Cycling on the Island Near Phnom Penh

The trip started from at 8 AM at the ferry to Koh Dach Island.

We crossed Mekong River and pedled to Ok Nha Tey commune to visit silk weaving . Along the way , We enjoyed spetacular of plantation along the river bank including papaya, eggplant, corn, mangor many more. We stop to capture this rare view then proceed to the village.

Up on arrival, we stop and visit silk weaving house and observe how they produce it.  They have maintained this skill from their ancestor and making the second major living from this product.  We spent about 20 minutes talking with villagers and say goodbye.

Our second destination is Koh Dach. But we continue to visit pagoda, school and local open market. Then rush to the Koh Dach for lunch. Up on arrival, We walk down the sandy path and relax on the huts elevated the Mekong River. Food can be served on the huts with reasonable prices. If I remmember, they sell only chicken which is around 12USD per chicken with rice. Chicken is cooked upon our interest.

There are opportunities for swimming and sun bathing on the with and beautiful bank.

We return back to the ferry at around 3 PM then return home.

It is recommended to visit this love island just only 20 Km from Phnom Penh.

My experience to Thansur Bokor on 12 May 2012

This news has passed so long time, but it was unforgettable experience. I started this trip from 11th May 2002 until 12th  May 2012 with around 82 participants from travel agencies in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Europe.

The key and main objectives of the trip are:
•    To demonstrate the part of excursion’s ability of  Thansur Bokor (TB)
•    To introduce unique for Cambodia team building package
•    To present the hotel
•    To make agents familiar with the product and have a good time with Thansur Bokor Sales & Leisure team.

Bokor Mountain is located in Kampot Province west of Cambodia. It is about 12 Kilometers from Kampot Town and 150 Kilometers from Phnom Penh. The distance from the foot hill to the top of mountain is about 33 Kilometers with the coverage of 14 thousand Ha of land size. It is 1075 meter high above the sea level welcomes with the cool weather.
Because of the beautiful scenery, lavish flora and fauna, rich wild life and its cool climate all year round, Bokor Mountain has been the popular highland resort for the French social elites in the 1920s and king Monivong loved the scenery so much that he built a summer retreat that was perched right at the edge of the mountain.
The temperature is 27 C in dry season and 10-15 C in Cool season.

1.    French Casino and Resort: This colonial beautiful building used to be part of French resort for social elites to escape from the humidity and heat of Phnom Penh. The building was preserved and restored to its original state to enable guests to experience the palaces past glory and grandeur.  It is an important cultural site as it shows how the colonial settlers spent their leisure time.
According to result of research on the building, it is said that the red fur on the wall can destroy the quality of stone and in the future it will be collapsed. Now, tourists cannot see the original color anymore because it is coloring, but keep the same architecture.

2.    Wat Sampov Pram : Built in 1924, it offers a tremendous view of the coastline below, including Phu Quoc Island. The name Wat Sampov Pram or 5 boats Wat came about because the five oddly-sculpted rocks nearby resembled boats.  It was named after The Legend of the Pagoda of Vive Sailing Boat.
The legend is about a prince who travelled to this land to build his kingdom and fell in-love with a beautiful Nagini (Naga Princess) and docked his Five sailing boat laden with treasures which was given by the King Naga to the couple as a sign of his approval to their union.

3.    Old Catholic Church: The old Catholic church at Bokor Hill Station looks like the priest has locked it up only yesterday.  Inside, bits of grass still cling to the corners of the windows and the altar remains intact.

4.    Popokvil Waterfall: Popokvil means “swirling clouds”, which is totally appropriate as most of the time, the mist does hang just above the waterfall.
Spent a wonderful morning with this beautiful 2 tiered waterfall, the upper tier is most ideal to swim, laze and just enjoy the cool & clear mountain stream.

5.    Yay Mao Statue: 27 meter height facing the West of Cambodia.

6.    Giant Face Stone: it is a large mountain stone near the way up the mountain. The face and nose appear from the stone look very similar to human face, but according to its size people called Giant.

7.    Prasat Prosat or Prasat Preah Angthom: no temple here, just only one statue of Buddha.

8.    Veal Sre 100 (100 Paddy Field): it is a plain with many rocks, but they said this place used to be paddy field.

9.    Project Show Room: It is a place where visitors can see the overall map of project master plan.

10.    Scenic Trails: Jungle trekking to enjoy the mountain scenery with rangers.

Transportation to Bokor Mountain
It takes just only 2 hours away from Phnom Penh and 1 hour and 30 minutes fromSihaknouk ville by coach service. International visitors can access to Bokor Mountain  by land and air from Vietnam and Thailand. 
By Air from Vietnam:
•    3 days flights from Hochimich to Phnom Penh by Vietnam Airlines and Cambodia Angkor
•    1 daily flight from Hanoi to Phnom Penh by Vietnam Airlines
By Air from Thailand: 
•    3 daily flights from Bangkok to Phnom Penh by Thai Airways
•    2 daily flights from Bangkok to Phnom Penh by Thai Airways
•    1 daily flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh by Thai Air Asia
By land from Vietnam:
•    Approximately 3 hours from Tinh Bien border to Bokor Mountain by VIP coach
•    Approximately 2 hours from Ha Tien border to Bokor Mountain by VIP coach
•    Approximately 7 hours from Hochi Minch city to Bokor Mountain by VIP coach
•    Approximtely 8 hours by VIP coach or 9 hours by bus via Moc Bai border to Bokor Mountain
By Land from Thailand
•    From Bangkok to Bokor Mountain via Hak Lek ( Trat Province)/Cham Yeam( Koh Kong Provinces) is about 11 hours by bus
•    From Hak Lek (Trat province) and Cham Yeam ( Koh Kong Province) to Bokor Mountain is about 4 hours by bus
•    From Aranya Prathet ( Poi Pet border) to Bokor Mountain is about 9 hours by bus

Thansure Bokor Highland Resort
It is a modern Khmer integrated resort nested on the highland plateau of the historic Bokor Mountain. It is a paradise that was once the playground of the social elites and royalty.
Thansur Bokor is the only highland integrated resort in Greater Mekong Region, the impressive buildup of 60,388 square meters at 1075 meters above sea level, boasts a total of 418 rooms and villa suites, 12 themes food and beverage hives, international entertainment and recreational games, extensive meeting, banquet and concert facilities ranging from intimate setups to 6000 theater seating, a luxurious nightlife entertainment complex comprising state of the art KTV and disco, a lavish all en-suite spa connected to a modern fitness center with free form pool, a 18 hole championship golf course and 1680 square meters of kids edutainment center.
Couple with the extensive recreational and exploration activities in nature environment and historic buidlings, Thansur Bokor is the undisputed highland holiday and entertainment paradise in the region.

Hotel Fact

1.    Hotel Facilities
Guests can enjoy a myriad of facilities and entertainment which includes a free form swimming pool, fitness club, state of the art Karaoke, spa, golf course, kid education center and couple of recreational activities. 

2.    Rooms
There are 418 rooms and villa suites decked out with the latest modern amenities and modern Khmer art to provide guests with utmost comfort and relaxations.

3.    Restaurant
There will be a total of 12 restaurants serving Khmer, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Italian set menu or Buffet and many more, but currently guests can enjoy meal at downstairs and first floor with good taste and best service.