From Vietnam to Cambodia

My next big ride was from Vietnam to Cambodia. Since I'm traveling by motorbike I informed myself where it would be easiest to cross the border. There are a couple of border checkpoints where it is possible to get into Cambodia (by motorbike). The biggest one is between Ho Chi Minh and Phnom Penh, but it is also the busiest one. Since there are multiple buses full of tourists, Vietnamese and Khmer people (inhabitants of Cambodia), crossing the border. North of Ho Chi Minh are also one or two, but because I didn't go to the Mekong Delta I decided to go for the one in the very south of Vietnam and because I heard it would be the easiest to cross.

My first stop was in Ho Chi Minh. I thought it would be crazy to get into the city, due to all the other motorbikes. But in the end it wasn't that big of a deal. I stayed three days and on the first one I met with Denise (the girl from Ireland). The second I spent walking around the city (also with getting lost) and going to the army museum.

After spending a couple of nights in the old capital of Vietnam (more the capital of the south during the war) I was heading to the south. My goal was Ha Tien, where the border checkpoint is. But it would have been too long of a ride, so I decided to stop halfway. My intention was to get up very early in order to be out of the city when all people are driving to work. So I got up at 4:30 am and left the hostel at 5 am. But...I got lost and my navigation system (crappy phone) didn't work, so I met all the people that were driving to work this morning, it was mental. I have never seen so many motorbikes driving past, in front and behind of me....Motorbikes and people everywhere!!! And because it was so early that day, I was still very tired and couldn't actually be bothered. But eventually I got out of the city and arrived in Can Tho where I would spend the night and recover from the chaos this morning.

The next day I wanted to get to Ha Tien and sleep there the next night. It was quite a nice ride, I was driving by the Mekong basically the entire day. It was beautiful and I crossed nearly 1'000'000 bridges.

And finally I arrived at the sea again and in Ha Tien.

For dinner I went to a little restaurant owned by a British fellow, which turned out to serve also British breakfast. The next morning I went to the same place again in order to mentally prepare to cross the border and to spend my last few Vietnamese Dong. I talked to the owner a little bit and he told me to be prepared to get water thrown at me and baby powder. The Khmer people (still inhabitants of Cambodia) are celebrating New Year the entire weekend and the way they do it is to throw water and baby powder around.

It was my third new year celebrated this year (new year in Germany, Tet (Chinese New Year) in Vietnam and finally Khmer new year).

After an amazing breakfast I went to the border. While I was waiting in the queue I took a look at my passport which I was holding in my hand...Oh f**k I should have been out of Vietnam 4 days ago, my visa for Vietnam ran out four days ago...I was next in line, so I decided to hand my passport to the customs officer as if I had nothing to worry about, I was hoping he wouldn't notice, but he obviously did. I thought that would be the end, I would go to prison. I was definitely overreacting, I only had to pay 10 US Dollars, that was it. So I could cross the border and enter Cambodia.

My first destination within Cambodia was Kampot, which is close to the border.

The first day I arrived, I already met nice people, with whom I went out for dinner and dancing afterwards. The same night I met a girl from Canada (with her I would be traveling the next few days) and we agreed to go to the national park close to Kampot (Bokor National Park), which is on a mountain.

All the locals didn't have to work, therefore many of them thought to go to the National Park together with their families. The road that led to the top of the mountains was beautiful and very curved. On the side of the street were all Khmer people with their families picnicking, it was so nice to see. On top of the mountain was an old casino, a new casino, a huge hotel, a waterfall, and an old cathedral church (and many other things).

The next day I went to the national park again, just to ride those beautiful roads with the motorcycle.