Kampot to Ha Tien and Phu Quoc

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Kampot to Ha Tien and Phu Quoc

The border crossing between Prek Chak in Cambodia and Xa Xia in Vietrnam has been open for a couple of years now. Even so, recent travellers' blogs have reported that it's not an easy journey between the two main towns either side i.e. Kampot and Ha Tien. The concensus seemed to be that you need to take a taxi, motorbike or tuk-tuk to the Cambodian side, walk through and then find transport the other side to take you on to Ha Tien. Monk was expecting hassle on this stretch of the trip, however, he can report that it has now been made relatively easy - certainly from Kampot to Ha Tien.

There are now 2 companies based in Kampot who sell tickets from Kampot all the way through to Ha Tien. One apparently runs a large bus which, given the number of passengers it can carry, could take a while to pass though the border controls. Kampot Tour and Travel runs a minibus that leaves at 9:30 and is scheuled to arrive in Ha Tien at 12:00 leaving plenty of time to catch the 13:00 boat to Phu Quoc. It's $12 to Ha Tien and $20 if the boat ticket to Phu Quoc is included. Many of the small tour shops around town act as agents for Kampot Tour, as do some guesthouses.

Monk was picked up at 9:30 and the bus toured around trown picking up other passsengers before finally getting on the road just after 10:00. The driver drove like a ba out of hell from Kampot to the border. Once in Vietnam he crawled along at snail's pace leaving Monk wondering whether he'd make the boat on time. Obviously, speeding penalties are more draconian in Vietnam than in Cambodia (or maybe the police are not sis bribeable). The last 15kms is on a red-dirt road but this didn't slow him down - clouds of red dust billowed behind us covering everyone and everything we passed in red powder. Traveller's blogs reported that this section of the road was dreadful when it had to be done on the back of a motorbike - it must be true - don't bother with a moto - splash out the £12 - at least you'll arrive with your bones intact and not covered in bizarre red make-up.

The Cambodian border guard lifted the barrier to let us through a few minutes before midday and Monk was able say those famous words 'Good Morning Vietnam'. It proved to be some what premature however - it was a full 45 minutes in no-man's land while passports and visas were checked before the barrier into Vietnam was raised and we finally got on our way to Ha Tien. The driver fom Kampot Tour handled all the opassport formalities for both countries. All in all, a fantastic service for $12. Be sure you have a couple of spare dollars when you cross the border - a dollar is needed to pay for the Cambodian exit stamp and a further dollar to pay for the Vietnamese entry stamp.

After 10 minutes, the bus arrived at Ha Tien bus station which is on the outskirts of town where most people got off to pick up connections to Saigon and other towns. By now, Monk was sure he and the other 8 passengers would miss the boat. The minibus stopped at a ticket seller in town and the driver took our passports again to negotiate the ticket buying - another 15 minute delay. At the dock, the boat was still waiting. As eveybody clambered on board the wooden hulk which looked as though it had seen finer days, Monk wondered whether it would survive the 3 hour journey. The Halong Bay boat sinking had been a few days before and Monk wondered whether he might finally have his 15 minutes of fame.

The boat was mostly filled with locals and, shortly after setting out, the TV was turned on and a DVD of a camp Vietnamese comedian was played at double full volume for the rest of the trip. A couple of backpackers donned earplugs - the Vietnamese seem to love noise. A couple of Vietnamese families - maybe off on their holidays. A middle-aged Vietnamese man spent the entire journey carefully plucking every hair from his nose, face and chin with a pair of tweezers - Monk's eyes were watering in sympathy and he felt like loaning hom his razor. A young man carrying a thin reed basket, about half a metre square, carefully opened the top and produced a magnificent cockerel. He then set about carefully inspecting the cock's feet in minute detail. No farmyard broiler this one, thought Monk, no - a fighting cock - and the inspection was looking for signs of damage from the attachment of spurs. They all laughed along with the comedian, who, with his delicate Vietnamese features, looked more camp than any Western drag queen as he pursed his thin lips.

The boat docked on the western side of Phu Quoc at Bai Vong. The water is so shallow here that the boat has to tie up at the end of a pier that's easily half a kilometre out to sea. The normal chaos ensues with disembarking passengers having to walk the length of the narrow pier against an oncoming stream of mopeds and motos offering lifts into Duong Dong, the main town. The Lonely Planet says that a bus always meets the boat. Monk walked until he was almost out of town - no sign of a bus. Walking back, he tried flagging down a couple of hotel mini-buses, not wanting to resort to a moto with his bag on the pillion seat and himself intimately squeezed between the driver and the handlebars. On the third attempt, an empty minibus stopped and Monk negotiated a ride into town for $3.

Monk had booked a hotel four kilometres down the coast from Duong Dong for tomorrow but unfortunately they were full tonight so Monk decided to find somewhere in Duong Dong for tonight. This is still in the high season for Phu Quoc and accomodation is not easy to find. The third hotel he tried, with a lovely smiling lady owner, had just one room left - large and clean for $15 the night.

After exploring town until darkness fell, Monk took himself off to the night market where a dozen or so street restaurants serve a vast selection of fish and seafood. After grilled cockles, a beautiful red snapper and a bottle of Vietnamese Dalat white wine, at just $5, Nellie and Monk retired for the night.

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