Stuck In Transit...: A Perfect Getaway (March 6-9)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

A Perfect Getaway (March 6-9)

After being a month and a half back in Cambodia getting over a bad cold, I was ready for a vacation.

My coworker Carena’s Cambodian friend invite her for a family trip to Sihanoukville and of course being the kind Khmers they are, they invited me, a total stranger, as well. Sihanoukville is a quaint beach resort town down in the south of Cambodia. In recent years, it’s been attracting Western tourists for their beaches and semi-hippie atmosphere.

There are direct buses to Sihanoukville from Siem Reap but as we were supposed to meet the family in Phnom Penh, we headed there first. Just a note, Cambodia has no train system although there have been many plans to reestablish it (but has failed every time due to lack of finance). One of the reasons implementing the train system has been such a struggle is because the bus transportation system has become so elaborate, accessible and cheap. You can get a one way ticket from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh for $6, albeit needless to say the quality won’t be good.

Since the trip takes about 6 hours (but 8 hours, if you’re on a low quality bus since they go slower and the drivers take more frequent breaks), we decided to not waste our time and take the night bus. Giantibis bus company is by far the best. It is $15 so it’s more than double the price of the cheapest bus ticket but you get a clean bed with blanket, pillow, and water (they advertise free wifi as well but it’s not reliable!). Plus it’ll eliminate a night’s cost at a guesthouse in Phnom Penh. It’s fairly comfortable and the attendants speak good English so they are able to assist you if there’s any issues.

Frankly, it's quite comfy. Well worth the $15 paid

We arrived in Phnom Penh around 5:30am and honestly it was a decent 7 hour bus ride. It was still a bit early to meet up with the family so we wandered around for a few hours in hustle bustle morning rush of PP.