Kampot to Saigon

We left Kampot at 10:30 am on Kampot Transport, a  local mini bus service to the Vietnam border at Ha Tien. We had purchased bus tickets all the way from Kampot to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and between the 2 countries we would be switching buses along the way. (as a bit of insurance for a safe trip, I deposited the last of my Cambodian money into a Monk’s alms pouch in exchange for a blessing)

At the border the Cambodian authorities collected our exit visas, stamped our passports and we walked 200 feet to the arch indicating we had just entered the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Our passports and Vietnam e-visas were checked several times before we entered the official immigration office and received our final entry stamps.

Once through immigration we had been told by the bus line to wait at a small coffee shop for further instructions. After some time we were approached by someone wearing an official t-shirt, who exchanged our old bus tickets for new tickets on a shuttle bus which would arrive shortly. The shuttle arrived and delivered us to the Ha Tien bus terminal where our shuttle tickets were promptly replaced with new ones for our coach to Ho Chi Minh City.

 

As the coach pulled up we braced ourselves for another new experience, a double decker Vietnamese Sleeper Bus. This temple of transportation requires that you remove your shoes before entering, whereupon we find three rows of bunk bed style seats (not designed for 6 foot tall Americans). I climbed into my assigned upper bunk with Tammy in the bunk behind me, and we embarked on what was promised to be a seven hour journey. (I often remind myself on extended travel days, and it’s worth repeating: It's the journey not the destination, it’s the journey not the destination….) Settling in for a snooze would have been a productive way to kill a few hours, but for the driver's manic use of the deafening horn which I swear was installed above my bunk.

Instead of a snooze, I looked out the window and watched the countryside roll by. For the majority of our trip we followed the Ha Tien Channel and many of the crisscrossing canals of this vast low lying delta region. I was amazed to see the sizable number of commercial barges  along these waterways. During the industrial revolution, in the US and UK, canals were king until the railroads proved more cost effective. But here barges appear wide-reaching and still very much alive.

After crossing over the Song Hay river, the mighty Mekong, and several rest area bus stops we finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. Well after dark and well after the scheduled arrival time. It’s the journey, not the destination.