March 4, 2006
March 4, 2006
Kratie to Kompong Cham: Jodi and I were tired from the previous three days so we decided that instead of laying over and resting we would take a bus to Kompong Cham thus getting some rest and still moving towards our goal of making Siem Reap before the 9th of March. For me riding the bus in Cambodia was similar to watching Jodi’s brother Charlie play Grand Theft Auto on his Xbox. The bus driver would pass on blind corners and hills, speed through towns where small children were riding their bikes on the sides of the narrow shared road and all the way honking his horn warning everyone he was coming. I guess size matters here and the biggest gets the right of way. I joked with Jodi that they ought to make a video game called "Cambodian Bus Driver" where the player gets points for not making the karaoke skip, not causing accidents and delivering backpackers to their destination safely. I couldn’t watch and instead read most of the way.
We crossed over one of the few Cambodian bridges spanning the river and they dropped us just in front of the Taxi stand. When I stepped off I was immediately marked by two different taxi drivers wanting a fare. I tried to explain to them that I did not require transportation but I guess, "I don’t require transport", "No" and "leave me alone" are not in their vocabulary. When I pulled our bikes from the luggage compartment they figured it out and went back to hanging out in the shade. I assembled the bikes amongst a small curious audience and we rode to a hotel on the Mekong River. It is amazing how large the river has become since first seeing it in Vientiane, Laos. It is the size of 10 Colorado Rivers and very scenic. We met a Swiss cycle tourist on the stairs to our room and discussed the crappy roads between the Laos Border and Kompong Cham. She said the ride from Kratie to Kompong Cham was the most miserable stretch of them all making us glad that we bussed it. Like us they are planning on moving out tomorrow but plan on going more distance. We will most likely stop in Skun, a place known for its’ roasted spiders. I am thinking a happy hour of beer and spider might be in order.
Kratie to Kompong Cham: Jodi and I were tired from the previous three days so we decided that instead of laying over and resting we would take a bus to Kompong Cham thus getting some rest and still moving towards our goal of making Siem Reap before the 9th of March. For me riding the bus in Cambodia was similar to watching Jodi’s brother Charlie play Grand Theft Auto on his Xbox. The bus driver would pass on blind corners and hills, speed through towns where small children were riding their bikes on the sides of the narrow shared road and all the way honking his horn warning everyone he was coming. I guess size matters here and the biggest gets the right of way. I joked with Jodi that they ought to make a video game called "Cambodian Bus Driver" where the player gets points for not making the karaoke skip, not causing accidents and delivering backpackers to their destination safely. I couldn’t watch and instead read most of the way.
We crossed over one of the few Cambodian bridges spanning the river and they dropped us just in front of the Taxi stand. When I stepped off I was immediately marked by two different taxi drivers wanting a fare. I tried to explain to them that I did not require transportation but I guess, "I don’t require transport", "No" and "leave me alone" are not in their vocabulary. When I pulled our bikes from the luggage compartment they figured it out and went back to hanging out in the shade. I assembled the bikes amongst a small curious audience and we rode to a hotel on the Mekong River. It is amazing how large the river has become since first seeing it in Vientiane, Laos. It is the size of 10 Colorado Rivers and very scenic. We met a Swiss cycle tourist on the stairs to our room and discussed the crappy roads between the Laos Border and Kompong Cham. She said the ride from Kratie to Kompong Cham was the most miserable stretch of them all making us glad that we bussed it. Like us they are planning on moving out tomorrow but plan on going more distance. We will most likely stop in Skun, a place known for its’ roasted spiders. I am thinking a happy hour of beer and spider might be in order.
posted by Kirk & Jodi Roberts at 6:42 PM
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