On bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City is the commercial capital of Vietnam. Earlier known as Saigon, it changed its name from Saigon in 1976 after the war got over in 1975. It is named after Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese revolutionary leader who was the prime minister and also the president of North Vietnam. He was later a part of Viet Cong and led the Viet Minh independence movement.

We decided a short break and travel to HMC by Mekong Express. I had never made an international travel by road in this region and visiting Ho Chi Minh provided a very good opportunity for me. It is around 5-7 hours journey, depending on the traffic.

Road travel is tiring for me but I think this is also the perfect way to see the countryside. The bus company arranged for a pick up from our place of stay. We waited for pick-up at 8 am and a mini bus came and dropped us at the Orussey market. The attendants did their paper work checking visa and putting a check mark against our names. The bags were tagged and a shoved inside the luggage cabinet. Having cleared everything, it was time to board the bus. The tickets already had seat numbers so there was nothing as first come first and grabbing the best seat!

All ready and we are off for the 6 hour drive to HMC
If you are a visitor to Cambodia , do not miss taking pictures of the monks going to seek alms from people.

The announcer told us that before we reach the country border, the bus would pass through Kandal province,  then cross Mekong, Pre Vang and Svay Reng. At the border after immigration we proceed to HMC.
After about three hours, Mekong, the biggest river in this region had to be crossed.

being ferried across Mekong, see the bridge under construction

A bridge was under construction so till that time, ferries were used to cross. I heard from a friend of mine that the bridge has been constructed and now you don't have to wait for being ferried.

You should take a visa before the journey as Vietnam does not have visa on arrival unlike Cambodia and other few countries.

this is when we came back from HMC

waiting for the ferry to come

last village in Cambodia

The bus stops a little distance before the passport control  at a small eatery. After that is the passport control, immigration and another hour of journey to HMC.

passport control

confirming the stamp on passport

our bus

casino

You see plenty of casinos at the border towards the Cambodia side. Gambling is not permitted in Vietnam so people come over to this side to play.

another casino

Wat on the way

The planned city of Ho Chi Minh welcomes you. And all this journey for just $13!!

Flavors of Cambodia

"What? In Cambodia for five years?" "How did you survive there?" " Is'nt that a war torn country?" These are such questions which are bombarded on us when we mention that it was our home for five years. A peace loving country which smiling faces Cambodia still bears the scars of the wounds inflicted during the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79 and effects continuing till late 90s.

But, as I leave Cambodia, which has been my home for the past five years, I travel down memory lane.
There is so much to see and learn here.
The country with a glorious past, followed by a gory one has come a long way with people determined to overcome all the hurdles and come neck to neck with its neighbouring countries.

I have witnessed a lot of change specially in Phnom Penh, the capital city. The sky line used to be clear a few years ago and I enjoyed viewing Mekong in the distance from my 8th floor apartment. It was fun to see fireworks lite up the sky for 20 minutes from 7 pm to 7.20 pm on important events such as the King's or Queen's birthday, Independence day, water festival and so on. But with the economic boom, its a sad reality that the old beautiful villas which were an important part of Cambodia's character are being razed to ground to make place for boxy high rise buildings.

view from our balcony 5 years earlier

the present view with 4 multistoried buildings from one side of our balcony

the skyline has completely changed

One thing I really appreciate and like is the Cambodians preserving their culture so well.

the place of ancestors

It is common to see the place for ancestors in every house. Every morning food is offered to them.

morning alms time

Monks can be seen early mornings with umbrella over their head to beat the heat and going from one place to another for  alms.

Market place:
Most of the Cambodia cuisine consists of plenty of vegetables along with some meat. Fresh produce is still preferred, with maret places opening early in the mornings. People throng such places taking back lots of greens. The meal is healthy with a soup consisting of bean sprouts, plenty of flavored greens, pieces of meat, noodles. It is a common sight to see people by the street having a bowl of it for breakfast or lunch.

fresh chicken in market

sea food

Most of the fish comes from river, Mekong being its major source.

greens ready to be picked

some imported fruits

A typical market place will  not only have food but also have lanes for clothes, shoes, cosmetics, groceries.

The economic boom:
If you thought this is Cambodia with small shops then it also has another side. With lots of money, people seem to be drifting from their tradidional healthy food to pizzas, burgers etc.
When I moved to my present country in Barbados, some one was surprised as to how we lived there for 5 years. People still think it to be a war torn country. But, a visit to that place will change your opinion very quickly. On the roads are expensive cars like Hummer, Rolls Royce, Lamborgini, Ferrari apart from Mercedes and BMWs.

 beautiful villa converted into a restaurant

Chatime makes way into Phnom Penh

the biggest chain of coffee shops in Cambodia. It is not surprising, you see Brown in every street. A hot popular place for people of all ages.
With development came the opening of Aeon mall and everyone thronged to that place. There is local cuisine on the ground level and world dining on the upper floor. Apart from that you have shops for everything from perfumes to clothes....

Aeon mall, favorite for people specially on weekends

imported fruits make an entry

sour sop and dragonfruit

 inside the mall

The food court on the ground floor is an excellent place to sample local food. It is hygienically prepared and at a very resonable price.

So much has changed in Phnom Penh and the city is fast developing like its neighboring  capital, Bangkok, fast leaving behind its charm of traditional values.