Set on the banks of a wide lazy river, it's surprising that Kampot isn't more popular than it is. The city was Cambodia's main sea port in pre-colonial times, and the French also used it, giving the city a mix of Chinese, French and Khmer flavors. But the sea and river were not deep enough for modern cargo ships, the town lost trade and started to fade into a forgotten backwater, especially when the Khmer Rouge came to power in the 1970s.
Fortunately for the modern traveler, it didn't completely tumble down, and now those old colonial go-downs and Chinese shop-houses are being restored and turned into quaint guest houses, hotels and restaurants
