Border crossings by land are always interesting. The easiest by far have been from one European country to another. Each time it felt just like driving from one U.S. state to another. No one even noticed us.
I’ve been stopped twice when crossing between Canada and the U.S.; once because of apples and once due to canned tuna we brought from the U.S. into Canada and back into the U.S. It was still canned.
I crossed into Mexico in a group tour bus, and that scared me to death. A military man boarded the bus with a huge gun and walked up and down the rows. That was my first ever international land crossing.
I’ve also gone from Botswana to Zimbabwe and Jordan to Israel. Boy were they memorable! The former two countries most resembled how the transfer from Vietnam to Cambodia was. As for Jordan to Israel…let’s just say my Egyptian-born husband (at the time) had a U.S. passport, and that didn’t help us. I was waved through, but he was held up for over three hours. He answered more questions than I could imagine, and they looked through all his social media. I sat waiting for them to finish their interrogation not knowing what to do. It was definitely stressful.
The biggest struggle we had with our transfer from Vietnam to Cambodia was the goodbye. All of us had come to love Hoang Lee, and we couldn’t imagine anyone forming that same bond with us. Enter Chenda.
A few nights before our entry into Cambodia, Chenda contacted us. She needed our visa information and passport information because she wanted to get ahead of the game and fill out the forms we would need. She soon became a part of our Flash Pack family, and we loved her too! But…we’re not there yet!
Upon arrival to the border crossing, we exited our van and went inside the building. Hardly anyone besides us was there. We sat in their waiting area for a while until Andy decided to hand his passport over to the Vietnam border agent. He approved our departure from Vietnam. The next stop was to another agent who sat in a booth. We took our passport to them and passed into the limbo area. We “left” Vietnam but weren’t quite in Cambodia. We still had another agent to see who would approve our arrival.
During this time Lee managed our luggage. We claimed it once we were over the border. Lee was there for hugs and luggage transfers.
Lee had been allowed to meet U.S. outside on the Cambodia side to say his goodbyes. As a tourist, you always feel your guide will mourn your departure, but Lee was heading to vacation. He probably wouldn’t miss us much at all! Despite all that, we thanked him for everything he provided us.
In the midst of all of this waiting, the rain found us. We waited for a while longer, hoping it would stop. (It did.)
Chenda expertly navigated both our entry and our emotions. She first provided the introduction and guidelines with efficiency. Then she shared touristy information along the way that helped us separate the traditions of Vietnam vs. the traditions of Cambodia. We drove for quite some time.
One of the first stops we had in Cambodia included a gin distillery tour. The owner, a Spaniard by birth, decided to make his home in Cambodia, and he created a beautiful space for the people.
While I am not a drinker, I love learning. Half of the group was then responsible for providing insights regarding the taste as two others were teetotalers as well.
We learned the process of making gin, how the names and labels were created, and what made each gin unique. I never knew that temperature changes flavors, so sometimes an ice cube can make all the difference. Should you desire more information on the gin, you can find it all here.
I felt a little more knowledgeable about the gin making process after this great tour. Of course, I’m not to the level of being a distiller yet!
After our day with the Củ Chi tunnels, the international drive, and the drive, we were ready for rest. We found our way to the hotel and prepared for new Cambodian adventures!
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