On November 4th Fred the bike is embarking on a six month journey across Southeast Asia. Starting in Singapore, Fred plans to make his way up the west coast of Malaysia, across Thailand, Cambodia, up through Vietnam and into Laos. After that... who knows? Fred invites you to follow him through his adventure. Any advice from fellow travelers is always welcome.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Kep-Ha Tien

Total Distance:84.46km
Total Time:4h52m02s
Average Speed:17.3km/h
Maximum Speed:28.8km/h
Total Distance So Far:3910.07km

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM! Or good afternoon anyway. I woke up early in Kep, had breakfast and hit the road for what would be my final journey on Cambodian soil. The boarder is only a short 45km from Kep, so I thought I would reach Vietnam well before noon. However things didn't run as smoothly as I had hoped. Kep publishes a local newsletter, "The Kep Revival", in which they give you instructions on how to get to Vietnam. The instructions state you take the highway to a dirt road, where you turn off continuing for 10km to reach the boarder. I followed the highway, turned onto a dirt road, and after 10km was at a boarder. However I guess I zigged when I should have zagged. The boarder I ended up at was a crossing for only Cambodian or Vietnamese citizens. The boarder guards were quite humored by the situation. I found it less entertaining, although looking back I do see the humor in it. I had to backtrack 20km to find the correct dirt road. There were no signs posted. I kept asking for directions and I kept ending up with the same response, "East". Nobody, however, could tell me where I had to go to turn east. Eventually I did find it, and I made it to the Vietnam boarder. I had planned on cycling to Rach Gia where I could catch a boat to Phu Quoc Island for some R n' R. Once at he boarder (the correct boarder) I was told by the guards that I could catch a boat from Ha Tien, which is significantly closer. The boarder guard I was dealing with was quite insistant that I catch the boat from Ha Tien. He said I had come a long way and needed rest. He was right, so I took his advice.
Boats only leave from Ha Tien in the early morning, which meant an over nioght stay there. The city has little to offer, but I did manage to find a nice little cafe where I could look out into the ocean and sip a cup of coffee. It was a relaximg, peaceful evening.
The next morning I headed to Phu Quoc, where I am now. It's a nice island, although a little new to the tourism circuit. I won't linger too long, but will spend at least a couple of days soaking up the rays on the white, sandy beaches.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

its supposed to snow here! phouc u !! xoj

Michael Burchill said...

I am glad you are having fun, watch the traffic in VN.

Friendly people? Did you say friendly? I got in an argument with a Calgary police officer today because I crossed the street at 6:30 am against the light. There were no cars, and he was a bike cop, leaving Gerry's pizza .... It's -15 here, I hate this city and I hope a comet strikes it from the face of the earth!!!!!!

Your envious friend

Mike