Warning: Long post alert! You may want to get a cup of tea before reading!
We often update our blog with activities we do or sights we see, but for a change, we figured we’d let you know what we go through when travelling from A to B.....in this case, from Don Det Island in Laos to Siem Reap in Cambodia. The trip would be a day and a half of travelling with an overnight stop in some town in Cambodia. We bought our ticket the night before and the travel agent talked about VIP buses, a guide to assist us at the border crossing, and travel duration. The truth, as usual, is very different from what we were told.
06.30 Alarm goes off. It’s raining outside. Snooze.
07.00 Alarm goes off again. Wake up. Get up. Too late for a shower. Pack bags.
07.30 Find a place for breakfast. Order French toast (we don’t bother with Asian breakfasts, not since we were offered curried fish in Thailand). The breakfast arrives but the French toast was deep-fried rather than pan-fried. Also the tea already has sugar added....too much. The food in Asia is usually very good but occasionally they do get it wrong.
08.00 Go to the dock to meet the boat. There are a bunch of small boats there and a bunch of backpackers. Nobody knows where to go. We eventually find a boatman who’ll accept our ticket and bring us back to the mainland.
08.30 On the mainland, we are led down the road to a shelter. People are standing around. Nobody knows what is happening. Nobody is doing anything.
08.45 Still standing around. Some crazy Asian music is playing in the background....sounds like a cat being killed, accompanied by drums. A man walks by holding 3 chickens by the legs. They are plucked but still alive. Too early in the morning for all this.
09.00 A man comes in eventually, finds us, and points at a nearby minibus. We get on.
09.01 Man comes back, tells us we are on the wrong bus. We get off.
09.05 Find a new minibus (the correct one) but there’s only one seat left. They try to separate us on different busses. We refuse and squeeze into the front beside the driver. Sorted. It is starting to get hot already and people in the back ask about air-conditioning. The driver says fresh air is better, and so opens the windows, but we are not moving and there is no breeze, so it is still hot.
09.15 Bus eventually pulls out.
We often update our blog with activities we do or sights we see, but for a change, we figured we’d let you know what we go through when travelling from A to B.....in this case, from Don Det Island in Laos to Siem Reap in Cambodia. The trip would be a day and a half of travelling with an overnight stop in some town in Cambodia. We bought our ticket the night before and the travel agent talked about VIP buses, a guide to assist us at the border crossing, and travel duration. The truth, as usual, is very different from what we were told.
06.30 Alarm goes off. It’s raining outside. Snooze.
07.00 Alarm goes off again. Wake up. Get up. Too late for a shower. Pack bags.
07.30 Find a place for breakfast. Order French toast (we don’t bother with Asian breakfasts, not since we were offered curried fish in Thailand). The breakfast arrives but the French toast was deep-fried rather than pan-fried. Also the tea already has sugar added....too much. The food in Asia is usually very good but occasionally they do get it wrong.
08.00 Go to the dock to meet the boat. There are a bunch of small boats there and a bunch of backpackers. Nobody knows where to go. We eventually find a boatman who’ll accept our ticket and bring us back to the mainland.
08.30 On the mainland, we are led down the road to a shelter. People are standing around. Nobody knows what is happening. Nobody is doing anything.
08.45 Still standing around. Some crazy Asian music is playing in the background....sounds like a cat being killed, accompanied by drums. A man walks by holding 3 chickens by the legs. They are plucked but still alive. Too early in the morning for all this.
09.00 A man comes in eventually, finds us, and points at a nearby minibus. We get on.
09.01 Man comes back, tells us we are on the wrong bus. We get off.
09.05 Find a new minibus (the correct one) but there’s only one seat left. They try to separate us on different busses. We refuse and squeeze into the front beside the driver. Sorted. It is starting to get hot already and people in the back ask about air-conditioning. The driver says fresh air is better, and so opens the windows, but we are not moving and there is no breeze, so it is still hot.
09.15 Bus eventually pulls out.
09.30 Arrive at Laos-Cambodia border. We had heard about corruption of border guards but had been told we would have a guide to negotiate things. No sign of any guide here. We go to Laos departure office. They stamp our passports, then look for $2 each (US dollars) to get them back. We act shocked. What is the $2 for? we ask. Passport stamp, they say. We don’t want any stamps in our passport, we say. Still no good, they have our passports. So we tell them that we don’t have $4. Ok 40,000 kip, they say (the equivalent in Laos currency). We give them 27,000 kip instead and tell them it’s all we have, showing them an empty wallet (we actually had about 700,000 kip stashed elsewhere but had prepared our wallet for this). They give us our passports back. A minor victory :)
09.45 We walk across the border to the Cambodia side. More fun and games. We need a Visa first. A sign declares that the Visa fee is $23 each. We know that officially it should be $20, so the extra $3 is their extra take. No way around it – bastards. Next, we need our passports stamped (on the Cambodia side). A queue of backpackers has already formed, and this time there is no discussion, the border guards want $1 before you get your passport back. The money is going straight into their pockets (literally). As Conor went to retrieve his passport, the guard just waited until he took his dollar out. As Conor passed over the dollar, he flicked it away just as the border guard was about to reach it, and at the same time snatched his passport back. The guard has to bend down and pick it up. May not have been a victory but we felt good disrespecting them like that. (The money may not seem much but when you consider that we are living on less than €15 a day each, that our accommodation on Don Det cost us €2.50, and that our meals cost €2-€3 each, then you will appreciate how much these bribes are. In any event, we disagree with the principle of paying them.)
10.30 We walk into Cambodia and there is no sign of our VIP bus. There is a minibus or two, a few motorbikes and what looks like a beat-up old bus. No guide. No one telling us where to go. There is on one to ask. We stand around in a small group with other backpackers. We eventually learn that the beat up old bus is our VIP bus. We all file on and take a seat. They are small and cramped (Asian sized). There is absolutely no room for all the bags, so once people are sitting down, the bags (which had all been left outside) are loaded into the centre aisle. Still some confusion about this bus since, from speaking to other backpackers, we have learned that we are all going to different destinations.
11.05 Bus pulls off.
12.15 Bus pulls into a small town in the middle of nowhere and stops outside a shack. Nobody knows what is happening. Bags are taken off, followed by backpackers.
12.20 We discover it is a lunch spot. We order and eat food which is uneventful. Safe options, curry chicken and chicken fried rice. We do get screwed on the currency exchange but you have to eat. We sit and wait to see what happens next. Westlife play on the radio. A little scooter motorbike drives by with a whole family on it (mother, father and 3 children....they just all seem to fit somehow). Another scooter drives by with someone carrying a large kitchen table on the back. Not so unusual in this part of the world. Nobody even looks.
13.20 After sitting around for 30 minutes wondering what happens next, the Siem Reap travellers (us) are told to get back on the bus. Bags are loaded on. For some reason, following the change in passengers, there are now more passengers than seats. Thankfully we have our original seats, but there is some commotion when the last 2 passengers are told to sit on the floor...for the remaining 5 hours of the journey.
13.35 This is resolved when it is discovered that there are two seats on the back row. The bags and the people are switched and the journey resumes. It is a long and painful trip. The bus seems to have no suspension and as we are sitting above the wheel, we catch every bump on the rough uneven roads. Cambodian roads don’t have much traffic so people and animals constantly walk in the middle of the road, so the driver is constantly blaring the horn.
10.30 We walk into Cambodia and there is no sign of our VIP bus. There is a minibus or two, a few motorbikes and what looks like a beat-up old bus. No guide. No one telling us where to go. There is on one to ask. We stand around in a small group with other backpackers. We eventually learn that the beat up old bus is our VIP bus. We all file on and take a seat. They are small and cramped (Asian sized). There is absolutely no room for all the bags, so once people are sitting down, the bags (which had all been left outside) are loaded into the centre aisle. Still some confusion about this bus since, from speaking to other backpackers, we have learned that we are all going to different destinations.
11.05 Bus pulls off.
12.15 Bus pulls into a small town in the middle of nowhere and stops outside a shack. Nobody knows what is happening. Bags are taken off, followed by backpackers.
12.20 We discover it is a lunch spot. We order and eat food which is uneventful. Safe options, curry chicken and chicken fried rice. We do get screwed on the currency exchange but you have to eat. We sit and wait to see what happens next. Westlife play on the radio. A little scooter motorbike drives by with a whole family on it (mother, father and 3 children....they just all seem to fit somehow). Another scooter drives by with someone carrying a large kitchen table on the back. Not so unusual in this part of the world. Nobody even looks.
13.20 After sitting around for 30 minutes wondering what happens next, the Siem Reap travellers (us) are told to get back on the bus. Bags are loaded on. For some reason, following the change in passengers, there are now more passengers than seats. Thankfully we have our original seats, but there is some commotion when the last 2 passengers are told to sit on the floor...for the remaining 5 hours of the journey.
13.35 This is resolved when it is discovered that there are two seats on the back row. The bags and the people are switched and the journey resumes. It is a long and painful trip. The bus seems to have no suspension and as we are sitting above the wheel, we catch every bump on the rough uneven roads. Cambodian roads don’t have much traffic so people and animals constantly walk in the middle of the road, so the driver is constantly blaring the horn.
16.45 Driver needs to go to the toilet. The bus pulls in to the side of the road and he gets out. As we are waiting, someone from the back decides she needs to go too so climbs out over the bags and goes too. Soon, the whole bus unloads (everyone climbing over the bags in the centre) for a pee-break or smoke-break. The chance to stretch our legs feels really good! Then back on the bus.
18.20 We eventually arrive in Kampong Cham (our overnight stopping point). The lights of the city are a welcome sight. As we pull in, we notice a very large group of people by the waterfront doing some sort of coordinated dance, or step aerobics or something. Very strange. We find a guest house, get some food and settle in for the night, very glad that the bus journey is over for now. Early start tomorrow morning again.
Next Day
06.00 Alarm goes off. Snooze.
06.20 Alarm goes off again. Get up. Get dressed.
06.30 Find a nice place for breakfast. Beans on toast. Not bad actually, although Conor’s tea came with a lime, and Kadi’s shake tasted of yogurt.
07.00 Go back to bus stop to meet bus at arranged time. No sign of bus. No sign of guide. No sign of other backpackers. So we wait.
07.15 The guide from the bus comes along and gives us a new ticket for the journey to Siem Reap. We sit and wait some more. A local drives by on a scooter, somehow balancing 6 stacked boxes on the back (they are not even tied down). They look like they’re ready to fall off at any moment but again, no one even bats an eye-lid.
07.20 Our bus pulls up and we get on. Compared to yesterday, this is a luxury bus! It has spacious reclining seats, air con and luggage storage. Ahhh the luxury :) But of course it was too good to be true. Within minutes the “entertainment system” is started up: They have a tv up the front blasting out Cambodian music....sounds like a cross between X-Factor rejects and a televangelist preacher. Ear plugs and a book pass the time.
18.20 We eventually arrive in Kampong Cham (our overnight stopping point). The lights of the city are a welcome sight. As we pull in, we notice a very large group of people by the waterfront doing some sort of coordinated dance, or step aerobics or something. Very strange. We find a guest house, get some food and settle in for the night, very glad that the bus journey is over for now. Early start tomorrow morning again.
Next Day
06.00 Alarm goes off. Snooze.
06.20 Alarm goes off again. Get up. Get dressed.
06.30 Find a nice place for breakfast. Beans on toast. Not bad actually, although Conor’s tea came with a lime, and Kadi’s shake tasted of yogurt.
07.00 Go back to bus stop to meet bus at arranged time. No sign of bus. No sign of guide. No sign of other backpackers. So we wait.
07.15 The guide from the bus comes along and gives us a new ticket for the journey to Siem Reap. We sit and wait some more. A local drives by on a scooter, somehow balancing 6 stacked boxes on the back (they are not even tied down). They look like they’re ready to fall off at any moment but again, no one even bats an eye-lid.
07.20 Our bus pulls up and we get on. Compared to yesterday, this is a luxury bus! It has spacious reclining seats, air con and luggage storage. Ahhh the luxury :) But of course it was too good to be true. Within minutes the “entertainment system” is started up: They have a tv up the front blasting out Cambodian music....sounds like a cross between X-Factor rejects and a televangelist preacher. Ear plugs and a book pass the time.
10.05 Bus pulls into a roadside rest area for a break. Some children come along and beg quite aggressively (“money, money, money”). We stroll around looking at the different foods offered in the restaurant but we’re not really hungry. We come across a pot with something unusual inside. Try to figure out what it is and then realise they are cooked turtles...full bodies with shells. They must have been boiled or something. No thanks.
10.30 Back on the bus and off we go again.
12.00 We finally pull into Siem Reap. There is a flurry of tuk tuk drivers outside waiting for the backpackers. As we get out, we notice one has a sign with Conor’s name on it. He says he was connected with our guesthouse last night and wants to bring us somewhere cheap. As a rule, we generally avoid getting brought anywhere suggested by a tuk tuk as they operate off commission (which we would be paying indirectly) and also, once they have you, it’s hard to shake them off as they want to bring you to a restaurant, or, in this case, bring us on a tour of the nearby temples. So we declined and got our own transport to the city centre.
12.00 We finally pull into Siem Reap. There is a flurry of tuk tuk drivers outside waiting for the backpackers. As we get out, we notice one has a sign with Conor’s name on it. He says he was connected with our guesthouse last night and wants to bring us somewhere cheap. As a rule, we generally avoid getting brought anywhere suggested by a tuk tuk as they operate off commission (which we would be paying indirectly) and also, once they have you, it’s hard to shake them off as they want to bring you to a restaurant, or, in this case, bring us on a tour of the nearby temples. So we declined and got our own transport to the city centre.
12.20 We needed some cash so found an ATM and took out $115 (they use US Dollars here). Machine helpfully asks if we want large notes, small notes, or a mixture, so we select a mixture. It gives us a $5 note, a $10 note and get this.....a $100 note! Don’t know where we are going to find anyone with change for that! We use the machine again and take out $200 (this time it gives us all $5 notes).
12.25 Off to find somewhere to stay. Every time we stopped to check our map, we were harassed by more tuk tuk drivers. One in particular was shouting at us from across the street and ironically waving a sign reading “Tuk Tuk NO HASSLE”.
12.40 We eventually find a nice guest house not far from the centre. After our previous few days and our time without electricity on the Four Thousand Islands, we were delighted to spend a little bit more and get a room with air-con, fridge, etc! Now, off to see Siem Reap!
Ok, hope this post wasn’t too long and that it gives you a flavour of some of the issues we encounter in changing cities and changing countries!
12.25 Off to find somewhere to stay. Every time we stopped to check our map, we were harassed by more tuk tuk drivers. One in particular was shouting at us from across the street and ironically waving a sign reading “Tuk Tuk NO HASSLE”.
12.40 We eventually find a nice guest house not far from the centre. After our previous few days and our time without electricity on the Four Thousand Islands, we were delighted to spend a little bit more and get a room with air-con, fridge, etc! Now, off to see Siem Reap!
Ok, hope this post wasn’t too long and that it gives you a flavour of some of the issues we encounter in changing cities and changing countries!
