Cambodia : Our Bus Ride from Saigon to Siem Reap

Our trip would start and end with a 12-hour bus ride. Daunting! It could make or break the holiday, making everyone tired & grumpy unable to enjoy (or remember the good memories) .  (I hope the info here would be ufesul to anyone who would take the same trip.)

We were in Pham Ngu Lao St. by 6:45am - quite a feat considering I forgot to set the alarm and we all woke up late. We chose Mekong Express because reviews were better than Sapaco (didn't find anything on Mai Linh).  For a start ...
- tags were provided for bags that were put on the boot of the bus
- tickets and seat numbers were checked as passengers got on the bus, some were guided/helped to their seats

The bus looked (and smelled) old. A lady helper checked passports (checking who needed to apply for visa) and distributed Immigration forms;  these were collected with our passports.  Later on, she distributed wet wipes,  a box of crackers & bottled water. A movie started playing on the mounted TV. It was almost 8am, as we drove out of HCMC, the city was bustling in preparation for Tet, with red lanterns, colourful buntings and yellow blooms everywhere.

Basically, the trip lasted 13 hrs.  6 hrs to Phnom Penh. A stop-over at the bus station, where we switched buses.  Then another 6 hrs to Siem Reap.  There were stops in-between, which allowed us to stretch our legs (and the driver to rest).

At the border : Midway from HCMC, we reached the border.   Everyone got off the bus, and followed the lady carrying our passports. We approached the Immigration desks as our names were called. We rode the bus again, and was in the Cambodian Immigration in a couple of minutes. Since Cambodia is part of Asean, we did not need visas so we quickly lined up. Like in Thailand,  adults had to have their photo taken, and their hands and thumbs scanned. We made a quick trip to the loo (and were glad they were clean).

Inside Flowery Restaurant

Food choices. Price list in
Cambodian Riel, US$ and VN Dong

At the Flowery Restaurant: A short 15 minutes and the bus stopped again. There were stalls selling spring rolls, various dishes with rice, and some fruits; cold drinks were also available. I found the Khmer people friendly and eager to please. We bought some food and paid in Vietnam dong. A meal costed 35k-40k Dong on average.

After a 20 minute stop, we hit the road. The 2-lane highway is not too busy - mostly big trucks, tuktuks and a few cars. The countryside was quite flat,  with rice paddies, wooden houses standing on long stilts, thin cows grazing on the grass.  (I observed as well how the houses look, if people paint their homes and with what colors,  most don't... I can't fully forget about work, can I  :)

View from the bus as we
crossed the Mekong river

Crossing the Mekong River: By noontime, the bus boarded a boat that would take us across the Mekong. Kids knocked on the windows begging for some food, they knew that limo buses provide some pastries and many passengers don't eat them. The sight breaks my heart but, my head know giving in will keep these kids on the streets.

At Phnom Penh : We reached Phnom Penh at 2PM. To me, it looked like a bustling and progressive town, not a city. The street along the river was strewn with cafes, hotels and hostels, many tourists lounging in front having lunch. At the Mekong Express bus station , we got our luggage (tags needed to be shown) and waited for the next bus that will take us to Siem Reap. Good thing we packed food,  there was nowhere to go for lunch. (The Tela gas station nearby has cold drinks and cup noodles.)

To Siem Reap : The bus that will take us to Siem Reap left at almost 3pm. Another 340 km to go, another 6 hours on the road. Again, we were given wet wipes, a box of sweet and savory pastries, and bottled water. I'm not in the mood to eat. I wanted to rest, but sleep wouldn't come easilt. The twins were restless but still in good behavior. Avatar on TV helped ease their boredom.

Outside is a vast flatland, mostly rice paddies dotted with tall palm trees, wooden and nipa houses on stilts along the roadside. (I noticed the part of Cambodia nearer to Vietnam was more lush.)  Since it was Saturday afternoon, people were just resting in front of their homes, and some youth were playing volleyball - a popular sport in Cambodia.  Underneath the houses, they typically had a hammock, some livestock and farming equipment. There doesn't seem to be running water, all houses have big jars which we surmised served as water storage. M and I chatted on how rural Cambodia looked like the places where we grew up more than 30 yrs ago.

The last stop before Siem Reap

A stopover : Midway, we stopped on a roadside resto. No one's in the mood to eat (except the crew), I bought the boys ice cream - a reward for good behavior :) The restrooms were clean. There were vendors selling fruits and chips, and kids asking for food. 

A vendor at the last stop before Siem Reap

I knew we have  reached Siem Reap when the road brightened,  with rows of big hotels lining up both sides of the road. It was almost 9pm and we've been on the road for 14 hours. On the bus station, I saw the tuktuk drivers holding a piece of paper with our name on it. They were still smiling after a long wait, welcoming us.

Tired and hungry, we can't wait to get to the hotel. The kids loved riding the tuktuk.  With the wind against our face, and our senses filled with the first sights, smells and sounds of Siem Reap, that tuktuk ride was a surprisingly pleasant end to a long day.