Day 4, Friday 22nd February - Siem Reap

Capitol Tour..... Last night on the way back from the Olympic Stadium I wandered past a bakery that I thought I'd visit this morning. This will do for breakfast today, but it's also a good idea to obtain something for the long travel to Siem Reap. I settle up with Lucky Star Hotel and wait for my transport. A minivan arrives at 9.40 am and whisks me away to the bus departure point. I just know this isn't going to be a bus station as I would normally think of one. Spot on! The Capitol Tour office is located on a street corner. Three buses are parked waiting departure, one on the main street and two up the side. It's a chaotic scene as ordinary traffic tries to maneuver around these obstacles. None of these buses are mine. But the one on the main street soon pulls away heading for Poi Pet while my bus nudges in behind and I clamber aboard. It's a standard seater air-conditioned bus but hardly state of the art. To survive the 7-hour journey I wish for a comfortable seat but end up in a seat over the front wheels of the bus offering less legroom. Well what do you expect for $7? This is not Air Asia.
Departure..... The Capitol Tour bus departs at 10.20 am and takes a good 30 minutes to reach the suburbs of Phnom Penh. The distance to Siem Reap is 314 kilometres. It's going to be a long day. I read that the road now is quite good but as the bus reaches open road I wonder by what standards this is compared. The road is narrow with no verge or slipway for slow moving traffic to pull over. Progress is agonizingly slow. On top of that, the terrain is parched dry and flat as far as the eye can see. There's obviously been no rain for months.
So boring..... This is destined to be one of the most boring trips I've ever made, accentuated by the constant presence of litter casually thrown from passing vehicles. In the towns and villages it's even worse with a total lack of waste management as litter accumulates in boreholes and drainage ditches.
Rural Cambodia consists mainly of stilt houses. Originally the posts were made of wood, but today they are mostly concrete. Nevertheless, most of the upper structure consists of wooden boards. The roof is either thatch or corrugated tin. Some of the more fortunate have tiled roves while if the ground is suitably raised the base can be enclosed with walls of brick and render. Only the well-off can afford to bring in soil and stone to raise the land over seasonal flood level to build brick and cement structures. These are often brightly painted with additional décor that makes them stand out from everything else. But everywhere there is bare earth, dust and detritus from everyday living. I try to get some sleep. At least it's not so hot.
Occasionally the bus has to stop. Provision is being made for road widening, but this will take a monumental effort over this distance, but I notice, at least, heavy plant and machinery in use. There are two rest stops but apart from needing the toilet I have provisions and water. The bus pulls away on the final stage and soon enters Siem Reap Province. I have calculated that at the rate of progress it could be 6 pm before my destination is reached. However, in Siem Reap Province the road seems better, traffic is lighter and I can revise my estimate. At 5 pm the bus is at the outskirts of Siem Reap but seems to take ages to enter the town proper. Capitol Tour seems to be the only company that has a depot right inside the city. Normally that would be perfect. As I look around there are many hotels and guesthouses to choose from but as I make connection with Baca Villas' driver I'm whisked away well beyond walking distance from the tourist area once again.
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