It's Like We Never Leave

We're back in Bangkok, for the final shopping stretch before our long flight home. To journey back we sprung for a cab instead of the clanky old busses, because we're spoiled, but it was semi-hellish anyway. The driver crowded four of us in the back and three up front. Bryson--I love him-- but he's a large man, and he took up nearly half of the bench seat, shoving me crooked and awkward into two Cambodian passengers beside me. And naturally, the road hadn't smoothed out any over the last two days, although we were riding in a Camry that had shocks, so it wasn't nearly as jarring. And we arrived in half the time.

We heard from a couple Cambodians that it's corrupt politics that have prevented the road from being paved, more veritably than lack of funds. Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on the small airport, and thus a ticket for the short by-air trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap is $150, or $300 there and back. To fly to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, which is a similar distance, cost about $50. Thus, even though it's a Thai airline, the Cambodian government is making riches of affluent tourists, or those who aren't so wealthy but dread the torturous overland trail. If they paved it, a good portion of tourists would go by road.

It's sickening, because you just know that flight money isn't even touching the people at all. But if the overland journey was more popular, it would be the people making the money, with cabs and busses and tuk-tuks, and it would be one of the best things possible for the people of Siem reap.