Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

We packed up at Sary's Guesthouse, had breakfast, and Chan was waiting for us. He said he would be there in the morning to take us to the minibus station. We hopped in the Tuk Tuk and we were on our way. Little did we know that the minibus station was just on the road behind us. Chan insisted he take us. At the station we talked for a bit and said goodbye. He is a great guy and we were sad to leave. Phnom Penh is a city full of life and it will be missed.

Getting out of town was crazy. The road was bumpy and horribly dusty. At a few times it was one lane wide. There might be giant pot holes or a wedding ceremony in the middle of the street. No kidding. It looked like if there was a wedding, they would set up a tent and chairs in the front of the house. If it spilled out in the road, oh well. It looked like it would be a party for the whole area. Out of town the road started to get better and we hit 70km/h a few times. This is the fastest we had been in a while, so it felt really fast. The scenery out in rural Cambodia is outstanding. The rice fields are a very lush green and scattered about are lone palm trees. There were not many houses, but a few huts here and there. Most are on stilts to survive the monsoon season. The views are quite dramatic.

We stopped for lunch 2 hours from Siem Reap. It was quick and refreshing. It seems like everyone speaks English in these sorts of places. Easy and the food was good.

When we came into Siem Reap, it was dusty and the wind was whipping up. The guesthouse sent a Tuk Tuk driver to get us at the station. This was super cool since it would be quicker than walking through all the dust. He mentioned taking us to the Angkor complex the next day and offered a reasonable price. We had discussed this with some friends and we made a deal. Drivers get apprehensive with deals, as they should, since people will bail on the 5 am departure time. Or, they will just sleep in. Yes, the Tuk Tuk would be at our place the next morning to haul us out for the sunrise.

Dinner was out on the front porch of Rosy's Guesthouse. We took a short nap beforehand and enjoyed the time out on the porch. The river flows just in front of the place and the road has light traffic. This town is much quieter than Phnom Penh, but that would be expected. We like it for a change from the big cities we have recently been stomping through.

Tomorrow, it's an early departure for the temples. Since we have a driver, we will be heading out to some of the smaller, farther temples, and maybe the Land Mine Museum.

 

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