Post series: South East Asia

Cambodia – First Impressions

  1. Applying for a Myanmar (Burma) visa in Bangkok
  2. One night in Bangkok
  3. Visiting Rural Thailand – enjoy the silence
  4. Sleeping in a monastery on a mountain top in Hpa-An, Myanmar
  5. Overview of tourist hotspots in Myanmar (Burma)
  6. Naypyitaw – The official capital of Myanmar
  7. Being sick on the road
  8. The End of an Era – I’ve Sold My Motorbike and Left Vietnam
  9. Cambodia – First Impressions
  10. Koh Ta Kiev – Where the boat leaves from
  11. The Future of Sihanoukville, Cambodia and the Surrounding Areas
  12. What Were We Thinking (and other ramblings)

After crossing the border to Cambodia by bus the first town we encountered was Ban Lung. Although similar in many ways, once you look closer there are many differences between this town and the similar town of Pleiku in Vietnam on the other side.

Ban Lung is a fairly remote “genuine” Cambodian town about 1 hour from a small remote border. Of course, cities like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are significantly different but I think it’s fair to compare Ban Lung (Cambodia) with Pleiku (Vietnam).

First of all, in Ban Lung, there are more cars and less motorbikes and the motorbikes are older. My pointed out that the motorbikes they drive here are like the motorbikes in Vietnam 10 years ago. And unlike Vietnam, almost no one wears helmets.

The second thing you notice are the streets. They seem dustier, more “sad” – in lack of a better word. The houses are of poorer quality and more spread out.

Why are there so many pharmacies!?

Now, when you take a closer look at the streets you’ll see that for this town particularly there is an abundance of pharmacies and moneychangers. My initial guess was that drugs are cheaper or more accessible here so many Vietnamese cross the border for this very reason – this would explain the moneychangers – this is a border town after all. Another theory is that since this used to be a French colony they adopted the French style pharmacies where they double as convenience stores selling shampoo and snacks and things like that. Contrary to Denmark, for example, where they only sell drugs and medicine. To me, it still doesn’t justify that literally every third shop was a pharmacy – and by far it hasn’t been as striking in other Cambodian cities as it was here. Please comment if you have a theory or better yet, know!

That air-conditioner you’d gotten used to in Vietnam – not in Cambodia.

All over Vietnam, even in the cheapest places you’d get air-condition. It usually wasn’t really an option to go for a fan-only room. In Cambodia, however, the default is fan-only. You can get air-condition in Cambodia but it’ll usually cost you $4-5 which is a lot when a room is $6. Alright, after a while you get used to the heat and air-condition isn’t really that important but the point here is that it’s a symptom of the general state of the room. Many cheaper places don’t have hot water, the rooms are smaller and simpler, and bugs crawling around is a thing you’ll have to accept. So in this sense, Cambodia is cheaper because there are cheaper options but if you compare two similar quality rooms – Vietnam comes out cheaper I’d say. There are of course exceptions to this as I just made a very broad generalization.

Oh yeah, this goes for food as well. Cheaper but grimier solutions in Cambodia. Walking around town we had trouble finding a place that looked clean enough that we wanted to eat there.

Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same isn’t it?

There is one last thing worth mentioning which is significantly different. The money. Although Cambodia has a local currency, Riel (4000Riel = 1$USD), Cambodia runs on US dollars. Everything is given in dollars except for marketplaces and very local spots. It’s also used for small prices as 4000Riel to 1$ makes it a lot more granular. They even have a 100Riel note (0.025$).

All over South East Asia you will see many prices given in dollars and especially if you go to places with tourists but this is different. Here, even the ATMs give dollars. You can find ATMs giving local currency but they are rare and only accept local cards. I have yet to find a place where they don’t accept cool dollars. So you wouldn’t really need the local currency at all if it wasn’t for the fact that dollars are likely to be rejected if they are not in close to mint condition while riel you can chew up and spit out again and they still work. For those often changed cash, riel is better.

A funny anecdote is from the first time I tried to get cash from an ATM. I put my card in the machine and it asked me how much I wanted (without options as there usually are or the currency expected) so I clicked 800000 ($200) and pressed accept. It didn’t work. It now told me it had to be a number you could get with 35 notes. Great! Could you now please tell me what notes you offer, dear machine. I tried a little lower, 350000, guessing the machine had 10000 riel notes. At that point I gave up and thought it was just the ATM that didn’t work. Later, I found out that they run on dollars and by pressing 200 on the machine I got 2 100$ bills. Apparently it means that it runs on $100 bills – just like the machines in Las Vegas. Also worth noting is that although I didn’t test this out, in theory, with 35 notes you can get $3500 – quite a significant amount!

So that’s about it. The rest you will have to experience for yourself! … or maybe stick around for my next post

The End of an Era – I’ve Sold My Motorbike and Left Vietnam

  1. Applying for a Myanmar (Burma) visa in Bangkok
  2. One night in Bangkok
  3. Visiting Rural Thailand – enjoy the silence
  4. Sleeping in a monastery on a mountain top in Hpa-An, Myanmar
  5. Overview of tourist hotspots in Myanmar (Burma)
  6. Naypyitaw – The official capital of Myanmar
  7. Being sick on the road
  8. The End of an Era – I’ve Sold My Motorbike and Left Vietnam
  9. Cambodia – First Impressions
  10. Koh Ta Kiev – Where the boat leaves from
  11. The Future of Sihanoukville, Cambodia and the Surrounding Areas
  12. What Were We Thinking (and other ramblings)

June 8th, 2016 I sold my motorbike after 3 months. I had just returned from a 3-week trip to the corners of the north. It has served me through some rough times all over Vietnam. It’s taken me about 7000km’s from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to Hanoi in the north including de-routes to almost every major thing worth seeing as well as the remotest parts of Vietnam. Needless to say, this bike was no random bike to me and although I’m not actually crying in the picture I don’t think it would be inappropriate if I did – it was an emotional goodbye. The end of an era.

MISSING: Yamaho Nuovo 2003. Last spotted outside cafe in Hanoi, June 8th 2016. Noticeable marks: Old as hell, makes a lot of noise, has blue spot on front bumper. If spotted please send compassionate thoughts my way and take a moment of silence for this old warrior.

Incidentally, looking at the picture now, I just noticed the striking contrast in the background between the new modern hotel to the left and the ruins to the right.

I don’t have a bike anymore – what’s next?

About two months earlier I had met My, a local Vietnamese girl, in Tuy Hoa about 300 km’s south of Hoi An. One of those places in Vietnam that only sees foreigners on very rare occasions. My (pronounced Mi) was studying to become an English teacher which meant her English was quite good. Many Vietnamese, who wants to practice English, try to talk to foreigners whenever they have the chance to practice their English – you will see students everywhere in Hanoi and Saigon doing this. My was no different and on the top of Nhan Mountain, Tuy Hoa she approached me after taking 30 minutes to build up the confidence. Meanwhile, I spent my time talking to an entire primary school class that was also up there.

Some of the kids from a primary school class in Tuy Hoa

Now, why am I telling you this? Because My had finished her final exams before the degree and had a month before the graduation ceremony. As luck would have it, she was going to spend this month travelling around with me. What this means is that for the next 3 weeks or so (it is tentative when she has to be back) she will be travelling with me. Solo travel is great but not travelling alone certainly has it’s perks.

Alright, so back to the actual topic of the headline – what’s next? Cambodia!

The Journey from Hanoi to Cambodia

We booked a night bus ticket (first in 3 months!) from Hanoi to Hoi an – an 18-hour bus ride after which when you’re done all you’ve only really accomplished is switching around a couple of letters (hint: they’re anagrams). Then another 10-hour night bus to Kon Tum. Then a local bus to Pleiku at 6am in the morning. Then, finally, after 4 days of constant bussing, a bus took us from Pleiku across the border to Ban Lung in Cambodia. We had crossed most of Vietnam – 1500km.

Since My speaks Vietnamese we had a lot of extra options to choose from. For the night bus going from Hoi An to Kon Tum we got picked up just outside Hoi An so we didn’t have to take a bus the wrong way for an hour to Da Nang – the ticket was also half price of what the hostel offered. In Kon Tum we rented a bike, although they don’t really rent out bikes. The 6am local bus from Kon Tum to Pleiku was also only an option because of My. And finally the bus to Cambodia – I would have no idea where to take it from or even about its existence. We got picked up in an intersection while the bus rolled by not even coming to a full stop – we just jumped on. Try to arrange a bus pickup at 8am at some random intersection without speaking the language and no travel agent to do it for you. Easy? think again.

I’m not done riding a motorbike. Not by a long shot. Riding around Kon Tum.

Entering Cambodia and Getting a Visa

Getting a visa was not a problem although less strict borders might have caused us some trouble. My is Vietnamese and therefore part of the ASEAN network – much like Schengen in Europe. She only had to pay $2 and that was it.

I had to pay $30 and provide a photo – that’s it. Done. Visa for you my friend. Sounds easy? Well it is, except I didn’t have $30… or a photo. The conversation went roughly like this:

Immigration officer (IO): “Photo?”

Me: “No photo, sorry…”

*Disgruntled look*

IO: “$30?”

Me: “No dollars, sorry. Credit card?”

*Very disgruntled look and some muffled murmuring*

IO: “No credit card”

Me: “Can I pay in Vietnamese Dong? I thought it was ok to pay in Dong – I’m sorry”

IO: “No Dong!”

*Staring contest. Awkward silence*

Me: “How about this: $30 is 670k dong. I’ll give you 800k Dong and we forget about the photo too?”

*Silence*

*I give him the money*

*He looks at me, takes the money and stamps my Visa*

And that’s how I got my Cambodian Visa. No more problems. Lesson learned – bring $$$. I would later learn that Cambodia runs on dollars, so much that even the ATM’s gives dollars.

On June 11th, we rolled into Ban Lung, Cambodia. We had no money, no sim card, no guide book and generally no clue but I’ve been in this situation before so we booked a place for the night and spent the evening getting some food and took care of the basics when arriving in a new country.

Being sick on the road

  1. Applying for a Myanmar (Burma) visa in Bangkok
  2. One night in Bangkok
  3. Visiting Rural Thailand – enjoy the silence
  4. Sleeping in a monastery on a mountain top in Hpa-An, Myanmar
  5. Overview of tourist hotspots in Myanmar (Burma)
  6. Naypyitaw – The official capital of Myanmar
  7. Being sick on the road
  8. The End of an Era – I’ve Sold My Motorbike and Left Vietnam
  9. Cambodia – First Impressions
  10. Koh Ta Kiev – Where the boat leaves from
  11. The Future of Sihanoukville, Cambodia and the Surrounding Areas
  12. What Were We Thinking (and other ramblings)

note: This post is more of a journal style post rather than my usual style. If you find this kind of narrative interesting, please comment 🙂

Being sick on the road

The first part of this post was written while I’m in a dorm bed sick and have been for a couple of days, the second part on day 8. It started 8 days ago with a way too strong aircondition. Didn’t think too much of it – just the sniffles – and so I left Cat Ba island towards Haiphong with a bit of a dizzy head.

The trip went well but I felt tired in the evening and called it an early night. I was travelling with two friends, Matilde and Teun, so we split a 3 bed room which gave me some much needed quiet time.

The next morning, Matilde had to go for Ninh Binh, Teun being restless by nature just wanted to ride again and so he went to Hanoi. I wanted to go to Hanoi as well but opted for another night in Haiphong to get well and rest – this time at a much elevated price since I was alone (300k VND = 13-14USD).

The next morning, I wanted to get going – I had spent the entire day before just watching tv and eating pizza. I hadn’t left the room for 24 hours’ straight.

I got on the motorbike at 12 and made it to the Hanoi hostel at 14, driving maybe a bit too fast. Thinking back – this was probably one of the highest risk rides I’ve made to date. I was feeling quite under the weather and driving in Hanoi is no joke – you’ve got to be alert and vigilant – but I made it and checked in to the hostel. These prices were much more accommodating and with a few more days’ rest I’d be ready to roll again.

The next morning, I still wasn’t too well but still much better than the day before and therefore decided to stay another night at the same place. But, as luck would have it, they had no room for me – so I had to move – again.

I had been recommended another hostel that was only $5, including breakfast – cheapest so far. It had two downsides though, it had 14 bed dorms and it was a party hostel – free beer and music all night. I took it; I was feeling better and I felt like I was done with the cold. I grabbed a couple beers that night.

The next morning the cold was back with a vengeance and I stayed in bed all day. I tried to go out for food but after 5 mins walking in the heat I couldn’t take it anymore. I went back to the hostel and ordered their overpriced food and some tea there and went to bed again. Movies all day and then sleep.

The 6th day and I (again) felt like I’m getting better and this time I’d learned my lesson. No alcohol and just rest. All day till this devil is out of me.

7th day i felt great in the morning but I got a hellish headache around noon so I finally decided to go to a doctor – make that travel insurance worth the money. I decided to walk to the nearest hospital – which in retrospect probably wasn’t the greatest of ideas because when I got there no one spoke English. I walked around like a clueless baboon for a good 10 minutes until a doctor showed mercy on me and asked me (in very good English) what my problem was. I told him my symptoms where to he explained that this was a local surgical hospital and I would have go the French-Vietnamese hospital 5km away. I guess that would explain the stretchers of people with blood on them everywhere. A very overcrowded and bloody hospital indeed.

I took a motorcycle taxi there for about 30k VND (1½ USD) and went inside. From here it was easy – everyone spoke English and I got served quickly, bloodtest, urine test, blood-pressure test, temperature etc. they took good care of me and he concluded that I had somewhat of an inflammation that caused the headache. I got some pills and went home

The next day – the time of this writing I feel much better and the night before I was even out (drinking sprite) for a few hours for the first time since I got sick.

Conclusion

It’s been 8 days and I’ve spent most of them in a dorm room. It can be rough sometimes to get sick while travelling but it’s the name of the game and that’s something you will just have to deal with. Throughout this time, I’m glad I had a nice bed, internet, a computer and enough things to entertain me after all.

So why did I write this short piece? Because life on the road can sometimes seem very glamorous when you see those Instagram filtered Facebook pictures and only hear about all the good stuff that has happened. The younger generations (yes I’m still one of them) has started to use social media to brand themselves – it’s so much more than just sharing with your friends. It’s a whole online identity.

With this post I just seek to put a little perspective on it all. There are good times and bad times. Whether it’s sickness, depression, loneliness or something more tangible like being scammed one too many times or just hating whatever place you’re at.

Without the bad times, we can’t enjoy the good times.