Naipablaak: 25.11.2019
Hello,
after we landed safely, we went to the passport control where we easily got our visas for Cambodia for a fee of $30 each and 20 minutes of waiting. We quickly left the airport with our luggage. There were many tuk-tuk drivers waiting outside the airport. Shortly after, we chose a driver and off we went. Instead of driving on the left side like in Thailand, we drove on the right side like we do back home. The 12 km ride to our hostel was supposed to cost $8 but it took about 1.5 hours since there was heavy traffic. Checking in at the hostel was easy, but we received our change in the local currency because in Cambodia they prefer to be paid in dollars. Matthias had already contacted a motorbike seller nearby who was selling a Honda Win, and now he could message him that we had arrived and would like to try out the motorcycle. After an hour, we finally met up. At first, he wanted to offer us a different motorcycle than the one we had seen online, which did not have a luggage rack for our backpacks, because the other one was reserved for someone else. However, Matthias told him that the luggage rack was very important to us. So we went around the corner to a backyard, and after a quick inspection, we went on our first test drive. The impression was not bad, and after further tests and checks, we decided to buy the motorcycle for $260, including a helmet and the necessary luggage rack. We decided to name the motorcycle 'CAMILLA'. The next morning, we went in search of a second helmet, which proved to be quite difficult even though there were so many motorbikes on the streets of the city. We wandered through the markets, as there are no real shops, and asked around. After hours of searching without success, we asked a tuk-tuk driver if he could take us to a stand where we could buy one. The approximately 1.5-kilometer ride was well worth the dollar, and we quickly bought a new helmet. Now we took a tuk-tuk back to the hostel for another dollar. We had half an hour left to apply for a visa for Vietnam and to reach the office, which was about 3 km away, by motorbike. The traffic was heavy again, but we arrived 5 minutes before closing and were able to apply for the visa. Now that we knew where to shop, we went back to the market. First, we had the front brake lever replaced at a small workshop, and we bought a spare spark plug. At other stands, we bought the necessary tools. After this exhausting morning, we returned to the hostel, where we cooled off in the pool after having lunch before going to pick up our passports from the office. We paid $60 each for the 30-day visa and were relieved that this hurdle was also overcome. However, upon closer inspection of our passports, we noticed that our visa expires exactly one day before our departure and flight from Vietnam. After a short research, we also read that it is possible to extend it in Vietnam. The first shock was over, so we went to watch a kickboxing match in the evening. We took a tuk-tuk from the hostel to the arena, crossing the city. Our driver gave some money to a security guard, and we were in the front row at the ring. The fights were interesting, and the hall was shaking. After four fights, including one international fight, we went back to the hostel. After a midnight snack, we went to bed to gather strength for the first long ride the next day.
See you then,
Malia