Cambodia
Early start on Monday morning for a train from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet at the Thai border.
We got a “tuk-tuk” to the actual border crossing, then avoided all the ‘touts’ trying to offer us deals for bus/taxi rides to Siem Reap. We got our exit stamp from Thailand without any hassles, then just walked across the border into Cambodia and picked up a visa within 5 minutes (cost 1000 Baht, ~ $20) – in fact miraculously, everything went pretty much according to plan!
We then started walking, hoping to find the place where pick-up trucks are meant to collect tourists and give them a ride to Siem Reap for around 200-350 Baht. Despite being told by several people they’d take us by "the only bus available today”, we didn’t believe them...having read the guide-books it seems that this sort of thing happens all the time, and the best thing is just to ignore them. However, after walking a few km with our bags (was only meant to be 500m), sweating profusely in the heat & humidity, and still having no luck finding a truck, we had to accept the bus offer after all. It was only $10, which really isn’t too bad for an 8-hour journey, but we kind of wanted to be stubborn and do things the hard way (okay, in all honesty, I wanted to be stubborn and do things the hard way :) ).
The road to Siem Reap is hard to describe, and I reckon difficult to understand until it's been endured – the journey was worth it simply for the experience, but really not one that needs repeating! It took 8 hours on an unsealed road with more potholes than even surface, was unbelievably bumpy, and had 20 of us + bags totally packed into a fairly small bus. Even the guide was joking that the bridges wouldn't last much longer - there were a few nervous laughs in response, but I think he was probably being serious! Green fields and 'hut' homes made of wood & bamboo lined the roadside, and several kids were washing or playing in the muddy water.
The people in Cambodia seem really friendly and happy – okay, so most of them are probably trying to scam each & every tourist, but the majority of them are smiling and laughing, despite a very obvious lack of wealth or possessions. It becomes slightly tiring when everyone (literally) wants to give/tell you something, and “be your friend”, when all they really want is for you to buy something from them. Still, it’s quite touching. As for transport, it’s just hilarious :) Each and every mode of transportation (some really can't be called vehicles) is jam-packed with people, bags, food or animals, and you can forget road-markings here – it’s ‘free-for-all’! Most roads are unsealed and full of holes which makes travelling anywhere slow & uncomfortable, but somehow that just seems part of the experience rather than frustrating. It’s certainly fascinating to be a part of.
We got a “tuk-tuk” to the actual border crossing, then avoided all the ‘touts’ trying to offer us deals for bus/taxi rides to Siem Reap. We got our exit stamp from Thailand without any hassles, then just walked across the border into Cambodia and picked up a visa within 5 minutes (cost 1000 Baht, ~ $20) – in fact miraculously, everything went pretty much according to plan! 
We then started walking, hoping to find the place where pick-up trucks are meant to collect tourists and give them a ride to Siem Reap for around 200-350 Baht. Despite being told by several people they’d take us by "the only bus available today”, we didn’t believe them...having read the guide-books it seems that this sort of thing happens all the time, and the best thing is just to ignore them. However, after walking a few km with our bags (was only meant to be 500m), sweating profusely in the heat & humidity, and still having no luck finding a truck, we had to accept the bus offer after all. It was only $10, which really isn’t too bad for an 8-hour journey, but we kind of wanted to be stubborn and do things the hard way (okay, in all honesty, I wanted to be stubborn and do things the hard way :) ).The road to Siem Reap is hard to describe, and I reckon difficult to understand until it's been endured – the journey was worth it simply for the experience, but really not one that needs repeating! It took 8 hours on an unsealed road with more potholes than even surface, was unbelievably bumpy, and had 20 of us + bags totally packed into a fairly small bus. Even the guide was joking that the bridges wouldn't last much longer - there were a few nervous laughs in response, but I think he was probably being serious! Green fields and 'hut' homes made of wood & bamboo lined the roadside, and several kids were washing or playing in the muddy water.
The people in Cambodia seem really friendly and happy – okay, so most of them are probably trying to scam each & every tourist, but the majority of them are smiling and laughing, despite a very obvious lack of wealth or possessions. It becomes slightly tiring when everyone (literally) wants to give/tell you something, and “be your friend”, when all they really want is for you to buy something from them. Still, it’s quite touching. As for transport, it’s just hilarious :) Each and every mode of transportation (some really can't be called vehicles) is jam-packed with people, bags, food or animals, and you can forget road-markings here – it’s ‘free-for-all’! Most roads are unsealed and full of holes which makes travelling anywhere slow & uncomfortable, but somehow that just seems part of the experience rather than frustrating. It’s certainly fascinating to be a part of.
posted by Mhairi
1 Comments:
You, being stubborn? I wouldn't expect that. It's not like you at all, really, its not. I'm surprised.
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