The local minibus
There are plenty of bus services running all over Cambodia, but understandably some routes are less popular than others.
From Phnom Penh, we took a bus to Kampong Cham - a big bus, with overhead storage and numbered seats; it was a pleasant experience. But the minibus we booked from Kampong Cham to Kratie was very, very different!
We arrived to find the bus already looking quite full, and we struggled to fit our backpacks in the back of the van. In order to fit everything in, rope had to be used to tie down the boot - and then of course a motorbike was also attached to the back.
We were squeezed inside to our seats, and even given small pillows. Little did we know, these pillows were actually to be used to bridge the gap between seats, or to sit on to make the middle of 2 seats more comfortable, because we were soon sharing 3 seats between 4 of us.
The minibus was a 15 seater minibus, and we soon set off with approximately 22 of us inside - cramped but not too bad. However, we literally turned around the corner and stopped again. Here, 2 more people entered the minibus, one squeezing in near the front, and another sharing the drivers seat with the driver! He was literally learning over to reach the steering wheel.
Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, and realised another man had ‘entered’ the minibus. He had ducked under the boot, and was perched precariously holding onto the ropes....
25 of us set off, the bus reaching astonishing speeds considering what was weighing it down. We stopped what seemed like hundreds of times, picking up and dropping off people and goods. While we were still at capacity, one other person wanted to pay to get in as well. Sensing more money, the organiser of the minibus promptly showed the new passenger to his ‘seat’, and proceeded to climb onto the roof of the bus!
Overall, it was a very interesting journey, and a complete learning experience! Sadly, I took no photos of these events - soum toh...