9. Good Bye, Vietnam, Hello Cambodia!
13.09.2023
My online research how to get to Cambodia starting in Ha Tien (which is only 7km away from the border check-point) wasn't very fruitful and I asked the hotel owner about my best options. She made clear that a taxi would be expensive, hard to get and that there aren’t any regular buses. She offered to call a company and get back to me but she didn't and when I asked about it later on she simply told me the person hadn't picked up the phone. In consequence, I took it upon myself to find a ride. There was guy with a motorbike around the corner of my hotel who was stalking me already for days. Every time I walked past him he asked “where you go?” and if I needed a ride. It took a while even with google translate until he understood my request and he offered the ride for reasonable 100,000 VND (AUD $7.00).
This morning at around 9:00am I went around the corner to shop some snacks for the journey and of course I bumped once again into my motorbike guy. We chatted and a minute later out of the blue his older brother showed up, too. He introduced himself as a tour guide with 35 years of experience and explained his business model to me. He has several vehicles for different tasks and employs his son in law on the Cambodian side as a tuktuk driver. …and apparently his brother is helping out, too.
At 10:00am I checked out of my hotel and the plan had changed: the older brother would drive me to the border, help me to get across and if there wasn't a minivan or other financially more attractive options, I would take him up on his tuktuk ride offer for US$20.00 – by far the highest price for intercity travel so far, but as a private ride of 60km it isn't a total rip-off. Anyway, my tour guide / border check-point driver squeezed my luggage upside down in front of the seat and off we went. It wasn't comfortable, however the ride lasted only for 15min. During that time I chitchatted with my driver who claimed - and I have to admit, rightfully so - to be an honest, no bullshit guy who genuinely wanted to help me to cross the border without issues. He warned me of tricks by the border police to get some extra money and explained the process of crossing border to me in detail.
First stop was the Vietnamese border gate. I handed over my passport to get the exit stamp – easy! - Except it wasn't. They inspected my passport for 15min, made calls and whipped out a magnification glass which amused me. Did they really think I presented them with a forged document? Then they shared the reason for the delay with me: the handwritten date for my visa expiry said 04/10/2024 instead of 2023. Gosh, I could have not only stayed for another year and 2 weeks! Lol The mistake wasn't mine so at the end they put the exit stamp in my passport and let me move on.
I hopped onto the motorbike again and we rode 100m to a boom gate on the Cambodian site. I showed my passport, the young uniformed guy approved and offered me in very basic English a “quick visa.” I immediately knew that this was an illegal side hustle to make some extra cash by overcharging me. I convinced him that I was fine and could do it myself. Next stop was a much bigger building with ca. 8m ceiling height and little office containers inside, a lot of free space and an open office desk serving as check-point. I approached the guys sitting in a container with a glass wall and to my amazement I witnessed how one of the border police guys stood there with his pants half down, tugging his shirt back in before closing his belt – while he was talking to his colleague! Can't imagine that happening in Australia or Germany. I showed my filled in visa form and paid US $40.00. I knew the visa was only $35.00, but I only had US$10.00 and US$20.00 notes. At first it seemed the guy didn't want to give me any change. After a while he reluctantly handed me 10,000 Cambodian Riel back. Even with the worst exchange rate possible I believe he still scammed me out of a couple of dollars.
Okay, let's not get hung up on that – next stop: showing my passport with the new visa entry piece of paper to the guys at the open office. …I was in for another surprise. One of the 2 guys was sleeping in his chair. The other guy didn't bother to wake him up and didn’t show any sign of embarrassment for the unprofessional representation of the Cambodian border force. He simply waved me over and checked my passport before taking digital finger prints.
But we weren’t done yet: I was ushered into another room with a guy in white navy uniform. He pointed a strange looking camera at me that made a concerning alarm sound when he fired it. Right after he asked me to pay $1.00 for the picture. I told him that I had passport pictures already and wouldn't need another one. He then introduced himself as a doctor and passed me a yellow piece of paper which I should keep save during my stay and present at hospitals in case of sickness. I suspect that his photo camera was a temperature scanner for Covid check purposes. Anyway, we didn’t speak about the dollar anymore I was supposed to pay.
Interestingly, my motorbike driver who accompanied me during the whole ordeal didn't have to do any checks. Another 50m-100m behind the building I had to show my passport one more time before I had finally cleared the last checkpoint to Cambodia. Hallelujah!
My driver’s son in law was already waiting right behind the border check-point and because there were no minivans, any buses or vehicles visible that looked like cheap mass transport I confirmed that I would be happy with a USD $20.00 tuktuk ride. He assured me that his son in law who didn't speak a word English would stop for me at an ATM on the way and also help me with buying a SIM card. I appreciated that little extra bit of service.
The ride took around 1 hour and what can I say? I need to retract my complaints about atrocious road conditions in Vietnam: Cambodia is the new king of dusty dirt roads and massive potholes. I am not a fan of wearing a mask but if I was about to make that trip on a regular basis I certainly would wear one for the sake of my lungs. Whenever big trucks or SUVs drove past us, the visibility was reduced to under 25m and it felt like we were riding through a sandstorm in the desert. Not particularly pleasant in a tuktuk with open sides. And once we had made it to a properly constructed road it started raining in buckets. - A quick stop at an ATM in Kampot to withdraw US dollars (because most ATMs don't dispense Cambodian Riel if a foreign credit card is detected) followed.
The famous durian roundabout in Kampot
Shortly after, the tuk tuk cruised around the main roundabout in Kampot featuring an oversized durian fruit sculpture in the centre and stopped at a mobile phone shop. I once again had to present my passport, but – who would have guessed that at this point – there was a problem when the shop staff tried to photo scan it and the sim card couldn’t be issued in my name. Fortunately my driver was kind and helpful and provided his ID instead. Now my SIM card runs on his name and he asked me via google translate not to do bad things with it otherwise he would be in trouble. ;-) He dropped me off at my hotel and from here on I can speed up the rest of today's story:
Hotel room is a significant upgrade to Ha Tien in terms of cleanliness and space, it almost feels luxurious – as much as it can be for $15.00 per night. Only downside – no wifi, despite clearly advertised on booking.com. Now my poor phone will have to act as wifi hot spot (it literally gets hot after a while) and I will burn through my data in no time. Could be worse because for a US$1.00 recharge you get 8GB valid for a week. My hotel room on the third floor has a window with a view that isn't a filthy concrete wall in arm's reach but instead you can watch soccer games taking place in the Kampot Province Stadium. How is that for a change? There is no shortage of vegan and vegetarian cafes and restaurants close by and I already made a market purchase for my first self-made salad in Cambodia. Prices are similar to Vietnam.
Here are the key differences between the two countries I identified so far: Architecture: Cambodian buildings are less decorated although it was also a French protectorate in the 19th and 20th century meaning I expected more hints of colonial style on the facades. Vietnam wins for me in this point. Traffic: It seems like there are more cars in Cambodia or in proportion less motorbikes than in Vietnam but Kampot might not be representative for the entire country. Once I am in the capital Phnom Penh I will revisit my statement here. A huge difference, though, is the way people drive. Much less honking. I got so used to it and now the road traffic in Cambodia feels strangely, but pleasantly quiet. Win for Cambodia. Faces: I am surely not the person saying: all Asians look the same to me but somehow I didn't expect to be able to make out the difference between a Vietnamese and a Cambodian face so quickly. It is surprisingly obvious. Mentality: Based on my first day experience it seems that Cambodian people are less outgoing/more reserved. Sometimes the reactions I get are the same as in Vietnam but in general the vibe is different – can't say yet if that is good, bad or neutral.
During my walk to a restaurant and the adjacent market I spotted already half a dozen foreigners – the first in over a week. You might think that I got excited and feel connected to other Westerners but it actually had the opposite effect because the moment more tourists are in a town, things start to shift – businesses catering to tourists pop up, signs and prices are displayed in English, the locals become used to foreigners in their town/city and potentially the way they treat them changes as well. The positive side is that it is easier to communicate, to find things you know from home, etc. but it also takes away from experiencing the unaltered/unmodified lifestyle of Cambodia. However, if I want to immerse myself into authentic Cambodian life I can simply take a bike and ride for a few miles until I am out of the city centre where locals aren't accustomed to see foreigners.
I will stay in Kampot for probably 5-7 days. I am so grateful for my new hotel room ticking all the boxes and some extras like hot water after 3 minutes of running the tap and a decently dimensioned desk with an appropriate height for my body size. It makes food prep and typing on my laptop so much more enjoyable. I have to smile when I am reflecting about the fact that I get an endorphin rush by seeing a standard table/desk in a room and walls that don't scream: nobody cares how run down, mouldy, paint-stripped and dirty we look.
Holy Moly, time flies – it's a quarter to midnight and I haven't had dinner yet. I am still clinging to the illusion that I can describe everything I have to say in 20-30min – straight to the point without any excursion...only to be dragged back into a reality where my posts take me 2-3 hours without any proof reading included.
If it wasn't for my travel blog, I still wouldn't have a website for my photography business even though I secured the domain name already 8 years ago. I always had excuses why I didn’t create a website or would pay someone else to build one for me. Anyway, now it’s done and I don’t care how many years it took. I am glad this website exists and I hope it will stay visually appealing, informative and bug-free for many years to come.
