The Travel Gods giveth. The Travel Gods taketh away. 250 Kilometers. 150 miles. How hard could it be. I was only going from Phenom Penh to Kratie (pronounce Kra-chee-a) in North Eastern Cambodia. Well, when the Travel Gods get to feeling frisky, anything can happen.
The bus, she stop, and when the driver decided to continue on, the bus, she no go. Perhaps the smoking batteries had something to do with it.
What you do NOT want to see when on a bus trip in Cambodia. If the cel phone comes out, it is NOT good.
Really? Has no one studied physics? We're going to bump start a BUS on level ground??? OK, I have to admit to helping out on the second attempt, just so i would not hold my manhood cheap, but really? It is, you see, a very, very heavy bus and all of the menfolk combined, well, simply not enough mass to over come the problem. But hey, we tried. Twice. But the bus, she cough, but she no go.
Really, it just got funnier the closer you got.
So, we found some shade, tried not to eat all of the red dust from the "Highway" and swapped travel
tales. An American, a German, a Dutch woman and a Brit woman are stranded on the side of the road. Yeah, the beginning of a really, really long joke. I had a cigar, they had some "other" smoking material, and we made the best of it. For three hours.
tales. An American, a German, a Dutch woman and a Brit woman are stranded on the side of the road. Yeah, the beginning of a really, really long joke. I had a cigar, they had some "other" smoking material, and we made the best of it. For three hours.
The final tale to the trail? Phenom Penh to Kratie in just a few minutes under twelve hours. That, Friends and Neighbors, in an average speed of 20.833 kilometers per hour, or, for you non-metric folks, a sizzlin' 12.5 miles per hour. We was Smokin', Baby!
Now, lying freshly showered in my bed, its all funny as hell. It was mostly funny as hell at the time, but not 100%. Even after years of this kind of travel, a twelve hour bus day over really crappy roads can wear a Brother or Sister down. But, it is done. Tomorrow I will track down my friends Sabine and Madjid and we will regale each other with tales both tall and outlandish.
Meanwhile, I am back on the Mighty Mekong, always a good thing.
Chief Quartermaster (QMC) Phillips: My orders say I'm not supposed to know where I'm taking this boat, so I don't! But one look at you, and I know it's gonna be hot!
ReplyDeleteWillard: I'm going 75 klicks above the Do Lung bridge.
Chief Quartermaster (QMC) Phillips: That's Cambodia, captain.
Willard: That's classified.