Bumpy Bus Rides Back.

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It's been ages since I took a "real" traveller's bus ride. Somehow buses with air-conditioning and TV, while very nice, just don't give you the same experience!

The last few days, we have been in Cambodia. We started out from Bangkok at 7am on a lovely big air-conditioned bus with about fifty other backpackers and spent our time watching a terrible B-rate movie and watching the countryside scenery fly by. After passing through the border to Cambodia, however, things all got very different. After waiting for over three hours to be called to our mini-bus, it was finally our turn. We threw our backpacks through the back window and clambered on and was soon on the road, much to the consternation of the group before us who were still sat on the driveway with a dozen men inspecting a leak under their bus!

Soon after we set off, we realized it was going to be a long and bumpy ride. Still, the people with us were nice so it was fun, at least for the first four bumpy, dusty hours. Around 8pm (we were supposed to have arrives in Siem Reap, Cambodia an hour earlier) we hit a road block and our driver decided to take a detour. We ended up on a narrow road with rice paddies dropping off to either side and a line of about 10 cars facing us. The only thing between them and us was a muddy patch of ground over which a makeshift bridge was being hastily hammered together. After some bargaining, it was decided that the cars would reverse to let our bus through. We thought it would be better to test the bridge with a car's weight before taking a bus over, but logic rarely prevails in Cambodia! We eased onto the bridge and within a few seconds we had made it, and were met by the cheer of a dozen locals.

We continued on and later made a stop, where our bus was immediately mobbed by local children, all trying to get us to open the windows. Their English was amazing. In the end, one girl threw a bracelet to me, saying it was a free gift. What great little salespeople they are - of course, I felt obliged to hand over a dollar for it. I didn't mind it though, and we actually went on the buy a lot from the local kids, and then learned that it was better to hand out food instead. Despite the hardships of the past decades, the Cambodians seem very happy and grateful of anything you can give them.

When we finally reached Siem Reap at 11pm, covered in dust and dirt and a little bruised from all the bumping around, we just collapsed in the nearest hotel which of course was that belonging to the bus driver, just as they had planned!

We spent three days in Siem Reap. finding it to be a really nice little city that far exceeded our expectations. We spent a day at a floating village, handing out peanuts to children riding in tiny tubs in the filthy waters, and of course spent a day at Angkor Wat, the whole reason we had gone to Cambodia in the first place.

I hadn't realized that it was so extensive. Not only is there the famous temple shown in every postcard, but there are dozens of others. We spent a full day, from 5am until 5pm, exploring and didn't even scratch the surface. There were steep ruins with hair-raising steps going up for at least 40 feet. We couldn't help thinking that this would never exist in America as there would be too much of a liability risk! MY favourite was the jungle temple of Ta Prohm. It has not been fully restored, so the jungle is still encroaching on it, giving it a real lost civilizations feel. About half way through seeing it, it began to rain. In Cambodia, when it rains it really pours, and we ran for shelter in the ruins with a handful of other tourists. After about 30 minutes, when the thunder started to rumble, we realized it wasn't going to stop any time soon, and so just went for it, walking ankle-deep in muddy water. It added a new level of atmosphere though!

After an equally bumpy and even longer bus ride home ("home" being Bangkok for the time-being) we are enjoying the relative luxuries of Thailand - excellent food, clean paved streets, and our favourite splurge hotel with its swimming pool!

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Photos

Bumpy Bus Ride!
Cows on the road, just one of many hazards!

Village Life
Having fun on the river

Drenched!
Unfortunatly the rain came and kept on coming!