Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 552

ANGKOR BOREI & PHNOM DA
The sleepy town of Takeo, roughly halfway between Kampot and Phnom Penh on NH2, is the
jumping-off point for one of Cambodia's great thrill rides: the 20km open-air motorboat ride along
Canal No 15, dug in the 1880s, to the impoverished riverine hamlet of Angkor Borei (45 minutes).
Angkor Borei is home to a small archaeological museum ( 012 201638; admission US$1;
8am-4.30pm) featuring locally discovered Funan- and Chenla-era artefacts. The boat then continues
for 15 minutes to Phnom Da (admission US$2), spectacularly isolated Mont-St-Michel style by annu-
al floods, which is topped by a temple whose foundations date from the 6th century (the temple itself
was rebuilt in the 11th century). Hiring a boat for the trip at Takeo's boat dock costs US$40 return for
up to four people.
Bokor National Park
This 1581-sq-km national park (Preah Monivong National Park; admission US$5) has impressive
wildlife, lush primary forests and a refreshingly cool climate, but is most famous for its
once-abandoned French hill station, established atop Phnom Bokor (1080m) in the early
1920s.
Unfortunately it is now becoming more famous for the ugly casino that blights the sum-
mit, part of a massive development project that has sadly destroyed the atmosphere of by-
gone Bokor.
At the park entrance, 7km west of Kampot, an informative ranger station has displays
about Bokor's fauna, which includes leopards, elephants, bears, gibbons, macaques, slow
loris and pangolins. Don't expect to see much wildlife, however, as most of the animals
survive by staying in more remote areas and, in addition, are nocturnal.
Sights & Activities
Until recently the main attraction here was the old French hill station and its grand, four-
storey hotel, the Bokor Palace , opened in 1925. The hill station was abandoned to the howl-
ing winds in the 1970s when Khmer Rouge forces infiltrated the area. The once-grand
buildings became eerie, windowless shells.
Bokor Palace was undergoing renovations when we visited and will become part of the
new resort city. Other buildings of interest include the squat belfry of the Romanesque-
style Catholic church , which still holds aloft its cross; and lichen-caked Wat Sampeau Moi
Roi , which offers tremendous views over the jungle to the coastline below. Wild monkeys