I finally made it to Siem Reap after what was supposed to be an 11 hour bus ride that morphed into a 16 hour ordeal. I really don't understand why it should take 16 hours. The bus didn't break down or anything. We finally arrived at 3:30 am! I had started at 11 am the previous day. I was told to be at the office at 11 to catch the 11:30 bus. We didn't leave until 1! While waiting at the bus station (with absolutely no information on when we would leave or even what bus to get on) I noticed the timetable- it listed a bus leaving at 10:30 and at 2. No listing for 11:30 or 1, when we actually left! And I couldn't ask the guy behind the desk as he was passed out on the floor! Oh the joys of 3rd world travel. Siem Reap is a nice town with tons of ex-pats. Really, they're everywhere. I spent my first day catching up on sleep. Then I rented a bike and checked out the Old Town. It has some great shopping and a couple of Mexican restaurants! I haven't had Mexican in so long! They also have fish tanks that you put your feet into and let the fishies nibble on your toes! I'm going to check out conCERT today, a sort of aggregate for all the NGOs in the area and hopefully find one I can volunteer at on short notice. It seems all of them want a longer-term commitment and/or previous application. I should have thought this through before I headed off on my adventures!
