One country, two days of all day travel, one worse
than expected experience and one never to be forgotten. The first was a journey from Phnom Penh to
Siem Reap, we had travelled a lot on our journey in varying forms of transport,
taxis, buses, horse, train, bike, but one of my favourite ways of getting
anywhere is by boat. So when we heard
that it was possible to get a boat between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, we were
quick to part with the $23 it would cost us each to take the trip. It was February and as it was still
technically the wet season then we were reassured there should be enough water
in the Mekong to take us.
 |
| Along the Mekong |
It was an early start up at 5.45 to make sure
the taxi got us there in plenty of time.
However in the way we had become accustomed to, the driver didn't actually
leave until 7am. We arrived at the jetty
to find the boat already packed. But in
this part of the world there's always room for some more. We loaded ourselves and bags, only to
discovered the boat was broken. As
people transfer to another boat we work out what's happening, grab our stuff
and try again. We manage to snag a
couple of prime spots on the roof. A
western operators idea of a nightmare.
No life jackets, no safety rails, people walking around the edges barely
holding on, perfect. Suntan lotion
liberally applied we settled into our much coveted position. The sun was ridiculously hot but as we sped
along we welcomed the breeze the motion of the boat created.
 |
| Along the Mekong |
The views were magical. As we floated along this, one of the
lifeblood rivers of Asia, all along the banks all sorts of life past before our
eyes. Houses, some on stilts, others
floating tied onto the banks. Small
communities of people going about their everyday lives. Women washing clothes, preparing food, and
men fishing waist deep in water.
Children jumping in and out of the river, only pausing their games to wave
at us as we went past. Evidence of
subsistence farming all along the way.
At some points the river widened, at other times narrowed. At one point we almost became grounded as the
river levels became very shallow.
Then
after 5 hours we stopped in the middle of the river. Not sure what was going on, but then small
boats started making their way from the river bank to our waiting boat. Apparently the river was no longer deep enough
for our vessel. Chaos ensued as there was
a scramble for bags and a place in the small boats. Find our places in one and finish off our
journey down river, the hum of our motor boat a fading memory as it gets
quieter and more peaceful.
The second of the journeys was interesting for a
different reason. The time came to leave
Cambodia, we were continuing our journey into Thailand and needed a lift to the
border. Our guest house provided tickets
for a deluxe mini bus that would make the journey. It was cheap, very cheap and this should have
been a sure sign that we needed to lower our expectations. The bus that arrived was no deluxe form of
travel. And the sheer number of people
waiting was interesting. The bus was
full long before the end of the queue, but for the driver this was not to be a
problem. Bags were piled high in the
back of the bus, rucksack upon rucksack.
Those unlucky enough not to pile theres into this small space then faced
the prospect of sitting with it on their knee for the duration. The rest of the people squashed in. Stools in the aisle and more than 1 to a
seat. I considered myself lucky to have
snagged a window seat. However by the
time we had spent 6 hours in this vehicle the smugness I felt initially had
been replaced. As the last available
seat it was also over the wheel arch, so knees in the face over every bump on
the road and believe me there were many.
The road even though it was the main one was a dusty red track, and as
our 'deluxe' vehicle didn't have air con, the only way to breath in the stifling
heat and humidity was to open the window.
When we emerged from the bus at the Thailand border I was covered in red
dust, clothes, face, hair a nice shade of clay.
 |
| 'Deluxe' travel |
Many buses pulled up at the border including
some larger air conditioned tourist buses.
Do I regret not spending a couple more dollars on a ticket, at the time
yes, but now? this is what journeys are made of. The journey never forgotten, which do you
think?
 |
| House Boats, Mekong journey |
No comments:
Post a Comment