Here's a link to an interesting article in the New York Times about Kep and the surrounding areas. I loved spending 5 days in Kampot and Kep in December--as the article mentions, the area is changing, with new construction (for example, a short portion of multi-lane highway has opened one one side of Kep, and the fast road to Bokor National Park has opened) and some renovated buildings. The signs of destruction under the Khmer Rouge are fading. It's a magical place--go see it now before it changes too much! (And you don't have to spend $200 a night--there are plenty of nice accommodations for around $50).

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/03/04...tml?ref=travel

Thanks for posting the link, A. Sounds like the area is in the last stages of paradise before the concrete towers start sprouting.

Anyone here been to this coast recently?

A: I should have edited my comment..I see that you did travel there recently. Any chance that you will add to your collection of terrific trip reports?

It was there in 2002, when the "road" up to Bokor was still a track, and loved it. Definitely sounds like the sooner the better now.

T: You have been everywhere! Yes, sooner the better.... someday if the world still exists, there might be concrete towers along every single scenic coastline on every continent.

eks--I did my trip report as a blog this time since I was traveling around the world (4.5 months). Here's the link in case you are interested -- http://aprilaroundtheworld.blogspot.com. The Cambodia postings are from December. I loved Cambodia--maybe the best of all the places we visited on the trip.

Thanks so much! I have my reading cut out for me for this afternoon. Your trip reports have been an inspiration to me, and there has been some (so far only whispered) talk of a trip to the region for next year...