Today was yet another early start with me having to be at reception at 7am to get the bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Little did I know that I was going to have to carry my bags 500m up the road to where the bus was waiting for me. Even at this time of the morning it is hot in HCMC.

I got to the bus, sat down in my seat and then was rather shocked and amazed to see that the bus had a Christmas tree up at the front, near to the driver. It was July and as far as I know, there were no Vietnamese festivals that had just happened that would warrant a Christmas tree....hmm....confused.

There wasn't much to say about the bus journey as I slept for most of it as it was a sleeper bus again, and the border crossing in to Cambodia went very smoothly too. I arrived in Phnom Penh and I had arranged a pick up from my hostel and was taken directly to the hostel without any problems either.

Once checked in and bags dumped, I decided to head out for a walk in to the town just to get my bearings and see where everything was. The hostel offered a free Tuk-Tuk ride in to town but I said that I wanted to walk and grabbed a map from them and headed out. The walk into town took nearly 30 minutes so I guess that’s why they offer the free ride in.

While walking down the main street I was approached by an Australian guy that said he had just got off the plane and they had lost all of his luggage which included his wallet and wondered if I could give him some money so that he could get on the internet and arrange with his family for some money to be sent over to him. I saw the scam coming right from the beginning as he was really scruffy and didn’t look like he had just got off a plane. I kindly told him that I don’t like being scammed and that I would not be giving him any money and kindly sent him on his way.

I decided to stop at the Irish Bar that I had come across for a cool beer, while enjoying the said beer an elephant walked down the main street in town past the bar being overtaken by cars and bikes as it went. I thought that they had maybe put something in my beer or that I was seeing things, but the local people didn’t seem to blink an eye such that this must be a regular occurrence here. It was very strange to see in such a busy street!

After seeing what I had just seen, I decided to finish my beer and head back to the hostel where I got some dinner. While sitting around in the common area I got talking to a couple of Irish guys who invited me to join them and their respective partners at the bar across the road. We had a few drinks and 1 couple left as they had an early flight in the morning and then Colin’s girlfriend left him with me as she was tired. So Colin and I polished off a few more beers while watching the Holland vs Uruguay game that was on the big screen in the bar.