltop location west of
town amid the fringes of the Cardamom Mountains.
Accommodation is in a mix of spacious and very
comfortable bungalows or in three extremely rustic
thatched “ecolodges”,
and
there's also a big saltwater pool
and good restaurant.
$25
Pailin Ruby
West of the tra
c circle on the main road
through town
T
055 636 3603.
The best and least unruly
(Pailin attracts a lot of truckers) place to stay in town.
Rooms are clean and pleasant enough, with en-suite
bathrooms, TV and chunky woo
d f
furniture; hot water and
a/c are available for an extra $5.
$7
Sisophon (Banteay Meanchey)
Midway between Siem Reap and the Thai border the workaday town of
SISOPHON
has something of an identity problem. The of
cial name is Sisophon, although it's
also called Sereysophon, while locals (for reasons not entirely understood) call it
Svay (mango). Just to add to the confusion, it's usually referred to (including on
virtually all signs, and by bus companies) as
Banteay Meanchey
, the province of
which it's capital.
Names aside, Sisophon is notable mainly for its location at the junction of the roads
to Siem Reap and Battambang - with a trio of interesting sights (see p.128) that can be
visited on the way to Siem Reap - and as the jumping-off point for a day-trip to the
massive Angkorian temple ruins of
Banteay Chhmar
, one of the country's least visited
major monuments.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SISOPHON
BANTEAY MEANCHEY
By bus or shared taxi
Arriving by bus you'll either be dropped off at one of the bus company of
ces opposite the transport
stop just east of the market or on the main road by the
Nasa Hotel
, where you'll be instantly pounced upon by a posse of
cheery moto drivers. Leaving Sisophon, services leave from the various bus company o
ces, or you could try flagging down
