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Langu.idly reclining under a lai:ge beac h umbrella at the Independence Hore!, a tanned wellrounded Russian puffs on a Cuban cigar, while his glamorous companion wears a bored expression as she gazes out to sea With a long crescent shaped beach, clear blue sky, casuarinas and swa)~og coconut palms, this could be anywhere hot and exotic, except that we three are the onl)' guests

Could this really be Cambodia? ln a cow1try renowned for the temp les of Angkor Wat, the Mekong river and the museums, temples and palaces found in th e capital Phnom Penh, the lesser known coastal resort towns are an unexpected find for those travellers who take a trip off the beaten track.

Sihanoukville bas srwming white sand beaches, budget guesthouses, rustic ourdoor beach front restamwts, a national park and diving excmsions to nearby is lands including the Bamboo and Monkey islands that are teeming with marine life. Given Can1bodia's recent history, the resurgence of Sih anoukville is remarkab le. In tbe early 1960s, a port was builr and a town created, named after King Norodom Sihanouk. Then came the Vi etnam War followed by the Khmer Rouge who murdered l. 7 million people, almost ever yo ne in t he country w ho possessed wealth or an education Their holiday homes and resort hotels were abandoned and fell into ruin.

Also in d1e '60s the Independence Hotel was S ihanoukville's premier resort, and many celebrities stayed here. Exuding a retro 007 James Bond a mbience with t he classic sounds of FranJ~ Sinatra coming from the bar, and black and white photographs of Jackie Kennedy who scayed here in 1967, I felt myself taken back in time. Ir was lmv season and the mysterious Russian couple and I had the opulent, fully-restored hotel to ourselves.

After breakfast, being d1e only g u est faced wid1 choosing from a lavis h buffet selection, I asked the Duey ]\l[anager if I could walk ro all beaches in a day. ''Yes, ok!" was his reply. Unconvinced d1ar he had fully 1mderstood m y question, I set off with a tourist map. After several kilometres I neared a fishing village at the end of a peninsula. Young schoolgirls indicated I had come too far and practising their English, walked me back ro the right pad1. Sokha Beach has a beautiful white san d beach, a spacious resort and a handful of guests. Then past the famous Golden Lion roundabout, internet cafes, bars and massage parlours to die ma.in beaches of Serendipity and Ochheuteal. Here you will find guesiliouses wiili rooms from USS3 and beach.front restaurants w ith raised bamboo p latforms where local families sit to enjoy BBQ seafood. The furthest, Orres Beach is the prertiest ai1d least touristy, d1e guesd10uses still more rustic. lf you can get beyond the bars, massage parlours, too man)' ruk tuk drivers in search of a fare and aging westerners w it!, long white pon)rtails riding nois y moto rbikes, Si hanoukville has a lot to offer, but for me, Kep is one of d10se special places d1at l think of ofte n. Cambodia's so uth ern coast is well worth the detour.

I found the bucolic laidbad{ charm char I h ad come in sea rch of several hours away along the coast in Kep, where Phnom Penh 's elite established a retreat in the first half of the 20d1 century. The )' built modernist mansions many in the style of Le Corb u sie r, some now sympathetically restored ai1d turned into lrnmry residences o r boutique hotels. Ald10ugh the narrow beach in Kep fronts a retaining wall and is less spectacular t han the beaches of Sihanoukville, the town has an appealing relaxed feel to it. For tlle days I spent here, I cycled from Kep Lodge, a delightful p lace widi bungalow:, set in a lush tropical garden on a hillside, ro the waterfront crab market and along the headland for a tasty vegetable curry at Brise De Kep restaurant an d guesthouse. l took a boat ride co nearby Rabbit Island and after circumnavigating it, in die company of two young New Zealanders, spent several hours relaxing in a hamnmck until the fishing boat rernrned There are a lso waterfalls and pepper plwtations to explore along a series of hiking trails. 1 took a trip to the dusry town of Ka m pot w id1 its yellow and wbite French colonial buildings co Bokor Mou.main, d1e sire of an abandoned hill station built by the French in 1922 wid1 the ruins of a Catholic Church, h otel and casino abandoned since 1972. It i s an ee rie haunting pbce surrOLmded by d1ick impenetrable fog where many Cambodians ,vere executed bi7 the Khmer Rouge. A Chinese company is building a massive casino and turning die road leading up there into a highway.

Travel Notebook

CAMBODIA'S COASTAL RESORTTOWNS are

GETTING THERE SingaporeAirli nes, Ma laysiaA irlines,Air Asia, Tha i AirwaysorVietnamA irli nes fly to Cambodia Jetstar Asia and BangkokAirways also fly there From Phnom Penh buses departfrequentlyfor both Sihanoukv illeand Kep. Journey t ime is under4 hours. Many travellers also arrive in Sihano ukvi ll eby bus from Bangkok, taking around 9 hours. Kepis Yerycloseto Vietnam and traYelling onto Phu Quoc Island is high ly recommended WHERE TO STAY The top beachfrontchoice in Sihanoukville in the 1960s, the Independence Hotel has been given a stylish redo. 855-34-943-300; www. independencehotel.net In Kep, Kep Lodge provides bicycles. and mea lstaken in the openair dining room are a highl ight 855-092-435-330; www.keplodge.com Other choices include the Beach House, La Villa de Monsieur Thomas a restored colon ial vi Ila, and the Veranda Natura l Resort.

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