The way back to the airport

As my visit in Cambodia was nearing its end, I had to make my way to Japan. At first I wanted to leave directly from Siem Reap, but it became evident that the best way to proceed would be to return to Phnom Penh and fly out from there. My hostel in Siem Reap had a sister hostel in Phnom Penh and arranged a booking for me.

I took a bus toward Phnom Penh not knowing that the journey back would be much more unpleasant than the way to. I was seated beside a mother with her infant and somehow found myself with their bags piled up on top of me. I’m still not sure how this happened or why they weren’t piled on top of the father.

The next big issue was the AC being out of order. Now, in a previous post I had mentioned how the heat proved to be a challenge when it came to hydration. Being in an overfull bus with defective AC for 7 to 8 hours due to bad road conditions was definitely a bad scenario. Soon I started feeling nauseous and weak. Thankfully, I was sitting by a window, which I opened despite the dust coming in. Better the dust than the heat.

I was not the only one affected and soon the infant couldn’t take the heat anymore and started vomiting in one powerful stream that somehow managed to miss me. The scent of vomit and the threat of being used as a target by the baby only added to the unpleasant situation. Most of all, I wished the parents got off the bus and took measurers to ensure the wellbeing of that baby, because he was definitely not well – if vomiting because of the heat is bad for an adult, it’s a much worst sign for a baby.

Then as if things weren’t bad enough, the road became a parking lot in a town not too far from Siem Reap.  My ordeal was not over yet since, when I finally made it to Siem Reap, tuk-tuk drivers somehow spotted me in the bus and swarmed the doors, even preventing people from getting off.  It was horrible. You never really get used to that feeling, if anything you only get more fed up as days pass. To make matter worst, the driver got greedy and asked for a ridiculous sum. Metered taxis truly tend to be the best option for tourists.

The next day I let the hostel arrange the driver for me, I was quite done dealing with drivers. I left relatively in advance, but nothing could have prepared me for the flooded streets and the parking lot it had become. As time flew, I started worrying out as I realized there was no way I would make it on the plane. I even started to consider stopping one of the bikes that were zipping between the cars and pay them to bring me. The plane ticket to Tokyo from Phnom Penh was a rather expensive one and I did not want to have to incur this expense again.

Thankfully, my driver - sensing my panic - exchanged a few words with a policeman who waived us through in the oncoming traffic. I have never experienced anything of the sort before, but it did get me to the airport a mere five minutes after boarding cut-off time. Thankfully, the staff still processed my bags. I really did not want a repeat of my experience in Manila with Cebu Airlines.

It took me a while to get through security and, eventually, there too I was waived through. I do believe even the plane waited for me that day. Finally, I let out a sigh of relief: I was on my plane taking off for Kuala Lumpur where I would transfer to Japan.

Bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

I did this itinerary twice.

The first time, everything went very well. The road sure was bumpy, but otherwise it was pleasant enough. Everyone in the bus were super friendly and made sure I knew when to get off for the rest stop, that I knew when to hop back on and even ordered food for me when I didn't know what to order.

I had a long chat with the young man sitting beside me - a musician who teaches in a school for children in need, if I remember correctly. He told me a few things during that conversation. First, he mentioned the fact that corruption is everywhere. This seems to be a recurring theme in South East Asia, I heard about it in Bali and in the Philippines as well. As a tourist, you might have encountered it in the form of road blocks aimed solely at tourists, to check their driver license for example. They stop only tourists and they don't give you receipts for the fine you pay. It seems the money goes directly in the policeman pockets. Policemen aren't always your friends. I've heard horror stories of tourists being arrested and fined, without them ever knowing what it was they did wrong. Yet, there is also a lot of corruption that you won't get to see.

He mentioned that children are money-earners here and that there is no equality between social classes. He told me the story of this girl who, with her dangerous driving, caused a big accident that killed 2 men and 3 children. The girl's father was a prominent man (a minister if I remember correctly) and she was let go after spending only one month in prison. He told me that if you could pay-off, you could get away with anything. Talking about accidents, road conditions are truly awful here, despite the public funds injected in them (this reminded me a bit of the construction scandal in Montreal).

The second time was not so pleasant of a ride. On my way back from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh the bus AC wasn't working. The bus was full and it was really hot. I had many hours to go in this bus and it didn't take long for me to start feeling sick and faint. We did open the windows, but this made the breathing difficult because of the dust. This being said, being covered in dust was still better than the unbearable heat.

There was a mother beside me with her baby. I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but I found myself with all her bags piled up on me for a good part of the ride. Soon, her baby was unable to withstand the heat anymore and ended up throwing up all over. I didn't know that babies could project this way. Thankfully, none of it landed on me.

This second ride was one of the worst transit I ever had to cope with. To make matters worst, once we finally arrived, tuk-tuk drivers somehow spotted me in the bus. It was just ridiculous, people had trouble getting off of the bus because of the tuk-tuk drivers blocking their way. They were calling out to me when I was inside the bus and, as soon as I stepped out, I was swarmed by drivers who were all speaking at once. Being swarmed is not a feeling I like and it happens very often here.

The Jeepney Ride

This was not the first time I took a jeepney, but it was my first time on my own. I was on my way to the Tarsier Sanctuary and I wasn't quite sure when I would have to get off. Jeepneys are a form of public transportation in the Philippines. They resemble a bus in a way, except they're an elongated jeep with two benches.

(Photo credit:  Tropical Vacation Spots)

So, as I sat in this jeepney, people were mostly ignoring me. However, a young man noticed I was often looking out trying to figure out where I had to go. He asked me my destination and then told me he would let me know when it was time to get off. It seems this broke the invisible wall surrounding me and everybody started talking to me all at once.

It's not that they were not curious from the start about that solo traveler venturing in their jeepney, they were simply shy. When the young man offered me help, this opened a door for them and they all went through it. They made sure that I knew the last pick-up time from the jeepney so that I wasn't stranded. If I did somehow miss the last jeepney, I just had to go to this place close by and look for a girl with black curly hair named Christina. If I gave her the other passenger's name, she would help me and put me up for the night (I was fine though, don't worry).

I have seen this often in all sorts of context. It just takes one person to make a move for everyone to follow. This has helped me many times in the past.

If you are interested in the public transportation in the Philippines, you can read an excellent summary here.

Tanah Lot and the chaotic streets of Bali

Tanah Lot (meaning "Land in the Middle of the sea") is special for me, because I braved my fear of driving in the streets of Bali to get to it. I rented a motor bike and made my own way to it. Thankfully, it was just as spectacular as I had been led to believe and it was worth all the cold sweat!

The way there was an adventure in itself. First, I had never driven a scooter before, so I had to learn how to maneuver this thing.  It's a little different from driving a car and you feel a lot more exposed. Once you get used to the scooter, you have to brave the streets.

There you will witness the most chaotic dance of cars, motorbikes and trucks swerving around each others. This chaos is accompanied by a cacophony of honking seemingly following a code, which you alone do not understand. And you have to forget about things that you take for granted, like the obligation to follow the lane system. You could find yourself driving straight toward a swarm of motorcycles, not unlike a swarm of bees, flying against oncoming traffic. Forget also about stop lights and come to term with the idea that signalization is entirely optional. You are are far from Kansas dear Dorothy.

Yet, as I said, the temple was worth all the cold sweat as it was definitely the most gorgeous temple I have seen to date! This temple is set on a rock in the water accessible at low tide. I was lucky enough to be able to make my way to it in the shallow water. There I was "blessed" (is this how you call it?) by the priest.

I spent the rest of my time walking the grounds which, like Goa Gajah were quite extensive. They were beautiful in a different way, more rugged. However, like Goa Gajah, the site was quite a bit overflowing with tourists.