#7 SIAGON TO SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Day 1
So, now we must get from Saigon to Cambodia. There are various ways to accomplish this:
- Fly. Expensive, quick 50 minutes, no adventure
- Bus. Cheap, 2 days, some adventure
- Speedboat. Not a lot, 2 days, some adventure
- Cruise boat and package tour. Lots of money, 7 days, adventure unknown
I chose another method. Since we overspent staying at the Life Wellness Resort I decided we would economize and go by bike. May take awhile.
Well, not really.
Long story short I finally found a company that runs boats up the river and was able to cut out the middleman. Telephone negotiations went like this: “I cannot pay that much”. “Ok you pay 1500 plus plus (plus tax, plus service)”. “I cannot pay that much”. “Ok, you pay 1400 plus plus”. We did this dance, with a little more dialogue until “I will pay 1150 no plus plus”. “Ok, you pay 1100 no plus plus” and the deal was done.
A former RVN (Republic of Vietnam) policeman picked us up promptly at 8am at our hotel in a new SUV and away we went. We really had no clue what was happening or where we were going and just hoped that we ended up in Siem Reap in a few days. The driver and I had much in common. He had joined the Army in 1968 the same year I went to Vietnam and we are the same age. After the fall of Saigon he spent 2 years in a labor camp. Things are ok for him now. The drive he said was 130km or in Vietnam 3 hours to Cai Be.
He dropped us on a side street in Cai Be with a gentleman named Doa who said he would be our guide for the next four days. We got in a small boat visited some sites, came back and picked up another couple and headed for the boat.
When we pulled into the main river there was a large white cruise type ship and we thought that would be our home. But we passed it and headed for a little boat on the other side of the river. We had stumbled into a gem.
Our boat was a 2 cabin, crew of 4, junk style boat the Mekong Melody. We would share it for one night and then it was all ours.
After boarding and moving down the waterways our first stop was for bike riding, unloading next to a crane in case they had to lift my fat ass off the boat. The ride down the back road was wonderful. Everyone, and I do mean everyone was yelling “hello” in English. One guy knew “hello” and “see you tomorrow” and just kept repeating it. It was beautiful scenery and more beautiful people.
We were served a 5 course meal cruising the river after dark in the fresh (?) air. All around, in the distance, the clouds were lighting up with lightening, but no rain. At times the river was so thick with traffic you could walk across it. They were big and small. The night air was alive with a symphony of unruffled one lung engines going “putt, putt, putt”. Eventually we turned on to a less crowed waterway and dropped anchor about 9:30pm.
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Day 2
This morning I set talking to the guide. And proving once again that people are the same all over the world, he was telling me the people in the south live in thatch houses because they are lazy and only want to work for food and drink, were as in the north, they work hard and save their money for a big house. Guess where he is from.
The Mekong delta is a maze of rivers and canals and they are the main means of transport. Even the market. We visited the floating market in Chan Tou. The pole above the boat indicates what they are selling. Littler boats scurry about selling drinks, sandwiches, rice and other dishes. Each boat has a specialty item.
Back on the Mekong Melody, we headed up river. The monsoon rains started after lunch and continued all afternoon. They let up about 5:30pm and, desperate for us to do something touristy, they loaded us up and took us to a “stork” nesting area. We road up the clongs, which was interesting and wet, and when we arrived at the destination, there were thousands of white birds. They looked like egrets to Vicki and me, but it is their country they can call them anything they want.
Back on the boat and another delicious meal.
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Day 3
Up early to go bike riding. The river is already alive with activity. Vicki wants everyone to note the time on her watch…..6:50am as in the morning!
As I have mentioned there is very little refrigeration and they use iceboxes. This is the iceman.
The scooters, with the hog, motor quit on the bridge. The let him out.
Back to the boat for breakfast. Our personal steward, Trong, met us with cold drink and cold towels.
The rest of the day will be a slow up stream cruise to the Cambodian border to the town of Chou Duc
On the lower part of the rivers the main cargo seems to be dirt. As we move up the river it becomes more diversified.
Some of the boats drive just like a car with a car steering wheel and accelerator. The geared part and clamp are the cruise control.
There are dozens of types of fishing traps, from lots of twigs surrounded by nets that I do not understand, to this big net. It is lowered into the water and to raise it the fisherman climbs the ladder behind thus raising it into the air.
At dinner the crew bought us a beer and then sat around singing for us.\
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DAY 4
We said goodbye to the crew and boarded a fast boat for the entry into Cambodia. There was a mix of travelers aboard and we swapped stories. At the boarder I had a “problem” with my passpart. No empty pages for their big stamp. An extra $20 took care of that.
When we arrived in Phon Phen I realized two things. I needed more time in this town and the hotel was above my raisin’. The town is beautiful. It is like the large towns of Vietnam many years ago except better. You can walk down most of the sidewalks with falling over scooters and kitchens. The parks are in great shape. The downside is there are beggars, though not many, on the streets here. The hotel is one of the best in town and though I got a hell of deal on it, it means the will gouge you for everything else. My orginal hotel here, before I fell into the backage deal was $30 and free internet. Here internet is $5/hr. One shirt to be cleaned is $2.30. I have been having our clothes cleaned for 89 cents for 2.2 lbs.
Vic went to see the Cambodian Royal Palace and I went to see the American Embassey Royal
Palace.
DAY 5,6,7
We were to travel by boat to Siem Reap and visit all the temples in the area like Angor Wat but they did not sell enough seats, so we were going by air but end the end we went by car that gave us a chance to see some of the country. Speed limits are non existence here and in 27 days in Vietnam we saw one accident. In two hours we saw 3 here.
Siem Reap is the town next to all the temples of which Angor Wat is just one of many. Our guide Phay Selpy is 40 and grew up under the Kamer Rouge. The only item could own as a spoon and there was only kitchen in the whole village. He gathered animal dung and wood for the fires. A probably a lot of rough memories. He is an excellent guide.
There is so much more to write but I do not want to overstay my welcome in your in box.
Tomorrow we fly off to Burma ……we hope.
More photos
THE END
Ps: the on line albums are not labeled due to ssllooowwww internet connections
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