We were surprised to find that in Saigon things always seem to run on time, if not 20-30 minutes early. Our guide for our tour of the Cu Chi tunnels showed up 30 minutes early (Joe will blog about this later) and the man who came to take us to the bus stop was 20 minutes early. Luckily, both times I convinced Joe that we should be ready ahead of time. We must have looked quite comical as we struggled to follow our guide and carry our various back packs and bags of snacks. I insisted that Joe buy a variety of snacks for the trip and the hotel gave us slices of white bread, bananas, and bottles of water (their idea of breakfast?), all of which contributed to a difficult load to maneuver. By the time we made it to the bus we were huffing and puffing, even though the walk probably took less than 5 minutes, and we couldn't wait to get climb on board.
Our bus for the trip to Phnom Penh.
As seems typical in Saigon, the bus left about 15 minutes early. We were given seats in the back with the other foreigners which we didn't mind because later the inhabitants up front were eating corn that smelled pretty awful. It probably took 30-40 minutes just to get out of the city. The traffic in Saigon is incredible. The motor bikes converge like an amoeba- fluid, morphing, and constantly shifting its shape. If you don't watch out, you will be swallowed up by the chaos, and a path out can be nearly impossible to find without causing everyone in sight to honk angrily at you. Motor bikes are the king of Saigon, though cars and buses make up a large amount of the traffic as well.
This picture kind of gives you an idea of the traffic, but it was hard to take pictures without getting honked at.
Almost immediately after we boarded the bus a representative from the bus company wanted our passports to see if we already had a visa for Cambodia. We didn't because I was told we could get one at the border, and of course he wanted to "make" our visa for us for the added charge of $5 per visa. This was probably a rip-off, but sometimes we just don't feel like fighting the system, so we allowed him to fill out the paperwork for us and it probably made things a little easier. The Indians next to us were much more skeptical and wanted to fill out their own. It was comical to listen to the guy try to avoid telling them the actual visa costs and how much he was profiting by taking care of it for them. The Indians ended up getting their visas on their own, but the bus company made sure they didn't have time to stop for lunch with the rest of us. I guess this was their punishment.
Vietnam's immigration office at the border.
We stopped for lunch and Joe ordered us some rice, vegetables, and mystery meat (we think it was pork?). It was so well done that we weren't too worried about it making us sick. Lunch was almost spoiled by the fact that Joe had to pay $1 for his beer considering he can usually get them for 50 cents, but after being reassured that we could afford it he seemed to forget about the pricey beer and enjoy his overcooked lunch.
After lunch it was back to the bus for a ride that seemed to get bumpier by the hour. There was definitely a big difference between the roads in Vietnam and Cambodia. While the roads in Vietnam were by no means smooth, the roads in Cambodia went through long, bumpy stretches that would cause even those with stomachs of steel to grow concerned about whether or not they were going to retain their lunch. Perhaps the most interesting part of our trip was being ferried across the Mekong River, while on the bus, for the last leg of the journey to Phnom Penh. Before you cross you have to pass streets lined with people selling various types of street food, preying on buses that are waiting for the next ferry. The ferry trip was a nice respite from the bumpy ride that was about to get even bumpier.
The view from the bus.
The Mekong River.
When we finally arrived at the bus station, after 6 hours and 30 minutes of travel, we then had to secure a thuk thuk for our trip to our hotel. Of course we got ripped off (we paid $5 for a ride that probably should have cost $2), but like I said before, sometimes you just don't care. The last hour of our trip had been on a pocked, dirt road that left both of us feeling tired and sick to our stomachs, so the only thing we were thinking about was resting at the hotel.
After a short rest at our hotel we headed to the National Museum of Phnom Penh. We spent around an hour there, but its primary focus was on the early history of Cambodia which we spent a lot of time studying during our trip to Siem Reap. Our goal in visiting Phnom Penh was to focus more on Cambodia's modern history (Khmer Rouge, genocide, etc.), so after briefly checking everything out at the museum we returned to the hotel for dinner. Amazingly our appetites had returned and we enjoyed a western style dinner- a hamburger for Joe and fish and chips for me.
On the way to the museum. Joe was really fascinated by the pig's tail for some reason.
The museum and the grounds were beautiful.
Our last stop of the night was the Mekong River Restaurant. They show two different 45-minute long documentaries. One is on Pol Pot and the genocide, and the other is on landmines in Cambodia. Because we were visiting Tuol Sleng (former primary school used as a torture facility by the Khmer Rouge) and the killing fields the next day, we felt like we should view the documentary on Pol Pot. We arrived a little early, but Joe was happy because they had 60 cent beers that he could bring into the theater with him if he wasn't able to finish before the movie. Our only mistake was to sit outside close to the sidewalk where we were constantly bothered with the question, "Buy something?" Books, sunglasses, cigars, cigarettes- we were offered just about everything, and so we were very relieved when we were ushered upstairs to watch the documentary. Though very well-done and informative, I don't think anything could have prepared us for what we were going to see the next day.
Joe with his 60 cent beers in the theater.
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