FROM TOP: Passengers board the Royal Railway in
Phnom Penh; old-colonial style flowers in Kampot town./ beyond/EMERGING
The quiet Cambodian coastal town is finding its voice, with a new train
service opening access to its buzzy new arts scene, hip restaurants and
cafés. BY HOLLY ROBERTSON. PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS CRISTOFOLETTIThe Kampot Express
40 AUGUST 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
CHARTREUSE RICE PADDIES
and tree-covered hills ease by as I
gaze out the window on the four-hour
train journey from Phnom Penh to
the southern riverside town of
Kampot. Arriving at the tumbledown
station, before bumping along a dirt
track in an outsized tuk tuk, I’m
prepared for the possibility that
K a mpot is l it t le more t h a n a r u r a l
backwater. But the approach belies
the increasingly cosmopolitan
nature of this emerging destination,
with a boom of new café, bar and
restaurant openings propelling this
historic port forward.
Set on the banks of the winding
Praek Tuek Chhu River in
Cambodia’s south, Kampot has long
attracted foreigners, from the
Malaysian and Chinese merchants
plying their wares before French
colonizers stamped their presence on
the port town, to the Americans,
Aussies and Europeans who are
m a k i n g it t hei r home now, w it h a
growing number of creative-types
drawn to the city’s laidback vibe.
The days of the Khmer Rouge are
finally behind it (Kampot was one of
the regime’s last strongholds until
the mid-1990s), and the delightfully
restored Royal Railway (royal-
railway.com; tickets from Phnom
Penh to Kampot US$6 one way) trains
began running again from the capital
la st Apr i l, w it h br ig ht yel low a nd
blue exteriors, pull-down windows
and comfortable vinyl seats offering
a charming way to journey towards a
much-changed Kampot. Today you’ll
find international standard
restaurants tucked into crumbling
French colonial buildings, attractive
shopfronts that peer onto the faded
beauty of the tree-lined riverfront,
and cute cafés that add sparkle to the
town’s languid pace. While world-
famous among foodies for its pepper,
Kampot receives few visitors
compared to Cambodia’s temples and
beaches. But with a new literary
festival, a range cuisines on offer and
its bucolic surrounds ripe for
exploration, travelers should visit
soon, before it truly takes off.