(^38) Aranyaprathet, Thailand – Sisophon, Cambodia – 56 km
Cambodia conjured up images of famine and mass killings. I was
eager to see what the country would hold – hopefully, none of the
above. So, following a relaxed start, we cycled to the Thailand-
Cambodia border via the border market. The market was massive,
with a warren of stalls selling everything imaginable. Most goods
came from Cambodia in a steady stream through the border post,
pushed or pulled on numerous heavily loaded hand-drawn carts.
Obtaining a visa involved filling out a form, providing a photo, and
visiting the "swine flu" checkpoint to have our ears probed and our
temperatures recorded.
Once in Cambodia, you could tell you were out of well-organised
Thailand and in a slightly more chaotic Cambodia. The chaos was
exacerbated by Cambodians driving on the right and traffic weaving
randomly between the lanes.
The Cambodians seemed friendly enough as greetings "suostei" could
be heard from behind banana trees as we pedalled past.
Arriving at Sisophon, our first town, we settled into our new
environment, changed money, and found a Cambodian SIM card. A
rickety hut on stilts came at $2 – considered a bargain even though
one could see through the floorboards. In general, things appeared
somewhat cheaper than in Thailand. The Cambodian Riel came at
4,160 riels to a US dollar, and bankcards got you dollars at the ATM
(which could then be changed to Riel). The markets quoted products
in Thai baht, dollars and Riels.
Strangely enough, in Cambodia, like in Thailand, all drinks came with
a straw, even a can of beer. LOL.
leana
(Leana)
#1