SIEM REAP TO BANGKOK
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
70
319
Trip End
Sep 02, 2009
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
Saturday, December 6, 2008
I no sooner got back to the front of our hotel when the scooter forerunner arrived and asked us to walk just down the lane to the bus. This we did. It looked just about full and the front seat was piled with backpacks. We took ours off and the driver was stacking them across the back or on the front seat. We took the 2nd row and were off to pick up the last group. About 6 people came out and I was wondering where he would put them all. He rearranged the bags at the back and stuck one guy in the back row where I think 4 would normally sit he had 5. He then stacked the backpacks on the 1st seats down the isle! We quickly moved up. As the seats filled up so did the isle. There was one guy at the front who thought he would get the seat to himself, but we stopped at a bus check point and two guys and a chair came out. Their packs now completed the isle to the front! The one guy got the last seat on the front with the guy who thought he would be alone all the way to the border. Ha, ha! And the last one on got to sit in the middle on the red plastic chair. We were told it was a big bus and air conditioned. So Len thought we would be changing. I said I didn't think so, not with all the packs in the isle and along the back. Air conditioning, ah, yes, we drove along with the door and the driver's window open. We opened ours. The ride wasn't too bad, from Siem to the border town of Poipiet is well know for being a bumpy road, and it was. They are working on it. Most bridges are in, but not being used you have to detour around them. There were some blacktopped spots along the way which were a welcomed break from the bumps.
Pit stop time, so we got out, I took the chair out as the young man wasn't a thinker and just got up and left. All those in the back crawled along the backpacks or on the seats (most took their flip flops off). Same thing when we stopped to have lunch.
The border seemed more organized than what I had read in other blogs. Actually it was quite easy just time consuming. We stood in the line to get out of Cambodia and got our passports stamped. Then walked the no man land - there are two casinos here, but didn't stop. In line again and filled out the entry card for Thailand. No visa required here, but just the questionair. I finally got to the front and he asked where I was staying, I said in Bangkok and he rolled his eyes and said where? So I said where the bus drops us off. He asked where, so I looked back at the ones from our bus behind us and asked where. They told me Khoa San, which I told him and he was happy (NOT) and stamped my passport and entry card. I told the agent Len was with me and he was coming to the same place as me. Len was through in no time flat.
Now in Thailand and waiting for the next bus. They split us up into 3 groups and we got on the 2nd mini van and were off to Bangkok in no time - about 4 hours later. They drive on the other side of the road here! We were surprised! Cambodia and Vietnam were on our same side. Couldn't see much as the backpacks were piled up to the roof in front of us. We took a gravol and tried to sleep. The guide said no stops, but we did make one before we left the border area and then about half way here.
Bangkok is all decorated up with banners, flags and lots of pictures of their King. It was his birthday celebration - yesterday! They had a parade and then fire works at night. Darn it.
We stopped in the backpackers area and we followed a couple from Slovania. They were looking for a quiet place not on Khoa San Road (party street) with air, hot water and clean. We got off the van, put our packs on and I was getting ready for a hike up and down streets, but they noticed a sign for a new 'guest house' and we checked it out. Actually this is the first place we didn't even look at the room. It is in a new section and is very nice. The sheets even smell like big hotel sheets smell, really clean and laundered. It is quite nice here, I think much cleaner than where we have been. We are on a 'u' shaped street and not much traffic. The hotel is actually back off the street.
It has been a long day, we have supper, clean up and call it a night.
