Asia Times: WILD SIDE<BR> Resurrecting ghost park


	May 5, 2001	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

WILD SIDE
Resurrecting ghost park

By Michael Spencer

Chiv Krem raised his hand, signaling us to stop and be quiet. The park ranger's keen hearing had apparently detected an alien sound in the forest symphony of insects, birds and frogs.

I was only too happy to oblige. We were in Bokor National Park in the extreme south of Cambodia where a thousand-meter high plateau descends abruptly and dramatically to the sea, and we had been slithering down the "abrupt and dramatic" bit in the rain for the past three hours.

The rest of the patrol looked as soaked as I was. The seven rangers were squatting on their heels, their heads cocked in a curious listening attitude.

I was expecting to hear the buzz of a distant chain saw or perhaps the crack of a poacher's gun, but when the sound came again it took me by surprise. It was the softer, rhythmic beat of a metal blade on wood, and it was surprisingly close.

The patrol moved off in the direction of the sound, treading more carefully now. As the forest parted and we entered a clearing made where a number of large trees had been felled. The seven loggers' surprise at being caught by the rangers was matched by ours to discover what they were up to. They had been busy shaping six dug out canoes 500 meters up a mountain at least four kilometers from the nearest sea.

There was no hint of aggression, these were poor folk and their machetes were no match for even the ranger's motley collection of firearms. They were told to leave the canoes behind in the forest and to return and to tell their fellow villagers that from now on trees in the national park were off limits.

Declared a national park by royal decree in 1993, the 140,000 hectare preserve in the extreme south of the country is one of Cambodia hidden treasures, and until recently it had no formal protection at all from illegal loggers and poachers. Now, with the help of foreign NGOs, the government is belatedly trying to conserve the country's national parks which are some of the richest pools of biodiversity left in Southeast Asia.

At its higher elevations the Bokor plateau is a windswept, heath of a place more reminiscent of Scotland than anywhere in Southeast Asia. Although scientists have only scantily documented its riches, the indications are that the park not only contains many rare and almost extinct species of birds and mammals, but is also home to endemic plants and insects that are to be found nowhere else on earth.

Birdwatchers in particular have good reason to flock to Bokor. Over 200 species have been recorded in the park and over 300 are expected to be present. Globally threatened birds such as the green peafowl, chestnut headed partridge, rufous winged buzzard and the grey headed fish eagle have been sighted. It is also one of the few places where the Great Hornbill still thrives, and the only location in Cambodia where the blue eared kingfisher and crow billed drongo have been recorded.

Tigers, elephants and leopard are known to exist in the park as well as extremely rare and exotic mammals such as the wild cattle-like gaur and banteng, and what is probably the largest population of pileated gibbon left anywhere in the world.

Until recently, the wildlife populations of Bokor were protected by its isolated location and the scattered bands of Khmer Rouge fighters who were still active in the area up until five years ago. Improvements in the security situation have proven a double-edged sword. A trickle of intrepid visitors are beginning to discover the park's considerable attractions, but at the same time Bokor is under threat from illegal loggers and hunters who have profited from its increased accessibility.

Last year less than 2,000 people, roughly half of them foreigners, made the 90-minute trip up the crumbling road from the town of Kampot to the plateau. The ride is rough in places but the stunning views of the sea and the nearby islands of Vietnam make it more than worthwhile.

But there is more than this. Bokor was not always a remote and isolated outpost; it is a place with a history that is in stark contrast to its present state of abandonment. First explored by a Frenchman named Rolous in 1917, he reported the existence of a small band of indigenous people living on the plateau who have since disappeared without trace.

Attracted by its cool climate and its sweeping views of the sea, the French turned it into the most elegant hill station in Indochina during the colonial times. In its heyday in the 1950s and '60s the small town of Bokor boasted a casino, a hotel, a hospital and even a church. King Sihanouk had a residence there, as did many of the Cambodian elite of the time.

The ghostly remains of this "golden period" still exist, evoking the faded memories of the colonial period and the darker legacy of terror left by the Khmer Rouge.

The plateau was a strategic location during the conflicts that ravaged the country and was fiercely fought over. There is no doubt that horrific things took place in the past and there are odd signs of anarchy to be found that hint at those dismal times. The glass bricks in the stairwells of the casino have been shattered by bursts of automatic fire and some of the walls are pocked from heavy shelling.

The buildings cluster around the edge of the escarpment where they were built to profit from the view. The structures are in remarkably good condition but they gape windowless like the abandoned set of some horror movie. To add to the air of unreality, the walls are covered with an improbable coat of blood-red lichen, which seems to thrive in the cool, misty climate that prevails on the plateau.

Graffiti left behind by more recent visitors adds to the eerie atmosphere. There are cryptic messages in Khmer beneath childish drawings of people and animals, and in a bizarre touch some tormented backpacker has scrawled an anguished love poem across the walls of three entire rooms of the abandoned hotel.

Fortunately, the constant winds on the plateau have had a healing touch and seem to have cleansed the place of its darker secrets. The shadows of the past have been swept away by the sheer exhilaration of the dramatic weather and the breathtaking views of the coast.

Hollywood is already waking up to Bokor's haunting quality. In March of this year, Matt Dillon used the buildings on the plateau as a backdrop for some of the scenes in his directorial debut film, Under the Banyan Trees.

With its refreshing cool climate a bracing contrast to the sweltering heat of the lowlands, added to its stunning location and the rich variety of flora and fauna, Bokor has the potential to be developed into a important ecotourist destination. Apart from hiking and birdwatching, the park is ideal for paragliding, kayaking and could easily again become a health spa as it was in its glory days.

There is no way of predicting the future of the park, especially in a country such as Cambodia, but anyone interested in experiencing one of the most unique sites of natural beauty in Asia should put Bokor on their short list of places to visit sooner rather than later.

Getting there
Access to Bokor National Park is through the town of Kampot, three hours south of the capital Pnom Penh. Cars can be hired in Pnom Penh with driver for US$20-$30 a day. The drive up to the plateau takes 90 minutes, either by car or motorbike taxis for rent in Kampot with driver at $10 a day.

Entrance to the park is $5 for foreigners and lodging is available at the Bokor National Park Training Center on the plateau for $5 a night. Bring your own food.

In Kampot, accommodation is available at the modern Borey Bokor Hotel (tel: 033 932826 or mobile 01-2820826) at $15 a night or at the Pnom Kamchay Hotel (033 932916) at $10 a night or the Sok San Guesthouse (tel: 033 932665) at $5 a night.

Protecting the park
Severely underfunded, receiving only .01 percent of the national budget, the Cambodian Ministry of Environment is currently collaborating with WildAid, a NGO specialized in anti-poaching and wildlife trafficking to train and equip park rangers. Together they have set up an ambitious training program to enable rangers to effectively protect the country's national parks. Until recently, only four of Cambodia's 23 protected areas had any staff at all, none of whom had even received any formal training. In the first month of regular patrolling after being trained, Bokor rangers confiscated more than 2,500 snares and traps as well as seven chain saws from illegal loggers. More information on WildAid's projects can be found at www.wildaid.org

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