Vietnam-CAMBODIA (1): Crossing Borders

Vietnam-CAMBODIA (1): Crossing Borders

The best travel destinations are those with sights that take your breath away, make history books come alive, and allow you to see how other people live, learning from others and in the process learning about yourself. But more than any of this, the best travel destinations are those that actually REQUIRE you to travel – not the glamorous picture-perfect part of travel but the sweaty, dirty, rugged, bumpy, oh-so-tiring part.

I’ve always wanted to see the Angkor Wat, but the lack of a direct flight from the Philippines made the prospects of visiting it a little hazy. The only cheap way to go to Siem Reap (Cambodia) is to cross the border from either Bangkok (Thailand) or Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), in a LONG bus ride that will take up most of your time. I didn’t really care, because when Cebu Pacific had a Ho Chi Minh seat sale, I clicked and swiped faster than you can read this paragraph. The tickets were booked, accommodations were found, and the itinerary was all set. But we were going to two countries twelve hours apart in only five days, so I knew that no amount of planning can prepare us for the (mis)adventure that lay ahead.

A I R P O R T

Featuring: “The Lady Taxi Driver”

Backpacker's sleeping position no.1

Our flight from Manila arrived at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport a little after midnight. We planned to take the first bus ride to Siem Reap, so we just waited around 3-4 hours at the airport until the break of dawn. The airport’s arrival area didn’t have waiting lounges inside, so we were forced to sit outside with our bags. The airport was almost deserted, and time crawled by exceedingly slowly. After experimenting with various sleeping-while-sitting-down-and-hugging-your-bag positions, we were able to rest a bit.

At around 4:30AM, we went up to the Vinasun taxi stand at the departure area. In Vietnam, never assume that you can pronounce the places properly, because the language barrier is huge. Writing down where you want to go to or showing a picture will save you a lot of time and confusion. Thankfully, our lady taxi driver (girl power!) understood the picture we showed her, and though the roads were already lightly buzzing with early-morning traffic, she maneuvered the taxi well and we were able to reach our destination in 15 minutes.

T H E  S E A R C H  F O R  A  B U S

Featuring: “Angry Lady”

It was still dark when we got to Pham Ngu Lao street, and the Mekong Express ticketing office was closed. Lugging our bags down the street, we saw another bus ticketing office (Sapaco), which was already open and which had seats inside. We went inside with our luggage while this angry-looking lady was sweeping and mopping the floor, clearly annoyed at our presence. When I accidentally walked on the mopped (and wet) floor making it dirty again, she started mumbling in Vietnamese and of course we couldn’t understand her. At this point we were not yet decided which bus to take, because all our research said Mekong Express was our best option. The angry lady didn’t make staying there easier though, so we decided to go out into the street again and just wait for the Mekong Express office to open.   

Our bus tickets to Siem Reap

When it did, we were informed that all the direct tickets to Siem Reap were taken, as it was the Khmer New Year. When we booked this trip we weren’t aware of this. We had the option of getting a ticket to Phnom Penh and from there buying another ticket to Siem Reap. This was too risky, so we decided to swallow our pride and go back to Sapaco, where of course the angry lady was waiting for us. Here we were informed that their buses to Siem Reap were ALSO full. By this time we were close to panicking, but then angry lady led us to the 168 Phnom Penh Sorya Transport office, which was in between the two ones we previously went to. Upon insisting that we get direct tickets to Siem Reap, we were told to wait as they had to check seat availability.

"Angry lady" ended up saving the day

After a few nerve-wracking minutes, we were issued two tickets each – one for the 6:45AM Ho Chi Minh-Phnom Penh bus, and another for the 1:45PM Phnom Penh-Siem Reap bus. Ironically, this was the cheapest of the three options, and we never even considered it at the beginning. Now all we had to do was cross the street, board the bus, and we were all set. Whoever thought angry lady would save the day? Maybe she’s just not a morning person. :)

T H E  L O N G  B U S  R I D E

We bought some bread from a street vendor just in front of the ticketing office. It was hard and doughy, but it was enough to satiate our hunger and the taste grew on us. The bus lazily rolled by the city landscape, and soon we were at the country and all we could see were flat fields and a few trees every now and then. 

The Moc Bai border

Two hours after boarding we arrived at the Moc Bai border, where we were asked to get off the bus with all our luggage, bring them through scanners, and wait for our guide to call our names as he hands us our passports (previously collected). All the buses crossing the border did this, so the immigration office was packed. After we got our passports (now stamped for exiting Vietnam), we returned to the bus with our luggage, and a few meters down the road we got off the bus again. 

Entering the Kingdom of Cambodia

This time, we lined up and had our passports stamped for entering the Kingdom of Cambodia. Shortly after, at around 10AM the bus stopped for lunch at this big canteen selling ready-made viands. The Cambodia landscape, as seen through our windows, looked even more provincial than the Vietnam one. The land was so dry and dusty though, and I wouldn’t exactly call the vegetation lush and green. Some parts of the road weren’t paved as well. 

Crossing the Mekong River

A few hours later we crossed the Mekong River through a barge. We continued our journey, and at around 1PM we were at Phnom Penh, where the arid landscape of the province changed into a bustling one of the city. Here we got off at the station and boarded a different bus to Siem Reap. 

Fried insects and other delicacies

We had two more stopovers, the first one in a place where they sold fried insects and the last one in a place where we were bought siopao for afternoon snacks. Finally, at around 8PM, we got off the bus at Siem Reap and rode a fancy-looking tuktuk to the hotel.

S I E M  R E A P

Golden Temple Villa

Golden Temple Villa is located just two blocks away from the bustling center of the Old Market area. Upon getting off the tuktuk, we passed by a walkway lined up with trees and plants. To our left was the restaurant and to our right was a garden with hammocks and chairs. Several statues also dotted the hotel grounds. The biggest was of Vishnu, and it was located right in front of the hotel entrance.

Our quirky hotel room

The lobby was charming, and we were soon led to our room, which was orange like the building. Our curtains were also orange with purple lining, our bed covers green with silver elephants, and the rest of our room had Hindu artifacts and paintings. It was a very quirky and charming hotel, and we loved it.

Food stalls

The nice people in our hotel gave us the necessary maps and directions that we needed, and soon we set off to explore Pub Street. It was lined with restaurants, but we wanted a taste of authentic Khmer cooking so we decided to go to the food stalls near the Old Market area. 

First meal in Cambodia: Amok with rice

We ate at a place called “BBQ Cambodian Kitchen: Out & In Door Harmony Seating” for our first taste of authentic Cambodian amok. Amok is basically fish (or chicken/beef/pork) cooked in coconut milk and turmeric, which makes the sauce yellow. It’s also served with lemon grass and a few vegetables and spices. It tastes like curry, but a little milder.

T H E  S E A R C H  F O R  A  B U S

The following day, after touring the Angkor Temple Complex, we decided to see if there was a night bus going to Ho Chi Minh. There were many companies offering night buses, but because our timing was uncanny and we were at Siem Reap during the Khmer New Year, all these night buses were either full or simply did not run. No one could sell us direct day trip tickets to Ho Chi Minh as well. Instead of panicking though, we just bought tickets to Phnom Penh and try our luck there in finding tickets to Ho Chi Minh. If we get stuck, at least we’re in a different place and 6 hours closer to our destination.

K H M E R   B B Q

Easy Speaking Café-Pub-Restaurant   

For dinner we ate at one of the restaurants in Pub Street, which was called Easy Speaking Café-Pub-Restaurant. We ordered the Khmer Style BBQ, which originally featured five different meats, but after removing the more exotic ones (crocodile and snake) we ended up with fish, beef, shrimp, and frog legs. Nevertheless, Khmer Style BBQ is a culinary experience altogether, because these meats were given to us raw, with some noodles and vegetables.

Cooking our own dinner

We were also given a cooking pot which looked like an inverted bowl. They poured broth on it, which gathered on the sides and left the center empty. With the broth on the sides, you can place the noodles and vegetables for tasty soup. 

Frog legs, anyone?

They also gave us what looked like a chunk of pig fat to oil the center, which is where we got to cook the meat we had. You can eat the meat by itself or you can dip it in the soup. The fire went on the whole time we were eating, so it was a good thing we sat outside because the smoke was a little hot.

N I G H T  M A R K E T

Siem Reap Night Market

After that wonderful culinary experience we went on to explore the night market to shop for a bit. We found the usual souvenir items and also quirky not-so-usual ones like stuffed elephants that are also cellphone holders, fans that open up into a circle, and Php250 Lonely Planet books that are actually high-class photocopied versions. Our feet, already tired from walking around the temples, could no longer take it, so we looked for a good foot massage place. After one hour of heavenly foot massaging, our feet, thoroughly abused that day, were finally able to breathe.

The Cambodian countryside

T H E  R E T U R N  T R I P

Featuring: “Paul the Frenchman”

On the bus ride back the following day, the most important thing on our minds was if we could get a ticket to Ho Chi Minh at the Phnom Penh bus station. This was a constant source of anxiety, so when we got off at Phnom Penh, we hurried to the ticketing window and thankfully got seats in the 1:45 trip. 

Bus ride back to Ho Chi Minh

The trip was uneventful since we traveled the same road before, except for nonstop karaoke songs that we couldn't understand. Another highlight was a chatty French man named Paul, who talked about everything from French cuisine to the beauty of Hanoi, where he’s staying at the moment. We arrived at Ho Chi Minh soon enough, and after walking a little bit, we were able to find our hotel, which was at Bui Vien Street, just parallel to Pham Ngu Lao.

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They say travel is only glamorous in retrospect. In real time, it’s crazy, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s tiring, but it’s an experience like no other. This trip was nothing short of awesome, because our destinations were jaw-dropping. The Angkor complex in Siem Reap, the natural wonders of Mui Ne, and the bustling city of Saigon were the destinations we pegged, but to get to these two countries in 5 days, we realized that the journey is just as important, if not more important, than the destinations. We had to face the frantic search for tickets, long bus rides, crossing borders, and other hurdles along the way, but another lesson of travel is DETERMINATION. If there’s a will, there’s a way. And if you really want to get there, you’ll get there. 

After all, some destinations are only available to those who are actually willing to go through the hassle, or the adventure, of going there.