Home » Cambodia » Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville

Asia - part II

Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville

Hector Yague
2005-10-08 11:31:09

Displayed times (last time: )

Siem Reap

The 10th June, 2004 I grabbed an early morning bus from Bangkok (Thailand) to Siem Reap (Cambodya). The ride from Bangkok to the border was swift enough (other than the usual snack stop drivers take every 1:30 hours). At the border I instantly starting noticing the not so subtle differences between Thailand and Cambodya. Thailand is quite a developed country and fairly westernized. However Cambodya is way more like the real Asian thing: kids running loose naked, unpaved and muddy streets, bamboo huts, chaotic traffic, increased number of beggars, etc.

Also, it was quite amusing to find the very first building standing right after crossing the border to be a massive casino! Yup, I guess gambling is forbidden in Thailand, so Thais drive across the border to gamble away their bucks (well, their bahts actually).

The ride from the border to Siem Reap is less than 250 km, but the bus took 6 hours to cover them! The reason was, of course, that wreck they call it "road", bumpy and muddy as all hell, forcing the driver to average a nerves-teasing 40 km/hour , much to our kidneys displeasure. I can't believe the only road linking the Thai border with the country's number one touristic attraction is in such poor conditions. Makes no sense to me, specially when many other secondary routes are laid in a much better fashion.

Anyway, the landscape is absolutely flat, with a lonely hill here and there and an occasional tree standing about wondering where his buddies are. No matter what direction you look towards, the only sight you'd see is vast flat fields.

Eventually I arrived to Siem Reap for a well-deserved night of rest at the Smiley Guesthouse, a neat and affordable hostel, I recommend it.

The next morning I woke up early and rented a bicycle, for Angkor Wat is five or six kilometers away from ...