Ever wonder what a travel “day” is like on the World Race? Here’s a look into my latest travel adventure!
August 22nd
6:00 AM leave Mercy House, Vuthy, the boys, and school for Phnom Penh
8:00 AM stop at bank #1 to get money for Vietnam Visas
8:02 AM say goodbye/see you later to Anun, a YWAMer
8:20 AM go to bank #2 because bank #1 didn’t work
8:40 AM leave bank #2
9:05 AM get Vietnam visas
9:30 AM visas in hand, leave for bus station
9:45 AM arrive at bus station
10:15 AM load bus to Siem Reap
10:16 AM notice Team Vessels is on the same bus
10:30 AM leave bus station
10:45 AM stop to add more people on the bus
Some time when I was sleeping we got stuck in traffic for an hour
1:40 PM lunch stop
2:00 PM back on the road to Siem Reap
4:00 PM bathroom stop
4:20 PM back on the road
6:00 PM arrive at Siem Reap bus station
6:05 PM load tuk-tuks to take us to our hotel
6:20 PM arrive at hotel
Squad debrief/free days in Siem Reap August 23-29
August 30th
7:00 AM all stuff in lobby
7:10 AM walk down street/alley to bus
7:14 AM load packs on the bus
7:30 AM load packs in the aisle of the bus because there isn’t enough room under the bus
7:42 AM drive away to Vietnam!
10:07 AM crawl over all the packs to go to the bathroom
10:24 AM back on the road
12:26 PM lunch stop…more crawling
12:50 PM on the road again
2:30 PM arrive in Phnom Penh to switch buses to get to border
3:00 PM new bus arrives
3:11 PM load up bus
3:18 PM leave for border/Ho Chi Minh City
3:31 PM pick up random people since we have so much extra space on the bus in the pack-filled aisle…
4:47 PM drive onto a ferry…Surprise!
4:57 PM arrive to the other side
5:10 PM bathroom break
5:15 PM on the road again
6:27 PM dinner stop
6:52 PM back on the road with only 2 km to the border
7:00 PM border crossing
7:18 PM no man’s land between Cambodia and Vietnam
7:19 PM Vietnam border
7:21 PM unload all the things
7:25 PM go through border crossing
7:37 PM reload bus with all the things
7:53 PM go .00002 miles and get stopped to check passposts
7:56 PM finally enter Vietnam!
10:15 PM arrive to hotel and unload bus
10:48 PM sit on bed in room
1 full day in Ho Chi Minh City
September 1st
10:30 AM stuff down on road
10:50 AM get taxis to take us to bus station
11:15 AM arrive at bus station
11:22 AM find correct bus to get us to Da Nang
11:44 AM load packs on bus
11:46 AM wait to leave
12:15 PM load bus/climb into seats on our top bunk of the sleeper bus
12:33 PM take off on our 22 hour bus ride
1:15 PM pit stop/pick up more people
1:22 PM back on the road
4:15 PM dinner stop
4:45 PM back on the road
7:40 PM bathroom break…in the bushes…on the side of the road…nailed it.
7:46 PM back on the road
September 2nd
12:40 AM bathroom break
12:53 AM back on the road
5:40 AM breakfast stop
6:08 AM back on the road
8:40 AM arrive at the Da Nang bus station
8:41 AM figure out where we should be going
8:45 AM girl from the bus helps us translate
8:47 AM load van/bus thing
8:48 AM drive to hotel/home for the month
9:14 AM arrive at hotel
9:20 AM get in room!
12 days
5 buses
44 hours on a bus
13 bathroom stops
4.5 different beds (.5 is the sleeper bus which was half bed and half chair)
Travel day(s) complete!
