Kampot is a southern city that is not exactly by the sea but about ten kilometres on either side of the river. A rather quiet city, frequented by many foreigners, very cosmopolitan, but which did not seem of great interest to me.

On the other hand, nearby is the Bokor National Park. About 800 metres above sea level and about thirty kilometres from Kampot.

To get there we can try to take a taxi but I didn’t find one or rent a scooter. Finally, after discussing it with the hotel receptionist, I opted for the Rickshaw, this Vespa-style scooter vehicle that does not seem to be the ideal vehicle to take a mountain road. But the driver assured me that it would be fire if I was alone.

I do not regret this choice even if it would have been nice to do this road by motorcycle. It is a road that is in an almost impeccable condition, winding but wide.

Doing the 30 km in a Rickshaw was a very interesting experience. The climb to 15 km/hour may seem long but the driver was really very friendly. He stopped to buy a banana diet for monkeys. Indeed there were several tribes of monkeys on the way and each time my driver stopped so that I could give them bananas and take pictures of them.

These monkeys move in a tribe so we suddenly see about twenty arrive, big males, females with babies then for several kilometres plus one and all of a sudden at the bend again a troop of 15 to 20 monkeys.

You have to be quite careful when driving because some are quietly in the middle of the road and even if they move away when a vehicle arrives, at the exit of a curve it can be surprising.

After the monkey zone we end up arriving on a plateau and here is the surprise: I wrote at the beginning of the article that we are in the national park, a normally protected area, but at 800 m above sea level at the top of the park apparently Chinese promoters are building a real city of pavilions and buildings. At first I thought it was an abandoned construction site and then I saw workers working on the finishing of some pavilions. It seems to be a gigantic project but I’m not sure who the target audience is.

It is certain that at this altitude it is less hot than at the bottom and that it can be a pleasant place. From there to build so many housing!!

By continuing towards the top we arrive at a place where there are quite old places of worship that are exploited since a new temple is under construction, but also a huge hotel apparently in operation that is really very ugly. And there again very close to this hotel along the road hundreds of accommodations are under construction.

My driver-guide continued the road to the casino, a large completely closed building next to which is a royal residence. Again, it’s an amazing site. The casino building is very large, surrounded by superb gardens since it completely overlooks the plain and the sea. From up there you have a magnificent view. I don’t know why the casino is closed, but we can assume that it is not permanently closed since there is a guard on site very attentive to ensure that nothing is degraded. Walking around the casino I slightly went out of the paved path to take a picture with a better angle from the lawn. I was imdoctely called to order: We do not walk on the lawn which is also perfectly maintained and mowed.

Very surprising also the royal residence on the one hand because it is a very modest building, on the other hand because there is an old residence completely abandoned to the right of the road and a more recent residence to the left of the road but of the same size. This one according to my driver is still used. Nothing to do in terms of size and luxury with the official residences of the President of the Republic in France who is not supposed to be a king.

The road ends at the king’s residence and you have to go back down the same path. There are walks to do in this national park especially to go up to "water falls", waterfalls but that day following my big walk the day before with the suitcase I had a light bulb on my foot that did not allow me to go.

A very interesting site and I really liked the contact with this very nice and very considerate taxi driver who apologised several times for not speaking English correctly but with whom we managed to understand each other.

Very nice also the meeting with this amazing group composed of young monks and all young girls who wanted us to take a selfie.

Return to Kampot in the afternoon for a pleasant meal by the river and a new exotic anecdote: walking back to my hotel I am surprised to see that the street of the hotel as well as the adjacent street are closed to traffic in a very rudimentary way with a simple red thread across the street that is barely visible.

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At each entrance of the street there is a guard and approaching the hotel I see that in front of a building there are several guards. I approach to look but they call me imdoctely. The building they are guarding is a secondary school. The guards are firm and forbid me to approach but can’t explain why; they barely speak English. I thought that perhaps that day there was a visit to this establishment by an official, a minister or another notoriety.

The hotel receptionist gives me the rather surprising explanation: it’s simply exam day today so the establishment and the neighbourhood are cordoned off!!