John Bingham wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:49 pm
Beautiful Thansur gates with brick-pattern tiles.

Some new development just past that gate.

Stalinist apartments.

... and from the other side.

Development between new casino and old pagoda. That hangar/warehouse is just around the corner,
then there's a newly finished borey that's abandoned and the paint is peeling off. I've only got a video of it.

One of the new boreys being started, that's about 100 hectares of cleared scrub/forest it's on. There are lots of these around the plateau.

2nd pic is a $5 per night GH with a decent sized medical clinic in the middle with 2 permanent ambulances stationed there.

The Stalin blocks have ground to a semi-halt

"Development between new casino and old pagoda" ---- that row of shop houses serviced the 5000+ Chinese staying in the apartments abutting the casino. Chinese restaurants and supplies but they wouldn't let Barang in. Now all are gutted and closed and the apartments are empty. The Casino apartment blocks were guarded by security and you could not go inside the complex pre New Year but now all are empty and the security have left. Between the Chinese temple and the old catholic church development has ceased as well.

"One of the new boreys being started, that's about 100 hectares of cleared scrub/forest it's on" ----- this is Sokha Real Estates new 'town' for 30k people. Very odd location indeed and I at first assumed it would be in the area between the top of the hill and the hydrophonics farm where there is a network of good quality concrete roads in a subdivision plan already ... but maybe some other bigwig controls that. Altho Sokha has built an amazing hotel/casino in the Versaille style near the secret lake which must be due to open any day now.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 4:46 pm I can't see how anyone would want to live up there, it's pretty remote. They built a row of shops on the way up just before the Yeay Mao statue, 5 of the 6 are shut up and the other just sells mom and pop stores stuff.

Most of that shop row has been closed for a few years now - only one remains. The vendors are all at the carpark round the corner now.

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:39 pm

John Bingham wrote:

kgbagent wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:27 pm Sokha has built an amazing hotel/casino in the Versaille style near the secret lake which must be due to open any day now.

Thanks, interesting info. What is the secret lake? I've only ever seen that small one where the ranger station and old block shaped casino was.

I think he's referring to the Lake near La Plantation. For some reason people started calling it "secret lake", which is the dumbest thing ever as it was never "a secret", but the name has stuck. I find most Sokha hotels to be slight monstrosities with little character.

Nope it is another "secret lake" on Bokor - like the multiple 'secret waterfalls' around Kampot




I will go up in the next few days to see whats happening