In the morning, I woke up at 5:30 AM because the boat heading to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was scheduled to depart at 7:00 AM. I packed everything and left the hotel. The hotel had been very comfortable, and I almost wished I could stay longer.
I headed on foot to Victoria Hotel Chau Doc, where the boat departs. I arrived at around 6:00 AM and asked a staff member where I was supposed to go. He pointed me toward the boarding area. There was already a boat there, but the only person on board was an older man who was eating something while looking out at the river. I said hello to him, but he barely responded, so I decided not to board yet and returned to the hotel lobby.
The hotel looked very fancy. When I was searching for accommodation in Chau Doc, I had come across it online. The room rates were more than ten times higher than the hostels I usually stay in, so I never even considered booking it, even though I was buying my boat ticket there. While sitting on one of the elegant sofas in the lobby, I noticed several people who looked like tourists from Europe and the United States. I thought to myself, “It would be nice if I could stay at a hotel like this in the future.”
At about 6:40 AM, I headed back to the boarding area, where a few staff members had arrived. I was the first passenger there. One of the staff members asked for my name, and I was relieved to see it on the passenger list. Next to my name was the ticket price: 1,640,000 VND ($62 USD), which matched the price I had seen online. According to information I found on the internet, the ticket used to cost about half that amount. After paying, I was ready to go.
I asked the staff member how many passengers there would be, and he told me sixteen, which was apparently much lower than during the busy season.
I entered the boat and noticed that the seats looked older than they had in the photos online. The river was a bit rough, and the boat was rocking enough to make me feel slightly seasick. I got off and waited outside until the other passengers arrived.
About five minutes later, people started showing up. The passengers consisted of a group of Spanish-speaking travelers who looked to be in their 60s or 70s, a couple from Australia, a young solo traveler from Ireland, and me.
After everyone boarded, a staff member who looked to be in his 50s gave a short introduction in English. According to him, the itinerary would be as follows:
- Chau Doc to the Vietnamese immigration office: 1.5 hours
- Immigration procedures on both the Vietnamese and Cambodian sides: approximately 2 hours
- Cambodian border to Phnom Penh: 3 hours
In total, the journey would take about 6 hours.
After the announcement, a younger staff member collected our passports and $37 for the Cambodian visa on arrival. I had expected the visa fee to be $35. Although I handed over my passport and money, I did not particularly like the feeling of giving my passport to someone I had just met.
Once everyone’s documents had been collected, the journey began.
During the first part of the trip, I chatted a little with the older Spanish-speaking couple and spent the rest of the time sleeping. I had learned Spanish while living in the United States, but after switching my focus to French, I had forgotten most of it. Believe it or not, whenever I tried speaking Spanish, French words came out instead. The boat ride motivated me to start studying Spanish again.
To entertain the passengers, the tour leader came out from the back of the boat carrying a notebook and sat next to the Spanish-speaking couple. Reading from his notes, he repeated his earlier explanation in Spanish. I am pretty sure his pronunciation was far from perfect, but the couple seemed to enjoy it. Honestly, I probably enjoyed watching him more than they did.
After finishing with them, he sat next to me and opened the same notebook. Then, to my surprise, he started explaining everything in Japanese with a very strong accent. The way he had written Japanese characters in his notebook was impressive. It looked almost like a professional music score. Not only did I enjoy listening to him, but I am sure the other passengers enjoyed it as well, even though they had no idea what he was saying.
About an hour and a half later, we arrived at the Vietnamese immigration checkpoint. There was a waiting area where passengers could buy coffee and snacks while the paperwork was being processed. The Irish traveler bought some food and a drink, but nobody else purchased anything.
While waiting, everyone passed the time differently—chatting, looking at their phones, or making calls. We stayed there for about 30 minutes. Afterward, the tour leader announced that everything was complete, and we returned to the boat.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the Cambodian immigration checkpoint. Unlike the Vietnamese side, there was no indoor waiting area, only a few benches outside.
At this point, the tour leader returned our passports, and we went through immigration ourselves. There were two windows processing arrivals. I happened to be the first person from our group to go through. The process took only about five minutes, and I received my entry stamp without any issues.
For the next hour, I waited outside while the rest of the passengers completed the immigration procedures. Once everyone was finished, we returned to the boat and continued toward Phnom Penh.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. Most passengers slept, including me, although the trip still felt quite long.
Just before arriving in Phnom Penh, the tour leader announced that we were approaching the city and thanked us for traveling with them. As expected, he repeated everything in Spanish for the older couple and then in Japanese for me. I really appreciated his hospitality and could tell he genuinely enjoyed using his translation notebook.
We arrived at around 12:30 PM, meaning the trip took approximately five and a half hours. I imagine it would take longer during peak tourist season.
I had expected the weather to be cooler, but Cambodia actually felt even hotter than Vietnam.
After disembarking, I walked a short distance and found a line of tuk-tuks. Since I knew tuk-tuks are the primary mode of transportation in Phnom Penh, I negotiated a ride to Bliss & Beats Hostel for $2. The ride took about 15 minutes.
When I arrived, I saw several backpackers relaxing in the bar area. The hostel had a billiards table and a swimming pool that guests could use for free. A young staff member showed me to my room. Unfortunately, my assigned bed was a top bunk. I definitely prefer the bottom bunk.
After checking in and paying a $10 deposit, I went to a nearby coffee shop. My coffee cost around $2, making it slightly more expensive than in Vietnam. I spent some time updating my blog before heading to judo practice.
Before arriving in Phnom Penh, I had contacted a dojo and was fortunate enough to be invited to train with them. I grabbed my judogi and headed to the dojo.
On the way there, many pedestrians looked at me strangely because I was carrying my judo uniform by hand. The dojo was located near the National Olympic Stadium. Along the way, I noticed many older people playing pétanque. I had heard that Cambodia is quite successful in the sport. At first, I thought they were simply having fun, but when I looked more closely, they were taking it very seriously.
At the dojo, I met several Japanese people who had come either to practice or to watch. Training lasted about two and a half hours. Although my upper body was already sore from previous training sessions, I really enjoyed practicing with the young Cambodian judoka. I was grateful that they welcomed me so warmly.
After practice, I went to dinner with some of the Japanese members at a local food stall. During our conversation, I learned about Cambodia’s tragic genocide, something I had known very little about before. After hearing about it, I decided that visiting one of the related museums would be a priority during my stay.
Every country I visit reminds me of how little I know about the world. Traveling to places I had never been before has helped me become a little less ignorant.
After dinner, one of the young coaches on the team, Chiaru, suggested grabbing a beer because he was feeling tired after training. We went to a nearby pub, where I asked him all kinds of questions about coaching judo, living in Cambodia, and even topics like dating and relationships.
We stayed there for a couple of hours before saying goodbye. I returned to the hostel around 11:30 PM.
When I entered the dorm room, the guy sleeping in the bottom bunk seemed curious about where this Japanese guy had been all night. I gave him a quick smile, got ready for bed, and finally went to sleep at around 1:00 AM.
