Cambodia to Vietnam, 5/23
We drove to the border ? a relatively short drive from Svay Rieng ? after a morning session with our Cambodian friends. Moy, our driver, dropped us at a little caf? near the Vietnamese line where we enjoyed some cold soft drinks (“cold,” beverage-wise, here is not nearly as cold as “cold” in America) before walking up to the Cambodian checkpoint. Like I said in the last post, a number of casinos line the road in Cambodia leading up to the border.
Cambodian casino and our waitress at the border cafe
The sun beat upon us as we walked a few hundred yards to the Cambodia facility, with our backpacks and luggage. Thank God for the wheel!
After filling out all the appropriate forms and getting proper approvals and reviews there, we walked another one or two hundred yards (I’m always a bad judge of distance) and repeated the process at the Vietnam post. The procedures on both sides of the border were uneventful ? not even going through our luggage, just scanning ? and that was the case on our return trip also.
A cargo truck, and cargo bicycle, approach the border; The Cambodian checkpoint and in the background you can see Vietnam’s checkpoint
An aside about the motor scooters: they are perhaps the greatest examples of resourcefulness — but not necessarily safety — of the people of Indochina. We have seen as many as five people riding on a scooter (usually a family — who needs minivans?). We have seen a full refrigerator (not one of those apartment “minis”) tied down on the back of one. Another fellow had at least six full desktop computers and big monitors carried on the back of his scooter. Yet for all the movement, congestion, heavy cargo, and excess passengers, we have yet to see any accidents with them. Maybe it’s safe after all.
Hauling furniture; Scooters in Saigon
After finishing at the Vietnam checkpoint, we walked a short way to another caf? to stay cool and wait for our transportation inside Vietnam. Several young men with their scooters were parked in front and we engaged them a little bit, enjoying some chuckles even though we didn’t understand each other. This fellow was particularly friendly:
I’ve been sweating a little bit over here
From there our hosts picked us up in a passenger van that seated us all comfortably. We drove to Saigon, where our first stop was the location of the local Bible League office and the first Christian bookstore in the country — right in the heart of the city. “Pastor Mark” is very proud of it and he should be. The store is modest, but there are plenty of materials there for spiritual development. Other wares are sold as well, like small appliances and some gift items. Afterward we went upstairs to learn more about how God is at work in Vietnam and then we went on to dinner, trying yet even more new cuisine. Then to our hotel in downtown Saigon.
Next report I hope to tell about do’s and do not’s in Vietnam and how Christianity is spreading. For those who expressed concern about my health, I am doing fine. I just had to get through yesterday morning — I was pretty much okay after we got past the border checkpoints. Thank the Lord for that because facilities are either non-existent or extremely primitive (let’s say, “rural”) from there to Phnom Penh.
