Cambodia 2007 - Day 4

Cambodia 2007

Day 4:

A shuttle bus came at 730 am to pick us to the bus deport to board the bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (the Mekong Express).

I was quite pleased with the service encountered so far. Our room was clean, there was hot water, the guesthouse sent a tuk-tuk driver to pick us up from the airport and then there was also a shuttle bus that picked us up from our guesthouse to the bus deport if we purchased a Mekong Express bus ticket which happened to be 10 USD only.

It was almost hotel-like services. Someone to chauffeur us to the guesthouse albeit a tuk-tuk...and then someone to ferry us to the bus deport.

However since we did not plan for after Siem Reap, except for researching on how to get to Phnom Penh next, we had totally no clue as to what we were going to do when we reached Phnom Penh. We had a few options. We could search for a guesthouse in Phnom Penh and then tour the city first before heading to Kampot or Kep before returning to catch the flight back to Singapore or head to Kampot or Kep first before touring Phnom Penh. Much actually depended on whether there was a bus leaving for Kampot and Kep when we arrived in Phnom Penh. Since nobody knew...we really took it easy and I was proud of Gan. If it was before, I am sure she would have done all the research possible and panicked if we missed our schedule or something. However this time, she wasn't too stressed nor worried and we just came up with other options in case we weren't able to leave for Kampot or Kep right away.

The bus to Phnom Penh was full however we saw really ugly Malaysians. They actually acted like typical ugly Singaporeans !! Initally we thought that they were from Hong Kong as they spoke in Cantonese then some of them conversed in Hokkien and we were confused. We knew that they weren't Singaporeans because they sound a little different. It was only when they spoke a bit of Mandarin before we realised that they were Malaysians.

The fuss was over seats. Can you imagine that? The seats on the Mekong Express were allocated. I think that this Malaysian guy along with his girlfriend (OR NOT..since he really came across as a sissy) changed his seat because the group had got on first and perhaps he thought that the bus weren't full. Initially he was allocated the seats before the toilet.

Ok, so a Singaporean Indian family boarded the bus at the same time as us. The Malaysian had taken their seats. I didn't pay attention until I heard the father boomed something like, "No !! YOU change..." And then the Malaysian guy along with the girl went back to their original seats beside us and screamed, "WHAT THE F**K !!!!" Gan and I looked at each other in disbelief. I supposed he was pissed because probably the service crew had said it was ok to switch seats, not expecting that the bus would be full.

Still.....his reaction was really ugly and totally uncalled for, don't you think? I mean it was bad luck to be allocated seats near the toilet. We had seats right beside him so we were near the toilet too. Big deal. Being able to change seats is an advantage but it is not some god-given right especially since they were allocated.

Then we witnessed some uncles coming up to him and offering to change seats with him presumably so he could be out of his dire mood because he was sulking so badly he was affecting the air that Gan and I were breathing in. It was quite annoying having uncles and aunties coming up to him and trying to pacify the spoilt sissified brat and him having to make a whole show by declining loudly.

All Gan and I wanted to do was to 'stone' in peace and the racket was making it almost impossible too. I would call him a sissy because his gestures were so effeminate and believe me....he made a big show out of holding a piece of tissue to his nose throughout the entire journey before he changed seats after people got down at the rest-point.

I mean.....the girl beside him didn't do anything....we didn't do anything...or maybe we had a bad nose and didn't smell anything....hmm maybe the girl beside him was his sister and not his girlfriend....

Anyway we were glad when he changed seats...Gan was commenting that he was affecting the aura around us.. after he changed seats, uncles and aunties stop coming by to offer to swap places with him and we were finally allowed some peace and quiet.

So disgusting right...

Ah well.. we mostly slept or stared at the scenery or just..well 'stone'.

It was about a 6 hour jouney. The Mekong Express offers ok services. They gave out wet towels, everybody had a bottle of water and a box of bread..plus the bus had toilet except that we didn't use it. We used the toilet at one of the stop-over. Gan and I walked a bit in search of a spectacle shop to tighten the screw on the spectacles but we didn't manage to find any.

Oh and I developed rashes. It got really bumpy and itchy on my arms. It was the first time that it happened, a testimony to how dirty Cambodia is. However since I did not develop it until the 4th day on the bus, I have no idea if it was the bus, 3 days of Siem Reap's puffs of travel dust, the two bottles of wine that I shared with Gan in 2 days or allergy to any unknown spices that perhaps was included in our food.

Gan kept telling me not to scratch or it would spread. But it was simply....just so itchy !!! (>.<) Since I didn't want to get nagged at.... I scratched when Gan wasn't looking. =P

We reached Phnom Penh close to 1 p.m. When we got down, we hurried into the office to ask whether they offered services to Kampot and Kep. They didn't. However they were nice enough to tell us that Central Market did but didn't know what time the bus leaves. We were in such a haste, I left my painting of Angkor Wat behind. We rushed for a tuk-tuk and the driver said that he thinks that the bus to Kep and Kampot leaves at 1.15 pm but he wasn't sure. It felt like the Amazing Race. Seeing that we were in a rush, the driver probably took the opportunity to rip us off. He charged us 2 USD to get to Central Market which was actually just a few streets away but we had no choice as we didn't want to waste time bargaining.

When we got there, Gan rushed into the office to ask while I waited on the tuk-tuk with our bags. It was only then I realised that I didn't have my painting with me. Gan came out mumbling something which I couldn't catch and then we left for the bus deport. The driver charged us another 1 USD to get there. (-_-")

When we reached the bus deport, it was after 1 p.m. The bus leaves at 1.15 p.m and we haven't purchased the tickets. We found the counter that sells the tickets to Kampot and Kep and Gan instructed me to look for the bus while she buys our tickets. I mean it was really adrenaline-pumping...

I found the bus...hung around while keeping one eye on the bus and the other on Gan. She rushed over with our tickets which cost 4 USD. We dumped our bags in the baggage space and boarded the bus. *PHEW....Then we set off and somehow it was really hot. So we swapped places a few times before we finally found comfortable seats away from the sun.

I managed to reach the Mekong Express office after a few failed attempts. Everything was so confusing. They offered 3 numbers. However I think one of them wasn't it or maybe it was the country code and area code that we needn't dial. The person on the line couldn't really understand either. Finally I got the correct number and found a nice lady and we could mutually understand each other accented English. She agreed to keep the painting for me until we returned to Phnom Penh. So nice right...=)

And since Gan was worried about having no accomodations, she asked me to call and book because she was feeling anti-social. (-_-")

Actually there wasn't any need because people there really are quite eager to earn our money. However I did call though and her first choice was fully booked. She didn't note down the number for her second choice and so we booked rooms for her third choice. The guy said that he was out and needed to return to check for the availability of the rooms so I said I would call back later.

Taking the bus was quite an experience. Check out the video to see how bumpy it was. We actually flopped about in our seats !

It was a rickety old bus but I kind of enjoyed the quaint experience. =)

The views of the rice fields were amazing....

Rice fields after rice fields,

weighted down with rice ready for harvesting,
glistening gold in the light.

Kep and Kampot are 45 mins apart.
When we reached Kep, it was already 5+ in the afternoon.

All those pictures were taken from the moving bus so they weren't extremely clear or had good framing. But imagine how I felt.....being on a rickety bumpy bus, heading for a little quiet town that is not swarming with tourists....golden rice fields with cows and buffaloes roaming freely...watching all that serenity as people went about their work quietly...

Gan and I didn't speak much and just slept or stared out of the window, while swaying from side to side like coconut trees in a storm. The bus was probably only half-filled at most and I was glad for it. I like space. =P

Well...on the other hand, we noticed this shifty uncle who kept staring at us. When we first got on, we changed seats about three times to avoid the sun. The uncle changed along with us. Then he kept turning back which was like so weird because we were the only ones at the back.

I looked away from Gan and commented quietly that the horrid uncle seemed to be really pinning his attention on us. Gan replied that she noticed him too and we wondered if he was trying to steal our stuff or something...We resolved to be more alert and only heaved a sigh of relief when he got down at one of the stops and disappeared.

And then....we were the only Asians there that were not Cambodians. Gan noticed that the Caucasians seemed to receive preferential treatment. At least there was a guy on the bus who gave out name cards (I think) to all the Caucasians. I said that perhaps he thought that we were Cambodians. Gan pointed out that since she was wearing spectacles, it was hardly possible for us to be mistaken as Cambodians.

*shrugs...if they don't want to do our business, we can take it elsewhere. I wasn't particularly offended by it.

We passed through Kep and when we reached Kampot, there was a surge of people clamouring to recommend their guesthostels or asking us to take their tuk-tuks or motorbikes. They nearly gave me a headache. Luckily we had booked a guesthostel and they had arranged for someone to come and pick us up.

I was however a little taken aback when I realised that our mode of transport was motorbikes. I was a little sceptical about balancing both me and my backpack on it. The guy who I rode with perched my backpack in front of him while Gan had hers on. I have no idea which is safer. Hah. It seemed that having mine is front compromise the rider's ability to navigate whereas carrying a backpack makes keeling over more of a probability.

After the initial few seconds of adjusting, I cast away the doubts and really enjoyed the motorbike ride. I LOVE BEING ON A MOTORCYCLE !!

The wind in my hair...just feeling the whizzing past of everything...I wouldn't mind doing it forever, except that in Singapore I probably be a lot more worried about safety. However in Cambodia you just cast caution to the wind. We rode without helmets as pillions with strangers and it was totally cool.

I mean everybody will probably think that we were crazy and how dangerous it was. However it was Cambodia where it is the norm to do so. I wouldn't do it in Singapore because if some stranger offered me a ride without a helmet, I would really doubt his ability to navigate the traffic in Singapore. Besides it is not the norm to have motorbike taxis. However over there, there are fewer cars...the speed was slower and I suppose you can't go too fast on dirt or bumpy roads. And motorbike taxis are just as common as taxis here in Singapore or tuk-tuks over there.

We finally reached our guesthostel by the river. The room was a bit of a letdown although it was big. There were strong working fans but there doesn't seem to be an opening for fresh air. The ventilation fan wasn't working and we didn't want to open the windows. There wasn't a place for us to hang our clothes for bathing, nor a sink and the toilet door wouldn't close properly. The room looked pretty dismal. But it was only for 6 USD per night and I guess we just needed some adjusting after our better room in Siem Reap. I didn't mind everything and wouldn't mind staying there again if they fixed the ventilation fan because it offers a nice view of the river. You hardly notice the stuffiness of the room unless you go out and come into the room again. I mean..seriously..it only costed us about 4.20 SGD per night each.

We went to check in after we had deposited our luggage. It turned out that the guy whom I rode pillion with was a guide who spoke very good English. His name is Van Dad and he told us to call him "Dud". I could tell he was a big eager for us to go up to Bokor mountain on motorcycles with him. He kept reiterating that it would be fun to spend the night there, instead of following a car up. I was a bit hesitant as I've heard that the road is extremely rocky. I looked to Gan who seemed ok with it and eventually I decided that the locals are good at their stuff anyway so... I mean based on gut and instinct, I knew there shouldn't be any problem. However being rational, I still felt compelled to look at the issue from all angles and after weighing the various factors quickly, I agreed.

It was 25 USD each, to bring us up and back on motorbikes and 5 USD for entrance into Bokor mountain and another 5 USD to stay at the ranger station there. It sounded reasonable to me and we agreed. He said he would come to pick us up the next day at 8.30 a.m and we could leave our things in the guesthouse.

We then bathed and I had to clean up the mess in my backpack because the jar of moisturiser that I brought had spilled. Gan also hustled me to go bathe because of my rashes that were throughout my whole body. It was amazing how the lack of hot water didn't affect me. I think it was because of the rash, my skin actually felt warm when I palmed my arms and forearms... and it was lucky that the place wasn't that cold to begin with or I would have came out with chattering teeth like the stay in Chiangmai. After we bathed, we had this weird seafood fried rice for dinner at the guesthouse, eating and reading at the same time. The sun had already set by then.

Dinner was overall pale pink in colour and I think they fry it with salted fish paste or something. Somehow I was in the phase where I either didn't require much food intake or I was gradually losing my appetite because the food didn't really agree with me. But I think it was the former because I wasn't turned off by the food. I just didn't feel hungry like the periods where I will not binge and binge again. I finshed 3/4 of the plate and had to compelled myself to polish off the rest.

Because of the rashes, I slept in my sleeping bag. It wasn't that the bed looked dirty but at least I know that the sleeping bag was guaranteed clean. I also messaged my consultant in Aust, Jac, and asked her if I have no known allergies to food and never had rashes because of alcohol, could the rashes throughout my body be due to dirt or something. She said that it was probably heat rash and I should apply calmine lotion or get an antihistamine from the pharmacy. It is so cool to have a pharmacist friend who knows her stuff isn't it? =P

Anyway, it is amazing how much we sleep in Cambodia. By 9 p.m I think we were already fast asleep. Even though we didn't tour today, I still really enjoyed the road trip. And you know what? I bet I will still enjoy it as much as the first time if I do it again. *beams