Hello
Back after only few days …
Border crossing from Vietnam to Cambodia was rather fast. Another nice slow boat brought us close to Phnom Penh. But close is not entirely. A bus was expected to be waiting for us to bring us the last stretch of one hour to Cambodias capital. But there was none waiting and none in sight. Some taxis were waiting. But nobody was ready to pay for a taxi as the bus fare was included. After a while a guy showed up who obviously was in charge of helping us further. He organized a minibus and filled up the taxis, trying to put 5 passengers in each one. But we refused again and so after a while (1 hour) we all had proper transportation to Phnom Penh. As I’ve been in Phnom Penh before, and as we had to come back anyway, Silvio and I decided to proceed to Siem Reap the next day already. Siem Reap is the gateway to the ruins and temples of Angkor. The same day we arrived I went to the Kantha Bopha Childrens Hospital, founded by Beat Richner, to donate blood. The staff there was very impressed when I showed them my donator card. It was the third time I gave them my blood. In the evening we visited the seminar center of the hospital to watch a documentary film on the work of Beat Richner. Twice a week he also performs Bach and some of his own compositions on the cello. As I had to get my donor card some days later (with the proper measurements of my blood written in) we also attended ‹Beatocellos› concert and information evening. There I heard that ‹he› meanwhile is running five hospitals in Cambodia. 4 years ago there were only three. The work of Beat Richner deserves our most respect! In Angkor we visited all major temples during the next 3 days. We hired a tuktuk and so we were brought to all temples in a very comfortable way. I have seen all these temples before but I was again overwhelmed by their beauty. I could go there again and again. Siem Reap itself is not a very nice place but convenient and friendly. People are nice and as there are so many options where to stay, lodging is cheap and so is food. Still, after 4 days we took a bus back to Phnom Penh. 4 years ago it was more convenient to take a boat, but this has changed as the roads are much improved these days. Big progress in rather little time almost everywhere.Again after only one night we set off to Sihanoukville. Silvio’s plan was to go to Laos, so he had to come back anyway and explore Phnom Penh then, while I didn’t want to spend more time there as really needed. My plan was to go to Thailand from Sihanoukville. In Sihanoukville we stayed 3 nights, exploring the beaches. These were very nice and clean and so was the water. This time I enjoyed the hours at the beaches! And not only me …
After these days it was time to move on. And to say goodbye to Silvio as well as to Cambodia. Again, there were two options how to get to Thailand. Bus or boat. I’ve chosen the wrong one. Everyone told me that the newly established direct bus connection to Koh Chang is the fastest, most reliable and most convenient way, to get there. Even I usually prefer boat over bus I decided to go the easy way, also avoiding to stay one night in Trat. The road was completed but the bridges were not. So we had to get of the bus and cross some rivers by tiny ferries (2 times) or by foot (2 times), carrying all our luggage in the heat of the day and board another bus on the other side. This trip was very exhausting and I’m sure I’d enjoyed the trip on a small slow boat much more than this hassle. Anyway, we eventually made it to the border (Koh Kong). Crossing was very fast and easy. But transport to the next point was again a chaos, as they had problems to put the passengers into the right minibus according to their target. Even every passenger hat a batch around its neck, which showed where he wanted to end up. People had to change the minibus several times until they sorted the things out. Finally we left after another hour. But when the sun was setting, I was on the boat which brought me to Koh Chang. Cambodia is less developed than Vietnam. Streets are improving and so connections on lakes and rivers get less and less important. This is a pity. My stay in Cambodia was very short this time, only 9 days. The temples and surroundings are still beautiful. To protect the ruins some parts are not accessible anymore. A problem, as in Vietnam, are the plastic bags, polluting wide areas. Not so much at the temples, but in the rest of the country. Real rip-off occurred only once, at the first beach resort in Sihanoukville (Western Management), while some sights in Phnom Penh seem to have exorbitant entry fees now, as Silvio reported in an email. But my general feeling is much more relaxed compared to Vietnam. I might come again, even a fourth time, to the see temples again (and donate my blood).