Cambodia Weekend Part 1: Getting there is half the battle

So Megan and I booked our 4-day trip to Cambodia quite late.  And as a consequence we had some consequences.

Our plan was to fly to Siem Reap from Singapore; however, costs and travel prohibited this conveneient solution.  Instead we booked flights from the Johor Bahru Airport (Malayasia) to Kuala Lumpur with a late night layover before flying out at 6am to Siem Reap.  There was a couple things I've learned from this experience.

MS Paint version of our planned travel itinerary to Siem Reap

Lesson 1: The Singapore-Malaysia checkpoint is difficult during a holiday. 

To get to the Singapore-Malaysia border checkpoint one can take a cab but it's preferable to take a Malaysian cab as they can go directly to the airport whereas Singapore cabs cannot leave the country.  So after an adventurous search we found the appropriate Taxi stand for Malaysian taxi cabs.  But when we arrived we found thirty plus people waiting in "The Line of Broken Dreams".  This line was not moving and people's attitudes could best be described as hopeless and bored.  At this point we may or may not have hit the panic button* as we started to brainstorm alternatives.

It was then that we learned we could take a Singaporean Cab but we would then have to cross the bridge to Malaysia via bus.  We rolled the dice.  Fortunately we got a funny/crazy driver who spoke enough English to help us get to the Checkpoint.  I think he reminded us about 11 times during our 30 minute ride that we were "cutting it really close".

Singapore customs was a breeze but when we arrived at the Bus Stop we discovered a bit of a problem.  There were many buses but the lines for them were a mosh-pit, the buses were unlabeled (creating the risk that we accidentally take one back to downtown Singapore = game over Cambodia), and the buses were about as packed as this bus below:

Minor Hyperbole on how packed the checkpoint buses were

At that point we had two options:

1. Risk it by waiting for a bus and praying we take the right one
2. Walking it across the bridge

When we asked the attendant how long the bridge was she said "I have no idea" which is flabbergasting given that supervising the bridge is HER JOB!  Thankfully, we met a fellow traveler who had gumption and confidence and who decided to walk with us.  He was a native of Southeast Asia who went to the University of Oklahoma (way random) and now works in Kuala Lumpur.  By traveling with him we figured we would get there Sooner.

This bridge crossing was a journey.  Unfortunately we have no pictures of it for which I apologize but we were honestly fearing for our lives.  The bridge is about a mile long with a shoulder of about 3 feet (had to walk single file).  There was quite a bit of traffic zooming by at speeds of 50-60 MPH.  At one point we had to cross the offramp to get to the customs office and we basically played Frogger with packs of motorbikes.  Picture all of this at night, poorly lit with heavy pollution and you have our wonderful scene.

Lesson 2: The Johor Bahru Airport is not close

After our journey across the bridge we had to go through Malaysian customs which was a breeze.  A little bit of a wait but I actually picked the right line which helped.  I've basically decided to go with the George Costanza method of picking the exact opposite line that my instincts tell me to pick.  Even years of flying as a consultant has made me no better at picking the right line.

From the airport we grabbed a Taxi which ended up being a 45 minute ride, way longer than our original assumption.  At this time it was around 10:00pm and it was difficult to stay awake post the adrenaline rush.  We finally made it in time for our flight.  I think in total the journey took over 3 hours.

Lesson 3: The KL airport is uncomfortable

Our flight from the Johor Bahru airport took us to Kuala Lumpur.  Our layover was from midnight to 6am so we decided to try to find some space to sleep at it.  We were not the only ones who do this.  There are even websites for this type of thing believe it or not http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/kualalumpur.htm

So given that we have "savvy" competition, I assumed the fit for good sleeping spots would be a battle.  But we found a spot that seemed ideal.  There was a row of massage-machine lazyboy recliners.  They were somewhat comfortable but had the issue of loud beeping if people sat in them too long without paying (to keep away filthy squatters a.k.a. us).

Fortunately, Megan and I had our thinking caps on.  The machines could be easily unplugged so we went around unplugging ours and everyone else's machines.  Beeping stopped.  We got some grateful head nods from our fellow weary travelers.  But the chairs were still a bit uncomfortable due to their upright nature.  That's when the real brilliance came in.  If we put in a mere one dollar into the machine while it was plugged in and then waited to unplug the machine until the chair was horizontal during the massage, we'd have a pretty phenomenal bed.  Execution was flawless.  With a few other MacGyver-esque hacks we were able to make semi-comfortable beds.  Megan is modeling our glorious approach below:

Living the High Life.

We awoke to the lovely sound of tourists checking their bags and shaking their heads in judgment at our rag-tag sleeping setup.  Whatever, it got the job done.  Our flight from KL to Siem Reap, Cambodia was rather uneventful.  We made it and were excited (yet still tired) to begin our exploration of Cambodia.

Conclusion

Do not wait until the last minute to book travel.  Traveling on a budget is overrated.  Sleeping overnight at the airport sucks in the moment and sucks for the 2-3 days afterwards when you feel exhausted and sore.  But no matter how bad the conditions are, push come to shove Megan and I will figure something out.

Next Up - Actual Cambodia pictures and adventures!

*We definitely hit the panic button.