the cambodian coast - coastal wilderness

7/30/2019 The Cambodian Coast - Coastal Wilderness

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2013 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

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This is the third article in a four-part series about the Cambodian Coast. This blog post

is about the Cambodian coastal wilderness, Botum Sakor National Park, and Peam

Krasaop Wildlife Corridor. The first two articles featured National Highway 4 southwest

of Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh, and National Highway 48 along the western coast.

The final post will focus on the Koh Kong, a coastal city in western Cambodia and the

Cambodian-Thai border. This series is intended to be a resource for those interested intouring the Cambodian coast.

When my family and I visited Cambodia in December 2012, we drove from Phnom Penh

to the city of Koh Kong on the Cambodia-Thailand border. Along the way we passed

through the countrys pristine southwestern wilderness. To the south, Botum Sakor

National Park lay on a peninsula between the Gulf of Thailand and Kampong Som Bay.

To the west, the Peam Krasaop Wildlife Corridor hugged the coast near the city of Koh

Kong. To the northeast, the rolling Cardamom Mountains stretched from Thailand to the

coast. Its a spectacular triangle filled with scenic beauty in one of the most isolated

corners of Southeast Asia.

Home to the second-largest wilderness in Southeast Asia (the largest is in

Burma/Myanmar), the Cambodian coast has one of the largest native forests still left in

Southeast Asia. Its a place rich in beauty and diversity explored by few. Wildlife inhabits

the forests and wetlands along the coast. Although there have been reports of illegal

logging, poaching, and development in the area that may have had an affect on the local


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ecology and threatened local wildlife, it was unclear how widespread the damage was

when I passed through. Improvements to National Highway 48 have made the region

more accessible to people but also increased the human footprint here.

We saw some incredibly beautiful scenery during our drive through the Cambodian

wilderness. Here are some of the best landscape shots.


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As far as we could tell from our limited vantage point, humans seemed to coexist

harmoniously with nature. While there was some clutter such as a broken-down vehicle

and road-side litter along, the local residents seemed to take care of their environment.

The forests we saw were generally intact.
http://c/Users/Brilliance/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles527FDE8/2012_12_31%20Cambodia%20Wilderness%20(4)%5b2%5d.jpghttp://c/Users/Brilliance/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles527FDE8/2012_12_31%20Cambodia%20Wilderness%20(4)%5b2%5d.jpg


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At the end of our wandering in the Cambodian wilderness, we were treated to a gorgeous

sunset.


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More About the Cambodian Coast

Heading to the Coast (National Highway 4)

Driving the Coast (National Highway 48)

M.G. Edwardsis a writer of books and stories in the

mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also

writes travel adventures. He is author ofKilimanjaro: One

Mans Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of

his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas highest

mountain, and a short story collection calledReal Dreams:

Thirty Years of Short Stories. He also wrote and illustrated

Alexander the SalamanderandEllie the Elephant, two

books in the World Adventurers for Kids Series. His books

areavailable in e-book and print fromAmazon.comandother booksellers. Edwards graduated from the University

of Washington with a masters degree in China Studies and

a Master of Business Administration. He lives in Bangkok,

Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site atwww.mgedwards.com

or his blog,World Adventurers. Contact him [email protected], onFacebook, on

Google+, or@m_g_edwardson Twitter.

2013 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or

transmitted without the written consent of the author.
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