The bus from Siem Reap to Don Det departed at 5am, this meant not much sleep and a rough day ahead – as we were supposed to arrive at 5pm the next day. Given the previous day’s food poisoning and tiredness I could have done with a good night sleep. However, alternatively, I opted to stay up til 2.30am watching United’s hideous capitulation at the hands of Wolves : so to say I wasn’t in a good mood would be to gloss it over in a velvety smooth fashion. I felt like absolute shit. Kath had slept more, but no one likes getting up at 5am, especially when the “free pick up” consist of a tuk-tuk in the freezing cold morning, loaded up with 4 backpackers, which, when you consider they each are carrying their entire life in a sack – doesn’t make for a comfortable ride.
At least we have the VIP bus - erm.... Yeah so much for that crap, the bus is like a 10 year old out of service magic bus with less legroom than a rayanair flight! We swallow a couple of diazepam (bought at any local drug-store no questions) but these don’t help us get to sleep – they just make us drowsy and confused. The bus trundles along picking up everyone and his dog along the way; something makes me think they didn’t pay 16 frickin’ quid for their tickets! Children climb on the seats and others sit in the aisles, and every 10 minutes it stops to let someone on or off. So much for the bus with air con and a toilet.
We eventually stop for a break and get some instant noodles down us in a rush (the corner stone of every nutritious breakfast) – we then set back off, only to instantaneously pick up a puncture which renders us motionless for nearly an hour. Great – we just so happen to be right next to a resteraunt where I could of got myself some proper bloody food, grrrr... It takes them ages to fix the wheel and we get back going again, eventually chaotically swapping (and leaving our jumpers and my hat behind) to a more luxurious (but then Lester’s chinqochento would’ve been luxurious in comparison) coach. This one comes complete with DVD player and sound system. Great I think – until they start blasting out Cambodian kung-fu movies at full whack: so much for reading your book or trying to snooze.
The trip is tiresome, slow and uncomfortable, as we trundle along sandy tracks and precarious bridges; but at least we’re not going as far as some people we talk to – the unluckiest of whom is an American called Jason, who we discover is going all the way through to Vientiane (about 1000 miles or 2 days on half built roads!). Suddenly at about 4pm we reach a desolate little place, like something out of an American horror movie – a gas station, some weird stalls and few sketchy looking guest houses. Welcome to Stung Treng.
Without us knowing what is going on our bags are thrown off the bus and we are told to change over, so we grab our shit and make a swift exit. Except when we get off the coach skids off into the distance leaving us, confused, asking the guide/translator, just what the hell is going on. Eventually after some heated exchanges the truth is extracted. Basically, the bus has fucked off, the border is closed and you all have to stay here for the night and that’s all there is to it. Needless to say – we’re pretty pissed off!
Luckily we get a dodgey room for just 4$ and stike up convos with the other stranded travellers. I decide to make the best of it and organise us all to get some drinks and food together. The view across the river is actually pretty good and as we chat spirits all rise! We eat in a local joint – purchasing from them a bottle of “muscle wine” – cambodias best known export supposedly. But then the bottle also claimed it was fortifying and energizing. Im pretty sure it wasn’t lucozade but at 3$ a bottle it helps make for a cheerier evening. Unfortunately though, the young girl waiting at out bar is a little stroppy cow wearing pajamas and a scowl. She pretends to not speak English, she pokes us and she rudely orders us around, the bizarre pinnacle of which comes when we are told abruptly, “SILENCE” and are glared at intently as if to say, we really frickin mean it! Don’t try me. we got some guns in the back and we’ll gladly use them. Not the friendliest place then and this is only 8pm.
The whole place seems ready for bed when we leave but were not 8 year olds so we intend to stay out til around 11!!! We sink more muscle wine and chill on the balcony of our deluxe pad, when we’re finished the gates are locked and everyone is asleep. WIERD PLACE – but it is actually the fun of travelling, having such random shit occur and still havin a good time.
The morning and same same. Waiting for hours for the replacement bus, which turns out to be a minibus and oh wait, 10 people and only 8 seats! I don’t like sitting on a French dudes knee, but this is basically what happens.
Luckily the border crossing Is ok, visa issues no seat, although out driver tried to charge 44$ for a service that is 36, plus and unavoidable extra dollar from each corrupt official who meets you. Oh well. That’s Asia for you, in India it would be 10$ so its not too bad.
We finally get a seat in the new mini bus and continue on to Don Det. Wow what a blag. 12 hours has somehow ended up being 35! But then when in Laos you need to accommodate for the time zone change! LOAS time is something special, each hour is actually 2!
We still aren’t at out island, oh no, that is another ride on a rickety boat across the Mekong! One more hour then, and 4 more dollars! But yes! At 1pm nearly a full day late we have arrived.
THANK GOD ITS WORTH IT – THE PLACE IS THE BEST!!!!
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