08.30 and a prompt departure gave cause for optimism. The 'luxury VIP bus' didn't quite appear to live up to its description in the brochure - a bit (ok a lot) shabbier. We ran the gauntlet of street sellers attempting to purvey essentials for the journey- oranges, bananas, loaves of bread, annoying tweeting plastic birds, watched our backpacks disappear into the throng and boarded.
After 30 seconds we stopped to pick up a chap. Then again - and again - until locals - men, women with babies in arms- all with luggage - filled all remaining seats. We began to realise that the $8 we had spent on each of our tickets wasn't such a bargain after all.
Then we were away. The road is mercifully reasonably straight. As we gathered speed the bus seemed to scatter lesser vehicles in its path. Tuk tuks and motor bikes were driven to the sides of the road with an imperious blast of the horn.
The driver very sensibly favoured driving in the centre of the road where there seems to be a smoother surface. It also enables the monotony to be broken by games of chicken with oncoming trucks.
First (unscheduled) stop & some of late boarders disembark, notes change hands & the lost passengers are replaced with more nice little earners for the driver.
At the scheduled stop we all tipped out for sustenance. We had already bought fruit & tramped off in search of coffee (Vietnamese, brewed by a Khmer married to an American). Realised we could have been more adventurous when the next stage was punctuated by some of our fellow passengers passing fried cockroaches around and chomping them noisily, with evident relish.
So - arrived safely and spot on time. All in all a great experience. The driver was actually very good once we got used to the fine judgements he was making. And the bus journey enabled us to see loads of fabulous countryside & how people live. What a good $8 worth!