Pandaw Day Eight: Transfer to Siem Reap

The day dawned cloudy and everyone was swapping addresses and goodbyes. The time had come to leave our Pandaw home at Kampong Cham. We had made new friends and acquired an appreciation of how comfortable we were made on the Pandaw.

We dragged our luggage (somewhat heavier today) outside our cabins for the Pandaw crew to line them up on the port cement apron for identifying and loading onto the little luggage truck.

During breakfast we were able to be reintroduced to our wonderful crew and thank them for their work throughout the journey up the Mekong River.

After breakfast we checked our cabins and the safe before handing over our key for the very last time. I left my conical hat (newly acquired in the markets in Ho Chi Minh) on my bunk and Fred left two new tennis balls on his bunk. I am sure they will be enjoyed by the crew!

We headed off to our two buses in two groups for the last time and bid the Pandaw and her crew a fond farewell. We had been together for eight fabulous days from My Tho port, up the Mekong River, through the border to dock at Kampong Cham.

We set off on our 4 hour journey to Siem Reap 250 kms away on Highway #6. Click here for: Road to Siem Reap presentation

Unfortunately Fred had a minor mishap and fell into the flooded area as we took a plank walk to the toilet midway on our bus journey. During the drama of investigating the grazed leg we realised that nearly every passenger had their trusty First Aid kits in their luggage that was hurtling along the road to Siem Reap in the luggage truck. Thankfully one of our travelling companions was a retired nurse and advised me to thoroughly flush the grazed area with water and we bound his leg with whatever was offered from our fellow passenger's hand luggage. The guide produced a newly purchased bottle of antiseptic which proved a valuable addition to the following day's care.

TIP: carry a mini First Aide kit in hand luggage/backpacks as well!

As with all adventures overseas, one has to remember that there are always unpredictable events to encounter in underdeveloped countries. Uneven footpaths, no footpaths, plank walks, different toilet experiences, undrinkable water, heat, cold, insects, power plug changges, different customs and different currencies. That is what the  adventure is all about. Being prepared is the challenge. Touring with the Pandaw certainly evened out all the daily glitches!

TIP: my 200ml bottle of mouthwash purchased in Singapore came in handy for the whole trip. We watered it down in a glass for our teeth-brushing rituals. Very handy indeed!

TIP: I must remember to take a four plug power board again. Once it was plugged into the power adapter plug for that country, I could charge up a few items at the same time