The eccentric Austrian, who was actually an Israeli with an Austrian passport, soon turned into the tag-along from hell as we left the island with him in tow. It quickly transpired that he had no idea what he was doing or where he was going and so he followed us across the border into Cambodia, to the border island of Koh Kong - and checked into the same hotel!
The differences between Thailand and Cambodia were evident as early as the border crossing; the Thai official stamped my passport and handed it to me with a smile and a thank-you; at the Cambodian side three guys tried to take my passport off me and get my visa for me, the border official tried over charging us by $5 each and the taxi mafia meant we couldn't haggle for a cheaper fare into town.
After that poor first impression things got better. We checked into a nice hotel with a swimming pool for just $8/night and swam in the pouring rain. We visited the local market and stocked up on food: a baguette filled with at least six unidentifiable fillings, mangosteens, dragon fruit, lychees and BBQ chicken from a street vendor. In the evening we ate at a local street cafe and were excited to get free iced tea with our meal (which I believe is standard in most non-touristy Cambodian restaurants), then we went to a TV bar! Dozens of rows of chairs were lined up facing five flat screen TVs, each showing a different programme. There were no other women in there, just solo men or small groups, watching their chosen show. Ric got to watch football while I enjoyed the cheesey Thai pop music videos on another screen. We ordered two beers and instead were brought two iced coffees made with condensed milk, which turned out to be delicious.
Cambodia uses both the American dollar and it's own currency, the riel. This is really confusing. You can pay for something with a $10 note and be given 50,000 riels back in change. Or worse, they give you change in a mixture of both currencies. This is going to take some getting used to.
Also, randomly, a lot of women in Koh Kong were wearing pyjamas, the two-piece button-down patterned type. Shop owners, waitresses and people riding around on bicycles, all wearing pyjamas. Looks comfortable!
Early the next day we escaped the clingy Austrian/Israeli and caught a bus to Sihanoukville. The route took us through the Cardamon Mountains where we passed countless raging waterfalls and lush greenery.
Unfortunately Cambodia earned itself another strike when the bus driver made us get off the bus on the outskirts of town where we had to get motorbike taxis into the center. No doubt the moto-drivers offered him a share of the extortionate rate they charged us!
The differences between Thailand and Cambodia were evident as early as the border crossing; the Thai official stamped my passport and handed it to me with a smile and a thank-you; at the Cambodian side three guys tried to take my passport off me and get my visa for me, the border official tried over charging us by $5 each and the taxi mafia meant we couldn't haggle for a cheaper fare into town.
After that poor first impression things got better. We checked into a nice hotel with a swimming pool for just $8/night and swam in the pouring rain. We visited the local market and stocked up on food: a baguette filled with at least six unidentifiable fillings, mangosteens, dragon fruit, lychees and BBQ chicken from a street vendor. In the evening we ate at a local street cafe and were excited to get free iced tea with our meal (which I believe is standard in most non-touristy Cambodian restaurants), then we went to a TV bar! Dozens of rows of chairs were lined up facing five flat screen TVs, each showing a different programme. There were no other women in there, just solo men or small groups, watching their chosen show. Ric got to watch football while I enjoyed the cheesey Thai pop music videos on another screen. We ordered two beers and instead were brought two iced coffees made with condensed milk, which turned out to be delicious.
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| TV bar. |
Cambodia uses both the American dollar and it's own currency, the riel. This is really confusing. You can pay for something with a $10 note and be given 50,000 riels back in change. Or worse, they give you change in a mixture of both currencies. This is going to take some getting used to.
Also, randomly, a lot of women in Koh Kong were wearing pyjamas, the two-piece button-down patterned type. Shop owners, waitresses and people riding around on bicycles, all wearing pyjamas. Looks comfortable!
Early the next day we escaped the clingy Austrian/Israeli and caught a bus to Sihanoukville. The route took us through the Cardamon Mountains where we passed countless raging waterfalls and lush greenery.
Unfortunately Cambodia earned itself another strike when the bus driver made us get off the bus on the outskirts of town where we had to get motorbike taxis into the center. No doubt the moto-drivers offered him a share of the extortionate rate they charged us!
