Buses, Trains and Automobiles...the Road to Siem Reap (Day 15)

Well, I have to say, this is probably the most boring of the days because I did not take any pics. We woke up bright and early at the bus station in Bangkok only 15 min. late. It was still very dark out. We were informed that the subway did not start running until 6:00 am, so we caught a cab for a whopping 225 Baht to the train station on the other side of town. Our plan was to take a train for 45 Baht to Arranyet-Prathet, better known as the border of Cambodia. We arrived early and waited in the station for an hour before getting seated. We had bought our third class seats again and were surprised when they told us to go to the front and sit in nice padded reclining seats. We were quickly pinched though and relegated back to our ghetto, uncomfortable seats. The same ones we rode on for our epic journey from the Thai/Malaysian border. Fitting, I think.

It wasn't too bad until the train got over crowded and we had to sit three to a bench facing three other people. I was sitting there reframing the whole thing thinking (and writing), "It's okay, we're on our way to Cambodia. We have our visas and in a few hours we'll be in catching a bus to Siem Reap. I really hope this smelly, very hungover Thai man sitting across from me with the leather jacket who sounds like he has emphysema and is drinking a bottle of Mei Kong whiskey in public at 7 am and offering sips to me does not yak all over me!"

Nevertheless, many people got off well before the border. However, our respiratory-challenged friend stayed with us until the end. He did not speak English, but we managed to communicate. I offered him gum, he offered me whiskey and boiled eggs. We survived the train ride and caught a tuk-tuk to the border. Our friend was nowhere in sight, but I suspect he was heading across the border to the Casinos. At the border, after crossing the Thai side, a man approached us and offered us the Cambodian entry and departure cards, then as we filled them out he asked for 50 Baht each. We laughed, left the cards and continued on. We met a middle-aged South African couple who seemed to have a lot of information, so we stuck with them and caught a cab to Siem REap as the buses did not seem to be a viable option. It was a 3-5 hr. ride and only cost us about $14 each.

We were glad that we got the cab because the road was bumpy and mostly unpaved. They were in the process of paving it. Short strips of fresh smooth pavement would end in bumpy, rocky, dirt roads that were too narrow for the number of cars, trucks, buses, and motorbikes on them. No to mention that in Poipet, just after crossing the border, people drove on the left, right, and in the middle of the road and just swerved around each other, literally because none of the streets were paved. On the "Highway" they seemed to generally follow American rules, but not always. Also, the cars had steering wheels on both the left and right sides. Some people spoke English very well, while others spoke none, and some spoke some French. They use American dollars as currency, but no coins. They use Cambodian Riels as change (e.g., 4,000 Riel = $1). The couple was nice and told us all about the countries they had visited around Africa.

Our guest house was lush and beautiful and our room was very nice, clean and had an AC option! We had hot and cold water, T.V. with cable, a huge ceiling fan, a minifridge, etc. I wanted to walk to town, but my sister was tired, so we waited. After it rained, we were on our way in search of some good authentic food. The place we settled on had lots of pictures, which seemed helpful. I ordered the lok lak and, unfortunately, the picture did not do it justice. The fried egg in the picture was scrambled on top of some sweet and extremely chewy beef that was nearly inedible. Chimay got some okay noodles, but for $5 total we were very unimpressed.

The town was small and seemed like a tourist trap. We expected this in a small under-developed country, but we had to figure out how to get off of the tourist track. It was somewhat reminiscent of Mexico. The people seemed genuinely humble, honest, and very real, which I appreciated. Everything had a real, raw feel to it. We picked up some groceries and went to bed before our big day over at Siem Reap (lot of picks to come in that post I promise.