Spoiler alert: it got better near the end… But the beginning was an absolute disaster!
So how did my day start?
Wet.
Very wet.
I awoke to thunder and immediately started praying the downpour wouldn’t start until I was on my boat back to the mainland:
I had a plane to catch after all.
So I checked out of the beautiful Long Set Resort and waited - they’d tell us when it was time to walk to the dock.
There was an 8:45 boat (which I was booked on) a 9:00 boat and a 9:30 boat …
In theory.
8:30… no boat on the horizon…
But the rain started.
8:45 … no boat in sight…
But the rain turned into a tropical downpour.
8:55 … you guessed it… no boat.
8:56: a boat!!!
Run to dock with others:
Was this the 8:45 boat? Or the 9:00 boat?
Who cares - everyone ran!
40 people disembark.
In the pouring rain.
Luggage gets unloaded onto the pier…
In the pouring rain.
40 new people try to give their bags to the guy loading the boat do that they can climb on board…
Downpour continues.
40 soaking wet people with soaking wet baggage get on boat and …
The boat waits.
And waits.
The Boat finally leaves at 9:15 and … heads in the opposite direction!
Wait. What?
Half the boat starts to panic… Sihanoukville is over that way, they mumble.
But the boat continues on to Koh Touch pier.
5 people disembark.
In the pouring rain.
ALL luggage gets unloaded onto the pier…after all, they don’t know whose is which.
5 people sort through bags, the rest gets reloaded…
In the pouring rain.
20 new people try to give their bags to the guy loading the boat do that they can climb on board… Downpour continues.
20 soaking wet people with soaking wet baggage get on boat and join the other 35 wet passengers.
But the boat waits.
Some people on board not the 8:45 Cambodia Island Speed Ferry but the 9:00 Buva Ferry… must please get off boat. They don’t want to.
Finally they do when they see their boat is there also.
The boat turns towards Sihanoukville.
The boat finally picks up speed and takes off…
The rain even stops.
Smiles return on 42 faces.
Then the boat stops.
Comes to a complete standstill.
Motors failed.
The boat starts rocking, minutes start flying, nerves unravel again.
The Buva Ferry passes us and waves.
They finally restart the engines, we continue.
Did I mention I had a flight to catch?
I texted my driver - all good, he’s at the pier waiting, no traffic or road construction en route to airport today – we’ll make it.
Boat docked, I grabbed my soaking wet bags (will tell airport staff at check in that 10 of those pounds of my bags are their water and they can have it back!)
At the airport: definitive karma change.
Zero lines at check-in,
Zeros lines at security.
Clear blue skies …
and my plane just landed.
Boarding will begin shortly.
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