I had food poisoning yesterday, on our bus ride back from Cambodia to Bangkok. It was most certainly from the buffet at Koulen Restaurant in Siem Reap where we went to the dinner show with traditional dancing the night before. Of course, we didn’t get a bug from the delicious street food we’ve been eating all trip, but from the mediocre tourist attraction where they probably recycle the same food each night. Figures. Sofia luckily ate different food than me from the buffet and did not get sick. IF you go to this subpar $12/person attraction, only eat at the BBQ and fried noodle stations where they cook the food straight in front of you.
Actually it was probably the best day of our trip to get food poisoning because the bus ride from Siem Reap to Bangkok was lovely and easy and relaxing–much more so than ferries and taxis and planes. We booked through our hotel (the Golden Mango Inn) and for $28/person we got on the direct Nattaka bus leaving Siem Reap at 8am. Our tuk tuk driver Mr Kong took us to the bus, which had just us and a few other backpacker couples from Switzerland, UK and Germany so we could spread out and sleep in the seats. There was air conditioning and a toilet on board, they gave us water and snacks and pre-packaged fried rice lunch (none of which I ate but Sofia said it was good.)
At about 10:30am we got to the border town of Poipet, Cambodia, and had to get off the bus with our bags and passports and walk across the border. Having already thrown up on the bus (in the convenient on-board toilet which was painless and easy–don’t worry, I wasn’t a mess and no one else even noticed!) and still feeling queasy, the hot and humid walk across the border was like wandering through a hazy dreamland of smells and sounds and crowds and kids grabbing my pants begging for money that I don’t remember so clearly now. But Sofia led the way and got us through with our little pack of westerners with backpacks. You just stamp out of Cambodia with the departure card, walk across the border, go to the left side to the Thai border checkpoint, get an entry card, stamp your passport and walk through customs. We had to take our bags off the bus to scan in the machine like at the airport but it was off so we just walked through (they had a ladies side and a gents side…I walked on the men’s side to avoid being stopped by police on the women’s side…)
Then it was back on our air conditioned bus where I threw up one more time and we coasted through the countryside all the way to Bangkok. We were supposed to arrive at 4:00pm, but got there at 3:20pm, maybe because it was Sunday and there was less traffic in the city? Regardless, hopping into a taxi-meter and checking into the Doubletree Hilton (a free night with Hilton Honors points) was a godsend, clean white sheets and a hot shower and plain white rice delivered via room service and Sofia going out to get me electrolyte powder packets made it all better. And today I’m fine!
All in all I would really recommend the Nattaka bus (it’s the only direct one where you don’t change bus companies at the border) over a plane, which even on the low-cost airlines (Thai Smile, AirAsia) cost at least $70-$100/person. There was nohustle and bustle, just easy chillin on the bus all day. Loved it, even if my tummy didn’t!