No Fixed Abode: Dodgems

Fri 26 Feb 2016 - Bangkok to Battambang, Cambodia

We’d read that the crossing of the Thai/Cambodian land border can be problematic so partly because of this and partly because the fare was so reasonable, we decided to book our own taxi rather than use the bus. Met in the hotel lobby at 0800 by our driver we threw our packs in the boot and jumped in the rear seat. The driver saw us both fumbling about under the seat trying to find the seat belt buckle and said to us ’no seat belt’. We looked at each other apprehensively then thought ‘ok, this is how they roll in Bangkok’ before heading off into the melee that is Bangkok traffic. The guy was clearly an expert and dodged and weaved through the slow moving queues, hoards of tuk tuks and swarming mopeds until we hit a motorway.

Time to sit back and relax. Oh no. As the guy was being paid a fixed fee he was clearly intent on getting there and back as quickly as possible. With Yvonne clutching her seat he left no gap from the vehicle in front, switched lanes whenever he could and cut in front at the last moment - all at 70mph. He seemed to know what he was doing, however, so we settled back admiring the miles of stationary traffic going into the city on the opposite carriageway.

After burning up a few miles we left the motorway and joined a normal road thinking maybe it will all calm down now. But no, we continued to make rapid progress and at one point we were sitting at some lights behind a lorry in a turn right lane when the straight ahead lights turned green. Once those lanes had emptied he veered inside, undertook the stationary lorry then cut back in front of it beyond the stop line, waited for the lights to go green then sped off with no one seeming at all bothered.

Despite all this he did get us to the border town very quickly, overtaking several tourist buses on the way, which is just what we’d hoped. Arriving in the Thai border town the main road was tail to tail with lorries and cars queueing and with clear overhead signs showing border straight ahead we thought we’d be joining them, when suddenly he turned off the main road and Glenn reminded him we wanted to go to the border post. ‘Yes, border, border’ he replied before turning down another side street and delivered us to small car park. He then loaded our packs on our backs, took his cash, showed us the exact building to enter 100m away and was gone. Amazing.

Ignoring the scamster guys all offering to get is a visa at an extortionate price (we’d applied online a few days earlier) we crossed the manic road and entered the Thai exit office - which to our delight was totally empty. A few quick stamps of the passport and we left to walk across the actual border, a large stone arch across the road, following the signs stating ‘go to Cambodia’. The border itself is a strange affair. The road continues uninterrupted between the two countries and it seemed quite possible to walk straight across, as many locals appeared to do. Between the two immigration posts is a 300m stretch of no man’s land full of duty free shops and casinos, which we hastily crossed not wishing to get caught in the large queues that often form in the sweltering heat on the Cambodian side.

The Cambodian “office” of three guys in a hut was also empty. What a result! We were handed some forms to complete, sat at the rickety table on two of the six chairs then up to the kiosk for a few more stamps and we were in. No questions and no fingerprinting which we had been expecting. Total time 10 mins - we’d read it can take hours!

Once out of the office we were directed to the stop for the official shuttle bus and told to wait in the shade. As it arrived loads of luggage was delivered on sack barrows, presumably from a coach load behind us currently going through the Cambodian hut. Phew! We boarded the bus, the driver waited a short while but as no one else arrived he set off with the young guy who’d directed us to the shade. At the ‘transit terminal’ the young guy asked us where we were going, how we wanted to get there (bus, shared taxi, dedicated taxi) and directed us to the counter. With our US dollars handed over (no one uses Cambodian Riels) he took the address of the hotel, found us a cab, gave the driver some instructions and we were off. Less than 30 mins cab to cab. Amazing.

The drive to Battambang took 2 hours on a single carriageway road with the more typical Indochina travellers, scooters with 3 people and hen shoved up a shirt, motorbikes with the back passenger hold onto overladen loads by a pole, school uniformed cyclists, beaten up lorries and impatient car drivers. All weaving in and out and trying to avoid the oncoming traffic which was doing exactly the same. The journey took us across a rural landscape of paddy fields and through a few towns with chaotic traffic and the common placed street vendors sitting on the side of the road selling drinks and food in the shade of a tatty umbrella.

Arriving in Battambang we soon realised this is a major town and drove along a large industrial main street filled with row after row of scooter and moped sellers/renters, near derelict motor repair shops, a huge rice mill and the dodgy looking hotels. Our driver wasn’t familiar with our hotel address (doesn’t bode well, does it!) and after asking a few locals we finally drove up to a building facing the brown river and and on a busy road. A quick check in led us to a corner room one side facing the river overlooking the town and a quite modern low rise apartment block to the other side.

As the air cooled we took a stroll over the river by the bridge, unlike the locals who wade across the river, to the buzzing town streets. The main street was vibrant with food stalls and a playground and outside gym along its length and families were out with kids on swings and seesaws, older boys were on parallel bars showing off their strength, groups of men playing a cross of badminton and footie game using their feet to kick the shuttle and the older ladies gently using cross trainers and walking along a rectangular area with a path of stones in barefeet. Glenn was intrigued so slipped of his sandals and stepped on and immediately started ooh, aahing hobbing along just as you do walking along a pebbled beach but apparently the stones here were sharp. Completing just one circuit, the ladies were going around and around, Glenn sought the comfort of his sandals.

The locals were stopping on their scooters at the food stalls in a drive thru fashion and along the river ‘promenade’ were pop up restaurants with miniature tables and stools were it looked like you ate the one choice made on the stall. The dirty dishes were rinsed out in bowls of water at the side of the road. We elected to eat at the hotel restaurant as it looked very good value and we were not disappointed. Yvonne is getting fairly adept at eating with chopsticks now managing to even pick up peanuts.

The sunset and as we returned to the hotel in the dark we could here on the other embankment a parade of loud drumming with firecrackers being let off. Wonder what that was about.