Sitting on the borders between the Cardamom Mountains and the sea and the kingdoms of Thailand and Cambodia, and just below the confluence of the Meteuk and Koh Pov rivers, Koh Kong City (Krong Koh Kong) is a dusty frontier town with a soft edge.
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True, travellers arriving here from Thailand will have to brave the cowboys at immigration control — more on that later — but Koh Kong has a completely different vibe from Poipet to the north, which just seems to get viler at every turn. Overlooking the peninsula that links Cambodia to Thailand, which is accessed by a near two-kilometre long bridge, Koh Kong on the other hand is a far lighter and breezier town, and actually makes for a pleasant and relaxing base from which to explore the surrounding hills, seas and all that lies in between.
Meet the Tatai River. Photo: Nicky Sullivan
The town itself has little in the way of tourist attractions, and it’s not the loveliest of towns either. There is a kind of pleasant promenade along the waterfront, provided you’re prepared to overlook the oceans of rubbish bobbing in the waters below, and the leathery male sexpats stalking along clutching their girlfriends’ hands. Going back from the promenade, wide streets are largely residential giving the town more the feel of a village. Some of the houses and gardens are actually very pretty so an early morning stroll might be a nice way of walking off breakfast, or passing time until your next excursion.
For a town of its size, it has a disproportionate number of Western-operated bars. One Koh Kong regular describes the local expat scene as “rather Monty-Pythonesque”, and there’s invariably a certain tension whenever you mention one to another, but regardless of that, there’s certainly not a shortage of places for a refreshing drink and expats to talk to. They’re rarely less than entertaining. The clientele are drawn in large part from the Thailand-based expats who need to make visa runs from time to time. They appear to like stodgy food and cheap beers since these seem to be the principal defining features of ... Travelfish members only (Around 2,000 more words) ... please log in to read the rest of this story.
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By
Nicky Sullivan.
Last updated on 16th October, 2016.
