I’ve left Thailand again for a few weeks, and after a smooth start to the day, stepping over the border into Cambodia changed everything. The plan was simple, bus it from Bangkok to the border, get visa, walk across and get on a new waiting bus to Siem Reap. There are four others making this long but straight forward journey with me, two Chinese girls and two Japanese guys.
Admittedly I probably made a mistake booking myself on this journey at Bangkok’s Khao San Road, an area apparently renowned for the 'scam bus' to Cambodia. The idea being that they leave very early, make you buy your visa through them at an inflated price 100 yards down the road from the border and then take you round in circles most of the rest of the way so that by the time you arrive it’s very late, and you’re too exhausted to look about for accommodation anyway that you just stay at the drivers guest house where he just happens to complete the drive. Luckily I didn't fall fowl to it that too much, but I'm sure there is a scam in my journey somewhere, no one makes it through without being ripped off at least once.
The trouble starts the moment I clear the border. I’m told to sit and wait for the others who are only going to be just a matter of minutes behind, but the moment I do take a seat, one of the two Cambodians that meets me then tells me to get into a waiting minibus. Figuring we’d wait there for the others, I found it odd when the driver sets off straight away with just the two of us. The Cambodian is nice enough and uses the 20 minute journey to tell me a few introductory facts about the country and politely informs about the 2 hour wait for my next bus which is scheduled to leave at 3pm. He explains that he feels it’s his duty to let me know that if I wished, I could get a taxi for 200 Thai Baht (4quid) that would go straight to Siem Reap, afteral, the 3 hour bus ride always has the potential to be held up. No pressure, entirely up to me.
On arriving at the bus terminal, which is more of a desolate and surreal aircraft hanger than a hub of transport, there’s not another soul in there, just some orange chairs dotted about and a large disused bar styled thing in the centre. Looking closely enough at the plain white walls of this sterile looking building could reveal a window and some people behind it. Apparently it is the last Thai Bank to be encountered whilst in the country so I'm encouraged to use it...don‘t know why. It doesn’t look very bank-like to me, and fortunately, as with all the best backpackers, I’ve no money to change anyway. The Cambodian reminds me about the taxi and that I should think about sharing with the others to make it cheaper. No pressure, up to me. The others do arrive not far behind and after a hassled and hot border crossing (not helped by a sudden turn up in the heat here. Bangkok was really starting to hit me, but now just blinking would seem to be enough to break into a sweat) we sound out the taxi but opt to stay with the bus when suddenly we can’t split the cost anymore. Communication isn’t easy between myself and the rest of today’s group, but the Japanese two and I decide to stick to the motion that we’ve already payed for a bus, so will take a bus. The Chinese two plan to do whatever I do.
Sitting happily in our seats both Cambodians took it in turns to approach us and try to convince us that we really do want a taxi, each time adding an hour on to the bus’s journey and making it sound more and more cramped and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the taxi is getting faster and faster and sounding more and more enjoyable. The two even changed the tones in their voices to corrispond with the happiness of taxi compared to despair of the bus, and I think at one point they even referred to them only as ‘nice comfy taxi‘ and ‘hot cramped bus‘. They were making a good, if not shifty argument though. By the time they were done, the 3 hour journey will now almost certainly take at least 6 hours and realistically most probably won’t get us there till midnight (which would be 9 hours) by bus. The taxi however, will breeze it in less than 2 hours. The bus will be cramped and hot despite there still being a severe lack of people at this terminal to even get on it, whilst the taxi will be comfortable and cool even though they are proposing 5 of us, plus luggage and driver, should all squeeze into one slightly battered Toyota Corola.
More unsuspecting travellers start arriving after being ferried here and looking confused by the destination start wondering around asking where the hell they are and what happened to the actual local bus station. I can even see the odd small group having the taxi argument that I’m still in the middle of. Every time we settle to read our books or write diaries completely unphased by the wait, one of the Cambodians runs over with a new argument and a new pro and con for the two modes of transport and are getting really quite angry with us. Eventually, each time they run over they slash the taxi’s price by half until it’s free (which makes me super suspicious) and in a tone of despairation ask us why we would do this to them like itt's a personal insult. “Why do you insist on the uncomfortable hot bus when we’ve arranged the nice cool taxi? We’re trying to help you.” But no pressure though. Sometimes they’d attempt to call our bluff and leave us to it, but when we didn’t run after them changing our minds, they come storming back even more annoyed with a new suggestion. I’m made key corrospondant and begged to use my better understanding of the English language to reason with the other four, but I’m on their side and certainly don’t trust these two Cambodian’s, there‘s a scam in here somewhere. Things reach boiling point until the parting comment from these guys comes in the form of the shouted words “If you must know, I just want to go see my girlfriend, but now because of you I can’t, so there! Get the bus if you really want, We're going!”, they then actually just sat outside for 20 minutes. Welcome to Cambodia then! None of us want to stand in the way of true love, but if his job is to wait until we’re on the bus then that’s not our fault. The bus left at 2.30pm (not 3pm as promised), was half full, did have air con, and only took the 3 hours claimed despite the 40min toilet break at the driver’s mates restaurant on route and encountering plenty of dodgy or nonexistent roads.
Initially relieved to be on the bus I was then gutted when the friendly chatty coach owner was met with severe hostility from a French a guy near the front creating a mountain of tension. This situation was only going to throw a spanner in works of us ever leaving for Siem Reap anytime soon. Turns out the French guy had been scammed on his journey about 3 times over today so is lacking in patience. Anyway, finally on the way, it would seem our friendly coach owner has a guest house. No pressure, he's just mentioning it. And of course the bus stop happened too be the driveway of his place. And wanting to keep the pressure off, he only mentioned his guesthouse and it’s benefits another fifty times prior to pulling up. Obviously by the time we arrived we were met by a gang of his staff and the invite to look at a room if we were interested became more of a frogmarch around the place with any attempts to leave met with resistance. But still no pressure, up to us. Having now lost the Chinese and Japanese travellers (probably to the guesthouse) I found some others on the bus that shared my desire to find an escape route. We succeeded in finding ourselves a guesthouse of our choice.
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