Tag 30 - Cambodian

30.05.19

After very little sleep, we arrive in Bangkok 2 hours earlier (4:15) than expected. Although we have already spent almost a week in the capital, Morchit is a whole new experience at night and in the rain. While searching for the local bus, three people send us in three different directions. After about half an hour (thank goodness we arrived early), a parking attendant on the huge grounds gives us the hot tip to go back to where we came from. We have already found out the bus number and so we get on the right vehicle and wait a few more minutes until the journey starts.

We arrive at Kao San Road. It's strange that we arrived here 4 weeks ago, traveled 2000 kilometers in between, and now we are back. It is now daybreak. Of course, we know our way around and look for a place where we can kill some time until we take our connecting bus. We choose McDonald's - Kao San Road is a party street (the last drunks are still coming towards us) and therefore doesn't offer much breakfast selection.

Eventually, it gets too cold for us (TOO COLD!!!) in the fast-food restaurant and we decide to wait outside for the guide - he should pick us up at 08:30. The tour guide appears promptly at 08:50 and escorts us to our bus. Everyone is much more relaxed on this trip, and there are about twelve other backpackers traveling with us to Cambodia.

The journey to the border is quite uneventful. There is water and snacks, and there is a mandatory stop.

However, things get more exciting when we arrive at the border. A Cambodian 'border guide' enters the bus and immediately makes it clear that he would have preferred to become an entertainer. With incredibly good humor, jokes, and quick remarks, he doesn't quite hit the party nerve with the passengers (e.g., shouting like the lead singer at a concert: 'Are you ready for Cambodia???'). We are somehow overwhelmed but find him very likable. All passengers, including us, have to leave the bus and are placed in front of a shopping center. There, we are asked who has already applied for a visa and how the further procedure will be explained. With the help of Jonna's and my passports, the border guide demonstrates the optimal way of preparation. We feel like we're back in school and see ourselves as the annoying nerds whose essay is read out as a model example. The reason is that we have taken care of an e-visa beforehand, so we have an easier time at the border.

After a short waiting time, we go to exit. we follow the guide past numerous stands, across the streets, and finally up a staircase. There, we queue up and after five minutes, we are photographed and stamped. Thank you, Thailand, you were beautiful and we will probably not be seeing you for the last time! Now we find ourselves in neutral territory for a short time. We walk 200 meters and meet our guide again, who is waiting for us with a fellow traveler. When we are complete, we march on. The guide collects the passports from everyone who does not have an e-visa and performs a 'mass entry' for all of them. Meanwhile, we can go directly to the border office and get our stamps. We queue up again, wait for two minutes, and after another photo and our fingerprints, we receive our stamped passports. Hello Cambodia, now it's your turn to show what you can do!

We go back to our bus and wait for the return of the other passports. They also arrive in a very short time (the border crossing is overall more relaxed than we read on the Internet - an adventurous Dutchman is disappointed at how smoothly everything went) and the border guide goes full throttle in terms of entertainment. This time, we can't help but laugh a little. The bus continues its journey - only 3 more hours to Siem Reap... or so we thought.

30 minutes after crossing the border, the driver slows down and the vehicle comes to a stop. No one says anything. After 15 minutes of silence, a knocking can be heard from outside. A member of the bus crew starts hitting the bus wheel like a madman with a medieval hammer. We and the other passengers find it very amusing; and it's not just us who find the flat tire entertaining, the local rural population also shows great interest in the spectacle and gathers around the hammering man. After an hour of standstill, the bus starts moving again.

We arrive in Siem Reap 90 minutes later than planned. As soon as we leave the bus, local taxi drivers offer us 'Free TukTuk Rides'. Our travel guide has already warned us about these supposedly free rides to the desired hotel. They are only free if you book a tour to Angkor Wat with this TukTuk upon arrival at the hotel (in the next few days), otherwise, the gentlemen will demand money.

With this knowledge, we decide against taking a TukTuk and walk the 1.5 kilometers on foot. There is plenty to see and it has cooled down a bit. Our hostel is not located in the tourist center, and it shows. It's noisy, dusty, dirty, and relatively poor, but it still has a lot of charm. We really like the authenticity of the place, even if we occasionally glance with slightly jealous eyes at the luxury hotels. Cows are driven across the street in front of us, and a group of Cambodian children behind us demand High-Fives. It smells like fire, fish, sewage, and grilled food.

We arrive at our accommodation and are greeted by some dogs. After a brief welcome, the owner takes us to our room without asking any further questions. We unload everything, take a shower, and head out to withdraw money and get something to eat. After trying 12 ATMs, we finally found one that only charges us $4 instead of $7 in fees.

FunFact: Cambodia has two currencies. The main currency is the US dollar. However, since there are no small coins (cents) here, everything under a dollar is paid with the original currency in Cambodia, the Riel. Due to the reign of the Khmer Rouge, the Riel has become very unstable, which is why it is supported by the dollar. Thus, 4000 Riel = $1 (currently, $1 = €0.90).

We are shocked by the high prices in bars, restaurants, and supermarkets (small spoiler: we were just looking in the wrong place) and make our way back home with a small shopping (beer, pizza, and toast) to get some much-needed sleep.

- Alex & Jonna