Start of trip || < || >

For details of the places I visited in Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, with GPS Coordinates, see my book Vietnam Caves.

For details on motorbiking in Vietnam and Cambodia, from buying and selling a motorbike, to border crossing, see my book Motorbiking Cambodia & Vietnam.

I got up at 5 am to be on the road by 6. Checking outside, it is raining. So I repack my stuff to have my important stuff in my small backpack, that I will put in the luggage space under the bike’s seat. This delays me a bit, and I am out 10 min late. The traffic is already getting heavy even at just past 6 in the morning. It takes me 45 minutes just to get out of Saigon downtown with traffic quickly becoming worse.

Eventually I get to the highway, only to be stuck in a snail pace. One hour later, and about 3 km later, I eventually pass the problem that caused the miles of backed up traffic, an accident. Not one for rubbernecking, I pass by, but do notice that for some reason, a tourist van managed to lose control, burst through the protective barrier of concrete into the lane reserved only for bikes, and took out 3 bikers. How he did this on a speed limit of 60km/h, I am not sure.

Highway out of Saigon.

The road is pretty boring being mostly straight and going trough or past towns.

Road from Saigon to Phnom Penh

I stop just before the border post to get breakfast. Jup, from my favorite mobile road stops. The famous bread roll guys. I get myself two bread rolls with egg. Luckily no problems in them understanding nothing else. I eat one, and put the other one in my backpack for the road later.

Mmm Breakfast.

I had no idea, that the border I was heading to, was in fact the same one the bus used when I came into Vietnam almost a month ago. As I approach the immigration gates, the local mafia already starts to call to me. Then suddenly two guys flank me with bikes. They tell me that my bike cannot enter Cambodia (which is bull) but they can help. (For a price.). I know it is all a scam, as yes you can bring a bike in. However, due to there not being an procedure in place that you can follow, plus corruption, doing it without these guys help will see you hours at the border at times. Or at times not being able to cross. See all the immigration officers have to say, is no.

So I ask how much is this “customs tax” and I am told $30. So I agree. We are now just outside the gates. Immedtiatly one guy tells me to get on the back if his bike, while another guy takes my bike. A third asks for my passport, and yes, exactly $5. Good thing I got that $5 from Simon. As I am driven to where some official sit, my passport appears there, and they help me fill the forms in. No need to stand in line. Then I am directed to one of the cubicles that is luckily empty. A whole bus load of people are busy inside filling in forms. Since I have a multi entry visa for Cambodia, I fly through customs. Get out on the other side, and I am picked up again by the first biker guy, and driven through the gates into Cambodia. There my bike awaits me, with four dudes wanting cash.

I have only the $40 in two $20 notes denominations, and hand it over, then ask for change. You should have seen these guys faces when I asked them for change. They were shell shocked. Then they actually ask me for more money. I refuse and the guys sadly hand over my bike and keys. They must have though since I do not have the normal backpacker fall to pieces bike I would be willing to pay more, go eat dust bro. All in all, I cleared immigration on both sides, in under 5 minutes. How is that for speed.

From there it is around 160km to Phnom Penh, so I nurse the bike, not wanting to damage the engine more than is needed. I stop only to have the second roll with eggs on, and make it to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital and largest city at around 12am. I already decided I will stay in the same guest house that I stayed in when I started the trip as they helped me with my visa.

The road is good, but yes boring, and my mind begins to wonders as i pass a line of cars. Must be the bridge i saw on the map. I must be daydreaming as i see mirages in front of me. For suddenly the road ends and it is just water. What a dream, the lady must have put some special powder in that egg roll. Crap, the road really ends. I slam on the breaks as a gate guard desperately runs out of breath after me. I am at a ferry crossing. I pull my cell phone out, and yes, the roadmap shows a bridge on the map. The guy informs me that i am in the car only lane. I go what lane, there is only a ramp with a bunch of cars waiting. O no, i have to go around a building, pay ferry fee, then wait behind gate until all the cars are on the ferry. Then they open the gate, and all the bikes are allow to get onto the ferry with the same ramp the cars used. mmm, okay.

Waiting for the gate to be opened. Cars and buses pass in front of the gate, going down to the ferry on the right. After they passed, the gate is opened and bikes can fill the spaces left on the ferry.

After the ferry, it is back on a boring road until i get to the guest house.
I check in for two days just in case Yamaha needs more time to fix the bike.

After checking in, I head over to the first Yamaha dealer on the map. They turn out to be only a sales showroom, with no mechanics. The girls at reception try to explain how to get to their second shop, but it just is not working out. So I take one of their brochures, with a map and directions to their main shop.

As luck would have it, there are roadworks and some of the roads are blocked. So, with a printed map, and a digital map on my iPad, I am proud to say that I actually managed to get lost for about 10 minutes ha ha ha. Eventually, I manage to get to the second dealer. There I ask them if they have a new carburetor for my bike, and one of the guys goes. “Yeh, around $100.” I am like, aahh, forget it. But, my bike have this tik, that has developed into a tuk tuk. 🙂 they listen to the engine, then go, “over $200”. I am like, what?, well what is wrong with it. And get the standard answer, “we have to open the engine up and look.” I am like, you want to open the engine but you do not even know what the problem is, Jup.

When you get that answer, you know they have no idea and are just going to keep replacing parts until the problem goes away or you run out of money. So I decide to just have the oil changed and then have it looked at by my mechanics in Siem Reap.

Having the oil changed at Yamaha, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Back at the guest house I decide i am not going to chance the 314 km to Siem Reap with the bike, and ask the cashier if she can arrange for a bus that can take my bike. She says she will try, and calls the bus company. The answer is yes, one company does take bikes on the bus, but they are not sure if they have space, we have to check after 5pm. Being just after 2, I decide to write a bit.

Time flies, again in slow motion. Then about 20 to 5pm, a storm comes up and it rains like mad. The wind kicks up, forcing me into a corner in the open lobby and as luck would have it, the power goes out. So now we are sitting downstairs in the reception area, waiting for the power to come back on. 5pm comes and goes, and by about 5:15 the power comes on. Immedialty I ask the reception lady to call the bus company back. No answer. We wait another 15 minutes, and get trough. Yes they have space for my bike on the bus for tomorrow. Even though I paid for two nights, I go for it. The moment I pay for my ticket, I know it is going to be an interesting ride. $6 for me on a large bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Normal prices are $8 for the low budged busses, and $14 for the VIP which is actually just a standard bus. So $6, mmmm.

I am handed a receipt, (the same the hotel uses for your food) that basically is a standard hotel receipt page, with hand written. “Paid, one seat, Phnom Penh to Siem Reap”. That is it, no tour bus company name, no official ticket, nothing, I am told that they will make up the price for the bike at the bus station, and that a van will come along tomorrow at 8am and I can follow them, or I can meet the bus at the bus station.

As the bike was giving some problems this morning starting, I fear that she may have some problems in starting tomorrow, so I decide to be down at reception ready at 7am, and get the bike going and warmed up, and possibly head to the bus station sooner as I know where it is.

With the bus ticket done, I ask the reception if I can get money back for the night that I paid and will not be staying, and they are like. “Off course, NOT!” Well, had to try. Now I can kick myself for paying for two nights in advance. Well, learn and move on. So I get dinner, then decide to hit the bed early so I can get up early.

So tomorrow, I am putting a bike on a bus. Gotta be fun.