The smoother drive came to an abrupt halt right in front of a guesthouse somewhere in town. Emphatically announcing we had arrived in Siem Reap, the burly young man went on to declare that anyone looking for accommodation should look no further. Being this late, he continued, there was no chance of finding another guesthouse open.
It was in fact late, but in spite of being extremely exhausted, I was determined to make up my own mind where to spend the night. The insistence from the burly man implied there was some sort of repayment involved. Earning a commission was acceptable, but not at the cost of my right to choose. An Italian couple and their daughter had endured long enough and booked a room straight away. The owner / receptionist bolted from behind the desk rushed them inside and while he was preoccupied with the booking, I figured this was the chance to look elsewhere.
As I was about to pick up my bag, the burly man and two of his companions stood in the way. Gone was the cheerful mood. Raising his voice, he insisted I should stay at the guesthouse. I replied I wanted to see what’s out there first before committing. He exclaimed that during dinner I agreed with him I would stay in this guesthouse.
Never agreeing to anything of the sort, something which both of us knew, he still maintained I had earlier accepted his idea. Noticing a couple, also travelling on the same bus, going through the same motions, I slipped out of the burly man’s bullying performance and joined forces with them. Paying no heed to the verbal lashings, we followed in the footsteps of other travellers and ended the quarrel by simply walking off.
And that was that! The end result of the notorious bus scam which started all the way from the smiling travel agent on Khao San Road. On the travel agent’s recommendation, I paid an extra 300 baht so that someone at the border collects the passports, organises the paperwork and help us with the process of obtaining the visa for Cambodia. Recalling someone boarding the bus and collecting our passports, like everyone else I waited no end filling in various forms until I got through from one side to the other. No use beating myself about it now, I was bound to get ripped off at some stage. Nonetheless a lesson learned at my own expense. While the road from Poipet to Siem Reap was beyond doubt in bad shape, the journey could have been covered in more or less half the time.
By design this was all part of the scam. Driving at an agonizingly slow speed, the driver and his cohorts ensured we arrive in Siem Reap late at night as well as too worn out to go in search of a place to stay. Consequently, the commission that is usually paid in advance to the bus company would be repaid when travellers book into that guesthouse they happen to be dropped at.
Shortly after walking off, a motorcycle came up from behind and riding pillion was none other than our burly friend. Still bickering, this time around he was outnumbered and I laughed off his claims. Fortunately for us, he must have realised he was not going to get anywhere with his constant arguing. Speeding away, he bellowed in the dark that I was not his friend anymore. On top of getting ripped off, I was also bound to loose a “friend”. So with my new found friends I marched along in the hope of finding a decent place to rest.
Inspecting an array of guesthouses we were put off by the dire state of some of them. Knowing fully well how to drive a hard bargain, the Indian fellow was not going to pay an extra dime for anything that was not worth it. Traipsing around town to no avail however did nothing but fray our tempers. Located less than two minutes down the road, one guesthouse owner recommended the Bou Savy. Trudging down the muddy lane I could not say my expectations were high. But whatever the condition of this guesthouse, I resolved to book a room just the same.
The few police cars in the guesthouse’s driveway were not exactly the reassuring sign I was looking for. Concerned there might be some trouble, simultaneously I felt better by the all round peace and quiet. We knocked hesitantly and a soft-spoken, middle-aged woman cordially welcomed us in despite being very late at night. She showed us the rooms and to my sheer delight they were spacious, spotless and comfortable! I had absolutely no doubts where I was going to spend that night! Sensibly, the Danish and Indian couple also chose to stay.
Eager to get hold of the keys to my room, on my way up I almost crashed into my fellow friends. Deciding to meet up sometime during the day to discuss visiting the temples of Angkor together, I ran the remainder of the way to the room. Closing the door, it felt right to believe that all is well that ends well.
