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Published: November 16th 2006
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After the delights of Vientiane we had to live through the horrors of an overnight VIP bus down to Pakse, a city in the south of Laos. When we started 'traveling' in Australia we thought that overnight busses were the bees knees however every time we take one now it just gets a little more painful. It isn't just the lack of leg room and having to sit sleeping up but also the constant stops for snacks along the route and the way the bus sways from side to as the driver hurtles through the dark and winding roads. After the bus colliding with an ox incident in Thailand and reports from our friend Patrick of thieves going through the bags in the locked hold as the passengers sleep we were very keen to get this trip over and done with. Also it turned out that we weren't the only ones who had been abandoned at our hotel the night before instead of being collected for the bus so we think perhaps it didn't leave at all or they sold the seats twice which is a bit rude, anyhoo we got there in the end.
Being gluttons for punishment we
Whoops
Not a good start decided to head on straight through to the Cambodia instead of recovering from our ordeal and hopped into a minibus to the border. We were all set to do this until we stopped to pick up a couple of girls who had stayed on Don Det, one of the many islands in the Mekong who raved about it so much that Tom screamed 'stop the bus!' and we jumped out.
The island of Don Det is accessible by a small river hop from the village of Ban Naknasang and is possibly one of the prettiest and most chilled out islands that we have seen on our trip - and lets be honest, we have seen a few. Although tourists have been visiting the islands for a good few years, the island is still being farmed in very traditional ways and it is really interesting to see people working in the rice fields with the aid of their trusty buffalo. The accommodation is spread out along the river amongst the small village, perfect for watching the sunset and all come with two hammocks so no more arguments about whose turn it is for a lounge. We spent the next day
cycling around the island on the bumpy road that used to be the old railway line, we didn't plan to do this as there is a perfectly good road with a good non-bump surface but the troll who lives under the bridge and who came out to collect our toll onto the island neglected to tell us this and was probably sniggering at us as we pushed off along the boulder strewn path on our antique push bikes. The aim of the trip was to go for a little dunk in the waterfall but we got a little lost and went round the island twice looking for it and had to jump in the Mekong instead to cool down. The Tat Sonphamit waterfall is actually a bit strong for a swim but very impressive.
After the cycle home and a good nights sleep we were ready to face the challenges of the border with Cambodia, we were armed with our visas and a ticket all the way to Siem Reap in Cambodia so nothing could go wrong. Except of course unless the driver feels like showing off and drives the mini bus off the road into a ditch, this
happened within five minutes of our two day journey so it was a little inauspicious. A replacement minibus eventually arrived after attempts were made to tow it out with the help of a very dilapidated bus which happened to have been driving past. It almost worked even though the rope tying the two vehicles together looked like it was going to give way, but instead it was the bus (being a bit of a rust bucket) that lost this tug-of-war when the bumper snapped off. Ho hum, within the hour we were back on the road, actually it was more a dirt track through the forest into no mans land, it took one hour to go the 15km to the border. Definatly the worst road in Laos particuarly as it was soon to be upstaged by the splendor of the Cambodia highway.
The border with Cambodia used to be used as an unofficial crossing but these days things look fairly official, they even issue visas for people without them which 'The Book' (the lonely planet backpacking bible) claims is not possible. With only a $1 'fee' on the Laos side and another $2 for the Cambodian officials we were
through and drove south on one of the best and newest roads in Cambodia. We were to cross the Mekong again that day, this time at Stung Treng on a little ferry full of pigs - FYI pigs on the way to market aren't the best traveling companions and these ones were a little vocal. The bridge across the river is almost complete so this particular way of getting into Cambodia will be obsolete very soon.
Not realizing when we booked the bus ticket that the journey would take two days it soon became clear why this would be the case when the smooth tarmacked road gave out to a dusty pot hole strewn affair. Much more like the roads that we were expecting given that many of the roads (and much much more) were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. Not being the sort of fella to be put off by this our driver drove bravely on at several thousand km an hour through the dark until we stopped at our home for the night, the town of Kompong Cham.
Bright and early we were back in the bus and with only the obligatory
lunch stop (about half an hour before our arrival in Seim Reap, presumably the bus driver couldn't wait a second longer). The town of SR looks a little deserted on the outskirts but when we caught a tuk-tuk into the city this is contrasted with the rash of new hotels and restaurants lining the streets. The free ride into town that we had been promised by the bus driver of course turned out to be a way of dragging us to his favorite hostels, owned by his friends no doubt. This would not have been a problem but the first place was massively over priced and the second one offered us the choice between a) a mattress on the floor b) a bed in a building site so we gave the driver some money to shut him up and headed off down the road.
In the end a lovely tuk tuk driver called Logan that we met at the cash machine - which incidentally issue American $'s rather than the Cambodian Riel - took us to the Family Guesthouse which is just off the Sivatha Blv - the main road through town - and as the name suggests rents
out rooms above the home of a lovely extended family. The rooms are really modern and clean, ours even had hot water, woo hoo!, and the people are so lovely, the little ones crash about in their baby strollers and their mothers and grandmothers brothers, sisters and nephews all take turns at entertaining them. The main communal area is also their kitchen and they will happily make breakfast, lunch or dinner at bargain prices. Yep we are advertising another hostel but it was a really nice place and being only 6 months old and not in 'The Book' they could do with some publicity. Logan was to reappear the next morning as we had arranged for him to take us around SR's star attraction, the temples and ruins of Angkor.... to be continued...
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