Thailand beyond solo backpacking: Koh Kong town the gateway to Thailand.

The free pick up minivan was very punctual and I was transported to the Sorya Bus terminal office at Psar Themey where the Koh Kong enroute bus was waiting.

The departure time was 7:00am. Koh Kong is about 271 kilometres from Phnom Penh and this small little town is about 10 kilometres to the Thai border town of Had Lek,a coastal town towards the eastern Thailand's frontier facing the Gulf of Thailand.

Thirty minutes after leaving Phnom Penh,the bus will stop at a shop selling baguettes,cakes,hot dogs and other kind of snacks for bus passengers to buy as breakfast.

The journey is going to be a long one travelling 133km west along the national highway and then another 138km through hilly winding roads through the Cardamom Mountains with its dense tropical rain forests.

The roads are all in excellent condition. It was a rainy season between late August till early November where the south westerly winds bring heavy rainfall to this part of Indochina.

At about 12noon,the bus stopped for lunch at a foodstall near the Sre Ambel Bridge.

The bus has no toilet so it's advisable not to drink too much water in the morning as the first part of the journey took nearly 4 hours.

The Sre Ambel Bridge was a joint venture project between Thailand and Cambodia.

The bridge was named after the Sre Ambel River that flows beneath it.
In fact this area is the valley and foothill of the Cardamom Mountain,a very scenic view.

Sre Ambel is about 110kilometres north of Sihanoukville.
The virgin jungles here is a great place for jungle trekking adventures.
As we continued our journey after lunch,the bus had a good stress test going uphill and downhill negotiating through the winding roads on the way to Koh Kong.

Due to the intermittent rainfalls and drizzles all along the way,the bus diver was very competent and carefull in his driving.

Finally at 3:30pm,the bus reached Koh Kong's small little bus terminal and expect to step out of the bus meeting a handful of touts.

The terminal's grounds was unpaved and muddy.It was about 2 kilometres from town. I decided to abort my stay in Koh Kong and paid 100 baht for a moto ride to the Thai border.

Koh Kong is such a relaxing town to stay as there were also entertainment outlets,casinos and many interesting sights.

A theme park called the Safari World is near the Thai-Cambodian border. As for jungle trekking to the Cardamoms and Botum Sakor National Park,there are travel agencies that provide guides as well.

List of cheap guesthouses:

Koh Kong Guesthouse Restaurant and Bar.(USD5 - USD15)
Neptune Guesthouse.(USD3 -USD6)Tel:011-984 512
Ai Oun Guesthouse.(USD8 -USD12)Tel:011-939 585,016-860
Kolab Koh Kong Guesthouse.(USD8- USD13) Tel:016-202 333,099-958 181
Phomin Koh Kong Hotel.(USD5 -USD15)Tel:011-948 255,011-760 259
Riverside Guesthouse Bungalow Restaurant and Bar.(USD3 - USD10)Tel:016-823 221
Asean Hotel.(USD10 -USD30) Tel:012-936 667
Apex Koh Kong Resort.(USD10 -USd15) Tel:016-307 919
Sen Sok Guesthouse.(USD7 -USD12) Tel:016-587 185 (near traffic circle)
Otto's Guesthouse.(USD5) Tel:012-924 249,035 39 39 27

Basic Khmer language:-
Please (Som)
Thank You(Aakoon)
Yes (Baat)
No(Awt Tay)
Stop (Choop sun)
Go (Dto)
Check please (ketloy)

The moto ride passed through the longest bridge in Cambodia,a 1,900 metres friendship bridge opened in April,year 2002 costing USD7.2 million. Koh kong is no more an isolated frontier town.

Even moto passing through the toll booth need to pay.

No wonder we can't haggle with the touts because of this additional charges.
He will just send us to the Cambodian immigration office and after that we need to walk a short distance to the Thai side.

The international boundary marked by the flag poles of Cambodia and Thailand beside the beautiful beachfront and the Gulf of Thailand.

I just can't figure out why the Thai flag is flying half mast!
Many Expats who live in Thailand used Koh Kong to do their "Visa Run".

I was totally drenched and soaked with rain water as I walked towards Thailand's border.

The weather condition is not so friendly to travellers.

The quiet town of Had Lek.
Only two rows of shophouses on both side.
Ban Had Lek is located in the Khlong Yai District. There won't be any public buses plying here.
The locals rely on the songtheaw and minivans.

At this corner near the Thai immigration office are the minivans that goes to Trat.

Had Lek to Trat in a 14 seater mini bus timetable.
The fare price is 120 Baht.
duration:One hour 15 minutes.
about 89 kilometres.
Stop only at Trat Bus terminal.

Somewhere 12 km before Trat (Amphoe Thakum) and another 15 km off the main road,there lies the "Dhamma Resort" or Wat Tung Kai Duk,a meditation retreat.