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Several months ago I went on a short holiday for a week to visit some of the other sites in the region, predominantly I wanted to visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia and have a look at the place in terms of a future base (home).
People who travel to one other country then espouse how great it is and how they want to live there the rest of their life, in my opinion, are making a mistake. What are they basing their judgement on? Experience with 2 countries out of hundreds? Get out and have a good look around before you make your decision on where in the world you want to live. Also note that a 2 day package tour does not show you what a country is like at all - it shows you 5 star hotels and a group of tourists taking photos.
So off I went - overland - to get a good look at Cambodia, Phnom Penh and the people....
I booked a bus ride down the Eastern side of Thailand, passing through Trat, down south to Cambodia. The road and the trip in Thailand was quiet plain, the infrastructure in Thailand is first class with excellent roads.
After several hours on the bus we came to some military checkpoints, operated by the Thai army. It was at this point that I remembered that Thailand (Siam) and Cambodia have been warring across South East Asia for over a thousand years. Both have controlled large portions of each others territories at one point or another. Only as recently as within the last 10 years there have still been border clashes and threats by both sides to mount full scale invasions.
Luckily things are a lot cooler these days.
We arrive at the Cambodian border, cross, then travel a reasonable road to Koh Kong, where I stayed the night in a hotel (hostel) built out over the water with magnificent views and a English/Cambodian couple owning the place.
Here the owner introduces me to an old friend of his, he has been here 20 years. Huh? The country has not been open to foreigners for 20 years, how did he get in here? He was with the Russian embassy. Oh, sometimes I forget that the stuff we are taught is what suits our governement and is not necessarily true. The communists were here, Kampuchea / Cambodia was only blocked to the West.
I was also informed that the biggest tourist ship (cruise ship) in the world has just pulled into Sihanoukville, the beach town that had a reputation of being very nice. My new friend updates me on the situation there as everything I have read was several years old.
The place is a tourist trap with inflated prices and annoying locals trying to scam stupid tourists everywhere, all the typical tourist crap that caused me to hate Thailand the first 3 times I came here.
Cross Sihanoukville off the list off places to visit in Cambodia.
Sunset Water Views Koh Kong, Cambodia
Unfortunately the view inside the rooms was not as nice, but at us$2.50 a room per night I did not expect much. In fact there were better rooms available around the area, some very nice, but for me I consider it a waste of money. I have been on the bus all day, I am tired, I go out for dinner then I hit the local entertainment venues for a look and a few drinks, I come back at midnight and all I need is a clean place to sleep until 7am when I get the next ride out.
I stay in 4 star and 5 star hotels when I travel with work, woopy! How non-exciting, a pretty room to sleep in, what does it matter when you see the room for all of maybe 1 hour at most as you shower and dress in the morning?
Cheap, Clean Hotel Room In Koh Kong, Cambodia
Next day I arise and wait for the Van that takes us to the road that joins Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, at the junction there we are to get a different Van to Phnom Penh.
I arrive at the appointed time at the appointed place only to find out the idiot I bought my ticket from had made the ticket for tomorrow, he did not ask he just decided for me. This happens a lot in SE Asia, especially if their English skills are poor - rather than embarass themselves by not being able to communicate effectively they will often decide what you want, where you are going, and what you are doing with no thought as to what you might have specified.
The really annoying thing for me is the Cambodians along the borders also speak Thai, so communication is easily possible. Also the fact I am travelling only with a light day pack and I speak English then Thai whenever I say anything would be a giveaway that I am not your average backpacker/tourist.
Anyway, the bus having left I was able to manage to get one of the lads to drive me out on his motorbike to catch up with the bus.
The road here was fairly good, a Thai company was building new toll roads into Cambodia, apparently the old road was very bad - this I was to find out shortly.
On the way out we got to see some of the traditional local 'houses' such as the one below that the poorer locals live in.
Farmers Hut - Koh Kong, Cambodia
Once we caught up with the bus the lad who brought me asked for a tip. Fair enough. Now the average daily wage in Cambodia is us$1.38. The trip had taken the guy 30 minutes and it was his Boss's fault that he was sent out in the first place.
I offered the guy about $1 for the tip, he angrily said he wanted $5. I told him take the $1 or leave it. He demanded $5. I reached out and took the money back and said "Glad you made your choice, nothing for you then"
Some people will critise me for this but when was the last time a NY cabbie demanded 4 days pay for a 1/2 hour trip? You have to keep things in perspective. An honest person is out working for that money why should an aggressive little Tourist scammer make more money? I'd rather give the money to the honest farmers who live in the grass hut.
From there on the road changed. It was dirt. It really was dirt, a dirt road. One of the 4 main 'arterial' roads in Cambodia was predominantly a red dirt. Here is one of the 4 river crossings we had to go over. In future the road will be extended and bridges built.
Koh Kong To Phnom Penh River Crossing
The river crossings had small food and beverage stands at each one so while we waited each time I was able to get a chance to talk with the locals and to sample the local foods.
At one crossing a couple of kids were playing, one was wearing a WWE wrestling T-shirt. I started talking with them, they asked if I was a wrestler. I pulled out my Nokia N70 phone and played a wrestling demo video reel from my wrestling days, on the phone for them. They were amazed.
Imagine for them, a real life wrestler here in some remote Cambodian village, they were very excited. Many of the other locals crowded around to try to watch on the tiny screen. So I passed the phone around - I am sure this was the first time many of them had seen a smart phone and probably the first time many of them had actually held a mobile phone.
Here is a photo of the inside of our van making the journey, as you can see, as usual for the way I like to travel I am the only white face present. Why the heck would anyone travel on a tour with a pack of tourists? If I want to see and meet westerners I will go to a their country. I am in Asia, I want to see, meet and experience Asia so I travel by myself with the locals. It is more of an adventure.
Crowded Local Bus To Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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