The road to Phnom Penh

I left Pattaya for Phnom Penh, to explore Cambodia for a couple of weeks. I decided to go using public transport from town to town – rather than buying a direct ticket to the border – just to see if I could do it. It may be good to remind you that I can’t read Thai script. Many signs, to me, are just like the one in the picture. I think this one was selling home appliances, but how would I know. In any case, 3 buses and 6 hours later, I was in Trat, the last real town on the way to the Thai-Cambodia border. I got there with almost no delays waiting for busses, and managed to get on the right bus on the first try every time. It surprising what one can do with 2 phrases and sign language :)

Trat turned out to be a nice little town, so I decided to spend an extra day there. I explored the markets, a temple, and just watched people around town doing unusual things like riding motorbikes with umbrellas. It’s a relaxing place; a nice change after Pattaya.

The next day, May 13th, I crossed into Cambodia and went straight for the capital. The trip wasn’t as short as it sounds. Cambodia has a few major highways in good shape. Most other roads are in bad shape. We had 4 major river crossings, but there were no bridges. The Thai government is funding the construction of some bridges, but for now, ferries are used for river crossings. This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour – probably longer if there were a long line. Some ferries are just 3 or 4 canoes strapped together. They have two engines, each with a separate driver. Some how, they manage to get across without loosing passengers or cars. The crossings themselves take only 3 to 5 minutes, but one of the ferries had a kitchen and sold food... Eventually, after reaching a main highway, and changing to a local bus that stopped every 5 minutes, I made it to Phnom Penh.