Bordered by Thailand to the west and the Gulf of Thailand to the south, Koh Kong city, the capital of Koh Kong province, boasts lush green surroundings, dramatic mountains, a fresh breeze from the sea and friendly residents. While all these are wonderful reasons to visit, Cambodians flock here for a different reason.

In a phenomenon familiar to boomtowns all over the world, it is difficult to find anyone in Koh Kong City whose srok gom-naert - native land - is actually Koh Kong. Almost everyone you meet came to Koh Kong within the past decade: moto drivers from Phnom Penh, fishermen from Takeo, food stall owners from Prey Veng, boat-taxi pilots from Kampot. Ask them why they came, and they will all tell you - in the tone of someone explaining the obvious - that they came to ro se, to make a living.

One finds newcomers to Koh Kong all over town. Leena and her family left the rice fields of Prey Veng 18 months ago to open a food stall in the beachfront market area where they have a view of the seaside from the front of the stall and a view of the beach and mountains from the back. They make their living feeding the many people who travel back and forth by boat between the various islands and coves into Koh Kong city.

The lure of the sea drew 27-year-old Ratha from Kampot six years ago. Like other fishermen, he and two other partners set out to sea in a small boat for four to five days. They load the boat with squid traps. These are simple netted boxes with a funnel-like opening at one end - the squid swim into the box through the large end of the funnel, and then cannot find their way out. It is hard work, says Ratha, but the money is good.

The forest provides a living for three workers in a lumber shop, cutting wood under the watchful eye of the shop's owner, Lamha. A year ago, Lamha made a living repairing watches in Phnom Penh. "Too many other people doing the same thing. It was impossible to make a decent living, " he says. So he sold his house in the capital city, moved to Koh Kong, and invested in machinery.

Throughout Koh Kong, the visitor stumbles upon sheds and shacks housing rows of mysterious looking vats with wood fires burning underneath. A causal stroll through town reveals no less than seven of these workshops, ranging in size from four vats to 50. All of them are devoted to the production of klum.

The process, as explained by klum manufacturer Lathara, is as follows: Professional foragers wander Koh Kong's forests and bring back to town the wood of the jan krisna tree. The wood is chopped into pieces and then dried in the sun. After drying, the wood chips are placed in vats and "steamed" over a continuos fire. The process is extremely wood-intensive, as the fires burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week (stacks of cut logs are a reliable clue that klum is being produced nearby). Every four days, workers extract the oil that result from the steaming. After 20 days, the wood is replaced with fresh chips.

Wealthy Arabs' taste for fragrant wood oils supports a host of jobs in Koh Kong, from the owners and workers of the klum workshops and suppliers of the firewood to the foragers of the precious jan krisna wood.

Ms. Ram, a 38-year-old Kompong Speu native came to Koh Kong with her husband and (then) two children six years ago. Her husband earns a living finding and selling jan krisna wood to the klum workshops while she takes care of their (now) five children. She also rears chickens which help to supplement their income from the wood.

Thai consumer goods are well represented in the town's markets, and many of the residents have some knowledge of Thai, ranking from rudimentary to fluent.

A stroll through Koh Kong's main Dongtoong market provides a perfect metaphor for the region's patchwork of nations and nationalities: a tape seller is attracting customers with a tape made in Thailand, but the singer is singing in the Khmer of Thailand's northeast provinces. The tape seller herself came to Koh Kong from Phnom Penh, along with the stereo sellers who have set up shop beside her stall. The only one in the immediate vicinity not from Phnom Penh is the women selling cloth. She is from Takeo.

The Wat complex lies about 15 minutes outside of the main town, just past the airport. The ride through the open countryside is a relaxing experience, and the temple, which is built on a small plateau, offers beautiful views of the surrounding hills and forests. The monks are very friendly, even to a foreigner whose arrival interrupts the usual routine of the morning prayer session. Several monks speak excellent English and Thai and are happy to show visitors around the compound. This spirit of friendliness pervades the quaint city. After one moto ride, a driver demands his fare with "whatever you want to pay is fine".

When I asked a man sitting in his house the way to the nearest klum workshop, he disappeared inside, then reappeared with a bottle of water, which he promptly handed to me before leading to the 20 meters to the workshop. He then bid me a good-bye as if we were old friends.

But when the time comes for you to leave Koh Kong, you can be forgiven for being wistful.

As you take a last look at the lushly forested hills on your way to Phnom Penh, doesn't be surprised if you find yourself already missing this quiet and pleasant seaside town.