The Journey Back

My visa run in Phnom Penh was coming to a close.

I had arrived on Monday and had originally booked a ticket out on Friday morning. Normally that would have been more than enough time. However, there was some sort of delay at the embassy and my visa wouldn't be issued until Friday afternoon.

a stormy afternoon in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I decided to stay for the weekend and book a bus ticket home on Monday morning.

Phnom Penh is a 1 hour and 15-minute flight from Bangkok, or about a 14-hour bus ride.

I'm generally not opposed to long bus rides - especially if I've got a good audiobook to listen to. I didn't want to spend any more money than I had to, so I went ahead and booked the $35 ticket.

a walk along the riverside

In the meantime, I continued working (my weekends are the busiest times for me) and also kept seeking out great new food to try.

One culinary highlight of my trip to Cambodia was when I tried a red ant stir fry - a delicacy!

stir-fried red ants

I had never tried ants before, and the flavor surprised me. What also surprised me was that I was not at all put off by the sight of insects in my food! I was a little bit worried in the back of my mind that I might not be able to eat this dish, but I found it delicious and easy to enjoy (I just tried not to think too much about the ingredients while eating). I'm not at all opposed to eating insects... in theory.

The red tree ants gave each bite a hardly noticeable crunch and the aftertaste a mildly sour, slightly tangy feeling that reminded me of a very mild Szechuan peppercorn or mala flavor. The taste made my tongue tingle very slightly, and the experience of eating it was nothing like any sort of stir-fry I'd ever had before. It actually elevated the dish in a way that I never would have expected by introducing flavors and an experience that was brand-new to me.

You can read more about it on my other blog, The World of Street Food: Red Tree Ants with Beef and Spicy Basil in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (theworldofstreetfood.com)

On another morning, I had a great bowl of Phnom Penh noodles and a cup of iced Khmer coffee at one of my favorite local cafes.

a local coffee shop

And before leaving the city, I decided to hit up Malis, one of Phnom Penh's best restaurants. Originally, I really wanted to visit to have a nice dinner, but the timing just didn't work out quite right with my schedule. 

In the end, I decided to visit early on my last morning in town to check out Malis' breakfast menu. I ordered a bowl of bor bor samchok, a type of Cambodian congee, or rice porridge. This is a simple, hearty breakfast dish, and I was excited to see what Mallis would do with it.

Read more: Bor Bor Samchok, or Cambodian Congee at Malis - Breakfast at Phnom Penh's Best Restaurant (theworldofstreetfood.com)

Finally, it was time to head back home, and I was more than ready to return to Bangkok!

A tuk-tuk picked me up at 5:30 in the morning and drove me to what I was told was the bus stop. I've taken busses in Cambodia before. I've even taken the international bus, albeit not to Phnom Penh.

This did not look like what I was expecting. It looked like one of the local low-cost Thai minibus stations that I despise. There's nothing worse to me than being crammed in the back of a small van for hours and hours on end.

the bus station

My worst fears were realized when a minibus pulled up and the driver asked us to hop out to present our tickets.

Hesitantly, I handed my ticket over and took a seat inside the bus.

We started driving through the city, stopping to pick up people from various stops and stations. I tried to be cool with it, but just half an hour later I was already at the end of my rope.

The other passengers were putting their feet up on the chairs in front of them, playing loud music on their phones, and loudly video calling their families (I mean, who does that on a public bus?). My knees were already aching from the awkward position I was having to sit in as I crammed into the too-small seat.

We still hadn't left Phnom Penh, so when we stopped at the next bus stand to pick up another passenger, I just decided to leave. I hopped off of the bus and called a Grab tuk-tuk to take me to the airport.

On the ride over I searched for flights on my phone and finally found a cheap one leaving later that evening. I guess I just should have done this from the beginning.

departing the city

I ended up having to wait at Phnom Penh International Airport for nearly 12 hours, but in the end it was totally worth it. I mean, isn't this a much better way to travel:

a flight was a much better choice

I'm back in Bangkok now.

It was a long, annoying, irritating day, but I guess I've learned a lesson. Sometimes being cheap just isn't worth it. (However, I still enjoy a long bus ride - as long as it's a nice bus).