Siem Reap to Kampot
Because of our limited time in Cambodia we decided that our next destination would be Kampot in the south.
Kampot is located in the far south east of Cambodia, close to the border with Vietnam. To get there we decided to take the overnight sleeper bus which would take us to Sihanoukville. A total distance of 308km. From there, we would need to catch another bus to Kampot. This is a further 71kms.
Catching a sleeper bus would mean that we wouldn’t waste a day travelling and it will also save us the cost of a nights accommodation.
Now we have seen many sleeper buses while travelling around SE Asia but have never travelled on one. I was a bit dubious at first as the stories I’d heard really hadn’t sold the experience to me. An uncomfortable cramped seat which didn’t fully recline and no room for bags were just a few off-putting comments.
Oh well, how bad could it be – we’re only on the bus from 8.30pm until 7.10am the next morning.
Giant Ibis Bus
One can never be too careful when it comes to transportation anywhere in the world. Cambodia is no exception with quite a bad track record for safety.
Our research showed that Giant Ibis had a good reputation from fellow travellers. They have two drivers who swap halfway through the trip to ensure they don’t get tired. The buses are also in good condition which is more than could be said about other bus companies doing the same run.
We located their office when walking around Siem Reap and brought our tickets to Sihanoukville and also to Kampot. The first leg cost $50US/$68NZ for both of us. Our second leg onto Kampot cost $15US/$20.40NZ .
The Trip to Sihanoukville
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the set up of the beds. We were on the bottom bunk just behind the driver. It was a large lie flat double bed. These ran the length of the bus on the left hand side. Along the right hand side were the single bunks.
They issued you with a blanket and a (sort of) pillow. There was a toilet on board and as my experience has taught me, you really only want to use toilets on public transport as a last resort. I make sure I don’t drink much, if at all in the lead up to a lengthy trip. This bus was no exception. They did make a toilet stop at around 11pm to give passengers the opportunity to use these facilities rather than the one on the bus.
I counted enough sleeping space for about 25 people and it was 3/4 full.
Bus Depot in Siem Reap, our coach, our double bed and late night toilet stop
Did I Sleep?
I’m not sure why they call this a ‘sleeper bus’. I’m sure everyone on the bus certainly seemed to sleep quite soundly except me! I do put this down to being a very light sleeper and even with ear plugs in, I couldn’t stop the bangs, clatters and motion of the moving bus. Scotty on the other hand is rather a dab hand in sleeping in less than ideal environments.
Driver No1 took regular rest stops, about four or five along the way (every one was witnessed by me!). Driver No2 was asleep in the bunk next to us until his shift started at 3am (again – witnessed by me). As driver No1 crawled into the vacated bunk beside us, he instantly feel into a deep sleep so I also had his snoring to add to the mix.
Sihanoukville to Kampot
This was to be our second leg of our journey. It was teaming down with rain when we pulled into the Giant Ibis Depot in Sihanoukville. We had a couple of hours to wait for our bus to Kampot. There was no where to go so luckily there was a small restaurant nextdoor (very handy). The hot cup of coffee was like nectar from the Gods. The omelette also went down a treat.
Sihanoukville isn’t going to win first prize in the ‘Beautiful Town’ competition as it is dominated by casinos and tacky business centres. It is full of development and construction. It has however remained the jumping-off point for the best of Cambodia’s white-sand beaches and southern islands. Serendipity Beach and Otres Beach are close by and is renown for their backpacker nightlife, water sport activities and just lazing on a deck chair on the beach.
We were soon on our way to Kampot. It was a 2.5 hour drive in a 25 seater coach.