Moving East
After seeing the cramped and grossly overloaded mini-vans heading to Kampot from the Sihanoukville bus terminal, I gladly paid US$7.50 for a ticket on the air-conditioned van operated by G'day Mate Outback Tours where I was guaranteed an actual seat inside the vehicle. "No Crazy Overtaking, No Loud Khmer Music, and No Constant Beeping of Horn" was printed right on the ticket. I liked this outfit already. The van picked me up at the Espresso Kampuchea coffee shop next door to the Freedom Hotel at 8:30 and I had the good fortune to ride shot-gun in the front passenger seat. The 110-kilometer trip was true to its calling - relaxed and smooth. At the town of Veal Renh, instead of continuing straight, for Phnom Penh on Highway 4, we angled right for Kampot along Highway 3 through green countryside toward the jungle-covered Elephant Mountains.
