Duped again

So....getting back to Phnom Penh

This time we though we would be very clever and procure our clever little selves a "barung bus" (bus for soft Westerners with mod cons like air con and a toilet. During our conversation with the travel agent, we learnt there are 3 choices:

1. A local bus (like we got before) noooooo thank you.
2. A VIP bus (air con, toilet, refreshments cart and non-stop)
3. A luxury bus (Wi Fi, air con, toilet, refreshments cart and non-stop)

Angie

Being very clever, and dead set against repeating our previous experience we decided to go for the VIP bus as Wi Fi is doge at the best of times and therefore deduced that paying and extra $7 would not be worth it.

Picked up from the hotel by mini bus and started thinking....."now this is more like it" until of course the minibus started picking up locals who got on the mini bus with their lunch. This consisted of a live chicken tide up with strips of plastic bags with chop sticks stuck on its back (well how do you suppose lunch would stay fresh in the stinking heat)?

Lunch

Any-hoo, the bus did turn out to be air conditioned, however it it also made unscheduled stops to drop of and pick up passengers on the way which would not have been so bad if there was in fact a toilet and a refreshment cart. Refreshments turned out to be 500ml of water thrown at us on departure and that was all she wrote. Journey took 7.5 hours and wasn't so bad as we weren't melting. Sat next to a stinking German man who kept falling asleep all over me and his hair tickled my nose. So I was very mean and would sit forward quickly which would cause him to fall into my seat and wake him up for 10 mins at which time he would relocate himself into his designated space until our little game started all over again, and again, and again:-) quite entertaining and funny.

Emma

Arrived in Phnom Penh in a torrential down pore, left the girls huddling under a shop awning and made my way to the guest house solo as was popping for the loo. Got lost and tormented by naked teenagers dancing in the rain in the street  Had to seek refuge in a shop as they got quite bold circling me and touching me despite my angry "no's".

Found the girls and the guest house in the end, watched the prostitutes from the balcony on the 3rd floor. I think the building across the street was a brothel. Must have been a slow night as we didn't see much of interest.

Travelling by Tuk Tuk to rural villages for postnatal home visits

Back when Tuk Tuks were still a novelty:-)