Wayne Kerr's Koh Kong Expedition Cambodia

Last week I was sent off to Cambodia … I always dread going there, but usually end up having a good time. I won’t beat about the bush … Cambodia is hot, dirty, and the only good looking sheilas are the illegal hookers from Vietnam. On the other hand, I always come back with good memories of how wild the place is at night.

This time my destination was Koh Kong Province, which is just south of Thailand’s Trat Province. I’d never been there before so was looking forward to it. Only thing was I didn’t quite expect the 8 hour bus ride there from Phnom Penh and really had to refrain from giving the person responsible for booking my travel an earful when I realised where I ended up was only 8 kms south of the Thai-Cambodia border. Anyway more about that later. Here’s a few pics I took on the road from Phnom Penh to Kong Kong.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...8/Koh-Kong.jpg
^ My destination – Koh Kong Province in Cambodia

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...ng-highway.jpg
^ The last road stop between Phnom Penh and Koh Kong, I faced a decent 6 hrs on dirt roads after this

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...Crossing-1.jpg
^ There are 4 major rivers between Phnom Penh and Koh Kong. They are building some bridges over each of these rivers but in the meanwhile you have to cross on some dodgy old ferrys.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...Crossing-2.jpg
^ The first ferry is basically three old fishing boats tied together and some old planks tied across them to make a raft

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...Crossing-3.jpg
^ This is classic example of Cambodia ingenuity – check the two longtail props which drive the sucker across the river.

Here’s a video of the bloody thing taking off - I took my shoes off when it was my turn in case I ended up having to swim back to shore.

Anyway when we started getting close to the coast we started seeing signs showing people how to fish.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...dian-Style.jpg
Wish I could remember the old saying about teaching a man to fish :rolleyes:.

Then it was a few more dodgy overloaded ferry crossings.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...Crossing-4.jpg

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...Crossing-5.jpg

you had it easy my man! here's a shot of that same crossing in the rainy season :) i did it about 2 years back.

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2007/04/341.jpg

Got to admit I don't think I would be too happy about the idea of putting my car on that Ferry.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u..._forecasts.gif

Blackpanther ... yes I can imagine it is bloody aweful in the wet. In your picture I can't see any sign of the new bridge there. Shouldn't be less than a year that all 3 bridges between Phnom Penh and Kong Kong are finished. I reckon Thai-Cambodian border to Phnom Penh should be any less than 3 hrs once they are finished.

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Originally Posted by Wayne Kerr

it is bloody aweful in the wet

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took 10 hours to get to koh kong from pp that day. never again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wayne Kerr

I reckon Thai-Cambodian border to Phnom Penh should be any less than 3 hrs once they are finished.

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i hope so...as long as the road doesn't get washed away!

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Originally Posted by blackpanther

i hope so...as long as the road doesn't get washed away!

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Just have a report that they lost one of the main roads onto the new bridge due to landslip - a major set back apparently. Thai Government company running the show so I'm not surprised.

Anyway, back to the road ...

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...-Seafood-1.jpg
^ I was lucky to have a great feed of mud crabs on arrival at Koh Kong

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...-Seafood-2.jpg
^ Then they brought out the prawns - theses are sea caught not the usual farmed shit we get in Asia

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...-Seafood-3.jpg
^ Somehow lunch turned into dinner

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...-Kong-Beer.jpg
^ Two of us managed to knock these over on our first night

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...ng-Hotel-1.jpg
^ Somehow was lucky enough to wake up to this view from my hotel on the first morning there :D

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...ng-Hotel-2.jpg
^ Great spot for an early morning coffee :D

Nearly forgot this thread after it was cut out of somewhere else and whacked in here. Anyway, was gunna do a review of the Koh Kong nightife (which is pretty good by the way) but my videos of this need a spot of editing and will have to wait abit. Anyway, after the friggin long trip from Phnom Penh to Koh Kong I managed to talk Mrs. Kerr into driving down to the Thai-Cambodia border checkpoint to collect me – Koh Kong is only 8km from the border with Thailand, and from there to Bangkok is only about a 4.5 hr drive.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...ong-Casino.jpg
^ First landmark between Koh Kong city and the border is the casino – spent a night in here on a blackjack table, but it was full of Thais trying to make money and way too serious for me

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...igration-1.jpg
^ Cambodian immigration checkpoint

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...igration-2.jpg
^ Lovely view from the Cambodian immigration checkpoint

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...igration-3.jpg
^ The Thai-Cambodian border

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...igration-4.jpg
^ View from out the back of the Thai immigration checkpoint

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...igration-5.jpg
^ Thai immigration check point

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...un-Beach-1.jpg
^ Found a great beach for lunch just on the Thai side of the border - Baan Cheun beach. Looks out over Koh Chang, Koh Mak, and Ko Kut :)

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...un-Beach-2.jpg
^ Bugger all people about down there :)

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...un-Beach-3.jpg
^ Locals managed to pull together a good feed of crabs and soup for us :)

You have some great shots there Mr. Kerr!:)

a report about Koh Kong and no mention of the chicken farm?????

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Originally Posted by buriramboy

a report about Koh Kong and no mention of the chicken farm?????

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lol ... jesus I can't be giving away all my best kept secrets ;). Yes it is an interesting old place the Chicken Farm.

Does anyone know- is it possible to drive my car to the Thai border, leave it in a secure parking area then head on to Koh Kong? A lot of border crossings seem to have this facility.

There is parking there but it didn't look as secure as at say somewhere like Nong Khai.

The Koh Kong crossing point car park is ok, even have to pay the sleeping security guard :(

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

The Koh Kong crossing point car park is ok, even have to pay the sleeping security guard :(

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the car park is secure and safe, left my car there numerous times, 200 or 250 baht for 24 hours if i remember. 2 night in Koh Kong is 1 night to many, there is f-all there, apart from the chicken farm and that place ain't pretty, it's the type of place you go to just to say you've been, but not somewhere you'd return to in a hurry.

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Originally Posted by buriramboy

apart from the chicken farm and that place ain't pretty, it's the type of place you go to just to say you've been, but not somewhere you'd return to in a hurry.

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Must agree with you there. The chicken farm scared the clappers out of me. One chap I was with had a techni-colour yawn under one of the mango trees out there - speaking to him later he truly felt unsafe and got all nauseas. Some nice places in town to spend a relaxing evening though ;).

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Originally Posted by sabang

Does anyone know- is it possible to drive my car to the Thai border, leave it in a secure parking area then head on to Koh Kong? A lot of border crossings seem to have this facility.

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if you park in the casino carpark the parking is secure and free as long as you get your ticket stamped in the casino...you can do this whether you actually play on the tables or not..

first time I went to the chicken farm I thought I was going to die for sure...in the dark...on the back of a motocy..out of town...along a dirt pot-holed road...mugging material for sure...but lo-and-behold we arrived in what could be best described as...a chicken farm!!.

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Originally Posted by Wayne Kerr

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...ng-highway.jpg
^ The last road stop between Phnom Penh and Koh Kong, I faced a decent 6 hrs on dirt roads after this

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The road from Snooky to KK is pretty bad as well and has the same sort of ferries.

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2007/07/207.jpg

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2007/07/208.jpg

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2007/07/209.jpg

I only took the road as the weather looked shit and I didnt fancy drowning on the ferry. Of course it was blue skies all day and would have been faster and a damm sight more comfortable.

Update...Nov-29
The road (Hwy-48) from Koh Kong to Hwy-4 is about 138km...and at Hwy-4 you either go north to Phnom Penh (abt 150km) or south to Sihanoukville (abt 50km).

I was last on the the road (by motorcycle) from Koh Kong to Hwy-4 last April; at that time is was about 60% paved. It's a well designed (surprising for Cambodia) high-speed road. Reports from fellow bike riders indicate the road from Koh Kong is now 90% paved as of late Oct. There is a short section of construction after Koh Kong and before the first bridge, as well as a few other unfinished areas. The first bridge is now completed and open, at least to motorcycles. River crossings, via ferry, are still needed where the remaining 3 bridges are being constructed.

I'll be again riding from Pattaya to Cambo, via Poipet, in late Dec, for a friend's wedding. I'll be returning via Koh Kong, in January, and will post of the current condition of Hwy-48 to Koh Kong. Compared to not-to-many years ago, when that road was just a long miserable and often muddy bog, it's now a breeze!! When completed it will likely put the ocean ferry to Sihanoukville out of business.

what about the nightlife whoring part ? where is it ?

Wayne Kerr get back here, and finish your report :)

I'm still trying to work out why the chicken farm is called the chicken farm, came across another chicken down south in Cambodia a few weeks back. Didn't see many chickens :confused:.

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Originally Posted by wayne kerr

The first ferry is basically three old fishing boats tied together and some old planks tied across them to make a raft. This is classic example of Cambodia ingenuity

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I do believe that we have identified the forum's first "cambophile". Any normal person would refer to that ferry as a pure act of desperation in the face of absolutely no alternatives due to living in a severly fucked country :)

However, even I will admit to being charmed what could, in fact, unlike in Thailand, be honest smiles that I saw there.
Fuck, here I go on another long trail of ignorance...

^ sounds like another game of "bullshit bingo" old chap :)

Love you too :)

Good thread and photos... I went through Koh Kong a couple of years back on the way to Sihanoukville...

One night was enough... and that chicken farm was an experience...

I travelled from Sihanookville to Ko Kong by boat in January. Cost was $20 and took about 3 hours. When you arrive at Ko Kong,jump on a motorbike taxi to the border $3. If you take a van,you have to wait until it`s full before they leave for the border and all the vans arrive at the border at the same time.
Buy your cigerettes before you arrive at the border.I was paying $3.80 for a carton of 200 in Sihanookvile....at the border the price averaged $5-6 a carton.

Gday I live in Trat (central city area) near the Koh Kong border. I have a lock up car port (completly rain protected behind 6' rought iron and brick fence). close to the Bus station.
I will gladly provide secure parking. 10 days 1500thb. 30 days 3000thb.

Cheers.

Trat is miles away from Koh Kong, also there is secure parking at the Koh Kong border anyway.

That's a real incentive to book 30 days ;)