The Bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

It was actually a great ride between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The bus was very comfortable and the roads were good. This was a sign in the front of the bus.
Leaving Phnom Penh

Halfway there we stopped at a nice restaurant.

A fish out of water. All right. I couldn't resist.

Inside the restaurant.

Phnom Penh This and That

We ate dinner in a delightful restaurant run by a group which is training Street Kids to have a job skill instead of just begging on the streets. There is a similar set up in Hanoi. They also have a craft shop. I had a Chicken burger which was excellent. We had a choice of several routes from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. By air, boat or bus. The boat is rated "uncomfortable" and air is expensive (and the trip takes up a good part of the day anyway) so we chose the deluxe bus . The company said a van would pick us up. It was early am and our hotel hadn't opened yet so we had to slip out the back door with the security guard's help. Here we are waiting for the "van".

It turned out to be a tuk tuk of course.

Getting three of us and all our bags in one is quite a logistic undertaking.

These flowers were in the courtyard of the Royal Palace.

And I thought this was a great shot of the stairs for mounting your white elephant from the Royal Palace. The National Museum did not allow photos.

The view of the electrical wires from the terrace outside our room. Electrical wiring is always interesting in Asian countries.

Some sort of grounds keeper in the park across from our hotel.

Our double decker bus picked us up on this street at the company's tiny bus station.

And we were off on the way to Siem Reap. Notice the load on this truck. We thought the bus would give us the best view of the countryside between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Phnom Penh Part 2

I really loved the murals. Unfortunately this wooden statue was in the way of this one.

Gold elephants.

Some of these royal chairs didn't look all that comfy to sit on.

More murals

After all this culture it was time to head to the Russian Market for a bit of shopping. On the way back a young girl on a bike hitched a ride on our tuk tuk.

Phnom Penh Part One

We settled into our room and then ventured out to do a bit of sightseeing. Our hotel faced the National Museum (in this photo) and the National Palace. A perfect location. And it was just one block from the riveerfront with lots of interesting cafes. We decided to go to the Royal Palace in the morning (its mostly outside) and the Museum in the afternoon (mostly inside) when it might be cooler there.

A Palace Guard. Talk about a boring job.

Most of the buildings are off limits but its fun to wander around the grounds and through the Silver Pagoda and some other interesting buildings. Here soldiers were lined up on the steps of the Throne Room.

Just outside the gates.

We couldn't figure out what they were doing there as no one came out of the building.

The Pavilion of Napoleon III which is now an art gallery on the left.

The soldiers finally left the area.

This building is without walls so the moonlight can shine in and is used as a dance pavilion.

One of the many King's chedei on the grounds.

A building under repair.

Roofing tiles awaiting installation.

More repairwork.

Inside another open building.

From Chau Doc Vietnam to Phnom Penh Cambodia

After a wonderful day and evening in Chau Doc it was time to head for Phnom Penh Cambodia. This was a sign posted in another hotel...not ours. No prostitubes allowed...whatever they are.
We had purchased tickets on the fast boat ($26) which included a pickup at our hotel by cyclo of course, since there are no taxis. Here you can see my daughter holding on to her two suitcases in the front of her cyclo.

A "neighbor" at the dock where we waited for our boat.

Across the river.

Our boat arrives and we load and are off. Comfy leather seats or you could sit outside on the back.

We had wonderful views of small farms and houses on the banks.

Local fishermen.

Vietnam immigration. We all had to get off the boat. One couple who had given their passports to someone to secure Cambodian visas for them hadn't gotten them back and couldn't go any further than this. We couldn't understand why they did this as it is easy to get visas on arrival in Cambodia.

And a few minutes up the river it was Cambodian immigration where we got visas.

It was too hot even for the dogs to rouse themselves.

An offering at a small temple there.

A cambodian farm.

And a temple of course.

Phnom Penh begins to appear on the horizon.

Hotel construction along the shore.

And local fishermen.

Things are beginning to look a little fancy.

The dock. The minute we arrived we were surrounded by taxi drivers and porters who wanted to carry our bags up the stairs. Phnom Penh is surprisingly expensive considering the local average wage.