A Long BUT Comfortable Bus Ride to Siem Reap with the Mekong Express Bus

"Welcome to the Mekong Express Limousine Bus",

that was the steward's greeting to us on that day. Hearing the word "limousine", you might think that it is a fancy bus. Aside from having a toilet on board, it is just like any other bus.  In fact, it is more expensive compared to Sapaco since we paid 23 dollars for the tickets. Later on, I learned that you were not paying extra for the facilities. You pay extra for the service.

My mom and I were impressed from the time a Mekong Express staff came to pick us up.in Nguyen Khang Hotel around 6:45 am. Both of us were worried on how to carry our heavy bags along Pham Ngu Lao! Fortunately, we did not have to worry. The staff immediately carried our bags without hesitation. By the time we boarded the bus, we were oriented about the trip and were given immigration forms to fill up. Not only that, there were also free cool towels, snacks and bottled water. What I like the most is having a steward who you can ask regarding the trip.

I was surprised that the Moc Bai border is just near Ho Chi Minh! I know, I know, it is 2 hours already but for me it is already fast. I guess I am just used to commuting from Cavite to Manila during my college days, hehe. :D We arrived there past 9:00am. There were no other people inside so the process was very fast. Just a tip though. You need to carry your bags when you go through the Moc Bai Immigration so prepare your things as soon as you catch a glimpse of the immigration.

We had a funny experience when we went past the Ba Vet Immigration in Cambodia. The officers in the quarantine section saw that we were Filipino and started asking us, "saan kayo pupunta?" ^_^ If I did not know that they were Cambodians, I would have thought they were also Filipino too because we look alike.

What is noticeable when you arrive in Ba Vet, Cambodia is that there are so many casinos near the border.  Wow! I think my aunt would enjoy traveling here. :) We stopped for a 15 minute break in Flowery Restaurant. You will also stop in the same restaurant when you go back to Ho Chi Minh.

We were not even halfway through the trip so I tried my best not to get bored. I tried to catch up on some zzzzzzs and just spend idle time gazing by the window. I love the scenery as it is just like here in the Philippines.

I was surprised when the bus suddenly stopped. I thought that there was something wrong but no, the bus just had to cross the river via a ferry. :) Here is a picture I took of the river on the way  back to Ho Chi Minh. I saw a man swimming there even though it is a rainy day.  I wonder how deep the river is.

We arrived in Phnom Penh at about 1:30 pm to have our lunch break and ride a bus to Siem Reap. Fortunately, there is a Mekong Express office so we were able to leave our heavy strollers there. I had an upset stomach in Vietnam the previous day and was still feeling sick at that time so we looked for a familiar food. We were lucky to stumble upon a nearby KFC. :)

After our almost 1 hour break, we had another six hours of travel to Siem Reap! Fortunately, there was no idle time because we met Kuya Jr, a fellow kababayan who is currently working as a teacher in Phnom Penh. My mom and I got to chat with him, learning about his life in Cambodia and just exchanging point of views on certain issues. Chatting is such a good way to pass time that we almost did not notice that we were already near the last stop over, Kampong Thom.

We had another break in Kampong Thom then back on the road again. It was getting dark at that time and I was already excited to arrive at the destination. I think it took a lot of patience to survive the last few hours, hehe. Can you guess what time we arrive in Siem Reap? We arrived at 8:40 pm. If you count our travel time from 7:00am to 8:40 pm, it would be 13 hours and 40 minutes! I never would have thought I can last that long sitting inside a bus nursing a stomachache! I am thankful for that. :)

I am also thankful for a safe journey. Nowadays, there are news of bus accidents like what happened  to the bus that fell in the skyway and the night bus accident. :( As passengers, we rely on drivers to take us to our destination safely. I saw how careful the drivers of Mekong Express were in both our long trips. I felt safe and sleeping was comfortable because I did not feel like I was in a rollercoaster like how some reckless drivers like to drive.

To sum it up, the bus ride from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap (and vice versa) was very long but it was a comfortable one. If you have enough time, I recommend that you take a bus to Cambodia. The difference between a plane ticket ($100+) and a bus ticket ($23) is high. Not only will you get to save money but you will also get to savor the views and the culture of the country as well.^__^