Phnom Penh (26-27 Mar 2011)

Here's an update of Phnom Penh from our recent trip :

MEKONG EXPRESS (MKE)

I would give it 7 out of 10 points - good service indeed. Cost : US$12 one way. We were given breakfast (from ABC Bakery), a bottle of water and a wet towel, all served on a tray. The bus leader was a nice and polite Khmer who spoke quite good English. The driver was careful and did not speed...well, speeding here is a relative term. The seats were comfortable although the bus was not new - understandable as the company makes many daily trips from Saigon to PP to Siem Reap and back. The bus leader collected our passports - all we did was to fill up the immigration form for Cambodia (Vietnam abolished this in Sep 2010).

The trip back was more impressive. MKE set up a table for the bags, unlike at the VN end where we dropped our bags by the road side. Then we had to go to the office to have our passports checked before we were allowed to board. The journey itself was just as good except for the Vietnam immigration side. More of the immigration next.

Just note that the end point (coming from Saigon) at PP is at the Russian Market while the embarkation point (to Saigon) is at the riverside opposite Bopha Phnom Penh Restaurant (locally known as Titanic Restaurant). Another landmark is the Weekend Night Market - it's just after this location.

IMMIGRATION

The Vietnamese immigration is a mess compared with the Cambodian side. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why they don't do something to make life more comfortable and easier for travellers and for themselves. Perhaps if they made a change, they won't get any "benefits" for processing some passports faster than others?

The VN system - the bus leader collects all the passports and hands it to one of the VN immigration officers. He stamps the passports, and if another local squeezes his/her way through and throws his/her passport on the counter with a "tip", naturally that passport is given priority and the owner breezes through. Then it's back to our passports. MKE has a staff standing by who will call out the names. Once you get yours, you move on to a desk where another officer will check your passport ... again. If several tour buses happen to arrive at the same time, then there'll be a big crowd to jostle with.

Going to PP wasn't so bad, but coming back was bad. It took a good 55 minutes to clear the VN immigration. Compare that with the 5 minutes (I timed it) over at the Cambodian side!!!

The Cambodian system - like any international immigration, even more efficient than some developed countries. You queue in front of an immigration counter and the officer does the usual - checks the passport then stamps it. They even take a digital photograph of every visitor. All done in a few minutes. They're dressed smartly in proper jackets.

Coming back was even more impressive. The bus stopped at a restaurant near the Cambodian immigration. Someone from MKE collected the passport while we were resting/eating. When we finally reached the immigration, all we had to do was to disembark from the bus. The Cambodian officer, with all passports stamped and ready in his hand, simply stood by the door of the bus and called out our names. Everything was done in 5 MINUTES - from the time we started disembarking to the time we depart!!! I was thoroughly impressed with the efficiency.

Of course, we almost died from frustration when we reached the Vietnamese end.

TIMING

7.09am Depart Mekong Express Office at Pham Ngu Lao.

8.25am Pass Cho Cu Chi (Cu Chi Market)

9.10am Moc Bai Immigration

9.40am To Cambodian Immigration

9.55am Cleared Cambodian Immigration. Rest at Flowery Restaurant.

They accept VND. We paid 70,000vnd for our bill of 13,500 riel.

10.30am Left Flowery Restaurant for PP

11.50am Reach Ferry Terminal

12.10pm Clear Ferry Terminal

1.25pm Reach Mekong Express Office at O'Russey Market (Russian Market)

2.05pm Depart PP from Mekong Office at the river side

3.30pm Reach Ferry Terminal

3.45pm Depart Ferry Terminal

5.13pm Reach Flowery Restaurant

5.43pm Depart Flowery Restaurant

5.47pm Reach Cambodian Immigration

5.52pm Clear Cambodian Immigration

6.47pm Finally cleared VN immigration and on to Saigon

8.20pm We disembarked at Cong Hoa MaxiMark which is about 30 minutes from Pham Ngu Lao. It's nearer my home.

So it took about 6 1/2 hours in total to get to PP from Saigon and

about 7 hours to get back to Saigon at Pham Ngu Lao.

BLUE TONGUE HOTEL

It's a modern hotel in a minimalist design. Our superior room was very clean and neat. The beds were firm and the aircons quite new. The shower head was BIG but the toilet was very small. We were quite happy with the room. The only gripe we had was about breakfast - a little bare. The hotel needs more light - especially at the reception and cafe.

Hotel Reception & Cafe

The location is quite ideal because it takes only a few minutes to walk to Sorya Shopping Centre and the Central Market. It is also a 5-min walk to Golden Sorya Mall which is quite a pathetic place as most tenants have moved out of the place, most likely due to a lack of business. Only the shops along the road were occupied.

Golden Sorya Mall - only the shops along the road are open.















The inside is empty - a sorry state

ROMDENG RESTAURANT

No 2 restaurant of 174 in PP on Trip Advisor's list. It lived up to it's name - the food was good, so was the ambiance. And it's just 3 minutes stroll from Blue Tongue Hotel.

My delicious & extremely sweet dessert

BOPHA PHNOM PENH RESTAURANT (TITANIC RESTAURANT)

No 11 on Trip Advisor's list. Definitely did not meet expectations. The rice was hard, barely edible. The food was palatable but nothing great. The ambiance was nice, that's about all. Service was nothing great too. Romdeng, with only apprentice young waiters, put them to shame. I will not be going to Titanic again.

Note that this is the only restaurant on the river bank. All others are found across the road. Tells you something about the owners, doesn't it? Cambodia is all about connections.

Fish Amok in Coconut

Chicken and vegetables

Some duck dish

TUK TUK DRIVER MR SMITH

We happened to chance upon Mr Smith, a very enthusiastic English-speaking tuk tuk driver just outside Blue Tongue Hotel. We engaged him for a one-hour city tour for US$10. It was a nice ride and Mr Smith took pains to explain to us the various sight

s along the way. He brought us to Diamond Island and insisted on helping us take a few photographs. So how could we resist such a sincere offer? And the result ...

Here's the man himself - Mr Smith

Vungtau Tourist

Finally found a travel company doing daily tours to Vung Tau. Even Sinh Tourist doesn't do Vung Tau tours.

Address : Vungtau Tourist, 275F, Pham Ngu Lao, District 1

Normally, I have to hire a mini-bus or take the hydrofoil to Vung Tau. I heard that there's a local bus route between Vung Tau and HCMC (naturally!) at one of the local bus stations but knowing the local bus standard, I'd rather keep away.

Here are the details :

As of today, cost is 399,000vnd (US$19) per person. The bus brings you from HCMC to Vung Tau and drops you at their 2-star hotel along Back Beach. Lunch is included in the price. You even get free use of the chair and umbrella at the beach!! (For info, you need to pay for these when you go to the beach). Picks you up at the end of the day back to HCMC. If you stay a night, the price is double (US$38) but you get accommodation at the 2-star hotel which they claimed is by the beach.

Disclaimer : I don't know what kind of bus they provide until I try it out. I also don't know the standard of the hotel. The company also deals with other tours but it seems to be a rather small company from the looks of it, so service might not be up to standard.

The small office with one staff

The exterior

Note : It shares office with Mekong Express Bus Service; the latter providing bus services between HCMC and Cambodia.

Mekong Express

Just booked 4 tickets from Mekong Express (MKE) this evening. HCMC to Phnom Penh (PP) - each ticket costs US$12. Their exchange rate was bad - 22,000vnd to US$1 but no choice, we had a lot of dong with us. Apparently Mekong Express seems to be the No 1 bus service to PP. Most reviews have been positive unlike the reviews for Sapaco, Mai Linh and some of the rest. They gave us US$1 off if we booked a round-trip with them, so we did. US$23 for a round trip.

I've had a hard time looking for the MKE office; surprising for such a supposedly reputable bus company, and I'm no stranger to Pham Ngu Lao. Finally found it tucked away in one small shop at 275F. It shares the same office as Vungtau Tours, and there's only a tiny inconspicuous signboard outside the shop advertising itself - another surprise.

This is the small MKE office.

It is found inside this Vungtau Tourist shop.

275F, Pham Ngu Lao, District 1

More of MKE after our trip next weekend...