Either owing to anticipation or still being jet-lagged, I woke up half-way through the night and could not get back to sleep. To make matters worse, the fan’s efficiency was rendered next to nothing in the unrelenting heat. When I was falling asleep again, the alarm jolted me awake and there was nothing else to do except to get up and go.
I had breakfast at the Guesthouse’s restaurant downstairs. Being early in the morning, the restaurant was empty and pleasantly tranquil. I agreed to leave most of my luggage in the Guesthouse’s storage room. The minimal fee charged was well worth the freedom of being able to travel light and carefree.
Gradually heading out from Banglamphu, we passed through winding roads and highway exits until the concrete maze named Bangkok faded away to the greeting of a lush verdant terrain. After a while however I found the traverse to the border tedious and uneventful. Bar the occasional stop, in between, I made the most of the opportunity to catch up on some long lost sleep.
Around noon, we pulled in at a highway restaurant close to the border of Aranya Prathet. During long-haul journeys, most buses call in these highway restaurants so that passengers can grab something to eat. Usually the break will be at a restaurant chosen in advance by the bus company, subsequently collecting a commission from the earnings made during the stopover. There’s nothing wrong here, it’s just a way of keeping everyone in business. Fully satisfied with the lunch-break, we boarded the bus once again to complete the last part of the trip to the border.
Introducing himself as a member of the bus company’s staff, a young man also hopped on board keeping us company till we reach the border. Friendly and cheerful, he gave us some general information about Cambodia. Affirming confidently he was of Khmer ethnicity, he enthusiastically talked about Khmer traditions, Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor. Up to that point, I associated the word Khmer with images of a genocide committed by a brutal regime. As it happened, it was appropriate learning about Khmer culture from this intelligent unpretentious man.
Arriving at Aranya Prathet not long after leaving the restaurant, I was delighted to be crossing over to a country never visited before. Border crossings are more often than not interesting dealings. With more activity going on than what appears on the surface, remaining alert is a must to prevent getting burned by a few who have a trick or two up their sleeve. Stepping off the bus, we were met by a loose group of street-wise children. Tugging on t-shirts to get attention, I offered some sweets instead. Even if their clothes were tattered, their hands and face grubby, some of these children were simply endearing. Finding it off-putting people walk past as if they never existed, at the same time it was sensible not to get carried away.
Having gone through the Thai customs, I was on my way to the Cambodian side, when a customs officer called me over to have a word. Feeling uneasy at first, I was relieved to know I wasn’t approached for any wrongdoing. The officer proposed that for a small “service” charge I had the option of jumping queue instead of waiting in line to have my passport stamped. I wasn’t taken by neither the inexpensive charge nor the idea itself and settled on waiting in line. Some time later, clutching three or four passports in hand, the same officer went past smiling cynically as if to say “I told you so”. I shrugged and kept waiting.
It took around an hour of filling forms, waiting in line, walking in no man’s land not to mention bumping into a few characters until I was officially in the Kingdom of Cambodia. For the second part of the journey to Siem Reap, we were lead to get on another bus. It would have been a waste if I had taken up the officer’s suggestion to jump queue. The bus did not depart until all listed passengers were on board. If I jumped queue, I would still have had to wait for the rest to get on board. I thought about the officer and other officers who were scheming too. I looked around the bus and there must have been people raking more money in one day than what the officers will earn in a month. No one can say for sure what they would do were they in the same situation. Still the officers’ conduct cannot be excused. Whatever the case, in the end, I was glad I waited.
