On the road by 8:30 am, and we were delighted by the grand total of 12 passengers on board our large bus to Phnom Phen! It was awesome because we could all stretch out and have seats to ourselves. It took a while to leave Saigon but at last we were on our way. When we stopped at a gas station, Barry tried to exchange money but a woman there took his 104,000 Dong and quickly gave him a wad of bills. When he calculated, he realized she'd only given him about half the worth of his money. He and Connor went back and, without any argument, she took back the wad of cash and gave the correct amount. Hmmm..very strange.

As usual, the border crossing was a little hectic. We were told we just needed our passport but, of course, we needed our departure cards so there was a scramble to get them; then, we walked through customs but a new person took our passports and disappeared. Another new person appeared with our passports but he wanted our money for the visas. He took our money and then disappeared and then our bus driver drove away with us on board and the passports…well, we didn't actually know where they were. Suddenly, the driver announced we had to get off and eat. The restaurant was serving food out of huge tubs with all manner of things floating in them, so we ate Pringles and a pop for lunch, enjoying a quick visit with a couple from Ireland who were just as nervous as we were.

The man re-appeared with our passports and we were ordered back onto the bus and then we were off. The landscape was lovely farmland; flat and very fertile from what we could see, the farmhouses neat and, in some cases, beautifully landscaped and colourful. At about 1:15 pm, we got to the Neak Leung ferry but found ourselves waiting on the bus for a number of minutes. Margaret wanted to go to the bathroom, but the guide said just to wait. So, we waited. And waited.

Finally, we crossed, on the bus, which was new because in Vietnam we all had to get off the bus to cross on a ferry, but, in Cambodia, we stayed on. On the other side of the river, we were ordered off, and told that it was our last chance for a bathroom break. Quickly, we crossed a very busy street and walked through the entire length of a long narrow home built on a slatted floor that looked less than reliable (we could see through the slats to a long drop below).

Just a side note; the Cambodian bathrooms for ladies are varied but one version involves a slightly sloped, tiled floor with a one inch diameter hole in the lowest corner. One simply squats to pee and the slope carries the "flow" to the hole. When done, a dipper filled with water ensures a clean floor ready for the next in line. Being a farm girl, this didn't faze Margaret and she said it was far more civilized than some of the disgusting "Western" toilets she's encountered. The bathroom stop was all very strange but we decided a bathroom is a bathroom so we weren't going to complain.

However, then we got a big surprise. The bus guide told us we wouldn't have another break for 2 hours. It was already 2:00 pm which was supposed to be our arrival time, so that was a big screw up. We were a little stressed since we were supposed to catch a plane at 6:00 pm but we decided there was nothing we could do about it anyway, except hope nothing else would happen to delay us further.

Our ride went from smooth and fast to bumpy and dusty. The bus guide brought around wet wipes for the dust and the bumps grew more frequent. The later arrival time began to make sense. Eventually, we got to Phnom Phen, Cambodia. When the bus stopped, we were attacked by cab drivers, but they were nice and once we settled on one and a price, it was all good. The cab was a motorcycle with a rickshaw attached so that was cool and we enjoyed a comfortable ride to the airport. Beautifully landscaped, clean and modern are all words that fit this city and the Phnom Pehn airport was also lovely, well organized, clean and easy to navigate. We caught a quick meal and then spent some time in the lounge relaxing.

At exactly 6:20 pm, our plane took off with no hesitations or delays and the 35 minute flight included juice and a meal! When we arrived in Siem Reap, our new drivers for the hotel were there and we caught two more motorcycle taxis to the Rosy Guest House where our rooms were great and Rachel, the owner, an Englishwoman turned Cambodian greeted us with beer and some excellent advice for the next day. We watched the end of Platoon, played cards and looked forward to the morning.