The Long Road Back

I was in Bangkok last week. There are many reasons to go there: Having a break from Siem Reap, visiting friends, going to see a movie (sorry, no movie theaters in REP) but mainly to source all of those products that we need to run our business that we can not find in Cambodia. I would love to buy everything here in Cambodia to support the local economy, and I do the best I can, but many things can not be found here. So, about once a month, I am off to Bangkok.

This time, like the last two times, I flew to Bangkok and came back over land. My free advice: Never, ever go through the border crossing of Poipet unless you really must (or you have some desire to see the armpit of SE Asia). Poipet could have doubled as the back drop for the filming of Mad Max. The drive from Bangkok to the border is perfectly fine, however, the cruel disparity of the economic development of two neighboring countries is very stark. The story of what happened to Cambodia is well told and frankly, the distant past which needs to be kept there, in the past. I have been doing this overland trip a number of times over the last four years. The first time I did it I was shocked that there really was no road between Siem Reap and Poipet, just dirt and rocks. My ribs were sore for three days after that first trip from the bone jarring ride.

Here are two pics from that trip. This is not the main road as the main road had washed out and there all buses and trucks were stranded. We detoured through the rice fields and neighboring land (with makeshift toll booths!):



Finally, things are progressing now. I watched last year as they started to string electrical lines from Thailand to bring in cheaper electricity. Then it was announced that they would fix the road. I don't remember the exact trip and how many months ago it was (maybe six months) but on that trip for the full four hour drive I saw a total of six people working.

I came through again this past March and was happy to see one stretch of road that was actually done, smooth as can be! Imagine my surprise this past Friday when I returned and it seemed like nearly every kilometer was either finished or was actually being worked on. Wow, progress! It is a scenic drive and could be very enjoyable if there was a real road so this is a bit of exciting news. And, with the hope that next year Bangkok Airways monopoly on the BKK-REP route will end, there is the promise of reasonably priced airfares for this 35 minute flight. The combination of a nice drive to Bangkok or an inexpensive flight happening within the next year is just too good to be true and will make living here even more enjoyable.