I have been all over South East Asia, but my favourite Border post is Koh Kong in Southern Cambodia. My latest review of this town is from May 2002.

To get to the town isnt easy (bus via Trat). You can't fly from Thailand, although road transport has opened up (because a new bridge was built last year). While this is possible to drive to the town, from Thialand via Trat, there are no roads (one is bult built at the moment, Ive travelled it, but its too rough) out so why bother. Up until 20 months ago, one had to get a boat accross to Koh Kong. You can fly to the capital of Cambodia,Phnom Penh via a small airstrip in the town. You can also get a boat to Sihanoukville for 20 dollars (but if the weather is bad - avoid at all costs). I thought I was going to get drowned on 2 occassions as the boat is built as a pleasure cruiser, as it thrown all over the place in the open seas.

My favorite hotel is the Ramsey Makera (10 dollars per night) and closest hotel to the brothel area. A better bet but father into town would be the Koh Pich, same price as $8 per night for a single. Most of the motos will try and get you to go to the Ramsey Makera since they receive fifty baht from the owner for taking you there and the Koh Pick only pays ten baht. There are only four hotels in town.

The brothel area is about 1 hlaf km from the hotel down a unlit road (20 baht to the driver). You pass two new brothel shacks on your way to the main strip. Pass them and head to the strip with about 10 houses on each side of the road. ST is usually 100 (on premises)-200 baht ($2.50-$5) and LT 300 (on premises)-400 baht ($7.50-$10.00). They ask for more so bargain. Give the girls 20 baht for their moto to your hotel.

Always take two girls back for fun. None of the hotels have a problem with guests. The girls in the brothela rea are all Viet girls so yum yum (BBBJ) and bom-bom is no problem. You can also kick back and enjoy a few beers if that is what you want. Avoid sex at the premises (no facilities). All girls between 18-22. Pretty fresh and happy. Always tip 1 dollar after. You pay the Mamasan before you take her girls away. Busy from 4.oopm onwards. Best around 8.00-10.00pm. Some open all night. Its safe to travel there at night. Some locals about, but its a small town.

If you go by moto and the moto drops you off at the brothel, 100 baht will be added to the price for the moto driver.

One only good resturant in the town called Otto's.

Cambodia overland from Thailand via Trat and Koh Kong.

The Red Zone is a a few km out of town and any moto driver will get you out there and back. $US5 ST and $US20 LT. You can pay in Thai baht as this is the preferred currency in Koh Kong. 800 to 1000 baht LT overnight takeaway. Red Zone has about five "houses" with five to fifteen girls per house. Mostly Viet but some Khymer. After dark is easiest and the girls will just come up to you as you drive by. You can check them out without even dismounting if you so desire! Note that the moto driver may also get a commission from the mamasan. There is also another less well known red light district on the left hand side coming into Koh Kong from the border, just after the last police checkpoint on the hill (before the bridge). Dont go here alone after dark unless is it with a moto driver (or taxi) you can trust. Koh Kong isn't a town you would wish to spend too much time in, but the attractions of the girls is worth a one night stopover if time allows. Enjoy!

When in Koh Kong beware of a thieve little bastard named "Sam". Sam is one of the drivers that you will find when you walk across the boarder and he will be sure to see that you pay double for everything.

McDIJJ

I am a bit confused...so from Trat in which direction is Koh Kong, directly east?

And I am wondering, what is the cost to fly to PP from BKK? And this may sound silly but if I can hit Koh Kong should I bother with PP?

Thanks

I like Koh Kong allot but you can't really compare it to Phnom Penh. Two totally different experiences. Koh Kong is a very small and very primitive compared to Phnom Penh. In all there are maybe 6 to 10 small, run down brothels with from 5 to 15 ladies each. I think it's great but I have quirky tastes. There is $5 pussy and like all the brothels in Cambodia, it is take however many you want all at the same time for $5 a piece. Last time I took 9 in a single session all naked in the room at the same time for $45 plus I tipped $1 each bringing the total cost for the session to $54. You could easily do that in Phnom Penh as well. I like Koh Kong because the town is so relaxed and has that quaint third world charm like something out of a movie. But maybe it is two primitive for allot of people. Also the bars are mostly open air beer garden type affairs with Khmer karaoke music for entertainment which is a little tame but you can also hang out in the brothels to drink beer which is interesting.

Koh Kong is East South East from Trat. If you take the public bus to Trat, across the street from the bus station are mini busses that run to the border at Hat Lek every half hour or so for 100 Baht.

Flying to Phnom Phen from Bangkok on President Airways was ~$165RT.

Really your choice depends on what you are looking for. Phnom Penh is certainly by far the biggest mongering scene in Cambodia with the most choices and something for everyone, but I like the relaxed third world nature of Koh Kong as well.

Thanks Sancho for these comments and for your previuously posted reports...they are part of my prep!

$5 ea, ST right? How long is ST in cambo? I am definetely going for a large group action but I doubt I will break the 4 barrier!

Hey, are you doing any live chats anytime soon?


Thanks!

ST has no real formal time limit in Cambodia. Basically until you are satisfied with the session so long as you don't become to unreasonable. One or two hours is probably about right. You certainly wont feel rushed.

$5 each is tourist pricing by the way. I doubt the locals are paying even $2.

Avoid the first large brothel you come to on the right hand side as you head out of town. Big commissions to motodops so your motodop will surely try to drop you there. Just tap him on the shoulder and point on down the road if he tries to turn in there. (Actually that brothel had some nice girls and is OK but see the others first and don't let the motodop go in with you) The main brothel area comes after a right hand bend in the road and leads all the way to the end of the road so you wont go to far by mistake. When the motodop drives you up just get off, pay him and wander down the street to see the local area. don't go strait in anyplace until he leaves or he'll try to get a commission. The girls will probably try to drag you in by your dick though. $5 is more than generous for short time. A hard bargainer could probably get $3. If they hold out for more than $5 just walk away. They wont let you leave. I did pay to much my first time but I learned quickly.

Cost from Bangkok to Koh Kong is I think about $5 for a bus ticket from Eikimi to Trat. $2.50 for the minibus to the Cambodian border. $25 for the Cambodian visa (supposed to be $20 but good luck getting it at market price, They ask 1100 baht. I got them down to 1000 Baht both times. I politely refused to pay the 100 baht the health officer demanded and had no trouble either time) Motodop from the border to Koh Kong is 50 baht, they ask for more but 50 is more than fair. You pay toll at the bridge 8 baht I think. 20 baht for the motodop from town to the brothels (actually 10 baht is more than fair but I never bargained on rides to the brothels. Anyway, figure $20 for round trip bus/minibus/motodop transportation from Bangkok plus $25 Visa fee. Hotels are $3 to $10.

As an alternative I have traveled by bus from Ekami (Bangkok) to Pattaya and spent a couple of days in Pattaya so as to get aclimated so to speak. From Pattaya you can catch the "Visa Run" special mini bus straight to Hat Lek for about $12USD. Same, same only a little more leisurely paced. Any travel agent in Pattaya will be able to sell you a ride on the Visa Run.

I first crossed over into Koh Kong two months after they had opened the bridge and fell in love with the little rural town. Passed through again last fall and the place is changing fast. You guys that have some adventurer in you might want to make this trip soon before it becomes just a trashy little border town. My first night in town I took two women back to the Koh Ker with me and neither one had ever been with a farang before. There were a number of motobikes to greet you at the border, but only one car for hire in the whole town ... it ain't that way anymore.

As Artie Johnson used to say "intelesting, very intelesting"

Actually, minibus from Pattaya is the way I went both times too. I paid about $17 one way last time. I just listed bus from Bangkok since that is the cheapest way if you are trying to do it on a budget. I think Koh Kong is great but it's the kind of place people will either love or hate. Mcdijj is right on the same page as me. I wish I had made it there back when he first went. It is still fairly unspoiled though. When you are walking down the dirt roads little kids will still run out of the house to say "hello" for no other reason than the novelty of saying hello to a foreigner. They aren't even begging or expecting anything, simply being friendly. It's refreshing to have people be so friendly in a poor country like that simply because they are nice rather than because they see you as a walking ATM. (other than the border experience where you are definitely seen as a walking ATM by corrupt officials and scheming motodops) Mcdijj said it though about the place probably being spoiled in the future.

McDijj
Visa runs are now a thing of the past. The Thai govt is eliminating the multple re-entry non-immigrant visa for all but true businessmen who can prove they actually do business in LOS. This is the visa that was abused by so many ex-pats for so many years and lead to phony visa runs-- with sometimes just the passports making the trip.There will be no further need for visa runs. In fact they are threatening not to let you back into LOS if you leave for one day just for visa stamp and cannot show proof of business travel.

Khun_mor,

At last! Something we can disagree upon.

This Thai Government that is going to do away with the multiple re-entry visa. Is it perchance the same Thai government that was going to make all bars, internet cafe', go-gos, etc. etc. etc. close at 24:00 hour beginning ... wasn't it last month?

What of the 30-day-renewed-for-14-more-and-about-to-expire tourist visa? Will this no longer require a run to the border?

McDijj -- call me stupid--- many others have --- but I believe this is something the Thai govt IS serious about. Thakshit has made it clear that one of his priorities is to clear Thailand of the many farang expats who he thinks are useless and are destroying Thai culture. The bar closings got too much protest from the Thai people-- ending this visa will not be met with any protest from the Thais. Thakshit couldn't care less about what the farang think.
We shall see but there will be at minimum a shaking of the trees and life may be quite uncomfortable for those in LOS on " dodgy " visas.

Khun Mor,

I would never call you "Stupid" I have far too much respect for you to do that. I might mess with you when the chance comes my way ... (-; but, hopefully with a sense of amusement.

I believe you are correct on this one. The majority of Thai people were opposed to the midnight closings. I think the majority of Thai people view an element of the farang expat population as little better than parasites and have no use or respect for them. Heck, I'm not even Thai and I lean that direction myself.

McD--- you surrender far too easily !! It's always much more fun to politely disagree with someone. I in no way meant you were calling me stupid-- just a phrase to indicate I believed the Thai govt is serious about this-- at least as serious as they ever get. They have also doubled the amount of money required to be in a permanent bank account AND the monthly minimum income needed to keep visa based on marriage to Thai pooying, so it seems like the fringe or " poorer" farang population is to be weeded out.

If we are all lucky Thaksin will lose the election and Thailand will be free of his " CEO " tyranny !! He wants to run the government like a corporation and is slowly ruining a once beautiful country. If he goes -- the expats probably return to under the radar.

Anyone got any recent updates on Koh Kong?

Dunez an update on Koh Kong
Theres a chicken farm there for Mongering,not as good as it use to be but check it out any hows, also check out JC welcome inn, run by a Brit and his Cambodian wife, at JC theres accommodation, pool and the owner and his wife are very helpfall,located over the Bridge on main street.

Taxi drivers at the Border will try and take you to an overpriced Hotel were the Taxi driver gets a commission, also he will try and be your taxi driver for the rest of your stay,people that go to Koh Kong, are Thai farang expats taking yaba,or travellers going on to phnom pehn or sihoukvill

Thanks for the update, I had a great time (although I had nothing to compare it to as it was my first). The chicken farm is still in full swing and compared to the one at Sihanookville I thought it was much better, I thought the one at Snooky was as dodgy as they come, with hard, intimidating girls. I actually stayed at Ottos on Ko Kong which I would recommend, Mr Otto is Dutch and Mrs Otto is Cambodian, similar setup to the above I guess. Room was 120THB per night. One piece of advice to anyone going is dont let the moto driver book your ticket to Snooky for you as I paid slightly over the odds for mine. All in all tho, a great time. Thanks Redbus.

Hello members, can any one tell me the costs for shorttime and longtime in Koh Kong now. Most of the info here is a lttle outdated and want to do the Cambodia tour next time in Asia. Any info would be great. Thanks Derek

I have not been to Koh Kong for a while, but in Phnom Penh its Between $10 to $20 for LT or ST, you may even get it cheaper in KK, good luck.

Thanks Redbus, i read the reports from the other guys trips from Pattaya to Cambodia on bus and it seems like it would be a fun trip. I have been to Pattaya 2 times and would like to do a side trip for 2 weeks to Cambodia from Pattaya and check out all the places they have written about. So any information i can get the better for me.Thanks

Koh Kong is one of the worst shitholes I have ever been (and I have been in a few).
See my report from March 07 ( I wrote it wrong by mistake calling it Hok Kong, but its the same)

Koh Kong really was a great place to go to up until about 2003/2004,were you could get an 18 year old 19 year old to early in there 20`s girl for $10.

But in 2003 to 2004 we had the gary glitter and the whole Svay Pac thing going on, so the Cambodian government closed any brothel across Cambodia that had girls that even looked under aged.

don`t get me wrong, it is a good thing to stop under aged prostitution, but the over reaction and the drive to stop vietnamese immigrants into the country has some what made the mongering in KK a shit hole, as you put it.

Now KK is visited by visa runners,backpackers, and falangs who work in Thailand and looking for a safe place for a fix.

While walking on one of the main streets in KK I stopped at a shop/stall for a soda. The woman running it (she was 25 yo or so) offered her services as well. My idea of a good business practice. Unfortunately her skills were so-so.

The Cambodian government has closed down all the chicken farms, taxi drivers now phone for a lady if you want one.

Must admit some nice restaurants have opened up in KK.

Theres a great place in Koh Kong, Fat sams. if you want to know anything in the area, tourism, money exchange, bus prices than see sam at fat sams.
Address
Main street KohKong look for the fat sam sign.

The chicken farm is still open, only the police have stopped the girls from sitting outside the wooden shacks, so now you have to go right inside.
If you do go through the KK border then get a visa in Bangkok or one online, its supposed to be $20 for a visa, but the officials there ask for 1200B [$30]. Put a $20 bill in your passport hand it to the officials and ask for a bill.

Also ignore the cambodians who offer to fill in your passport application, they will ask for a couple of hundred Baht from you for doing it.

The ladys in the chicken farm are clean and insist you wear a condom. i even met an Englishmen who was going out with one of the ladys there. Except for the Karaoke bars the chicken farm is the only place you can pick up woman.

The drought in Pattaya is also hitting KohKong, the expats there say KK shares the same water as Pattaya.

Hotels and guest houses can get water delivered, but the bars have no tap, shower or flush water.

The bars are still open selling beer, spirits, coke, bottled water etc.