My Cambodian Journey: A Scenic Ride?

Three full days in Phnom Penh would suffice for a nice, relaxing pace of visit. With easy road reading on map, friendly people, cool weather, pulsating city and nightlife, and learning of the Khmer Rouge history, i enjoyed Phnom Penh and was looking forward to Siem Reap, if Siem Reap could top this. We woke up early, got ready and checked out.

Mekong Express Bus
Having collected our bus tickets on the first day of visit, the bus company arranged a pick-up for us at our hostel at 7.30am. We were the first among several other tourists from other hotels. Our bus departed almost on time, scheduled for 8.30am to Siem Reap, and we were prepared for the 6 hours drive ahead- thinking we could sleep. Ticket was USD 12, inclusive of breakfast box of one croissant and chicken pie, bottle water, English speaking guide (who didn't speak as much as i thought since she was a 'guide') and on-bus toilet (which was good given the long length of travel; imagine toilet on an airplane, but when i was there, there was no water at the sink). Nevertheless, it was a bus company worth recommending. The bus stopped midway for lunch break.

The bus.

This part is titled largely due to this bus ride- should i call it a scenic ride? Though we'd wanted to sleep, we couldn't because the route took the bus from tight single road through town, to narrow highway, then bumpy, sand trail. Sitting at the front seats, the honks were loud enough to wake us up or disrupt our attempt to sleep. Despite the setbacks (and since i could not really sleep), i decided to enjoy the view of my ride and see the lives of its people away from the cities. It was an exciting experience.

Cloudy sky, green paddy fields and sandy road.

Notice the haystack on the left and the wooden house on the right; seen almost throughout the journey.

I saw vast paddy fields, some browning, some still as green as leaves. Mostly wooden village houses, i noticed how the houses had large pile of hay outside their homes. Their houses looked similar to the 'kampung' houses. I observed that the cows were skinny (or skinnier than those i've seen in Malaysia). The narrow, bumpy sand trail actually made the ride exciting and challenging (though more dangerous). The side of the bus actually hit an oncoming truck's side mirror; the knock sound echoed with 'ouch' by several other passengers and me, like the bus was being inflicted with damage- long distance meant making these little things rather alive. Along the way, i saw a large spider statue and some huts selling local snacks. I reckoned this was the spot the documentary showed regarding Cambodia's local, exotic delicacies that sparked my interest. It was, unfortunately (or fortunately), not my stop.

Local Fried Rice with Pork tasted ordinary and the rice was slightly hard.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Kampong Thom. Then, we continued the rest of the journey, with similar scenery. The guide asked if we needed a 'tuk tuk' to our hostel upon arrival at the station. Initially, we didn't want because we said we could find ourselves one there (hoping to be cheaper that way), but she said that there would not be any 'tuk tuk' nearby. Good that we listened to her because there really was none. Since we got ourselves one, after we descended the bus, we got our bags and hopped onto our 'tuk tuk' to our hostel. It was USD 3 for a convenient ride to the town from the bus station. The driver's name is Ty- and he'd be our ride to visit Angkor Wat!

Mad Monkey Siem Reap

The reception- the staff just had to be there.

Like how a comparison between the two cities is unavoidable, the hostels faced the same fate. The common thing about both was that they are both worth recommending and staying in. USD 6 per bed for an air-conditioned mixed room dorm, this hostel had a unique, creative and interesting rooftop beach bar- with sand and hammock to create a resort-feel, in a strategic location- 10 minutes walk to the Pub Street, the beating heart of this city's nightlife. We got a welcoming drink token, exchangeable for a drink at the bar. Unlike in Phnom Penh, there was no water dispenser here so we had to buy bottle water ourselves. On the first night of our 4-night stay, the music from the bar above was so loud i could hardly sleep- it went on til midnight (and i needed to wake up before sunrise the next day). But lucky it was only that one night; the rest of the nights were quieter. The staffs were friendly and helpful (they helped to send my postcards out), we met other tourists, the hostel had a nice sitting area with books and a computer supposedly used to review this hostel in TripAdvisor (but i saw other tourists searching other sites too). Staying in these hostels inspired much thought, a possible future investment; that i liked being a backpacker for now.

Fried Noodles with Pork
For dinner, we headed on foot outside our hostel and looked around for local shops. We found one and i ordered Fried Noodles with Pork (USD 1.5). It tasted so good. We had another round of bread with meat and this time, we prepared the bread ourselves given the ingredients.