A BEAUTIFUL ROAD IS LEADING YOUTHOUGH THE JUNGLE TOWARDS THE EAST COAST OF THAILAND

WE DROVE ALL THE WAY TO A PLACE CALLED CHUMPHON WHERE I HAD THESE DELICIOUS HORSESHOECRABS FOR DINNER. THEY CUT THEM OPEN JUST UNDERNEATH THEIR SHELL. THE INSIDE IS ALL LITTLE EGGS. THEY LEGS GET CUT ASWELL AND EVERYTHING IS GETTING MIXED TOGETHER INTO A SALAD. PRICEY BUT NOT A BAD TASTE AT ALL

SOME GERMAN GIRLS TEXTED ME THAT THEY ARE IN THAILAND AND WOULD LIKE TO JUMP IN. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO COME FROM KOH SAMUI BY FERRY IN THE MORNING. JOSEF ANNA AND I GOT A LITTLE BUNGALOW JUST BY THE JETTY TO AWAIT THEIR ARRIVAL IN THE MORNING. WE WAITED AND WAITED…

….TO EVENTUALLY FIND OUT THAT WE WAITED AT THE WRONG PIER… SO WE DROVE ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PROVINCE TO LOAD UP THOSE GIRLS – DESTINATION BANGKOK

FOUR CHICKS IN THE BACK NOW – THEY CAN TALK A LOT – JOSEF IS ALREADY TAKING OFF THE SEATBELT – READY TO JUMP OUT

NO AIRCON IN THE CAR SO IT GOT SWEATY – TIME FOR A SWIMBREAK

MEANWHILE – JOESF FOUND A SHELL

BACK IN THE CAR AND – YOUNG PEOPLE THESE DAYS AFTER A LITTLE SWIM – EXHAUSTED – SO THEY HAD A LITTLE SNOOZE

MEANWHILE – I WAS PLAYING -CATCH- WITH SOME BUSDRIVERS

BANGKOK IT WAS – LATE AT NIGHT – SOMETHING CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT

WHAT’S THE LAST THING YOU NEED AFTER A BIG DAY OF DRIVING – POLICECHECK – ONLY 2 MINUTES AWAY FROM KHAO SAN RD

BUT HE MEANT THAT HE DID CHECK EVERYTHING AND WE ARE GOOD TO GO – ‘I CHECK EVERYTHING’ – THINK WE LAUGHED FOR A WHILE AND STILL DO

WE STAYED FOR A NIGHT IN BKK – THE RECEPTIONIST WAS A LADYBOY – WHAT ELSE – THE NEXT MORNING – PARKING IN FRONT OF THE RESTAURANT WHERE WE HAD BREAKFAST – TO USE THEIR WIFI TO LEAD THE MAPS FOR  OUR ROUTE TO CAMBODIA

AND SADLY WE HAD TO LEAVE ANNA BEHIND – I MISS YOU A LOT – SHE WAS LIKE A DAUGHTER TO ME – A MONTH IN THE CAR AND SHE WAS DEFINITELY PART OF THE FURNITURE – THANKS FOR COPING ALL THE BULLYING – LOVE YOU

WELL AND WE REACHED THE CAMBODIAN BORDER

THEY CUSTOMS DIDN’T LIKE THAT I HAVEN’T HAD THE IMPORT PAPERS – WICH I WAS MEANT TO ORGANISE PRIOR IMPORT. DIDN’T GET THEM BECAUSE IT’S A HUSSLE AND THEY ARE ABOUT 150 US AS SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS TO ORGANISE THEM FROM COMBODIA’S CAPITOL – PHNOM PENH/ SO I PUSHED MY LUCK AND TOLD THEM I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS RULE. THE CUSTOMS OFFICER WAVED ME THROUGH AND I WAS PRETTY HAPPY GETTING AWAY WITHOUT PROVIDING THE PAPERWORK… I WAS SMILING TO EARLY…

WE PASSED IMMIGRATION, GOT OUR CAMBODIA VISA AND GOT STOPPED BY A GUY ON A SCOOTER. HE WANTED TO SEE SOME MONEY FOR THE VHICLE IMPORT – I HAD TO DEAL WITH HIM FOR ABOUT AN HOUR – IN THE DARKNESS OF THAT BORDERTOWN – HAPPY DAYS. ANYWAY TO SUMMARIZE THE STORY;

THE CUSTOMS WAVED ME THROUGH – I THOUGHT I GOT AWAY BUT THEY WANTED A BRIBE SO THEY CALLED THE GUY ON THE SCOOTER – WHO IS MEANT TO GET THE MOENY FOR THEM. THEY DO IT THAT WAY BECAUSE IS KEEPS THEIR HANDS CLEAN IF THEY DON’T TAKE IT DIRECTLY OF ME. THE SUGGESTED DEAL. I PAY 200 USD AND I AM ALLOWED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE ONLY UP TO SIAM REAP WHICH IS STILL IN THEIR DISTRICT OF POWER – THEY DON’T ALLOW ME TO GO FURTHER AS PHNOM PENH THEN MAY WOULD FIND OUT THAT THEY LET ME THROUGH ILLEGALY. I REFUSED THAT DEAL. OUR MAN ON THE SCOOTER GOT REALLY ANGRY AND NERVOUS AS THE CUSTOMS KEPT CALLING HIM WAY EVERYTHING TAKES SO LONG. HE GOT REALLY ANGRY AT ME – TELLING ME HE’D LOOSE HIS JOB OVER THIS IF HE DOESN’T ARRANGE THE DEAL. SO THEY THREATENED ME TO SEND ME BACK TO THAILAND. I SAID I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE CUSTOMS MYSELF – AGREEING TO A DIFFERENT DEAL. UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS DARK AND LATE AND THE MAIN CUSTOMS BUILING ALREADY SHUT. THE GUY WAS PISSED OFF AS HELL AND SHOWED ME AROUND THE BACKYARD OF THE CUSTOMS BUILDING – THERE WAS SOME FOREIGN MOTORCYCLES. HE SAID THEY REFUSED TO PAY AS WELL THAT’S WHY THEY NOW HAVE TO GO TO PHNOM PENH THEMSELVES TO GET THE RIGHT PAPERWORK TO FREE THEIR BIKES OUT OF THIS SITUATION. I TOLD HIM I WILL AGREE TO THE DEAL IF I GET FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT CAMBODIA. I GOT TAKEN TO THE ATM AROUND A DARK STREET CORNER – MEANWHILE JOSEF, EMMA, MARLA AND MARIE TOOK CARE OF THE CAR WHICH WAS STILL SITTING BY THE BORDER. I GOT SOME CASH OUT. STILL TOLD HIM I NEED TO SPEAK TO THE CUSTOMS MYSELF. 15 MINUTES LATER A LEXUS ARRIVES AT THE CUSTOMS OFFICE – SOME IMPORTANT LOOKING GUY GOT OUT OF IT. TRIED TO SHAKE HIS HAND BUT HE WOULDN’T EVEN LOOK AT ME. HE DISPLAYED SOME GESTURES TO OUR MIDDLEMAN – WHICH I INTERPRET AS SOMETHING LIKE – ‘I WAS JUST IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DINNER AND NOW I NEED TO DEAL WITH THIS SHIT BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT DOING YOUR JOB RIGHT’ OR MAYBE JUST ‘YOU ARE FUCKING USELESS’ ONE OR THE OTHER. ANYWAY HE TOOK MY CARNET (WHICH IS USUALLY NOT ACCEPTED IN CAMBODIA) I STAMPED IT FOR ME WHICH TOOK ABOUT 15 SECONDS. THE WAY HE SMASHED THOSE STAMPS ON TOLD ME HE WASN’T IN HIS BEST MOOD. BUT THAT MEANT MY VEHICLE IS NOW LEGALLY IN CAMBODIA. 200 USD FOR THOSE SERVICES BUT I THINK ARRANGING THE RIGHT PAPERWORK WOULD HAVE COST ABOUT THE SAME BUT DEFINITELY MORE TIME. WHO KNOWS.

I WAS KINDA HAPPY THAT I DIDN’T GET STABBED DURING THE WHOLE PROCEEDURE AND WE CONTINUED OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS SIAM REAP

WELCOME TO CAMBODIA