The Lowe Down
January 2008
HA TIEN CROSSING OPENS A NEW TOURIST TRAIL
Tired of the Ho Chi Minh City – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap – Bangkok track?
Seeking island chill out zones and not interested in overrun ruins?
Then this journey is for you….
With the recent opening of the Prek Chak/Ha Tien border between
Cambodia and Vietnam, a new traveler's route has opened in Southeast
Asia. Stringing together an eclectic journey aboard buses, ferries,
share taxis and motorbikes, travelers can now explore little visited
islands and towns that until only recently involved long side trips
down rutted, spine crushing roads.
It is an excellent alternative journey for those who have done the
busy Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok track through Northern Cambodia, and
want to avoid the banana pancake hordes in places like Siem Reap.
Escaping Ho Chi Minh City via the rich Mekong Delta, a short flight
from Rach Ria lands at Phu Quoc, where stunning beaches like Bai Sao
await.
Returning to Rach Gia, it is an easy two hour Honda Om drive to the
sleepy town of Ha Tien, where not one establishment caters to the
Lonely Planet tribe. Locals in tiny café's strung with Christmas
lights whisper kind invitations to join them for a strong Ca-Phe Sua
Da, watching street life go by that is reminiscent of a Vietnam from
15 years ago.
The tiny Prek Chak border crossing, a fifteen minute drive to the
west, is manned with just a few fresh faced immigration officials and
buzzing with cross border trade. Cuong a local Vietnamese Honda Om
driver says, "locals are excited to see more foreigners here, because
before they only came to go to Phu Quoc." An immigration official on
the Cambodian side reports that less than fifty foreigners are
crossing here each day.
Thirty minutes beyond the border brings you to Kep, Cambodia's next
beach resort town, once popular with the Khmer Royal Family, who built
a villa here. Rabbit Island, a fifteen minute boat ride off the
coast, offers simple accommodation and stunning sunsets.
Riding to the west through some of the most stunning Cambodian
countryside takes you to Kampot, the jumping off point for a trip to
the abandoned Bokor Hill station, sitting misty and mysterious at
1,000 meters above the town, evoking a somewhat Stephen King vibe as
you explore abandoned churches and casinos built for the Cambodian
elite.
A share taxi to Sihanoukville connects travelers with Koh Kong by a
daily ferry. From here, a quick border crossing across Had Lek offers
travelers either an express bus to Bangkok or a local ferry to the
lush islands in the Gulf of Thailand, perfect for lazy days eating
some of the best seafood in the country, before battling the beast
that is Bangkok.
For those seeking a Southeast Asia as it was several decades ago, this
is the way to find it. For locals all along this trail, smiles and
waves are the norm, and hassles and nuisances are rare, proving that
even in this corner of Asia, well explored and wide open to travelers,
there is there's always something new.
Don't miss:
Phu Quoc's Bai Sao beach
Ha Tien's laid back vibe
Kep's Sunsets
Bokor Hill Station
Sihanoukville's nightlife scene
Koh Trang's seafood
INFORMATION
Cambodian Visa Page: www.mot.gov.kh/visa.asp
Vietnam Visa Page: www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/consular_services/visa_info/
Border crossing info: http://www.canbypublications.com/cambodia/overland.htm
Phu Quoc: http://www.phuquoc.info/
Kep: http://www.kepcambodia.com/
Kampot: www.kampotcambodia.com/
Sihanokville: www.sihanoukville-cambodia.com/
Koh Chang: www.koh-chang.com/
Bangkok: http://www.bangkok.com/