I don’t know which is scarier? Bokor Hill Station or the ride up there and back?
Established by the French as a hill-station with a casino and hotel in the 1920s, Bokor Hill Station was abandoned twice, during World War II and the Khmer Rouge period. And it was during the latter that the entire Bokor region saw fierce fighting between the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge. The battle scars are still there – bullet holes that dot the walls of the Catholic church and casino. Walking along the cold and crumbling halls of these buildings (think The Shining) is guaranteed to give even the bravest among us the goose bumps.
Besides its grim past, Bokor Hill has one of the worst roads, accessible only by 4WDs and motorcycles, and virtually inaccessible during the wet season. Throwing caution to the wind, Mei and I decided to endure the bumpy three-hour drive to Bokor Hill from Kep. And bumpy is an understatement. Turned out that our vehicle, a five-passenger pickup truck had poor suspension. Whenever the vehicle hit a bump (which was like every two minutes), it would jolt Mei and I from our seats with a violent thump. We ended up with very sore bums and a bad back. “There goes my hours of yoga practice,” Mei moaned. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we realized to our shock and horror that the vehicle’s speedometer was broken! We didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or scream. Thankfully God answered my prayers and we made it back to Kep in one piece.
Would we do it again? NO WAY! But to be fair, Bokor Hill Station is quite an interesting place to visit. And if I did not make the dangerous and uncomfortable journey up there, I would not have taken these photos.
N.B. Bokor Hill Station is now off limits to tourists. A conglomerate, Sokimex Group, is currently redeveloping the site – repairing the roads and the old buildings, and building new ones (hotels, restaurants, golf clubs etc). So it’s a good thing Mei and I got to see the original Bokor Hill Station before it’s turned into another soul-less integrated resort.
Established by the French as a hill-station with a casino and hotel in the 1920s, Bokor Hill Station was abandoned twice, during World War II and the Khmer Rouge period. And it was during the latter that the entire Bokor region saw fierce fighting between the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge. The battle scars are still there – bullet holes that dot the walls of the Catholic church and casino. Walking along the cold and crumbling halls of these buildings (think The Shining) is guaranteed to give even the bravest among us the goose bumps.
Besides its grim past, Bokor Hill has one of the worst roads, accessible only by 4WDs and motorcycles, and virtually inaccessible during the wet season. Throwing caution to the wind, Mei and I decided to endure the bumpy three-hour drive to Bokor Hill from Kep. And bumpy is an understatement. Turned out that our vehicle, a five-passenger pickup truck had poor suspension. Whenever the vehicle hit a bump (which was like every two minutes), it would jolt Mei and I from our seats with a violent thump. We ended up with very sore bums and a bad back. “There goes my hours of yoga practice,” Mei moaned. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we realized to our shock and horror that the vehicle’s speedometer was broken! We didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or scream. Thankfully God answered my prayers and we made it back to Kep in one piece.
Would we do it again? NO WAY! But to be fair, Bokor Hill Station is quite an interesting place to visit. And if I did not make the dangerous and uncomfortable journey up there, I would not have taken these photos.
N.B. Bokor Hill Station is now off limits to tourists. A conglomerate, Sokimex Group, is currently redeveloping the site – repairing the roads and the old buildings, and building new ones (hotels, restaurants, golf clubs etc). So it’s a good thing Mei and I got to see the original Bokor Hill Station before it’s turned into another soul-less integrated resort.
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