Cambodia / Laos / Bali 2025

I decided that my next destination is Laos.🇱🇦🤩
@Chiara, this decision was definitely inspired by your amazing posts. Thank you so much.🙏🏽🥰

I had two options to get to Laos: Either take a flight or go by bus from Phnom Penh. I chose the bus, because after comparing prices and travel times, I realized the flight would be much more expensive and I wouldn’t arrive much earlier than by taking the bus, which takes around 12 hours.

So, today at 4 PM I’m taking the ferry, followed by a bus back to the capital. The ferry ride takes about an hour, then it's another 4 hours by bus. Instead of spending my morning relaxing on the beach as planned, I did laundry, it was raining from the moment I got up.🥹

I actually wanted to use that time to plan my Laos trip, but unfortunately my phone battery was low. Ever since my rainyday on bike in Siem Reap, my phone hasn't been charging properly. Every time I plug it in, it shows a warning: “Water in the charger.” I thought it would dry out after a few days, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.🙄 We’re expected to arrive in Phnom Penh around 8:15 PM tonight – so I’ll head straight to an iPhone doctor.

Luckily, I met Alex from France on the bus. He’s already been to Laos and gave me lots of helpful tips on places to stay and things I shouldn't miss.🙏🏽🇱🇦

The ferry was delayed, so we arrived in Phnom Penh at 9:30 PM. Besides visiting the iPhone doctor, I also needed to find some food for my travel day tomorrow, because I will leave tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. I walked, actually, ran around the neighborhood looking for an open store, but everything was closed. Almost an hour has passed and as I was walking back to my hostel, I stumbled upon paradise: a big shop with all kinds of fruits and vegetables.😂 So I grabbed a colorful mix of all the fruits and vegetables I carry.

The next morning, I walked to the bus station, grabbed a coffee along the way, and my journey to Laos officially began. To my surprise, they even served breakfast and lunch on the bus (I skipped rice for breakfast, but lunch, also rice, was quite nice🤭)

A local guide named „Na Send“ sat next to me. (I just remember the name because he added me on LinkedIn😄) We had a long conversation about culture, religion, education, family life, and work. It was super interesting to compare our countries. He told me that a typical income is around $300 a month, and a regular (not fancy) apartment might cost about $30. We also talked about food, and he mentioned his favorite fruit – the “palm fruit” – which I had never heard of or tried before.
After three hours, „Na Send“ got off at his stop and said goodbye. But just two minutes later, he got back on the bus holding a big plastic bag, full of palm fruits as a gift for me to try.🥹🍈 It was so kind, such a lovely surprise, and I really appreciated it.🙏🏽🫶🏽

Something strange happened at the border: everyone had to pay $40 for the visa – except me, even If I also needed and receive the visa. That was lucky, because earlier on the bus I’d spoken with a girl from France who warned me that you can't pay the taxes by card. Besides a mess in my wallet with money from all the countries that i visited, I only had 12 dollars left. That’ll somehow work out, I thought to myself, and as you can see, the problem then resolved itself.😂💸

We finally arrived by sunset on the Island Don Det in Laos, and spent the evening in a restaurant with two Girls, from Germany and France, who I met in the bus.🍱

PS: I feel rich, but it’s just about 75 dollars, the maximum I could withdraw from the ATM.🤑Meer informatie