Day 2.
August 20, 2012
Its time to leave Ho Chi Minh City and proceed to our next destination, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. As first time travellers, we are looking forward on this border cross since it means another 2 stamps on our passports.
We booked our HCMC - Phnom Penh trip from the travel agent in Seventy Hotel. For 15USD each, we took the ever-famous Mekong Express bus (which they call, their limousine). By 7:30, we are good to go and our guide arrived at 8am for the 8:30am trip. They picked us up in the hotel, rode their service to the bus parking area, and after few minutes, we are bound to Phnom Penh.
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| Mekong Express Bus - Proudly Cambodian |
Mekong Express has their own bus steward that will help you on the border cross. They will provide you your departure and arrival card in Cambodia and you must fill it out asap. It is a 6-hour trip from HCMC to Cambodia, no worries, because you don't have to transfer buses in between. The same bus will take you from HCMC to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
NOTE: Mekong Express gives out wet towels and snacks on the road. This is free and is included in the bus tickets that you paid for. I wish Philippines will also do the same for long travels.
Before you arrive to the Immigration Complex of Vietnam, the bus steward will take your passports, and they will be the one who will pass them on the Immigration officer. After about 4 hours on the road, you arrive at the Immigration Complex of Vietnam. You still need to get off the bus and wait for your name to be called by the Immigration Officer and he/she will hand over your passport. Always make sure to check if you have the departure stamp out of Vietnam so you won't be held up in the Cambodian Immigration.
It only took us about 30 minutes before everyone finished their Immigration Process, rode the bus again and proceed to the Cambodian border, which is only 5 minutes away from the Vietnam Immigration Complex.
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| Shouts WELCOME TO CAMBODIA! Congrats on your border stamps! |
Once at the Cambodian Immigration, you still need to get off and do this on your own. No worries, all you need is to proceed to the counters, present your passport and arrival cards. Biometrics will be taken, finger scans and pictures. No questions were asked to us and they stamped our passports right away.
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| After crossing the murky river. The bus rode the Neak Loeung Ferry to cross the river. |
After 3 more hours, passing by a river, we arrived in the bus station of Mekong Express located at one of the markets in Phnom Penh. Once there, tuktuk drivers will get your attention and ask if you have someone to fetch you. You can haggle on the price and ask them to drive you to your hotel.
Mr. Samoun, our tuktuk driver, even offered us his "tour package" of 25 USD, which includes the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum, Royal Palace, Russian Market and Wat Phnom. We agreed with his price and we asked him if we can meet him at the hotel lobby at exactly 8:30am the next day for the tour.
Before he left, we even asked him if he can tell us where we can find authentic Khmer food and he decided to wait for us after we checked in and drove us to Khmer Saravan. (Again, to give justice to the food of each country, food adventure has a separate entry).
Looking forward on the next day and after doing our ice cream tradition, we are bound for a good night sleep. No problem on the border crossing.
An advice:
Many Cambodians will ask you to exchange Riels at the Immigration Complex, telling you that Phnom Penh and Siem Reap only accept Riels. DO NOT GIVE IN. Like Vietnam, Cambodia widely accepts USD, even on convenience stores and street vendors.
However, changes are made in Riels so you can have "money souvenirs" after.
Next: Day 3: Phnom Penh tour
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