New country, same old crazy

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OCTOBER 20, 2012: Good-bye Cambodia, Hello Vietnam…

10:15 AM– Kahn family checks out of the Veranda Natural Resort and waits for the minivan that is suppose to pick them up at 10:30am to take them to Vietnam for their 1pm ferry to Phu Quoc.



11:10 AM– Minivan packed to the gills shows up with only two spare seats in which our family of 4 squeeze into, despite having purchased 4 tickets. Our luggage gets tied to the back of the van with some questionable rope and we just cross our fingers that no pieces will fall loose on the bumpy ride ahead.



11:20 AM– The minivan stops at another guesthouse with the intention to pick up two more travellers and their two immense back-backs. The driver disappears for 20 minutes to figure out how to resolve this enigma. Finally, the two unfortunate travellers are informed they will follow behind us in a tuk-tuk.



12:40 PM– We arrive at the Cambodian side of the border where we have to climb out of the minivan and collect our luggage (which miraculously survived the journey.)



12:55 PM - After 15 minutes of waiting in line in the sweltering heat, our passports are stamped and we have to carry our luggage + children across 400meters of no-man’s-land consisting mainly of mud and dirt. At the Vietnamese passport control, Arnaud talks his way out of paying the bribe required to not fish our vaccination records out of the bottom of one of our back-packs.



1:15 PM – We climb into a second minivan which takes us to an office to collect our boat tickets, while being informed that the boat has agreed to wait for us. It is during this journey that we discover that Arnaud has been handed the wrong passport back by the Vietnamese authorities. Luckily, the tour operator facilitating our trip has been in touch with said authorities and arranges the swap with the poor hysterical French woman who has Arnaud’s passport.



1:30 PM – We board the ferry and seconds later it takes off towards Phu Quoc.



3:00ish PM – We land at a different port than expected and where everyone disembarks and walks- once again with all luggage (and children) in hand- along the railing-free 2 meter wide 500 meter long pier while dodging scooters and motorbikes that ride by at full speed.



3:20 PM – We are not surprised to note that the cab the hotel was suppose to have sent to meet us at the ferry landing is nowhere in sight. A minibus service tries to talk us into transportation in another already overcrowded vehicle to our hotel at a premium cost. We decline; convinced we can secure a better arrangement. Shortly after he takes off, we realize that we do not have the telephone number of our hotel, let alone a functioning telephone, nor the slightest idea where we are… or how to get ourselves some local currency. The only thing we can do is take a seat at a nearby café and think through our options. First things first- a cold drink.



3:40 PM – Arnaud locates an ATM and returns to Lea and the kids armed with the necessary cash to talk a local into driving us to our hotel.



3:55 PM – We negotiate a 20$ ride to our hotel, which we discover is about 1 hour away, on the other side of the island. We climb into an old minivan that has the springs sticking out of half the seats and no seatbelts to speak of.



5:00 PM – After the bumpiest drive of our lives, we start to get our hopes up that our journey is nearing its end when we spot signs for our hotel.



5:10 PM – Our minivan comes to a halt in front of a large pile of stones on the road. These stones were intentionally placed here in support of the road’s construction efforts (80%!o(MISSING)f the journey until here was on dirt “roads”.) The van driver shrugs while informing us that he can’t go further. (SEE PHOTO No.1 ABOVE...)



5:15 PM – Arnaud sets off on foot to seek assistance from our hotel which is apparently 2 km away, while Lea and the kids stay on the roadside and the driver entertains himself by taking photos of our kids. (SEE PHOTOS no.2&3 ABOVE...)



5:45 PM – Two men on a motorbike show up, telling us they will take us and our luggage to the hotel. Lea lets them take the luggage but refuses to climb on with the children! (SEE PHOTO no.4) With Arnaud nowhere in sight, it’s Lea’s turn to set off on foot, along with our two brave kids, down the dirt road ahead, having kept only one small backpack containing water and passports (all our money is in Arnaud’s pocket at this point). I promise the driver that I’ll send Arnaud back with his 20$ as soon as I find him.



6:00 PM – Arnaud appears on a motorbike and I send him off to pay our driver who is still waiting patiently for his full 20$. When Arnaud returns, he has an old man on another motorbike along with him. (Needless to say, nobody is wearing helmets.) Eva gets on the motorbike with Arnaud and Lea climbs behind the old man, lodging Sam securely between them. After 3 terrifying minutes of sandy, muddy, bumpy road, the path disappears and turns into a forest, complete with thick roots across the ground. Lea demands the old man stop and insists that she and Sam can walk the rest of the way.



6:30 PM – We are all safe and sound at the hotel, enjoying a cold drink and laughing off the stress of the afternoon.



6:45 PM – The whole Kahn family jumps into the sea and enjoys a very cheerful and well-deserved sunset swim. (STAY TUNED FOR PHOTOS...)

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