I found a $10 bill in my money belt, so I had a little more money to start the day. I checked out by leaving the key on the counter and decided I would try leaving the city to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I found an ATM machine in the morning, but for some reason it said my card was “invalid.” Anyway, I found a bus for $4.50 and decided to try my luck in this other city. After this I had $8.50 in U.S. and Cambodian currency.
I left Phnom Penh at 8:00 in the morning and arrived in Siem Reap six hours later. The bus ride gave me a good look at all the Cambodian homes along the road. It was one of the national highways, but it was only two lanes wide.
Once I arrived, drivers immediately started fighting to get me as their customer. I picked one and my first stop was another ATM. “Restricted Card” this time. I decided I better call my bank so I found a Internet/Overseas Call place. My bank was closed, due to the 12 hour time difference. So I decided to take my driver’s recommendation and try his guesthouse. The room was $10 and I only had $8.50. Good thing I had some Chinese Yuan saved, so the driver took me to a money changing place and I got more than enough to pay for the room.
Then the driver wanted him to me my driver for the next day and we finally agreed on $10 for the day. In the evening I walked over to another guesthouse that I originally wanted to go to (my driver said it is a dangerous area and a bad place to stay = he doesn’t get commission there). The rooms said $17 and up, but I asked if they just had a fan room. They said yes for $5 per night! Nearby I found a sign that said “Buffet $3.” I tried that out for dinner and it turned out to be a hot-pot restaurant and it was pretty good.