The Other Cambodia

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Gulf of Thailand from Kep.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

A fisherman returns from a day at sea in the waters off Kep, which was founded in the 1920s and was the resort of choice for French Cambodia's jet set.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

In its heyday in the 1960s, Sihanoukville used to draw visitors like Jackie Kennedy and Catherine Deneuve.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

A stroll down Serendipity Beach in Sihanoukville will bring you in contact with fruit vendors, fire throwers, mystics and British Vogue photographers.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

Dishes are set out at Knai Bang Chatt.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

Kimly, a restaurant at the Crab Market in Kep. The shrimp tom yum soup and the shrimp with Kampot pepper are dishes worth trying.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

Rabbit Island, reachable by boat, is lined with knobby pine trees and mangroves.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

The Veranda in Kep is a series of funky bamboo and wood treehouses, many with terrific views of the Gulf of Thailand.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

Rajana in Sihanoukville is one of a chain of nonprofit stores with wonderful textiles and some clothing and knickknacks. Proceeds go to teaching young Cambodians handicraft skills.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

The Cambodian Children's Painting Project in Sihanoukville gives free language and painting lessons to kids who are kept out of school and forced into selling wares or themselves on the beach.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

The remnants of war are still evident on Bokor Mountain, where the Khmer Rouge left a shell of a casino. About one fifth of Cambodia's population, including most anyone educated, was wiped out by Pol Pot in the 1970s.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

Rice fields outside of Sihanoukville.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

To many Americans, Cambodia means only two things: The majestic temples of Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields of Phnom Penh. But there's another Cambodia, the southern coast, that is beginning to emerge as a popular alternative to the heavily trafficked beaches of Thailand. Left, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand at the hotel Knai Bang Chatt in Kep.
Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times