Phnom Penh

16oct2006

Finally, in Phnom Penh, after more than 24 hours on the trip.
Actually it was a real mess and disaster about this trip. Back in Saigon when I was having my breakfast at 7 o'clock, there was already a girl from Delta Adv rushing me to finish my breakfast as the groups were waiting, no problem though, as I was already quite finish.
Anyway in the tour office, I was told by the manager that I was the only one signed for the 2 day trip to Phnom Penh and the lady just told me to take the 3 days tour. I was so angry because she was rushing everything which left me somehow unable to think clearly. So at the end I yelled at here saying the she could've told me yesterday and not this morning rushing someone in his breakfast and then pushed to take the 3 days tour. I said I didn't have the time and there's no way I'm taking the 3 days tour. I mean she could've simply said that I was the only one signed for the tour and they're not doing it. Anyway, finally I took off with the group that's going for the 3 days tour. This I found out later on the boat..
So, the program was that I joined the 3 days tour for the 1st day and for the 2nd day to Phnom Penh I would be "transferred" to another 3 days trip that left the day earlier. ok now, the Mekong Delta Tour was not exactly a bad trip, it's ok, they took us to see the villages.

When we finished the tour at 6.30 another bus picked me up and took me to Chau Doc, the nearest city to the border. I slept in a guesthouse where the next morning another guide would take me and join the other group.

The last part of the trip, from Chau Doc to the border is a 3 hours trip, starting with some visits to the fishing village, Cham-moslem village.
Finally we arrived at the border and the guide took care of everything. She gathered all the passports and while we waited at a coffee shop for something to eat, she arranged everything for the exit-stamp. After that, we changed to another boat. Seemed like a company that cooperate with Delta Adventure. It was the capitol tour. The boat was, well, bad. Anyway, a short ride to the Cambodian immigration office which we all got the entry stamp. Later on I found out that my arrival card from Indonesian Immigration was gone. I stapled it in my passport but it wasn't there anymore.
After 2 hours sailing, we reached the so-called bus station, which looked more like a warehouse with buses and cars inside. There was something fishy about this as the guide told us that there are 3 buses that will take us downtown. Apparently, he's kinda selling us the various guesthouses. I don't know but I was even told to stay while the others had to board the bus. Me? waiting alone? in the middle of nowhere? Just no way. So after some arguments they let us all 9 people got in the bus. The situation was that in the bus, there were only 8 seats left, and we were 9. I had to stay? There were a spanish couple, diana and anghel who told me that If I had to stay, they would stay and wait also with me. I appreciated that very much.

The bus ride took 1 hour to get to the city. Hmm crowded, traffic, more cars than Hanoi or Saigon, but not many as Jakarta ;p..
At one guesthouse where they dropped us (in vietnam, they always do this, dropped you any guesthouse they like and get the commission), I saw a young man waving a card with my name on it haa!.. Thank God. Actually it was really that far actually, but it's dark, and new place.

The boddhi tree guesthouse is a little guesthouse that's cozy, with garden where they put chairs, dining table (there's also a restaurant which is quite famous).
I got a single room with bathroom and fan, US$8.

People in Cambodia is very much different from Vietnam. While in vietnam they look more chinese, here is a mix between malay, indian and chinese. It doesn't feel much different from Thailand though.