Koh Kong Safari World
Animal welfare may not be the primary consideration at Koh Kong Safari World, run by Koh Kong International Resort (the casino-hotel a few kilometres away at the border), but the Disneyesque gateway – in a style that Bavaria’s mad King Ludwig II would have found irresistible -doesn’t hint at anything sinister.
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Museum
A small museum showcases war memorabilia, including an old French amphibious vehicle. It’s on Hwy 6, after the turnoff to Cu Chinh Lan.
Bird Watching and Environmental Tours
Originating as a reservoir on the Angkorian highway 66 it was rebuilt as a man-made irrigation and water storage reservoir by slave labor during the Khmer Rouge Regime in 1976. The reservoir now harbors a unique wetland associated with grassland, dipterocarp forests and paddy fields.
Dam Wall
Cross the bridge towards Phu Tho and you’ll see the dam wall of a vast Russian-built hydroelectric station. Across the river is a memorial to the 161 workers who died during its construction.
Phnom Kulen
Phnom Kulen is considered by Khmer people to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia and is a popular place of pilgrimage. It played a significant role in the history of the Khmer empire as it was from here in 802 that Jayarvarman II proclaimed independence from Java, giving birth to modern Cambodia.
Tan Ky House
Built two centuries ago as the home of a well-to-do ethnic-Vietnamese merchant, Tan Ky House has been lovingly preserved through seven generations of the same family. Don’t be spooked by the portrait of a stern-looking matriarch over the entry hall; this gem of a house is worth lingering in.
Neak Pean
Built by Jayavarman VII, this temple is the perfect representation on earth of the cosmic world. It has been said that this monument was consecrated to Buddha who reached perfection in Nirvana, and the ornamental lakes surrounding it were meant as places where pilgrims could wash and purify themselves before reaching the supreme perfection.
Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation
What began as a traditional assembly hall was later transformed into a temple for the worship of Thien Hau, a deity from Fujian province. The gaudy, green-tiled triple gateway was built in 1975.
Phnom Chisor
On National Road Two, one can travel about 78 dusty kilometers from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh to stumble upon the hill of Phnom Chiso in Takeo province. Sitting atop the eastern side of this mound rests the ancient temple of Suryagiri, built in the 11th century
Japanese Covered Bridge
This beautiful little bridge has become a modern-day icon of Hoi An. A bridge was first constructed on this site in the 1590s by the Japanese community in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream.
