Bokor Hill Station sits in the Bokor National Park. It was next on my list travelling with a camera. The park’s rainforest, grassland and deciduous forrest covers over 600 square miles. It is still home to many species of wild animals, elephants, tigers, bears, leopards etc, however, their numbers have dwilldled as sadly some of the area has been illegally forested. There are many bird species here, over 300.
Bokor Hill Station is the main attraction which featured in the 2002 Matt Dillon ‘City of Ghosts’ film. There is an amazing view from the station of the coastline, Gulf of Thailand and the rainforest below on a clear day. Sadly, it wasn’t clear for me. The now derelict building stands 1080m above sea level and was completed in 1925. It was a French colonial hotel was built as a retreat from the warmer weather on the coast. Nearly 1000 forced labour workers lost their lives during the building of the road and hotel. A local told me many were eaten by the then more prevalent wildlife.
Other sighs to see on the road to the station:
The Lady Bhudda, Lok Yeay Mao, the Goddess of protector. Lok Yeay Mao stands at 29m high. She is well known by the locals for keeping peace and calm in the forest, they also call her ‘Grandma Mao’.
Ruins of a Catholic Church which is in remarkable condition considering the occupation by the Khmer Rouge on the hill. The interior is no longer, with a few smashed religious statues on the alter.
Popokavil Waterfall, a pretty little waterfall, but does dry up during the dry season.
There is a new huge casino and hotel on the hill which is quite a blot on the landscape in my opinion. Having paid 40$US for a private taxi from Kampot, which takes about an hour to the peak with a few stops, I wouldn’t recommend this mode of transport. That was an error from me not investigating enough about the park area. There really isn’t a lot up there to warranty the price. What I would do, is hire a scooter for $5US and visit the peak under my own steam.
Next stop, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.
