Bangkok to Sien Reap, via Poipet - on SUVs!!!
Trip Start
Nov 01, 2007
1
3
26
Trip End
Nov 20, 2007
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
Saturday, November 3, 2007
A bright and early start this morning. James rang me at 4am sounding irritatingly chipper. Luckily I was already awake; if he'd woken me I would probably have been quite grumpy.
I dashed through my packing, managing to lose my traveller's cheque receipt and stubs (idiot but I am always like this when I travel). I lugged my over-heavy backpack and seriously heavy camera case downstairs to meet everyone at 4:50. Definitely too early! We took taxis to the bus station which was a fun experience. I explained to the taxi driver where we wanted to go but he was quite insistent that we go to Chang Mai or Phuket. We all tried to explain we were going to Cambodia but he just looked bemused. I eventually said we were going to Kampuchea and that did the trick! Off to the bus station quick smart.
Once there I bought food - mainly crisps and nuts since they had nothing else apart from pork sandwiches - and got on the local bus to take us to the border. Now, by local bus I was expecting something really horrendous but we were all pleasantly surprised by an air conditioned coach with loads of leg room. The journey was uneventful but a bit long at about 5 hours. The scenery in Thailand was fascinating but at high speed it was nearly impossible to take any photographs - shame.
We too a small eternity at customs. First of all the Thai immigration guys looked at every page on my passport and finally let me through, but others in my group were less lucky. It took over an hour to leave Thailand. Then it was a long walk through a no-man's land to the Kingdom of Cambodia. That was fun. Even though I had my visa ready, the guy took my passport away and was doing all sorts of strange things. After ages in a queue, it took about 15 minutes for me to be admitted to Cambodia. Again, other guys in my group were taking ages so we were standing around in the baking midday sun.
Eventually we got on a free transfer bus that took us to our next mode of transport - trucks. Not a big lorry type truck, oh no! W got two clapped out SUVs. Our seats were our backpacks wrapped in bin liners. I really had some of the best fun I've ever had in my life today. There were four of us in my SUV and we bumped along brick coloured dirt roads waving at everyone we passed. We were on National Highway 6, by the way, so the equivalent of the M4 perhaps. We passed many highway improvement trucks but their job, it seemed, was to drop more clay coloured dirt on the highway. This journey was so bumpy and I ache all over. But it was incredible fun. There really is no better way to experience the beauty of Cambodia than driving along through towns and villages, greeted by waves, cheers and smiles from everyone we passed. After nearly five hours of being bounced and thrown around, the novelty wore off and I just wanted to be at my hotel. It's quite possibly the dirtiest I've ever been in my entire life, but it was fun. I borrowed a face mask from Kat which was great because there was so much dust everywhere but having lost my favourite cap earlier, I had nothing to go on my head. It was a totally yukky experience and I looked like Max Headroom with orange hair at the end of the trip. I guess I should feel lucky that I'd achieved that z list celebrity orange suntan look simply by sitting on a truck; so much cheaper than a sun bed and more environmentally friendly too. At last I could look like Posh Spice and her ilk.
It was with great relief that I arrived at the hotel for the night. It's very basic, but I have a bed and a shower, albeit with cold water, but who's complaining. It took four shampoos to get the dirt out of my hair and even now it still feels gritty and disgusting but at least I don't look like I had an electric shock any longer.
We all went out to dinner to the Soup Dragon restaurant. I was so tired I didn't do justice to my noodle soup and veggie curry, so I dropped out and came back to the hotel early. It makes sense to me not to be out drinking all night again because I've got another early start tomorrow: 4:40am to drive to Angkor Wat to experience the sunrise over the temples; should be magnificent!
I'm off for another shower and an early bed now.
