I had never heard of Bokor Hill Station until I arrived in southern Cambodia, but the tales of a twice-abandoned hill station built by the French that included a hotel, casino, post office, and church all on top of a mountain overlooking the Gulf of Thailand was too enticing to pass up. After a grueling five-hour ride in the back of a seemingly ancient pickup truck on one of the worst roads I’ve encountered on this trip thus far, I arrived at the top just in time for the fog to roll in.

Walking into the casino and hotel took my breath away. The first room I explored was the ballroom on the main floor which was truly awe-inspiring. One could easily imagine what the rooms might have once been used for, however all the rooms were now covered in different colored mosses and funguses, and the paint, tiles, and ceilings were slowly decaying. Water seeped through every crack and dripped down through the ceilings, completing the eerie feel. It was like walking through a horror movie set.

The history of Bokor is quite interesting too, and filled with many unhappy deaths. Halfway up the hill, the Cambodian king set up the “Black Palace” (which was actually just two smallish buildings which are not palatial at all) to use as a vacation home. Years later when the French came into Cambodia, They built an extravagant casino, hotel, church, post office, and bank on top of the mountain. Legend has it that the vast majority of people who built the road to the top died during its construction.

Much of the hill station is built on a cliff overlooking the Gulf of Thailand and the casino is built right next to this cliff. Supposedly many gamblers who lost large amounts of money threw themselves off of this cliff in fits of despair. Later, after the French left Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge eventually took over the hill station. They killed many people by pushing them off the cliff or blindfolding them and telling the victim to walk forward until they fell off. Eventually the Vietnamese followed the Khmer Rouge to the top of Bokor Hill Station to end their reign. Each side holed themselves up in the different buildings and fought between them. One can easily see hundreds of bullet and shelling holes in the walls, and one of the walls of the post office was literally blown off by a mortar strike. Many casualties ensued and eventually the Vietnamese were able to succeed in flushing the Khmer Rouge out of the hill station.

Even today many unhappy deaths continue to occur. Apparently it is not uncommon for young couples who’ve been forbidden to marry each other to throw themselves off the cliff together. Also, every New Years Eve many Cambodian soldiers will go to the hill station to drink and party, which has sometimes led to some of them quarrelling and eventually shooting and killing one another. Needless to say, this was one of the craziest and creepiest places I’ve ever seen, but I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable places I’ve ever explored. I stayed up there for two nights and wish I would’ve had time to stay longer. This is a place that is on the top of my list of places to return to.

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