The road to HCMC

Up early again to continue the overland trip to HCMC via Phnom Penh and it starts with a packed transfer bus to the ‘Mekong Express’ departure terminal… Once on board you discover yourself seated in a standard style bus with funky seat covers but with AC and a large flat screen TV… Which turns out to be used to play a Karaoke video for 4hrs… AAARRRGGHHHH… 0_0 Still there are also two other DVD’s shown ‘Salt’ and ‘Mr Bones’ that do make the hours pass a little faster. In total the trip starts at 8am and ends in HCMC at 9pm… We are all a little tired at the end of this but on route I did witness a clear change in the scenery - as you pass from Siem Reap towards Phnom Penh it is clear that most people are engaged in rural living and farming with most houses on stilts scattered along roadways and riversides with fields as far as the eye can see across a completely flat landscapes akin to the Fens of England… The Mighty Mekong river is an integral part of the peoples lives here and its water is used heavily for a number of different uses and at one point we cross this wide expanse on a river ferry which is packed with other commuters and tourists, as well as hawkers of all known wears!!
At the border we find casinos - lots of casinos, which is the same as on the Thailand border - it would appear that many Vietnamese and Thai cross the Cambodian border for gambling and this has led to a huge growth in this tour industry at the borders of both countries, the glitzy fronts of these casinos light up the night as we approach and welcome us to the obligatory passport and luggage checks, which take an hour to complete… Then it is a mere 2 more hours to HCMC through a blaze of neon light - every settlement we pass along the way, every store and entertainment arcade seems not to be complete until it has a large glowing sign above the door. It becomes brighter when we arrive at HCMC with Neon covering most streets we pass and as we enter the centre the glow of every major city in the world takes over, the glow of office blocks, shopping arcades and entertainment plazas - just like any other major westernised city Saigon is a thriving metropolis full of people on motorbikes :)
The motorcycle and scooter are king here with their own independent lane in places and as you travel it is amazing that no-one hits each other as they buzz around within inches of each others legs - most of which are bear of any protection - comfort & style are much more important here than safety clearly (Although to be fare most of the riders are wearing helmets and many also have face masks). When you arrive there are a wealth of opportunities for hotel accommodation and taxi tours - best bet to find a place to stay is district 1: The Pham Ngu Lao area, which is central to all attractions and has developed to meet the needs of tourists, especially budget travellers ;) Internet access is free and fast in many café’s and I am pleased to find a ‘Coffee Bean’ next to the Notre Dame Cathedral :) Caffeine addiction met in AC luxury and a fantastic view to boot…