Highway Code

Day 79: Krong Koh Kong (K) – Siem Reap (K). “When I first moved to Cambodia, I couldn't work out whether the traffic was supposed to drive on the right or the left hand side of the road. So I thought I would ask the local Khmer drivers. I did - and they weren't sure either!”

Smiling to myself, I remembered the story first told to us by a German ex-pat called Tomas that we met down in Koh Kong who had moved over to Cambodia in the late 1990's. Ten years may have passed since Tomas made his observations on the state of Cambodian driving, but as we made the arduous twelve hour bus trip from Koh Kong to Siem Reap, it felt that very little had changed in that time! Dare devil overtakes, abysmal road surfaces, unwary motorcycle rides, their bikes laden to collapse and suicidal livestock all adding to the days excitement!

Finally though, at about 8pm, we arrived in the northern city of Siem Reap: Back in the 1960's this place was the place to be in South-east Asia and saw a steady stream of the rich and famous. After three decades of slumber it's well and truly back on the map and one of the most up and coming tourist destinations on the planet with its old French shop-houses, shady tree lined boulevards and a slow-flowing river.

But not as sleepy as you'd think. Arriving here we found the town in scandal following the conviction of a long-term serial killer, reputed to have murdered 90 people and then sold the gruesome remains as dog food down at the local market. Indeed, so gripped was everybody by this story, we were even offered tickets to go and visit this animal in prison. Understandably, Karen and I decided to opt out of this, the town's latest tourist attraction!