Long Drive to Bangkok

To Bangkok, Thailand

Our sole activity today was simply getting from Siem Reap (Cambodia) across the border to Thailand and into Bangkok. It turned out to take no less than thirteen hours from door to door -- van to the bus terminal, bus to the border, on foot to cross over, bus to Bangkok, and taxi to the hotel. The last five weeks have definitely been one of the faster paced portions of the journey, and I’m afraid we really haven’t done Southeast Asia justice. In all we’ve visited five countries and crossed the border seven times (Vietnam and Thailand twice). We either missed the capital cities completely (Vientiane) or just passed through (Hanoi and Phnom Penh) and will have but a single day in Bangkok. Oh well, maybe next time, though I suspect most people would consider a five week stay pretty luxurious.

Cambodian snack: sticky rice and beans in shaved bamboo

The most notable event of the day was the border crossing. The border town of Krong Poi Pet was nothing if not dismal. The streets were wet and muddy and there was plenty of trash to go around. We all got off the bus as instructed, grabbed our bags, and trudged along the road, first to the Cambodian departure office and then a thousand yards farther along, the arrival office for Thailand. For whatever reason, the Thai office was completely packed, perhaps because it was noon and only one of the 10 possible counters was open. After twenty minutes, it was pretty clear we were going to be there a while with the line zig zagging back and forth across the entire room. Someone somewhere turned on an eclectic mix of music, and eventually, Alex, a young backpacker from Santa Barbara, broke out his ukulele and started singing. We made the best of it, I used the time to catch up on emails, Meg read a book, and the kids sat on the ground and played with some toys.

Leaving Cambodia, entering Thailand

We eventually got back on the bus and were on our way. Poor Kylie, by the time we got into Bangkok, was about to burst from having to go to the bathroom. To our dismay, we were let off in the middle of the city, in the dark, with nothing but closed offices around. Thankfully, we soon hailed a taxi and piled in, making a quick pitstop at the first McDonald’s we passed to give Kylie some relief. It was a wet evening, so with the kids happily in our hotel room, it took some coaxing to get them back downstairs and onto the damp streets for some food.  Fortunately, just near the street market, a Thai restaurant run by a Greek man, was opened.  A couple beers and delicious bowls of Tom Yum and Tom Ka soup, and we were all feeling much better.