One aspect of traveling the world that is always an adventure is the travel itself. Whether you are in a car, a van, the back of a truck, a plane, or a boat, there is always the potential for an adrenaline rush or extreme terror.
The trip began with an awesome flight. If you ever have the opportunity to fly to any part of Asia, try to get Thai Airways. It is absolutely amazing! We had our own video consoles with movies, tv shows, video games, and music. Josh watched 5 movies on the way over there! The plane was so comfortable. The food was great. Two different items were offered at every meal, usually something Asian and something a little more American.
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| our group right off the plane! |
In Cambodia, the real adventure began. We hopped on what is called a tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is a motorcycle attached to a modern day wagon. The wagon has two benches facing each other and is big enough for two people to sit comfortably on each bench. However, with bags, purses, and other things, the tuk-tuks can become very packed. Then there is the driving… At intersections, there are no stoplights or stop signs; simply people driving at break neck speed towards one another. The drivers honk at each other until one gives the right of way. One would think that there would be hundreds of wrecks every day with this type of driving. Fortunately, we only saw a couple of wrecks while we were there.
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| our amazing Tuk Tuk driver Chan! |
The majority of the of the transportation in Cambodia is by motorbike. The driving doesn't seem to have many rules, but the thing that still gets me every time is seeing those little kids riding on the bikes!
Our trip to Siem Reap introduced a new aspect of travel: the bus. This was Josh’s least favorite form of travel. The rides were extremely loud. Much like many of the people in America, some in Cambodia have very little idea what an inside voice is. The rides are very loud and in another language, it can be irritating. On top of that, there is no telling how long a ride will last. The estimated time to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is 5 hours. However, it took us a little over 7 hours. The bus continuously stops to pick additional people up. Those people sit on the floor, on stairs, or in the doorway. The bus driver and attendant are allowed to keep all the money they collected from these people, so they continue to stop and stop and stop and stop and stop… Finally, you arrive at your destination- better hope you don’t have any appointments that you were hoping to be on time for.
The ride back from Siem Reap was a lot more interesting. It was a boat ride. Once again, the timeline is undefined. The boat ride can take from 5 hours to 12 hours. Eric said that he always rides on the top of the boat and enjoys the scenery. However, after a couple of minutes a Cambodian man began yelling at us to get down. Kristina & I were sitting down behind the boat, but still on the outside. After a few minutes of a rough ride there, Josh came and got us to go inside. Once inside, the one thing that I didn’t want to happen happened. I started feeling seasick. Fortunately, I was able to go back up top and find a little slice of roof that wasn’t drenched. Eventually, the boat slowed and we were able to enjoy the scenery. It was awesome!
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Boat ride back with Lida! |
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