border crossing. laos into cambodia. february 1st. 2009

A boat ride to the mainland amongst many now familiar faces. Divided in to two groups, we all board buses and head for the boarder. It is an involved process, departing Laos, a small amount of USD paid illegally, arriving in Cambodia for more official ‘you play by their rules, but it’s legitimate if somewhat uncomfortable in its intimidation, and we all get admitted in to Cambodia without any escalating incidents. Then a scramble to figure out who is going where and which bus we need to be on.  Stephen, I and 4 other people had asked to go to Stung Treng. We have all prepaid for the trip, they divide everyone up but keep asking the 6 of us. ‘why do you want to go there?’ amidst many attempts to convince us all to go somewhere else, the three buses are loaded up, take off and suddenly the 6 of us are left standing at the Cambodian border with no one left but the border guards and a quick assurance from the now disappeared bus manager that we will get to Stung Treng. I will leave out the details, but it took 3 hours, and 2^nd load of tourists crossing the border (and disappearing on buses bound anywhere but Strung Treng). A loss of patience on my part, much questioning of the border guards, the manager (when he appeared) and a healthy dose of western indignation creeping in before we are on a bus bound for Stung Treng. It was a pretty mishandled situation, but my response to it gave me far more insight into myself more than anything else. It really makes you reflect on a perception; your own insecurities, how you come to have both and how they affect your sense of being. There are certain expectations that should be left at home when you are abroad, none the least of which is that we just entered a new and unfamiliar environment.

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